Cheerio! I’m gonna be gone for about 9 days, but on the night I make my return to Philly, Thursday, April 17, I’m hoping to attend a nice event at Nexus, a gallery in the Crane Building (1400 N. American Street, Suite 102). Philadelphia Brewing Company will hold a beer tasting event. I’ve had 3 of their new beers, and believe you me, they are delicious and refreshing! Walt Wit (I’ve heard it has chamomile, and I certainly felt calm while I was drinking it). Rowhouse Red, a “ruddy French farmhouse ale.” Best of all - Kenzinger, a “golden session ale.”

Well, yes, I’ve tried 3 of PBA’s 4 beers, but I guess I’ve gotta go just to try the Newbold IPA. They’ve got a $10 donation fee, as well, but it’ll be worth it!

Does God care what you wear? I will be out and about to see what other people think they should be wearing to celebrate Easter. There is some sort of Easter-fashion-wear-your-bonnet parade/contest in Headhouse Square (2nd & Pine) on Sunday, March 23, from 1-3. Since I don’t really give a flying you-know-what about religious holidays, I will be going to people-watch. It sounds fun, and if you are religious, you can partake in this fashion show/contest! I think I read a mention of drag queens in the City Paper. Here is the real information.

Furthermore, if you want to play Halloween on Easter, you can just go drinking, dressed as a zombie. Thanks, as always, City Paper!

In case you haven’t heard, the very first Philly Beer Week will be starting this Friday, March 7. Actually more than a week, this is a 10-day celebration of Philly Beers. Activities: dinners, beer-tasting events, festivals, tours, meet-and-greets! It even extends to the suburbs!

They (the organizers) are calling Philly “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City.” Does that mean we drink with the most skill (and is that something to be proud of)? Does it mean we have the best beers? Does it mean we have the best environment for drinking beer? I will have to do some research to find out. Join me!

Also, here’s a fun thing the citypaper is doing.

Please drink in moderation. I don’t want you making a spectacle of yourself in the street. Photos of you drunk are not very flattering, either.

Center city Wawas seem to be a dying breed. The most recent of several locations to go is the all-important 20th and Locust Wawa. Not only is it essential for the locals, it’s an incredibly popular post-bar spot for snacks and re-hydration. Inebriated masses congregate, consume and leave sated after long nights of drinking. Where will they go now?

Another good question would be, why are all the Wawas closing? According to their PR Department: “The closing of this particular store is not unlike others we have made throughout our 5-state operating area from Chadds Ford, PA to College.” This doesn’t explain a whole lot, and I’m still curious as to why those locations were targeted. The 20th and Locust, in particular, must have brought in quite a bit of revenue.

One of the drawbacks to my current neighborhood is, indeed, the fact that the local Wawa closed last year. The next closest one is over a mile away. It looks like that is to be the case for much of center city as well.

Well I made it through Daylight Savings Time. I made it through a rough game of Beer Pong Saturday night. I made it through an early Sunday morning with no cereal.

But I didn’t make it through last night’s Eagles game.

Grande and I went, our first NFL game, and we were pretty stoked. The tailgate scene was the most aggressive, fun-loving Phish lot scene I had ever seen and we were living large, eating hamburgers, drinking Busch Light, and watching the end of the Pats/Colts game out of the back of Jeep. When it was time to head into the Linc, Grande turned to me, holding his fresh “Dallas Sucks” sign in his hand.

“Now I feel like I’m ready for some football,” he said.

“I’m stoked!”

And yes we were. For exactly twenty-three more minutes.

Philadelphia, I’m going to tell you a few things you either probably know, or probably don’t want to know…but still kind of know.

1.) The Eagles are terrible this year. I don’t know who saw them in the preseason and declared them a contender for the NFC East, but that person must have been a lot more tanked than I was last night. The defense is spotty and the offense runs solely through Brian Westbrook. It’s a joke. I think Fast Eddie’s football team could beat the 2007 Eagles.

2.) Donovan McNabb looks lost, disheveled, and disorientated. Halfway through the third quarter, fans started chanting for rookie Kevin Kolb. McNabb has taken the fast road to loser-ville and it’s a shame. And with the rapid demise of the Bears, I’m not sure where he’ll end up next year. But no, I don’t think he’ll be in Philadelphia. And I think both McNabb and Philly will be fine with that.

3.) Andy Reid needs to resign. It was obvious to everyone at the Linc last night that whatever bogus game plan he was going with wasn’t working. The poor guy in front of me nearly had a heart attack as he vehemently yelled for Reid to stick with the I Formation, as opposed to the shotgun. Then the guy started calling me Charlie, before he finally just gave up and sunk into his second plate of gourmet nachos.

And yes, it was that feeling, that feeling of “what the hell are we even doing here?” that swept over the Linc last night and will most likely remain until next year. This year is lost. It’s a shame, but those things happen. The Eagles had a good run, and now it’s time to reload. So say your goodbyes to McNabb, Mama McNabb, Andy Reid, his sons, and anyone else who is looking to jump this quickly sinking ship.

Fly Eagles Fly?

How about, survive Eagles survive?

That seems to work.

How about those Flyers, huh? Or maybe Band of Horses, they’re pretty great. Anyone watching this season of the Office? It’s pretty amazing.

See? It’s not all bad.

The doors are open and the music is turned up. Ed Tettemer, Philadelphia ad man and this evening’s official host is working the crowd, ready for his cue. The potential storytellers are signing up, all nervously hoping that their name will be drawn out of the hat and they’ll get a chance to take the stage and tell their story tonight. The highest-scoring participant tonight will win the Golden Ticket, which gives them entry to November’s Grand Slam, where storytellers will battle it out to determine who is the Best Storyteller in Philadelphia. The Grand Slam will be held during the First Person Fest in November.

The rest of the updates will be posted after the jump, so extend the entry and keep refreshing in order to read the highs and lows from the tonight’s Trespassing-themed story slam.
Read more

Hmmm…this is a tough one.

The sun is out, and I really want to feel good about everything. But I’ve hit a roadblock. I can’t decide what to possibly feel better about, the Phillies big win over the Mets last night or the addition of a third Genesis concert in Philly.

I can only believe that these are the kind of pickles that really define a person.

Genesis aside, though, it’s tough not to feel at least marginally good about the Phillies right now. Thankfully we’re a nation of short attention spans and short term memories, so we can collectively forget the prior two series in which the Phils lost both games and ground on the Padres in the NL Wild Card race and to the Dodgers, who are right behind them in said Wild Card standings. The Phillies trounced the Padres in the series’ final game and then last night, with the visiting first place Mets in town and The Force That is Chase back in the lineup, the Phillies cranked out nearly twenty hits in a smashing 9-2 win over the Mets.

Granted The Mighty Cole is still on the Disabled List and with the Fightin’ Phils’ porous bullpen, no game is over until we’re out either in the parking drinking warm beers lot or watching the Daily Show and drinking cold beers, but there are bright spots. Yes, Chase is back and so is Shane Victorino. Adam Eaton is back on the mound tonight and while that isn’t exactly the most exciting news, we should all be somewhat relieved that he trimmed his goatee, making him look less like a loser science teacher and more like an average pitcher getting paid above average pitcher money. Jayson Werth is absolutely on fire right now, going 9 for 9 in his last 9 at bats, and Mr. Miyagi, Pat Burrell, has remained consistent, despite the frequent shifts in the lineup and the fact that Charlie Manuel has zero confidence in him after the 6th inning.*

So now the first place Mets are in town until Thursday and while even a sweep won’t pull the Phillies up even with them, it is a chance for them to stay in it. The Padres are back out west, duking it out with the NL West leaders, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Braves are in shambles, wondering why their blockbuster, mid-season trade hasn’t equated itself to more wins. These are desperate times for the Fightin’ Phils. They’re riding on fumes and only a few bucks in their wallet and headed to AC for the weekend. It can work, but it’s going to take a little work.

And a little luck.

Only time will tell. By the end of the week, the Phils will either be passed out drunk on the boardwalk, wondering when their wallet got stolen or hob-nobbin’ with Trump and and taking baths in expensive booze and gold bars.

Then we’ll see how we feel about the team, but for now, it’s all about the traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway and the cops hiding in the trees.

One thing at a time.

* this is something that continues to confuse me. since the all star break, burrell has been one of the team’s hottest hitters, yet in close games or games when the Phillies are up a couple runs going into the seventh, manuel takes burrell out. then, without fail, the bullpen blows the lead and burrell’s hot bat is now absent in the lineup, replaced usually with wes helms, who has hit a mammoth 5 homeruns this year and routinely looks like a lost farmer out looking for his dog that ran away months ago. i know i’m one of the last remaining burrell fans in philly, but even a burrell-hater has to admit that this makes little sense. it’s like entourage. this season has been a little slow and i’ve heard numerous people say their down with it and have moved on to shows like flight of the conchords or even further away to showtime, and weeds. but entourage has remained consistent in it’s on special way and is now regained it’s form. yet everyone has already bailed on it and so now it’s greatness is wasted. now, i’m not saying burrell is great. no. but he is consistent, and that should count for something.

This past Tuesday night we celebrated my fiancé’s birthday with another couple at The Water Works. I called that morning for reservations, and it was a little tighter than I expected. The only open times were 5:30 or 8:30. Since we didn’t want to contend with rush hour, we chose 8:30.

When we arrived there was a quick moment of panic, we noticed a few patrons leaving in jackets and the men wondered if they were required. Of course not. It’s fancy, sure, but not that fancy. We chose to sit outside and were given a very nice table with a beautiful view of the river, boathouse row and the gazebo. Small torches were lit along the railing and the just-after sunset temperature perfect.
Read more

As the fattest city in America. Check it out. The Philly Taco.

1. Take one night of drinking.

2. Buy one cheesesteak. (Ishkabibbles)

3. Buy one large slice of pizza. (Lorenzo & Sons)

4. Wrap steak up in the slice.

5. Enjoy!

Dear Readers of Philly MetroBlogs,
In my most recent post entitled “Ryan Howard goes on the DL,” I wrote that the Phillies had placed their first baseman and the reigning National League on the Disabled List. Howard, who had been nursing his left quad for the past few games, is scheduled to be on the DL until May 25th.
It was brought to my attention this evening from loyal reader and avid fan, Colin, that none of the people reading Philly MetroBlogs “cares what (I’m) listening to or what (I’m) drinking, and by all means, no one gives two shakes at a monkey’s paw what in the name of the Heavenly Father (I’m) blabbering about.” I am assuming that Colin was not reacting to my writing about Howard, but instead reacting to the list that appeared at the end of the blog. This does not really effect me at all or affect me at all. Nor does it make me feel bad. I am pretty sure that there is someone else out there (besides Colin) who also enjoys Vitamin water, and my inability to decide between Lemonade and Relaxation Vitamin water resonated with them. I also have talked to several people who all agree that yes, Justin Timberlake’s lastest album is great driving music. Big White (who is rarely ever wrong) had it in regular rotation in his Caddy before he started listening to the new Timbaland album all the time.*
But that nonsense aside. The real tragedy of Colin’s comments is the lack of sensitivity being shown toward Howard. Ryan Howard has quickly become a sports icon in Philadelphia and not mentioning him in a comment bashing a post written about him and his injury is frankly, quite insulting. A strained left quadricep is a serious injury and the potential of this year’s Phillies greatly rests on Howard’s shoulders. We sports fans in Philadelphia should not be concerned with trivial issues such as the Eagles’ imaginary Quarterback controversy, the Phillies’ horrendous bullpen, or Big or mine’s desire to drive and listen to Timberlake. Howard hasn’t gotten off to a good start this season, and despite his pinch-hit Grand Slam last week in Arizona, has failed to light even the smallest flame underneath the Phils. I am not saying that his injury is going to be the make or break point for the season. But I am saying that it is a subject far more important than my love of the new Spouse record.**
So please, if you’re going to bash one of my posts, at least pick the proper section to bash.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Ryan

* Big defines good driving music as something with a steady beat, that he can bob his head too. Thus, Big is a huge fan of listening to hiphop while he drives, and before Timberlake, was a huge fan of the Roots’ latest album, Game Theory.
** Spouse is a great indie-rock/pop band out of Northampton, Mass. Check them out at www.spousemusic.com.