La Placita transforms Cherry Street Pier into Puerto Rican chinchorreo
Duck inside Cherry Street Pier and you'll see a colorful trolley serving Irv's Ice Cream.
Deeper in, there's La Placita, serving Puerto Rican street food favorites.
The scene is Philadelphia's version of a popular Puerto Rican pastime called chinchorreo, where people meet at their favorite street food joints and go hopping from one place to another.
For Mariangeli Alicea, the vibe recreates her memories of growing up on the island.
She and her husband, Dionicio Jimenez, are co-owners of the James Beard-nominated Cantina La Martina, and they're bringing some of the restaurant's dishes from Kensington to the Delaware River.
The couple was contracted by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation to activate the pier.
They knew pastry chef Ilissa Shapiro as a regular customer at Cantina La Martina.
Shapiro has been making ice cream for 15 years, so they invited her to bring her creations to the pier.
Thus, Irv's Ice Cream was born.
For Mariangeli, the space is the perfect place to introduce Philadelphians to a delicious tradition and to celebrate the diversity the city has to offer.
There are happy hour specials from 4-6 p.m. daily with $2 food and drink specials.
Cherry Street Pier | Facebook | Instagram
La Placita at Cherry Street Pier | Instagram
Cantina La Martina | Instagram
Irv's Ice Cream | Instagram
121 N Christopher Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19106
HOURS:
Thursday 4-8 p.m.
Friday 4-10 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
It's a roaring 20s party every night at Midnight and the Wicked
Midnight and the Wicked is a new club and lounge that gives a nod to the 1920s with its underground speakeasy-style establishment.
They have named themselves the "pinnacle" of Philadelphia nightlife.
The space includes four unique spaces: The Vault, Midnight, The Crimson Theater, and The Wicked, each with its own type of experience.
"Experience live music and one-of-a-kind mixology as you lose yourself at the glamour and excitement of the 1920s and indulge in the pleasures of a bygone era.
Midnight and Wicked | Instagram
1500 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tropicana Resort, Atlantic City Tiki Boat heats up the summer in AC
Atlantic City combines a long history of entertainment with a modern beachside vacation destination.
America's first boardwalk is home to all the traditional summer fun, from french fries to saltwater taffy.
It is also where you can find Steel Pier, an entertainment hub in Atlantic City for more than a century.
Today, it is home to one of the largest observation wheels in the world, scenic helicopter tours, and other adventure rides for all ages.
Inside the Tropicana Casino and Hotel, you can enjoy a decadent breakfast and lunch at Hash House A Go Go.
The spot features farm-fresh food with portions fit for a king.
At Gardener's Basin, you can take in beautiful bay views while you take a scenic boat tour.
There are party cruises on the Atlantic City Tiki Boat or take a more traditional tour on the larger AC Cruise ship.
Atlantic City | Facebook | Instagram
Steel Pier | Facebook | Instagram
AC Tiki Boat | Facebook | Instagram
800 North New Hampshire Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Tropicana Resort Atlantic City | Facebook | Instagram
2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey 08401-6338
Velojawn and Tricycle Cafe offer city biking needs plus on-trail snack stop
Owner Michael Brown says Velojawn is the perfect combination of words to describe his full-service bike shop in West Philly.
He says 'velo' means bike, and 'jawn' is a Philly thing.
The South Jersey native is an avid cyclist himself, as a racer and bike charity co-founder.
His shop offers everything from sales to service for all types of bikes and all experience levels of riders.
Three years ago, he added The Tricycle Cafe to his bike businesses - this one, a cafe right on the Schuylkill River Trail in Conshohocken.
Coffees and pastries are on the menu, plus sandwiches and wraps.
Also on the bike scene, you can find The Tricycle Food Truck at races and festivals - offering similar fare as in the cafe.
Velojawn Bike Shop | Facebook | Instagram
3946 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104
267-292-5323
open Tuesday through Saturday
The Tricycle Cafe | Facebook | Instagram
1 Station Avenue, Conshohocken, PA 19428
484-533-3145
open Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 4 p.m. on Saturday
Soar Foundation Racing | Instagram
Philly Pump track celebrates 10 years of cycling fun in Philly
Philly Pump track opened 10 years ago, a first-of-its-kind experience in Philadelphia.
It remains a hotspot in the neighborhood for cycling enthusiasts and people learning to ride for the first time.
The course is designed to learn how to ride without pedaling, known as pumping.
Of course, pedaling is allowed as bikers take on three different courses.
The first course is designed for beginners, an intermediate level and a more challenging course designed with BMX jumping in mind.
Philly Pump Track is a free experience with free bikes and helmets available for riders.
Philly Pump Track | Facebook | Instagram
Parkside Ave North, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Funplex is filled with family fun with a new hotel for summer 2024
The Funplex is known for its bevy of indoor and outdoor activities for the entire family, but they have something new in store for 2024.
The amusement park now features a brand-new on-site hotel called the La Quinta & Hawthorn Suites.
The hotel is just a few feet from the Funplex to rest your head after a long day of play.
In the water park, you can splash in the pool, go down waterslides, and float down a lazy river.
Enjoy arcade games, a 16-lane bowling alley, laser tag, go-karts, and more to cool off indoors.
The Funplex now offers alcoholic beverages at the indoor and outdoor bars for those 21 and over.
Funplex | Facebook| Instagram
3320-24 NJ-38, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054
Chesco Pops Orchestra plays 'Voyages: A Musical Journey' July 21, 27
The Chesco Pops Orchestra presents 'Voyages: A Musical Journey.'
"We're playing music of action and adventure," says Joseph Gehring, Music Director for the Chesco Pops Orchestra.
The summer concert series features music from movies, including 'Jaws,' 'Far and Away' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness.'
The orchestra, founded in 2005, was originally known as the Chester County Pops.
"We've just kind of abbreviated to Chesco Pops, because now we're performing beyond Chester County," he says. "Playing all different styles of music."
The ensemble is traveling this month for two performances.
"We're bringing music into the community, so we perform all over - West Chester, Phoenixville, Coatesville, Downingtown, Oxford, Unionville, and even right here at Immaculata University," he says.
After performing at Immaculata, they're heading to the shore.
"The adventure of going down to Cape May for the very first time is kind of what inspired this program," says Gehring. "Playing at Convention Hall will be a new experience for us, and kind of inspired that musical journey-theme that we're taking on."
Audiences will hear favorite scores, along with exciting new works.
Gehring says there will also be a large work based on Homer's 'The Iliad and The Odyssey,' which has a lot of "really neat special effects and sound effects with it."
The Chesco Pops Orchestra presents their summer concert series, 'Voyages: A Musical Journey' on July 21 at Immaculata University's Alumnae Hall and July 27 at the Cape May Convention Hall.
'Voyages: A Musical Journey'
Tickets for July 21 show
Immaculata University
Alumnae Hall, Malvern, PA 19355
Tickets for July 27 show
Cape May Convention Hall
714 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
SHOW EXTRAS
Garden Jams is an outdoor concert series at Penn Museum's Stoner Courtyard featuring a different live local band every Wednesday evening in July,
There's a fountain, food trucks, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. Plus, you can explore the Penn Museum after hours.
Garden Jams at Penn Museum
Wednesdays on July 5-8 p.m.
3260 South Street Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
The Center for Loss and Bereavement is hosting a sunflower festival from July 20-21 at the Smith Farmstead in Collegeville.
You can pick your own sunflowers, have photos taken by Silver Orchid Photography and walk around the fields and take in the beauty.
The event, dubbed Fields of Hope, raises money for the non-profit center, which was founded to offer grief counseling and support to those experiencing loss.
The Center for Loss Bereavement's 4th annual Fields of Hope Sunflower Event /
1415 Kriebel Mill Road, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, 19426
July 19-21, 2024, at The Smith Farm