Center City Philadelphia

For more than a century the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has showcased the work of their third- and fourth-year Certificate and graduating Master of Fine Arts students with an the Annual Student Exhibition. This weekend is your last chance to view this year’s amazing artwork. Enjoy more than 1,000 works, showcasing a diversity of styles and available for sale at accessible prices.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building, 128 N. Broad Street, 215-972-7600, www.pafa.org

Tomorrow afternoon head over to The Print Center for their opening reception of The Triumph of Democracy: Inside the Studio: Benjamin Edwards and 82nd Annual International Competition: Photography, juried by Joel Smith, Curator of Photography, Princeton University Art Museum. The opening reception is from 3-5pm on Saturday, May 31, with a gallery talk & awards ceremony at 3:30pm.

The Print Center is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 11-5:30pm.

The Print Center, 1614 Latimer Street, 215 735.6090, www.printcenter.org

Friday evenings the Philadelphia Museum of Art takes on a whole new feel with a unique blend of entertainment from 5–8:45pm in the Great Stair Hall. Tonight enjoy jazz performances by Trio 3. Oliver Lake (alto saxophone), Reggie Workman (bass) and Andrew Cyrille (drums) have been collaborating for twenty-years as Trio 3, and have played alongside jazz giants like John Coltrane, Art Blakey, and Wayne Shorter.

Performances are scheduled for 5:45–6:45pm and 7:15–8:15pm. Guided gallery tours are offered throughout the evening. There is no additional charge for performances or guided tours after Museum admission.

For more details visit www.philamuseum.org

This Monday Once Upon A Nation kicks off their storytelling program. Guaranteed to educate and entertain, these 13 one-of-a-kind storytelling stations are scattered throughout the historic district. Best of all, it’s free! This program runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

For a map of storytelling bench locations, visit historicphiladelphia.org/map-and-directions/map.php

Today CCD/CPDC unveiled their new Web site look, designed by Center City based Electronic Ink. Check out all of the site’s great features, including the latest on shopping, dining, business doings, crowd-pleasing events, office space, arts and culture, lifestyle, research results, published reports, geo-mapping and more.

With a new edition of (IN) Center City comes this month’s featured restaurant- Pearl.

Situated two slim blocks off Rittenhouse Square, “Pearl is a chic, sophisticated dining room serving elegant pan-Asian cuisine prepared by Executive Chef Ari Weiswasser. The second floor houses an energetic lounge offering European bottle service.”

Sounds good already, but to give you even more of a reason to check it out, here’s a coupon good for a complimentary rock shrimp tempura taster with your dinner.

Of course, you probably know this, as you already receive the (IN) Center City email newsletter and receive great offers like this every month, as well as information about everything happening, well, in Center City.

If not, well, it’s rather easy to sign up.

Pearl [official site]
(IN) Center City – May 2008 [html version]

Why, it’s not even summer yet and the Center City District Sips Happy Hours are already making news. Two of the advertising industry’s leading weblogs picked up on the “seat savers” and mirror clings making their way to Center City bars and restaurants as we speak.

You’ll be seeing them at one of the almost seventy bars and restaurants participating in this summer’s happy hours, 5-7pm, every Wednedsay evening , June 4-August 27. A full list of bars and specials are available on the Sips homepage.

Seat Savers Help Philadelphia Boost Nightlife [AdRants]
Philly thinks you look pretty hot tonight [AdFreak]
Center City District Sips [CCD]