Random Act of Culture

How completely wonderful!....A flash mob of the Opera Company of Philadelphia performed Carmen's La Toreador at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.  This "random act of culture" was supported by the Knight Foundation's arts program which will pull off 1000 or so such marvelous stunts around the country over the next three years.

I LOVE that kind of arts philanthropy - so creative and with many social benefits. Art philanthropy is especially challenging.  Its social good is recognized, but often determined by some lofty cultural arbiters.  It has a metric - butts in seats, tickets sold - but this has inherent challenges, too. And the shrinking audiences would suggest low demand.  Arts philanthropists often underwrite exhibitions and operating costs of theater and music, as well as arts education and arts exposure (those discounted tickets, those school visits). What does a philanthropic gift for the operating costs of the opera company achieve?  Lots, of course, but it's a rather elite inaccessible art supported by wealthy, mostly white patrons.

This endeavor lets unsuspecting regular people encounter opera in the everyday - perhaps they will be inspired to go to a performance, perhaps they will think opera (and opera singers) are more cool, maybe they will be feel a sense of community engagement and connection, or perhaps it will just bring surprise and joy and to their day, as it did to mine (albeit via You Tube).  Enjoy!

I [HEART] Philadelphia murals

There are many reasons I love my childhood hometown of Philadelphia.  It has wonderful distinct urban neighborhoods.  Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Fairmount, South Philly, West Philly, University City, West Oak Lane, Mount Airy, Old City, Chestnut Hill and Queen Village are just a few of the dozens of  true communities each with individual heritage, history, and flavor.   It's a local town - not filled transplants and transients.  When someone asks you where you went to school, they mean high school.

And my high school, in particular, elicits quite a response, if you're a local.  Central High School, founded in 1837, is the nation's second oldest public high school (after Boston Latin).  An all-boys school until 1983 when the elder sisters of some of my best friends took the school district to court, and won the case that the single sex admission policy was unconstitutional.  While Girls High (how's that for two lackluster high school names?), a college preparatory magnet school located down the street was considered Central's peer, Central's facilities, alumni old-boys' networks of Philadelphia's finest judges, lawyers, and doctors, and its alumni fund and college scholarships were far superior.  Central became co-ed, and I was in the second co-ed class in Central's history.  "2-4-7  Ho!" - as we used to say, for at Central you were not known as Class of '88, but as Central's 247th graduating class (a carry-over from when there were two graduating classes per year in January an June).

But I digress....

Banh Mi. Yummy.

Banh mi - or as we say in Philly - a Vietnamese hoagie - is the ultimate fusion cheap street food.  A hoagie - Philadelphia's version of a sub sandwich - long soft roll, filled with meat, veg, and condiments - is a Philadelphia specialty.  Italian hoagies are a particular regional delicacy from the Old World - filled with the best Italian cured meats (salami, cappicola, prosciutto) cheese (a nice sharp provolone), lettuce, tomato and splashed with oil and vinegar (never mayo - oh horror!) on a Sarcone's long roll.

But a fabulous twist on the hoagie has become popular in Philadelphia and other cities.  This Banh mi - Vietnamese sandwich - is filled with pulled chicken, crisp carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and a fishy aioli was fresh-delish.  A pulled pork version is available, as is a vegetarian one with tofu and crunchy fresh Asian vegetables like daikon.  We lunched at this two-seater hole-in-the-wall today before heading back to DC - Cafe Nuh y (806 Christian Street, Philadelphia).   Other options around the city are reviewed here in Philadelphia Weekly.  Yum.

Street Scene: South Street, Philadelphia

I [HEART] maps; I [HEART] Philadelphia.

Graphic designer, Joel Katz, of the amazing city of Philadelphia has created a redesign of the map for city's regional public transit system.  While it is apparently geographically inaccurate - hmmm, seems sort of counterintuitive for a map, no? - it is apparently user-friendly and clearly lays out the order of stations, an important function of a transit map.

Personally, I find the map striking in its design - bold, simple, artistic - to be praised for its form, as well as its function.  The soft curves of each line is not a usual feature of a transit map - a lovely distinctive feature.  One really gets a sense of systems - public transit systems, flowcharts, bodily systems.  It reminds me of a  modern family tree, a scale, a collection of vases and urns.  I like the way the important stuff - Center City, the major subway and elevated lines are bolder and more distinct than the secondary lines to suburbs.  I like the way Philly's two rivers - the Delaware and the Schuykill - are displayed as washes of light blue ribbons.

Born a city-child, I began taking the subway to my public school in seventh grade (Lombard to Spring Garden stations) through high school (Lombard to Olney stations) on the Broad Street line.  I think I turned out OK.

Opera Company of Philadelphia "Flash Brindisi"

April 24, 2010: The Opera Company of Philadelphia did a flash mob at the city's Reading Terminal Market.   The opera company surprised the unassuming lunch crowd by performing Brindisi from La Triaviata on the fly. Love it!