A world of art, music, dance, films, food and fun awaits you each week for Wednesday night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as it hosts different musical groups, shows themed films, and runs gallery lectures on various artists or art forms. They also cook a meal in the spirit of the evening. On Wednesday, August 22, the event was called "Pickin' and Hoofin' at the PMA." Folk music, percussive dancer Sandy Silva, and the Gallery Talk, "Pickin' with Pippin", with Sarah Powers, the Curatorial Assistant in Modern and Contemporary Art drew a diverse crowd of nearly 450. Also, watch out for the PMA's upcoming Friday nights for the young professionals crowd starting in early October.

There are few things quite as thrilling as sitting before an incredible selection of silky, sensuous cheeses that are waiting to be paired with an ambitious by-the-glass wine program. Bistro St. Tropez has both. So, on August 8th, DiBruno Brothers Cheese shop (Best Of winner of our Center City Cheese Shop, 2001) and the Moore Bros. wine aficionados came together at Bistro St. Tropez to guide over 40 eager tasters in a wine and cheese pairing. Bistro St. Tropez closed off their bar area for us, blissfully smoke-free, and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely while watching the sun set.

Hordes of people gathered in the sun-dappled shade of Rittenhouse Square Wednesday night, August 1st , to enjoy a free jazz concert featuring the critically acclaimed, fourteen-member Antibalas (Spanish for "Bulletproof") Afrobeat Orchestra, and the Brazilian jazz group Soul Samba. The two-hour concert drew nearly 800 spectators, some of whom got up to dance as the music moved them, or sat with picnic baskets on the grass throughout the park.

Join us at the Sofitel Hotel as we honor the 2001 winners of the Best Of Philly. Over 500 winners, guests and Philadelphia Magazine staff celebrated together on Monday, July 31, 200l. The mood was festive as friendly Philadelphians circulated, striking up conversations with new friends and old. Winners from all six categories - food, shopping, drinks, services, kids, and arts - were well represented.

The Philadelphia Orchestra presented a "University City Neighborhood Concert" on Friday, July 6th among the trees and greenery of West Philadelphia's nine-acre, century-old Clark Park. The free concert was performed in The Bowl, a natural hillside within the park for over 2,500 classical music lovers. Parents brought their children and young couples snuggled on blankets to soak in the music on the sun-dappled evening. The concert was part of ongoing efforts by University City District, a non-profit cooperative partnership that unites the neighorhoods to improve the quality of life and raise the profile of West Philadelphia.