Do Something Different This New Years Eve; While Saving a Buck

Last week I began looking around online for New Years Eve parties in the city. Not soon after I realized ticket prices for bars sky rocketed since a year ago. Virtually every bar in the city, and some in the suburbs, require a ticket to celebrate the New Year. However, what use to be an option is now included in that ticket. Many bars and clubs now "include" a top-self open bar with their ticket, which in result makes the price way higher. The cheapest New Years Eve bar tickets are anywhere from $70 to $100. If you want to go VIP then be prepared to cough up an extra $50 to $100. Open bars are great, but if you try to drink your money's worth then you will be ringing in 2012 on a stretcher. Here are some alternative options for this New Years Eve in Philly:

Riverfront Fireworks: A Philadelphia classic. This year there are two shows; one at 6 pm and another at midnight. There are plenty of great spots along the Delaware, like Penn's Landing, to watch the sky light up. The fireworks are a party in itself as thousands gather to see them go boom boom boom, even brighter than the moon moon moon (yeah it's Katy Perry so what?).

Blue Cross RiverRink: The ice skating rink at Penn's Landing is open for most of the winter, but it is holding a special gathering for New Years celebrations. There is a party from 5 to 7 pm for the first fireworks show, which is more for families. Then there will be another party on the ice from 11 pm to 1 am.Tickets are $30 to skate and $20 for spectators. 

Battleship New Jersey: Another great spot to welcome 2012 while seeing the fireworks is across the river on board the Battleship New Jersey. They too will host two separate parties for both fireworks shows; starting at 4 and 10 pm. There will be prizes, music with food and drinks (including alcohol) available for purchase. Tickets are ONLY $8!

Helium Comedy Club: Helium, located at 20th and Sansom Streets, will also have two shows. Stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik will be performing. The first show begins at 8 pm with appetizers beginning at 6. Jeselnik will take the stage again at 10:30 with a desert buffet and midnight champagne toast after. Ticket prices for the earlier show are $38 and the later one is $59. Both New Years Eve tickets include a FREE ticket to a future show. 

SEPTA Ain't So Bad

Sure SEPTA's subways, trains, buses may not always be the cleanest nor on time, but this story is proof that they are not as lousy as some may think.

Newlyweds Beth and Scott Wimsley of Huntingdon Valley have SEPTA to thank for getting them to their wedding last weekend. No, they did not stand at a bus stop with 20 of their family and friends.

They were in a limo bus en route to the ceremony when it broke down and an array of men and women dressed to the nine's in tux's and gowns could be seen on the side of the Roosevelt Blvd. It seemed like there was no way to get everyone in the group to the wedding in time for the Wimsley's to tie the knot.

That was until, yes! SEPTA driver Jay Sowel showed up in his bus which looked more like a magic carpet  that day. He saw the unusual crowd of people standing along the Boulevard and stopped to see what was up. The wedding boarded the bus and as Sowel played wheel man for the grateful bunch, they broke out in a rendition of "Tiny Dancer."

At least for one day SEPTA wasn't just a transportation service, but a savior. Maybe the next time your train or bus is late, just think of his happy story.

Two Wheels Are Better Than Four

One of my excuses for the hiatus away from GNP is I recently moved to the Queen Village section of South Philly. So keep checking back for new posts sooner than every two months or so. Anyway, one of the first things I have noticed is the number of bikers in the city; especially in my neighborhood. By bikers I mean bicycles, those ones with the pedals. Of course now is the best time to bike around the city, but Philadelphia is the number one city for bike riding anytime of the year. One of the reasons is the numerous streets with designated bike lanes which take the annoyance away of having to dodge pedestrians on sidewalks. Whether it is commuting to work on bike or just cruising around, Philly is a bicycle riding city. 

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If you didn't know (like me until I started researching this), Philadelphia has its very own coalition for biking. It is called the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Their main objective is to make Philadelphia even more bike friendly and get more people hoping on bicycles while ditching their cars. They basically deal with anything to do with biking in Philadelphia.

Here is a list of the top 5 places to bike around Philly and don't forget about the 5 worst locations to pedal around. If you would like to make your own route, here is a bicycle map of the city.

Teach Me How To...

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Here is a list that Philadelphia Weekly put together of classes and events for people to gain new skills and knowledge. With the working world more competitive than ever, it can only help to learn something new or simply find an activity to provide a release from the normal drag.

One that caught my eye was the Prison Break weekend at Eastern State Penitentiary. Another is Hive 76 who have an open house every Wednesday night. They are a club that teach's various things with computers and anything else a hacker dreams about.

The City's Latest to Make It Big, Goes Unnoticed

You would think if a person was to top Billboard's album chart, they wouldn't be able to walk five feet in their home town without someone coming up to them. That is not the case for Amos Lee. His fourth studio album Mission Bell debuted at #1 a few months back.

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The 33 year-old singer/songwriter grew up in South Philly and Kensington, before moving to Cherry Hill, New Jersey where he graduated from Cherry Hill High School East (as did I). After attending the University of South Carolina, Amos Lee returned home to Philadelphia. He began teaching second grade, but then decided on chasing a career in music. Lee began playing at small spots like the Tin Angel. There he began as a waiter and was given open slots to perform on stage. He eventually gained a following and signed with Blue Note records in 2005.

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A combination of folk and jazz, Amos Lee realizes his music does not appeal to the masses. Mission Bell is Lee's fourth studio album. However, that isn't the basis of his career. Lee continues to work hard because of the passion he has for music. Many celebrities call Philadelphia "home," but most have moved on to seek out greater fame and fortune. Then you look at Amos Lee, a home grown product that has accomplished so much for all the right reasons and continues to go unnoticed.

Amos Lee is currently on a country wide tour which includes a sold out show at Philadelphia's Marriam Theatre tomorrow (Tuesday 4/5).

Website Lets Citizens Follow the Growth of Philly

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A view from the Comcast Center as it was under construction

PlanPhilly is a website that lets Philadelphian's in on the future of the city. Run by PennPraxis of the University of Pennsylvania, PlanPhilly is a independent news source that has on staff former Inquirer writers and editors as well as citizen journalists. Originally developed in 2006 to cover the Delaware Riverfront project, the site is now updated daily with news and events from around the city. You can even maneuver around the site according to your neighborhood and various issues. PlanPhilly is a great way for Philadelphians to get educated and participate in important matters pertaining to the city.

Hello Twitter!

Good News Philly is the 269,834,799'th member of Twitter. So far it is a little strange only being able to type messages in 140 characters or less. Basically I will be posting updates on stories I am doing or planning, events in the city, pictures, and basically anything that stays true to good news and/or Philadelphia.

To follow just look to your right and click the logo...

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