What we’re getting Mom….
Technically, these deals were proposed as ideal Mother’s Day gifts, and they most certainly would be perfect presents. But, to be honest, we think anybody and everybody would be thrilled with these offers.
FOND
Fond’s pop-up food market with The Dutch will be open all Mother’s Day weekend for ready-to-eat Cinnamon Buns, Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake, a selection of pastries, bread, and more. Head to fondphilly.com to view the menu, or call ahead and place your order. 1537 South 11th Street | 215.551.5000 | fondphilly.com
FORSYTHIA
Forsythia, Old City’s modern French restaurant and bar from Chef Christopher Kearse, is treating mom to the ultimate Mother’s Day with a decadent and French-inspired gift basket, including Bottle of Chardonnay, Tulips, $20 gift card for mom to spend later, 4 oz. jar of black truffle Champagne jam, 4 oz. jar of pistachio pistou, 4 oz. jar of Forsythia’s duck spice, 3 oz. portion of lamb chopper cheese (the Netherlands, sheep, pasteurized) and 4.5 oz of saucisson sec sausage (French dry-cured garlic sausage) – all for $100. There is a limited number available, so those interested should call the restaurant. Pickup instructions will be given upon order. 233 Chestnut Street | (215) 644-9395 | forsythiaphilly.com
THE BOURSE FOOD HALL
The Bourse, Philadelphia’s artisanal modern food hall located in Old City, is offering a Mother’s Day Basket with gifts and goodies from four food hall vendors. The basket serves 4-6 people and includes: Felt Flower – Art Star; Bloody Mary Mix with spicy salt for rim and pickled vegetable garnish (12 oz.) – Grubhouse; Spring Vegetable Quiche (ready to reheat and serve) – Grubhouse; 12 oz. Bag of Ground Coffee – Menagerie Coffee; and Half Dozen Muffins, 3 Chocolate Chip plus 3 Blueberry – Scoop DeVille – all for $82, which includes the brunch items, delivery and tip. Visit the website for details. 111 S. Independence Mall E | theboursephilly.com
BLUEBIRD DISTILLING JUNIPERUS GIN
For the gin-loving mom, Bluebird Distilling Juniperus Gin is the ultimate gift. Made 100 percent from scratch, the gin has notes of citrus zest, pepper, evergreen and melon. Bluebird Distilling’s founder and master distiller, Jared Adkins, distills the botanicals in separate batches, allowing him to create a spirit that’s one-of-a-kind. The gin is blended to bottling proof with fresh cucumber water adding a perfect touch of freshness and balanced finishing notes of cucumber and sweet spice. Bluebird Distilling Juniperus Gin is available for purchase online (PA Ship Only) at $39.99. It is also available for curbside pick-up at the Bluebird Distilling distillery in Phoenixville. 100 Bridge St. | (610) 933-7827 | bluebirddistilling.com
THE TWISTED TAIL
The à la carte menu includes delicious brunch dishes, such as Blueberry Pancakes ($12) and French Toast ($13) as well as The Twisted Tail signature dishes, such as a Whole Fried Chicken ($32), traditional cornbread ($11) and Beignets ($10). Country Ham ($29), Roasted Salmon ($29) and Prime Rib ($37) are also on the menu for those going all out this Mother’s Day – because she deserves it. All orders must be placed by Thursday, May 7 at 8 pm by calling the restaurant at (215) 558-2471.
RESTING GIFT FACE
OK, this one might be best for moms only. Resting Gift Face is offering The Bomb Mom Box, which includes: a You’re the Bomb! card – complete with a custom handwritten note; a Black amethyst bath bomb – like a regular bath bomb but cooler because it’s black; a Sage stick – for good vibes; Hot Mama Matches – for lighting a fire under your ass – among other options (see the website for details). The Bomb Mom Box is available via restinggiftface.com for $34 and can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. (1-3 day) for $15.
How we’re – still – playing drinking games….
Some people know Zoom and Skype as great ways to hold virtual meetings during a pandemic. We know them to be the ideal ways to hold virtual drinking games.
Never Have I Ever
You know the drill. Someone names something they’ve never done, for example: “I’ve never sung a Backstreet Boys song in the shower.” Everyone who has actually done that thing takes a drink. As an added twist, assign categories, like food never eaten. You might find out a lot about your friends.
CNN
Or MSNBC. Or Fox News. Any news channel will do. Pick a word or words.
Every time it’s mentioned, take a drink. Short on time? Take coronavirus, COVID or Trump. Have time to spare? Biden, Birx and “we’re all in this together” if you have more time.
Truth or Drink
A twist on the classic Truth or Dare, but instead of dare, there’s drink. Ask a question. The person on the spot to answer can tell the truth or take a shot. Limit the questions to sex, and we predict everyone is drunk really quickly.
Most Likely To
Another really simple game to pull off. Start the online session and take turns tossing out topics such as: Who’s most likely to cheat on their spouse? Whomever the group votes as most likely has to take a shot. It’s probably a good idea to rotate the person who asks the question, and everyone should have a list of questions prepared before the game starts.
Spelling bee
Everyone needs a dictionary or access to an online dictionary – or someone sober has to volunteer to be the designated bee master, or whatever they call the person who calls out the words at a spelling bee. Simple rules: If you spell the word correctly, you’re good. If you miss it, you take a shot. Depending on how savage a group you’re playing with, this game could end quickly. We’d start with “zwetschenwasser,” a type of brandy, which dovetails nicely into the whole drinking theme.
Dance Party
OK, it’s not technically a game, but it still involves drinking virtually with friends, so it’s close enough. You or one of your more musically inclined friends prepares a mix of music. The music plays. People dance. Whenever one song ends and one begins, everybody takes a shot.
Places we’re visiting – virtually, of course….
Spring travel plans canceled due to the pandemic? You still can travel virtually – and we found some awesome tours on cultofweird.com. Indeed, the site lives up to its name. Here are a few places you can tour when you head to the website.
Paris Catacombs
Had the original death estimates in the U.S. from COVID-19 come to fruition, this might not have been far off-base for modern times. However, by the late 1700s, Paris ran out of room in its cemeteries and things started to become not all that sanitary. So they dug up 6 million bodies and tossed them into mines (the Catacombs). We thought you’d like to see that too.
Pripyat
Pripyat is a city abandoned after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You probably don’t want to actually visit here anytime – pandemic or no pandemic. Just go to cultofweird.com to check out some amazing sites.
Centralia
PA in the house! Yes, it’s the city that has been on fire since 1962 when a fire at a local dump managed to ignite coal in a mine. Now, very few people live there (we don’t know why they still live there, but some still do). Save your gas money, save your lungs, but still see this amazing site.
Japan’s Cat Island
See 13 people and 120 cats on an island. Yes, there is a backstory. Back in the 1940s, there were a lot of mice on the island, which angered the local fishermen. So they brought in cats to kill the mice, which they apparently did, and now there’s just a bunch of cats.
Black Dahlia Murder House
According to the website: Dr. George Hodel was living with his family in this house in January 1947 when the body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was found horrifically mutilated and dumped in a vacant lot in LA. Police had wiretapped the home and were close to making an arrest when Hodel abruptly left the country and never returned. In the book “Black Dahlia Avenger,” George’s son Steve Hodel, a former LA detective, builds the case for why he believes his father tortured and murdered Short in their home. Netflix can wait. Let’s look at a murder house.
The Hindenburg
We know the story doesn’t end well for the dirigible that blew up in New Jersey in 1937. But what if you could see what it was like before the fire? You can. The Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen contains a full-size replica of a section of the Hindenburg, and you can take the virtual tour at cultofweird.com.
How we’re loving Philly parks…
This time last year, more than 100 park volunteer groups were planning cleanup days and special events for Love Your Park Week, the annual springtime celebration of Philly parks. This year, we’ve got to show our love virtually. Head over to loveyourpark.org for all of the details. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions we have to celebrate the week, which runs May 9-17.
CHECK OUT FACEBOOK
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s virtual programming series “Parks & Rec @ Home” will air daily Love Your Park @ Home-themed videos from Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15. New programs will be shared at 3 p.m. every afternoon on Parks & Rec’s Facebook page: facebook.com/PhilaParkandRec.
DAILY FUN
Head over to the website for the complete list of daily activities, but here are a few you don’t want to miss: Sunday, May 10: Celebrate mom by giving her some time to stretch and focus on herself with a free virtual greenhouse yoga class with Fairmount Park Conservancy at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 13: Write a love letter to your neighborhood park. Share why you #loveyourpark on social media. Sunday, May 17: Learn how to make a native plant container garden for your home with Bartram’s Garden.
BUY A SHIRT
You can always use another cool shirt. Show off your neighborhood park pride by purchasing a limited edition “Here for Philly Parks” T-shirt ($20/each) from local screen-printer Wider Awake. Half of the proceeds raised from the T-shirt sales will support the Love Your Park program. Visit widerawake.com/love-your-park for details.
DRINK BEER
Yes, you read that correctly. Love Your Park Pale Ale by Mainstay Independent Brewing Company is the beer that gives back to Philly’s parks. Once sold exclusively at the traveling community beer garden known as Parks on Tap, the new 2020 Love Your Park Pale Ale is available for purchase via the beer delivery service Biermi.com. A portion of the proceeds raised from Love Your Park Pale Ale supports Philadelphia’s parks. Visit biermi.com/brewery/mainstay-independent for details.
BUY A POSTER
You can show your park pride with a limited edition 11×17-inch “Philly Parks Need Friends” poster ($20) during Love Your Park Week @ Home. Half of proceeds raised will go to support the Love Your Park program. Visit widerawake.com/love-your-park to learn more.
MAKE A DONATION
Fairmount Park Conservancy is the nonprofit champion of Philly parks. Donations to the Conservancy go to support its mission to bring parks to life, by improving and stewarding Philadelphia’s parks, enhancing their historic and cultural assets, and supporting the communities they serve. Donate here: myphillypark.org/support/donate/.
