Campus Philly Kickoff

The Campus Philly Kickoff 2007 is rapidly approaching- the all day festival will take place all day on the Ben Franklin Parkway (Museum Area).

From 10 AM to 5 PM, admission to area museums and cultural establishments is free with your student ID. Participating locations include:

- The Academy of Natural Sciences - Eastern State Penitentiary - Fabric Workshop and Museum - Free Library of Philadelphia - Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design - Institute of Contemporary Art - National Constitution Center - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - Philadelphia Museum of Art - Rodin Museum - University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology

Campus Philly Kickoff, also known as College Day on the Parkway to many, will also include a free concert. This year's featured artists are Talib Kweli and The Ataris, with music starting at 2 PM. Don't forget to check out local acts such as Trouble Everyday, Jealousy Curve, and Philly Slick.

Other attractions include local art displays at the Philly Art Village, where you'll have the opportunity to see art in motion as local artists create paintings on the spot.

And of course, area colleges and business will be present to give out tons of free stuff that you never knew you needed.

Follow Up to Philly Bike Map

As promised, I followed up with Steve Spindler, the creator of the Philly Bike Map, and he let me know that Bike Maps can be ordered off his website, http://bikemap.org, for a mere $2 (including postage). Not a bad deal. Steve also let me know that there is information on what modes of public transit are bike-friendly on the transit section of his website. The transit section, which can be found at http://bikesontransit.org, has a state-by-state pull down chart of bike-friendliness info. Cool stuff, huh?

Getting Around

For those of you who, like me, are carless in this big city, getting around means public transit. I did an exercise in my Literary Journalism class the other day where I was required to make an inventory of every single item I had on my person, right down to the nickel. My professor, the fabulous Dr. Jenny Spinner, then asked the class to share the item we had in our possession that said something about us as a person.

My item of significance was my collection of public transit stubs and tokens. In my wallet, I had an Amtrak stub from a recent trip home to Maryland and several SEPTA tokens from my various downtown and suburban travels on the 44 bus. On my key ring, I had my PhillyCarShare (http://www.phillycarshare.org/) clicker.

Dr. Spinner commented that I was a public transportation queen, and I suppose I am by default.

The car my sister and I share sometimes is at my parents home in Maryland for most of the year, so I signed up for PhillyCarShare a few months ago.

My first trip in a vehicle I picked up from their brand new Overbrook Rail Station pod was excellent- the Priuses that make up most of their fleet of vehicles are zippy, fun to drive, and right in line with the whole "going green" movement that has taken Philly by storm.

PhillyCarShare also has a discount program for its members- for those of you not familiar with PhillyCarShare, it's a program where you can rent cars for cheap on an hourly basis- you pick up the car from a "pod" located at different places throughout the city and 'burbs, and take it out for the appointed time. It was started by seven Philadelphians, and the company is expanding rapidly. Flexcar also does the same thing, but their "pods" seem to be more prevalent in Center City.

Happily, as a Student Advantage Cardholder, I am entitled to several discounts when it comes to getting around. Amtrak offers 15% off rail fares with your Student Advantage Card when you book at least three days in advance.

With my last roundtrip fare home to Maryland running around $100, the $20 card is well worth it and pays for itself in a few trips. Get one for yourself at studentadvantage.com

In Philly, you can get 15% off walk-up fares at Greyhound (online, too, for you organized folks.)
Oh....and they also offer about 20,000 other discounts beyond transit, including 10% off at the ever popular urbanoutfitters.com...but I'll let you check that out
for yourself....

It's been four years since I moved to Philly, and you would think that I would be a SEPTA at this point, but I've found that I learn something new about SEPTA every day. A few days ago, I stumbled across this super-useful guide published by Steve Spindler, a local cartographer. The guide includes a detailed map of the city that shows SEPTA routes and the streets are color-coded in order of bike-friendliness.

There is also information on local farmers markets, and cycling clubs if you are so interested. I have contacted Steve to find out how to get ahold of one of these maps and I promise to keep you posted. In the mean time, check out http://bikesontransit.org/ and http://www.bikemap.com/ for more info on biking opportunities in and around Philly.

Center City Restaurant Week

Calling all grad students: Center City Restaurant Week is upon us once again. For those of you new to the scene, this is a chance to dine at those fabulous restaurants normally reserved for those not on a student budget. For $30, you can enjoy a three course meal at one of over 107 participating restaurants. Restaurant Week will be taking place from September 23rd-28th.

The only catch? Reservations fill up quickly for this popular event, so snag your table in advance. You can book online at http://www.centercityphila.org/restaurantweek/default.aspx



This week also brings us closer to the end of the King Tut Exhibit at the Franklin Institute (it's over in 13 days!). If you haven't gone to see it yet, it's a must. King Tut's treasures haven't been in Philly since your parents were in college and they won't be returning anytime soon. Student tickets are only $24, so bring your ID when you go to pick them up. Reserve your tickets online at http://www2.fi.edu/tut/indivtickets.html



Finally, clear your calendar for October 4th- Campus Philly is sponsoring "Connections: Philly's Ultimate Networking Event" at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

From their website: "This October 4, over 100 Philadelphia-area companies will meet with hundreds of college students as part of the region's premiere networking event. Campus Philly is connecting college students to jobs, internships, mentors, and career paths at Greater Philadelphia companies."

The event starts at 4 PM with an undergraduate networking hour (feel free to skip!), and includes a keynote speaker at 5:30. Matthew Bates, HR director for the Pepsi Bottling Group.

From 5:45-7, there will be a special graduate student networking hour. Register online at http://www.campusphilly.org/connections/gradstudents.html.

Welcome to PhillyGrad!

Well, hello there. My name is Clare and I've created this site to keep Philly area graduate students in the loop about what is going on in the area. Food, sports, nightlife, transportation, professional networking, all of it is right here at GradSpot.

Because, let's face it, you need something to do when the library closes.

Contributors to this site will include graduate students from all over the area in a wide variety of disciplines, so you'll be sure to find something of interest to you. We'll keep you posted on the latest news and events through daily updates. If you would like to write for GradSpot, e-mail me and we'll discuss your ideas.

Until next time,
Clare