I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Tir na Nog is, actually, the #4 Irish Bar in the Country! Both food and great selection of beer and ale (and of course, a  location!) make Tir Na Nog one of my favorite place to eat. Irish fare and more traditional food like Angus cheeseburgers and nachos - everything tastes great. Add a cozy atmosphere, great waiting staff and you definitely will come back again.  

For a long time I was wondering what "Tir Na Nog" means - Van Morrison devoted a song to Tir Na Nog yet didn't explain what kind of place is it, so that's what I found :

The direct translation of Tir na nÓg is "land of eternal youth". It refers to a mystical land in Gaelic mythology where the trees are always in bloom and there is always a bard to sing for you, where the food is always bountiful and the drink is always flowing, and, most of all, a place where you'll never grow a day older. You may live for blissful eternity in this enchanted land. 

Pronounced as:  Tír - as in 'tier' (of a cake), or 'tear' (that you weep)
                          na - as in 'ba-na-na'
                          nÓg - with a long o , as 'O say can you see'

Celebreate Mother's Day and listen to special concert that will feauture current and former students of The Curtis Institute of Music performing works by Beethover, Debussy and Piazzola.  Concert is free and open to public and  hosted by Chiurch of The Holy Trinity. Performance will begin at 6 pm, May 10, 2009

Tickets for the newest Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show, "Zing Zang Zoom," have been reduced by 50%; This discount offer is available for performances at the Wachovia Spectrum, May 13-14  and May  18-25.

Available ticket levels:
- Middle Level ... $6.50 (reg.  $13)
- Center Middle Level ... $10.50 (reg.  $21)
- Lower Level ... $12.50 (reg.  $25)

Those prices are  valid for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday matinee performances. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday performances are $1-$2.50 more.

Buy tickets on Wachovia online ticket office, Enter the code MAGIC in the promo box. Additional fees of $5.50 per ticket and $3.20 per order will be added. (Full price tickets are subject to the same fees.)

Lisa Lampanelli - Comedy's Lovable Queen of Mean - will be performing in Tower Theater on Saturday, May 9th at 8 pm. Get tickets exclusively at Live Nation Hailed as a cross between Don Rickles, Archie Bunker, and a vial of estrogen, she has even won accolades from The King of All Media, Howard Stern, who describes her as "a real funny broad."

Here is Lisa Lampanelli on Tonight Show  making Simon Cowell blush!

If there is one thing you should do this weekend, it will be watching The Dad Vail Regatta - the largest collegiate regatta in the United.

It will be the 71st time the Dad Vail is held and the 56th time Philadelphia has been the host city since the event moved here in 1953.

Here you can see 71st Dad Vail Regatta map

Friday's announced that all sandwiches and salads, sixteen items in total including the nine new menu items, all full portions, will be offered at an introductory price of $5 beginning today through May 31, 2009.

The new full portion sandwiches and salads include:

• BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad


• Santa Fe Chopped Salad


• Shanghai Salad


• Mediterranean Salad with Chicken


• Strawberry Fields Sala


• Meatball Sandwich


• Thai Chicken Wrap


• BBQ Chicken Wrap


• Jack Daniel's® Chicken Sandwich

All sandwiches come with a choice of fries, home-style potato chips or side salad with choice of dressing. Guests can substitute sweet potato fries for $.99.

If you are among those following news and updates about Swine Flu or H1N1 virus you might be interested in visiting a lecture given on May4 at 9 am at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia located on 22nd Street. Hear what officials in the Delaware Valley are doing to deal with the outbreak:
- what is it?
- protecting yourself
- treatment
- global picture
- local response & readiness

Presenters to date include:
Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Acute Communicable Disease Control, Division of Disease Control, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Thomas Fekete, MD, Temple University Section Chief, Infectious Diseases, Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
Marla J. Gold, MD, Dean, Drexel University School of Public Health
Harvey Rubin, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and Response (ISTAR) at the University of Pennsylvania

Start time: Monday May 04, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Where: The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 South Twenty-Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health today reported the state's first probable case of swine influenza. Currently,Pennsylvania does not have any confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1.However, officials stressed that this probable case may not be confirmed when additional testing on samples is conducted at the federal CDC.
Influenza is a serious disease and every year, on average, 36,000 people die in the U.S. from seasonal flu. Find more key facts about influenza here. As with any influenza, citizens are reminded to take the following steps to prevent spreading illness to others:

• Take everyday actions to stay healthy, strengthen your immune system.
  
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
  
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
  
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.