Philly Science Festival

Did you have fun during Tech Week?  Well, good news: you can continue the nerdy fun at the Philadelphia Science Festival, which starts today!  So many things to do… what to pick?

Kick the festival off right tonight at Astronomy Night!  What’s something universities, community centers, cemeteries, and wildlife refuges all have in common? A beautiful view of the starry night sky! Join the biggest stargazing party in the region as local astronomers at 25+ sites provide a tour of the cosmos. Grab a blanket, take a seat, and look up at the stars!

The Lo Pro by Vans is so out-of-this-world lovely, with its starry canvas of blue and purple galaxies.  (And can we appreciate the purple soles for a moment?  How perfect are those?)  Available in 17 other options (including a second galaxy option!); your choice for $55 from Zappos.

Sunday morning, head to the University City Science Center for selfies like you’ve never seen.  Use a digital microscope to examine and photograph your cheek cells, hair follicles, and even your DNA! Walk away with pictures that capture the real you after viewing yourself in a whole new way!

Look at these double helix shoes!  Hand painted with twisting strands of DNA, they’re the perfect thing to wear as you explore your genetics.  Yours from Etsy seller B Street Shoes for $159.

Later that day, head over to Fairmount Water Works to take a closer look at some of the local inhabitants of the Schuylkill River. Dig, determine, and divulge to discover how healthy your river sample is by the examining the different species. There’s no better way to conserve a river than by learning from the fish that call it home.

Hmm, I’m no scientist, but I’m thinking the fish specimen on the Fish Bone Sandal by Giuseppe Zanotti isn’t too healthy.  But boy, is it shiny!  Gleaming silver bones, head, and tail adorn this black leather sandal, which also sports a half-inch stacked heel.  Catch a pair for $950 from Bergdorf Goodman.

On Tuesday, head to the Chemical Heritage Foundation raise a glass to the alchemists, who promised that their philosopher’s stone could transmute lead into gold, heal a multitude of diseases, and provide an exceptionally long, youthful life. Explore the fascinating world of alchemy, its surprising importance in the history of science and medicine, and the way alchemy’s values are carried on by modern scientific research.  Admission includes soup and two drink tickets!

Lead into gold, indeed!  The Paisley by Charles by Charles David starts out as black suede at the four-inch heel and turns to metallic gold leather at the pointed toe.  Sleek, sophisticated, and definitely less likely than alchemy to get you hung on the Iron Gallows of Stuttgart.  Yours for $76 at Lord & Taylor.

Go and get your science on!

Sales this weekend:

Bakers: 40% off all clearance
Bloomingdales: $25 off every $100 you spend with code SHOP25
Bus Stop Boutique: Fourth Friday party tonight!
Lord & Taylor: 25% off with code FRIENDS
Macy's: 15% off with code STOCK
Payless: Buy one, get one half off
Saks: 30% off with code FRNFAM

Main Line Restaurant Week

Hungry?  Good!  Then head out to the western suburbs this week for Main Line Restaurant Week and get your meal ‘n’ deal on!  Over 20 local restaurants are offering lunch for $15 or less and three-course dinners for $10, $20, $30, $40, or $50, depending on where you go.

At French Quarter Bistro in Royersford, $30 gets you crab and andouille gumbo, Cajun popcorn shrimp, fried catfish with bacon mac and cheese, and bananas foster bread pudding:

The Masquerade Pump is perfect for Mardi Gras—or dinner at the French Quarter Bistro!  The vamp is shiny gold adorned with spangles in Mardi Gras colors around the foot—but look at the peep toe!  It’s cut like a masquerade mask!  Perfect.  Yours for $75 for Costumes4Less.

If you’re in Conshohocken, how about Gypsy Saloon?  $40 gets you short rib flatbread, wild boar Bolognese (wild boar? exciting!), and crème brûlée cheesecake.

The Dutch by Blowfish is a simple pointed toe flat—but look at that print!  It’s actually called “gypsy.”  (It’s also available in boring brown and black—if you want my opinion, stick with the paisley!)  Yours for $22 from 6pm.

$30 gets you dinner at Pescatore BYOB in Bala Cynwyd.  How about Manhattan clam chowder, pistachio-crusted salmon, and tiramisu?

The Metcap Fish by All Black is one fishy flat!  The leather upper is printed in a scale print, and it’s capped at toe and heel with shiny gold embroidered in black.  Eeee!  Fun.  Get a pair yourself for $60 from Overstock.

Craving Mexican?  Then head on over to El Serape in Blue Bell for sopa champollo, chuleta de puerco, and churritos—all for $30.

This pair of Rata by Vans is printed like a Mexican blanket!  These cool, casual shoes are just enough under jeans.  The little bit o’ laces is kind of a cool look too.  According to their website some of the boxes may be damaged—but hey, the shoes aren’t, and you’ll get a discount because of it!  Half off at Tags Weekly for $33.

Now I’ll bet you’re hungry!  Go out and enjoy this week!

Start Your Engines!

On your mark…get set… go!  This Sunday is “America’s Race,” the Daytona 500.  Thousands of screaming fans, fast cars, and, er, lots of handsome men (see here, and here, and oooh, here) might merit you tuning in!

But wait—do you know anything about NASCAR?  Okay, here’s a beginner’s guide to the flags.  Green, of course, means go!

The Jesssy by Steven is so beautifully geometric, isn’t it?  The green nubuck upper is intricately cut, with a green buckle at the ankle and a 4.5 inch heel.  On sale for $153 on Zappos.

If someone crashes, you’ll see a yellow caution flag:

Throw caution to the wind in the Seduce Pump by Mia.  It has a gleaming yellow leather upper, pointed toe, 4.5-inch heel… and love the blue inside, don’t you?  Also available in coral, tan or blue; your choice for $60 at DSW.

If things get really dicey on the track, or if it rains, the action will stop on under a red flag:

These would stop traffic, all right!  The China Doll by Chinese Laundry has a kid suede peep toe Mary Jane upper, a patent leather heel-less wedge underneath (six inches high, with a two-inch platform), and sex appeal to spare.  (If you can walk in them, that is!)  Find them at Macy’s—and they’re on sale for $60, down from $120!

White flag!  One lap to go!

They may be a little hard to see, but the Jiffy is a white jelly flip flop with a bow on the toe—but the strap and the bow have square studs!  Hard and soft at the same time.  Also available in black, but the white is way cuter.  Yours for $40 from Steve Madden.

And the checkered flag?  If you get to it first, you win!

Can’t beat a classic!  The Checkerboard Slip-On is a slip-on sneaker with a checkered canvas upper and vulcanized waffle rubber outsoles.  Also available in eight other color combos (pink!  red!  blue!); your choice for $47 from Vans.

Ladies, start your engines!

Sales this weekend:
....aaaaand my computer's not cooperating.  AGAIN.  My apologies, ladies!

Shoe Book!

Looking for something to read?  There’s a new book out about shoes that you might find interesting!  It’s called Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us.  It’s a nice, quick read that takes a look at the twentieth (and early twenty-first) century through the lens of women’s shoes!

So grab your book-loving, shoe-loving friends and have a book club, maybe!  Some questions you might want to ponder:

1. What do shoes mean to you?  Are they just something you wear so your feet don’t get wet, or are they more?  Why do you think as you do?
2. What is your earliest shoe memory?  Why do you think it has stuck with you?
3. Did any of the pop culture shoes mentioned especially resonate with you?  (The ruby slippers, Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolos, Nancy Sinatra’s boots that were made for walking...)
4. Did you ever have a pair of shoes that you felt identified you?  Did you every buy a pair of shoes to fit in?
5. What was your favorite story in the book?  Why?
6.  Did anything in the book surprise you?
7. Everyone has a favorite story about shoes: an unbelievable deal, finding the perfect pair, the moment they fell in love with shoes.  What’s yours?
8. What has been your favorite pair of shoes?  Why?
9. What would be your ideal shoe? 

And a bonus shoe for today.  Which to pick, out of all the stories in the book?  A brand I haven’t yet featured on this blog: Vans!

The Checkerboard Slip On is the classic: a black and white checkerboard canvas upper, vulcanized waffle rubber sole (just like they mention in the book!), and comes in nine other color options if you’re looking for something a little different.  Yours for $47 at Vans.

So happy reading, happy shoes, and be sure to tune in Friday for another take on shoes and books!