The Coldest
Months
Solitary, but not confined,
behind the 30-foot walls
of a historic prison
Until 2009, Eastern State Penitentiary always
shut down for the winter. “We couldn’t figure
out how to keep our visitors and staff from
dying,” jokes Sean Kelley, director of public
programming for the historic site, referring
to the fact that the sprawling, 11-acre prison
complex is unheated. Still, he was determined
to please the tourists who walked up to the
massive doors in the colder months and threw
up their hands when they found them locked.
“There was so much interest,” says Kelley, so the staff thought up Winter Adventure
Tours. The one-hour guided tours are short
ave
Date
the
BUCKS COUNTY
Apple
Festival
Nov. 5–6
The 40th annual celebration of apples at Peddler’s Village includes
pie eating contests and
attempts to answer the
question: How many
old-fashioned foodstuffs can you make with
an apple? 215-794-4000;
peddlersvillage.com
CONVEN TION CEN TER
Philadelphia
Museum of Art
Craft Show
Nov. 10–13
The Philadelphia
Museum of Art’s 35th
annual craft show, pre-
sented by the museum’s
Women’s Committee,
is a juried show and sale
of contemporary craft
from the United States.
215-684-7930;
pmacraftshow.org
CITY GUIDE
Philadelphia
For additional event, attraction,
restaurant and hotel information,
go to arrivecityguides.com
enough that people don’t freeze, and there are
two or three heated oases. Plus, after people
are inside, they forget they’re cold.
“It’s really amazing to be in there in the
winter,” says Kelley. “You’re the only people,
and it feels desolate, eerie and beautiful.”
A dusting of snow accentuates how removed
the place feels from the rest of the city. The
tours, he adds, are “more intimate and much
more personalized.”
One thing you’ll surely learn on the tour is
that the prison, when it opened in 1829, had
the world’s most state-of-the-art heating sys-
tem and flush toilets. Both went to seed when
the site was abandoned, from 1970 to 1994.
Happily, the toilets, if not the heat, were rein-
stated. easternstate.org.
Man-Made Moon
“Under the Influence” lives up to
Philadelphia artist Tristin Lowe’s
reputation for
creating evocative, larger-than-life installations.
The centerpiece is
Lunacy, a moon-
like sculpture
made from a giant
inflatable sphere
covered with a
patchwork of white
felt. Lowe worked
the felt with twee-
zers, small brushes
and a comb-over
technique to cre-
ate an intricately
textured, crater-
like surface. The
accompanying
neon sculpture,
Visither I, casts a
blue/purple light.
“It looks almost like
dusk,” says Lowe.
As for the exhibi-
tion’s title, says
Lowe, “We are all
under the influence
of the moon.”
philamuseum.org.
Lunacy, 2010
Tristin Lowe, American (born 1966)
Felt, PVC vinyl inflatable armature
Dimensions variable. Commissioned
by the Museum of Art, Rhode Island
School of Design.
BRANDYWINE VALLEY
A Longwood
Gardens
Christmas
Nov. 24–Jan. 8
The horticultural
showplace is at its best
(and that’s saying a lot)
during the holidays.
Ice skaters and seasonal
music entertain.
610-388-1000;
longwoodgardens.org
CEN TER CI TY
Private Lives
Dec. 8–31
This 1930 comedy by
Noël Coward tells the
story of a divorced
couple who happen
to be honeymooning
with their new spouses
at the same hotel.
215-829-0395;
lanterntheater.org
AVENUE OF THE ARTS
The Nutcracker
Dec. 10–31
The classic holiday story
is brought to life by the
Pennsylvania Ballet per-
forming choreography
by George Balanchine.
The opulent score, set
and costumes will surely
surpass those visions of
sugarplums dancing in
your head. paballet.org
