With so many inspiring people and projects popping up all over, I can hardly keep up and was recently discussing inviting some guest bloggers to help us all know about this ever-growing bounty of Awesome.

For example:

• The new SteelStacks building is going to be home for really amazing local entertainment, music and non-music like independent film, comedy and wacky collaborations. (Horror film geeks, you are going to be pleased.)
• A new video web series  that documents people and indie business all over town!
• Art Battles (stay tuned)
• Local people getting national television shows – these people are local, still live here, and the shows are being taped here (there at least TWO that I know of right now!)
• DIY ethics and organizing are creating new forces to be reckoned with

SO, SO MUCH.

If you’d like to be a contributing writer, or just want to send some info my way, do it early and often! Coming soon, I’ll post a link to all the blogs that won the BEST OF BLOGS contest. We’re all so excited, and we love you too.

I want to start a company that needs a commercial so I can hire them to write and produce it, since people would weep with joy and love upon seeing it. Stuff this wonderful has the ability to turn storm clouds into cotton candy and make New Jersey smell like fresh laundry. A huge round of applause to Carly and Ryan.

When a friend asked if we wanted to double-date at a place in downtown Allentown, and described it as “the part of Allentown you would never go to on purpose”, I was intrigued.  The only other information I got about this place: it’s in an old converted car repair garage (I love adaptive reuse buildings!), but most importantly, the food was reallllllyyyyy ggggooooooodddd.

In the car on the way there, I was discussing that I’m surprised I never ate here before, and seasoned eater Jon said “Well, it does say MEAT on the side of the building in huge letters”. Quite true. Vegetarians and vegans may see a place like this and keep driving – but inside is a wonderful world of Turkish foods, and despite what the exterior of the building proclaims, half of it happens to be vegetarian and vegan.

Inside is a small market, four aisles of packaged desserts, pantry staples, beverages and frozen foods. Behind a wall, there is a large dining room full of families and groups of friends enjoying food that smells so good you can’t help but salivate.

I immediately notice that everyone seems to be engaged, sharing, laughing, telling stories, smiling. This is a place happy people go to eat.

Four of us shared two orders of falafel and two appetizer samplers – don’t think TGIFriday’y.  Think piles of hummus, baba ghanoush, THE BEST stuffed grape leaves I’ve ever had, and about seven more delicious things I don’t know the names of. Doesn’t matter.  Your focus here should be on the fact that everything is made in house, fresh, impeccably flavored - even old standbys like hummus have new flair. You know everything is made with love and care.

What I love about a place like this is while other restaurants feature these foods on the appetizer-only menu, Aci Halal knows them to be meals.

Everything we ordered included 12 (TWELVE) different foods, 10 of which were vegan, the other two contained yogurt (I think?). So veg*ns, rejoice! This may very well become your new favorite place. Please invite me when you make dinner plans.

As much as you may want to shovel everything down your gullet, they provide you with the  softest, cripy-on-the-outside, cloud-like-in-the-middle bread to pull  apart and use in place of forks. Pass the bread, dig in, put your hands full of food to your mouth. Share.

No wonder everyone is so happy.

INFORMATION:

• Aci Halal Turkish Restaurant
• 34 N. Second Street, Allentown PA
• HOURS
  Tues – Thurs: 10:00 am – 6:30 pm 11:00 am – 9:00 pm Fri – Sat: 10:00 am – 6:30 pm 11:00 am – 9:30 pm Sun: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

• Turkish Market, Deli and Restaurant. Stay and eat or take some home!
• Weeknight seating shouldn’t be a problem, Make reservations on weekends to be safe
• B.Y.O.B! (No corking fee!)
• Very friendly staff, Happy to help you pronounce the menu items
• Dishes vary in price, from $5 to $20  (Four of us ate for a little over $40)

Go here to see their FACEBOOK page! And I wasn’t kidding about inviting me for dinner.

“[With this show]

We’re getting to the time of year when Bethlehem’s First Fridays are really good. Nice weather means more people, and First Fridays are definitely a “the more the merrier” monthly event.

Kicking off March and what we can all hope is the start of more consistent sunshine is a great show put together by the Community Artists of Bethlehem (CAB). In Unison came to fruition when the folks of CAB and Touchstone Theatre realized their creative brains and resources should merge together. When CAB put out a call to interested artists, the response was large enough that the show now boasts more than three times as many artists as were initially considered.

Loly Reynolds, CAB Director, found inspiration in the pages of a book – the Red Tent by Anita Diamant:

“They sang the words in unison, yet somehow created a web of sounds with their voices. It was like hearing a piece of fabric woven with all the colors of a rainbow. I did not know that such beauty could be formed by the human mouth. I had never heard harmony before.”

Mixed media by Jessica Hoffman

Art will run the gamut from paintings and photography to mixed media and wire sculpture. “You can expect to see pieces that range from extremely disciplined to those that are a bit fringier”, Loly says.

CAB is a grassroots organization that you’ve likely seen at almost all of Bethlehem’s festivals. Loly explains, “The purpose of CAB is to encourage communication between area artists and widen their network to promote exposure to their work and create a positive cultural impact on our wonderful city. Many of these artists are active in the arts community through Blogs, Drink and Draw’s at The Brew Works, local businesses, as well as Lehigh and Moravian graduates”.

This is a FREE event – come enjoy art, friends, food and drink and live music from Jim Thorpe bluegrass band Free Range Folk. (This is exactly the kind of music I’ve really been into in the past year – check them out HERE. They have a song about blueberries! YES!)

INFORMATION:

• Friday, March 4 2011
• In Unison is at Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. 4th Street Bethlehem (Southside)
• !!! FREE ADMISSION!!!
• They will serve light refreshments (including wine!)
• Art can be purchased at this event
• 6pm-10pm
• Live music performed by Free Range Folk (bluegrass)
• CAB’S Facebook Page

*GAS EXPLOSION DONATIONS ACCEPTED! “We are accepting donations to deliver to The Red Cross for relief for the 13th street Gas Explosion victims. Also, we will be collecting, dry goods, clothing, and gift cards for their relief. Please be so kind as to help us in this effort!”

What a nice guy.

I appreciate Derek’s foresight, the care and concern it took to scrawl this note and, more importantly, the fact that the Bethlehem Parking Authority did not (yet) give him a ticket. I think I speak for all of us when I say, we hope you and your car made it safely to a spot within that junkyard among the rubble and debris of cars before you, Derek. Godspeed.

Last year, the Valley’s improv troupe The Associated Mess kicked off a new angle of comedy by incorporating sketches into their all improv shows. That sold-out event has paved the way for round two, happening this Sunday night.

The All the Single Ladies show will feature an all-female cast, full of improv comedy goodness the AssMess does best along with interjecting sketches including a visit from America’s most loved/hated Alaskan VP candidate and  enacting actual worst date stories submitted ahead of time by audience members.

If you need a Valentine’s Date idea and don’t feel like feigning romance over a white tablelcoth, grab your date (or some friends, or heck, get there early and try to pick up a date!) and check this out.

INFORMATION:

• Sunday, February 13th
• Show Starts at 8:00pm  (Doors at 7:30)
• Tickets $8, or $5 with student ID
• Civic’s Theatre 514
• (Across the street from Civic Theatre of Allentown/main theater)
• 514 N. 19th Street Allentown

Visit TheAssociatedMess.com for more information and future shows!

Welcome: Good Taste.

Good Taste is a BRAND NEW website features 25 eateries with full descriptions of ambience, signature dishes, a few of the chef’s favorite recipes and contact information.

Did you ever hear about the Spinnersville Hotel Restaurant? (Did you ever hear of Spinnersville?) If you like a good selection of craft brews – say, well over 300 of them – you will be thrilled to know about this place. Interested in farm-to-table fare with an indian spiced bloody mary? YES. With as much enthusiasm as I can muster, YES. You can get both at the Farmhouse in Emmaus.

Take a few minutes to read about the places and people who love them with this welcome new addition to local online reference. If it involves food, I’m pretty sure we’re all board.

Go HERE to learn more about this new site and it’s featured restaurants. And when you’re done, want to grab lunch?

Let’s all give a standing ovation to the fact that nearly two thousand dollars was raised to fight against Multiple Sclerosis. A second standing ovation for all of the folks that selflessly donated time and talents! (Among them Molly’s Bar and Grille, Eskandalo! Hair and Jordan White/Kinetic Blu for singing better than any of us.)

Wait to stand up and clap until you’re done scrolling through this post, obviously.

We all got extra lucky since the whole night was documented in a number of ways, from photos to a live web stream at the event to this video by Matt and Sarah of the “Yearbook Committee”. This video has quickly become my favorite thing on the earth.

If anyone asked what the people are like in the Valley, show them this.

Post Sputnik, you will always be our prom dates in spirit. Your amazingly wonderful (and super-fast… seriously, how do you do it?) editing lingers in our hearts long after our wrist corsages have wilted.

And don’t forget about the excellent photography by Chris Elston “Class Clown” (watch the video! watch it again!) – which reminds me, if you ATTENDED the prom and had your portraits taken, GO HERE to view/buy some. Now!  And if you weren’t there, go HERE so you can see how much fun we had and come next time (or spy on your ex, whatever). Oh, and if you can lend me a few hundred bucks so I can buy them all, that would be so kind of you!

Don’t miss the night’s candid shots by roaming photographer Matt of Lightly Salted Productions. Wow, see how much fun being neighbors and friends can be!?  Note that all the below shots are from this guy! He worked so we could drink beers and watch cute girls jump out of a silver cake. You took one for the team, Matt!

I keep thinking about the moment when I looked across the crowded space full of people happy to be alive and out and meeting each other, and George leaned in and said to me, “Can you believe this? It’s so great… and  Tina and I just kind of put this together. Can you imagine what we can do next time with all of our powers combined….?”

And he gave that plotting-evil grin he likes so much. Except “next time” won’t be evil at all. It will be like Captain Planet, and  when we put our hands together “for our powers combined”, the Steelmills will shoot fireworks.

Events like this paint a brightly colored picture of the (lehigh valley with) LOVE we all share for shaping this city into a place that is not only accessible, but welcoming to progressive new ideas.  Start thinking about which potential prom dates will have to fight over you next year!

I knew it would be good, but quite simply, it’s mind-blowing. It looks like DWELL Magazine exploded all over the Southside in an ideal location with the best views.

Some really interesting things to note:

• Everything is customizable. Very little in the way of furniture and stages are actually built-in, which means there is flexibility to make a stage bigger and a crowd smaller, vice versa, you can sit and watch a jazz show or pack a standing room for a rock concert.
• The view of the Steelmills is incredible. You are right there. One ENITRE side of the bulding’s facade is made of glass windows facing the mills.
• The window-wall on the ground floor is made of accordion windows, so they can be completely opened and essentially “removed” in warmer weather to make a seamless indoor/outdoor space for eating, drinking (an outdoor bar, too!) and watching performances.

I could keep going, but the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy.

About to enter the building. This will soon be a courtyard area.

The view upon walking in. Hits you pretty hard. It's awesome.

First floor will hold a cafe, bar, box office and media lounge.

Third floor. Industrial lighting over what will eventually be one of the bars.

Third floor. Biggest concert space.

Imagine seeing your favorite band here. Just IMAGINE IT.

Balcony seating area.

Stairs to dressing rooms and balcony.

Who wants to move in?

I want to play lazer tag.

Picture this. A glass of wine, live jazz, the sun setting.

Prettiest staircase I ever did see.

Second floor. Ahead is the Blast Furnace room, a small version of the upstairs perfect for comedy shows and more intimate events.

One of the two theaters to host independent cinema.

Thank you infinitely to Patrick for handing me a hard hat and giving the tour. It was impossible not to leave and be so excited about what our little town of Bethlehem has in store. This building is almost as beautiful as the spirit of the people here.

I’m proud to be home.

The fine folks of the annual Southside Film Festival have a decidedly unpretentious, open-to-all film club. Every third thursday of the month at saliva-inducing *Victory Firehouse the film club chooses a movie that isn’t getting mainstream attention, and isn’t showing at local independent cinema. And check this out: It’s FREE.

Ahem. FREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

As per the website, “Each third Thursday of the month, the SSFI presents a socially conscious film that merits viewing and discussion.  Our purpose is to give venue to pertinent and well-crafted documentary films that unfortunately do not have a market in mainstream cinema.”

TONIGHT’s film is The Visioneers directed by Jared Drake.

“First time feature filmmaker Jared Drake makes his directorial debut with this quirky black comedy set in the near future, and concerning a curious spike in cases of spontaneous human combustion. The Jeffers Corporation is the largest business in the history of mankind, and they got that way thanks to their strict philosophy of happiness through mindless productivity. But when people begin literally exploding due to unhappiness, Jeffers Corporation Level Three TUNT George Washington Winsterhammerman (Zach Galifianakis) begins to fear that his time will come sooner rather than later.

George lives a comfortable yet completely uneventful life, and when he starts having dreams in which he’s the first President of the United States, his doctor informs him that they could be signs of impending explosion. Later, as the dreams become more frequent and his co-workers continue to detonate, George is prompted to reevaluate his mundane existence. Judy Greer, Missi Pyle, and James LeGros co-star in an existential black comedy featuring music by Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree.”

Did you see that? Zack Galifianakis AND the Polyphonic Spree in the same film. It’ll be like that crazy Fionna Apple video but dare I say, better and with more political commentary?

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

INFORMATION:

• FREE Admission
• Victory Firehouse, 205 Webster Street (Behind the Hard Bean Cafe)
• Doors at 6:45, Film Starts 7:15
• Stay afterward for discussion! And meeting friends!
• GO HERE for directions, general info and a schedule of upcoming films

*A note about the Victory Firehouse – When I first passed this place, I literally pulled to the side of the road and got out of the car to try and figure out what it was. A house? No. An actual functioning firehouse? I didn’t think. A bar? WHAT IS IT?

The use of corrugated steel an bold primary colors make this a modern architecture lover’s wet dream, right here in ol’ Bethlehem. I have formulated a plan to take it over and establish my residence there if whatever it is they do doesn’t work out. But hopefully it will so they can keep showing films.