One of the great things about 'The Art of Illustration,' the first Members Show of the Bucks County Illustrators Society this coming week, is that this cartoon will never happen there - there isn't one piece of art in our show that you'll scratch your head over and think, 'Now what is that supposed to be?' That's because the art from magazines, sports cards, children’s stories and fantasy books appeals to people - [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo As the song says, "It's 5:00 Somewhere." And in Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, now open in the Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, it's 5:00 all the time. Margaritaville is a good time place with a good time feel. It's a Key West vibe on the coast of the Atlantic in New Jersey. The food-casual but tasty. The mood-casual and fun. The crowd-casual and ready to play. You get [...]
by Chrysa Smith [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] The Mary Cassatt Tea Room at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia. MaryFran and I have birthdays that are exactly a month apart. So, rather than buy each other physical gifts, this year we decided to gift ourselves with a better than average lunch. [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Paddle boarding in Sarasota with Laura. (I'm the one NOT in the bikini.) I'm a Disney princess. At least, I'd like to be. So as far as Florida vacations go, Disney World has always been my Mecca. Until now. Enter Lido Key Beach and [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo When you're blessed to have a home at the Jersey shore, it's hard to think of any other way to spend the Memorial Day weekend than at the beach. Even if the weather is on the cool side, as predicted this weekend, the lure of the ocean is like a siren call. Try to resist. I dare you. But in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, many travelers--week-long [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Rittenhouse Square from the window of Anthropologie Even though he was building a city, Philadelphia founder, William Penn wasn't about to give up his green spaces. Back when Philly was but an idea, our founding father dictated that there be "squares" positioned [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo Sure, Friday is our "Entertainment" day here at NRFGP, and we usually talk about movies, TV or other events, but really, what's more entertaining than presents? Mother's Day is this Sunday, the one day a year when moms can rightfully expect to be pampered. Unfortunately, our idea of pampering doesn't always jive with that of our families--the ones responsible for delivering said pampering. This month, MORE [...]
