BY AARON STELLA Philadelphia’s abundance of erudition of culture endures in Rittenhouse with the Mutter Museum. Originally founded to educate future doctors about human anatomy and the various anomalies therein, today the erstwhile College of Physicians of Philadelphia provides the public with a history of Philadelphia’s medical past as well as exploring what it means to be human from the inside out. Various attractions include an original cast of the first recognized Siamese Twins, Joseph Hyrtl’s collection of skulls, the tallest skeleton on display in North America and over 2,000 different objects that have been extracted from human throats. Benjamin Rush’s, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, medical plant garden (minus the marijuana) also lies on the premises. In the late 1700’s, it naturally replenished Philadelphian doctors with raw materials used for making medicinal remedies and for conducting experiments. For a calendar of upcoming events at the museum, visit the College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s homepage. Currently, the museum is exhibiting The Devouring Element: Lead’s Impact on Health, which chronicles lead’s presence in everyday human life, both as a natural part of life as well as its harmful effects we combat daily. For something a little more macabre than your typical museum, visit the Mutter Museum, and take a peek at what’s going on inside you.

906 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146-1102
(215) 238-1997

BY AARON STELLA Vintage Modern, a mid-century furnisher and art exhibiter in the middle of Northern Liberties, is tenaciously the oxymoron it purports itself to be. The big hand has made its run around the clock again, and so the vintage, however modern, has become fashionable anew. Fur and chintz, faded orange easy chairs, metal lamps with aluminum shades, and many other stylish artifacts inspire one to think about their now from back then. The milieu of the designs ranges from the 1920s to the 1980s. The designers themselves hail from all over the world, which includes local Philadelphian artists.Clients can rest assured: there’s no snobbery here. Vintage Modern’s composite design of furnishings and craftwork potpourri is to create comfort, not superciliousness. To be sure, a house can be aesthetically pleasing without looking like a museum. That heart-and-home aesthetic is affixed to every stick of furniture in Vintage Modern. And luckily, interior design services are available as well. Vintage Modern also functions as an art exhibit, and has actually sold more pieces of art then the artists have been able to sell in galleries. It makes sense, considering that the art is being displayed in a suggested, homelike setting, rather than in the static vacuum of a whitewashed art gallery. Vintage Modern is a must for new residents in NoLibs looking to redecorate, or just to add some flare to their home furnishings. Be sure to stop in.

BY AARON STELLA It’s florists like Pure Design that remind us of the glory of fields. Not to get to all literary on ya, but if you had your office space garlanded weekly in mother’s nature’s finest, you’d perhaps get a lump in your throat, or swell with feelings of sublimity. Located on 22nd and Lombard Streets in the Fitler Square Area, Pure Design is extolled citywide as being one of the finest, most accommodating and affordable florist’s in Philadelphia. Any search online for reviews will result in multiple accounts of from the Philly community, each testifying to the quality of the shop’s arrangements and friendly service. Pure Design also supplies an assortment of decorative items in their shop, which, by the way, is also a work of art in itself. Wedding and other various catering services are also available through them. Be sure to stop in and see what they’ve got.

BY AARON STELLA The name “The Little Candy Shoppe” is modest to a fault. This is no petite chocolatier; it’s a dimensional anomaly, smack dab on Liberties Walk in Northern Liberties, where a slice of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory has materialized. The Little Candy Shoppe, fashioning itself after traditional specialty confectioners, stocks just about every type of sweet you can imagine. Whether it’s Swedish fish, gummy bears, tootsie rolls, Smarties, Jolly Ranchers, ice cream(s), fudge, truffles (champagne!) or assorted fruit candies, the Shoppe’s got it all. A rare item also on the shelves—marzipan, sold in packages of nine pieces in a variety of fruit moldings. The Little Candy Shoppe revamps it’s whole interior design seasonally, proving that there’s never an occasion when candy’s an unbidden guest. Bearing in mind all the different ilk of sweets gracing the Shoppe’s quarters, smart presentation and pristine order are a must to fit all of the decadent décor. Co-proprietors Robin Nahama and Aliza Namaha have a keen eye for choreographing a space, no doubt. Not to mention, they’re also pleasant and engaging hostesses, such that customers keep coming back if but to simply chat.

BY AARON STELLA Northern Liberties owner Timothy Martin of Framing Philadelphia specializes in custom frames and is an avid collector of antiques and maps from the 1800’s. While Martin’s frames can accommodate a variety of portraits, landscape stills, and of course, maps, he also stocks antebellum styled frames, something you don’t see everyday. Then there are Martin’s antiques. Each is in pristine condition. Most of them are in use in his shop, although everything you see is for sale. And reclining on all sides of the antiques are the maps and cartograms. The contents of the maps range from diagrams of townships to full-scale country contour maps. I also spied an old constellation cartogram, with all the zodiacs drawn in pulpy pencil etchings, and almanac info penned in whimsical cursive along the sidebars. A fair number of portraits also fill the myriad shelves and folders in Martin’s shop. Aside from the costs of framing, prices on antiques and maps range, as put by Martin, from $25 to $25,000, so antiquers and cartophiles have a rare diversity to peruse. Even if antiques or maps isn’t your thing, you might want to stop into Martin’s shop anyway, for there are many beauties to be had and behold; you just never know what you might find.

BY AARON STELLA Brown Betty is hands down Northern Liberties one and only one-stop cupcake shoppe. I’m just going to cut to the chase: red velvet with vanilla icing, coconut butter cream, almond pound cake, strawberry pound cake, chocolate on chocolate and vanilla with sour cream icing (uh, Yum!). And it doesn’t stop there; their fillings are even more decadent: ganache, raspberry curd, cream cheese, vanilla butter cream, chocolate butter cream—I think you get the picture. Brown Betty also specializes in specialty cakes and cookies, which are equally as sumptuous and alluring. The boutique itself is furnished in the style of a French chocolatier, with lounging chairs ornamented in gold trefoils, and mahogany dressers reworked into display stands, but altogether, everything’s executed in that unmistakably southern, sophisticated flare. Brown Betty also offers full catering services for weddings and other events, with custom colors available to suit any occasion. One last thing you should know: these cupcakes are huge. One can sate three dainty appetites combined, whereas two might even daunt diehard gourmands. Be sure to visit Brown Betty’s web site to get the full skinny on all of Betty’s delectable sweeties.