THE VALLEY FORGE CASINO…
January, 2014
ABOUT US…
WE GOT IT ALL!
Enjoy 35,000 square feet of gaming with 50 live game tables and 600 state-of-the-arts slot machines. In addition to fabulous bars, there are seven outstanding restaurants from casual to fine dining under the direction of one of America’s finest chefs – Tony Clark. We have 485 guestrooms and suites; a spa and fitness center, and an ongoing schedule of exciting entertainment and events.
Every Wednesday – 1PM to 5PM Open to the Public 1st Place - $1500 Cash 2nd Place - $1000 Cash rd
3 Place - $ 500 Cash
Tuesdays – 3PM to 7PM Free and open to the public
Your chance to win your share of $5000 in free slot play.
Join us at the High Limit Craps tables every Saturday beginning at 8pm for 10x Odds!
January 31 | 9pm | Center Bar Simply play any slot machine or table game from 6am on January 1 through 8:30pm on January 31 with your Valley Passport to earn entries. On January 31 activate your entries by 8:30pm for a chance to win an Audi A4. Plus, 5 lucky winners of $1,000 FREE Slot Play will be selected!
Sign up for your new Valley Passport card and receive an instant $25 in FREE Slot Play! Play 30 minutes of rated slot play and receive an additional $75 in FREE Slot Play for future dates. Valley Forge Casino Resort will mail you three $25 FREE Slot Play offers for future visits.
Bank Your Points for Bucks and earn 2x points on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays in January. Come in and redeem your points for CASH on January 25th between 11am-7pm. Convert your points into CASH from 11am7pm on the casino floor. Minimum redemption of 20 points and maximum of 500 points. 20 points = $10 in cash. Must redeem in increments of $10. One time only conversion from points to cash.
Every drop of ABSOLUT VODKA comes from one source – the little-known village of Åhus in southern Sweden. With its 10,000 inhabitants it may not be big enough to show up on a world atlas, but the vodka distilled there is well known around the globe. In fact, every drop of ABSOLUT VODKA consumed in the world comes from this one source.
A comment from Phillip Silverstone (a serious wine-guy who doesn’t take his wine all that seriously).
“I read your interview with Jon Toffer of Bar Rescue. He suggested that 95% of the public has no idea when it comes to the subject of wine. He might be right, but I say so what? What is the percentage of people who really understand what chefs do? Must you be a connoisseur of food to actually understand what’s on your plate? I don’t think you have to be an expert to enjoy food or wine. I believe it’s more important to just enjoy the experience, and leave the real details to the experts (the other five percent).”
The Chatterbox, Ocean City
For those who still miss Tony Mart’s and the equally famous Bayshore’s, the Chatterbox has been sitting on 9th Street almost forever. It was the place to meet, and everybody went there. The family that owned it (almost forever) has put it up for sale and you have to worry that the new owner might not be looking for a restaurant. Worse than that, they might rename it. Hopefully, it will be The Chatterbox - forever!
A Conversation with Sid by Bob Bickell‌
Sid recently passed away at the age of 95. I had an opportunity to interview one of the great promoters of all-time. Sid Bernstein worked with some of the greatest names in musical history‌
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, the Moody Blues, the Kinks, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Denver, Joan Baez, Miles Davis, the Rascals, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, Barbara Streisand, ABBA, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendricks, Eric Burton and the Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Dave Clark Five, Laura Branigan and more. Here is my favorite portion of the interview…
BB: An amazing career and there had to be some regrets. Sid: We all make mistakes, and of course I have regrets. Frankie Valli invited me to visit his home to sample what he called “the best meatballs ever” (and they might have been). He asked me to manage his group but I had heard stories of many conflicts amongst the members of the Four Seasons. Something told
me to avoid this opportunity, and it was obviously a major error in judgment. I also turned down a kid by the name of Paul Simon, and a girl who insisted she knew how to sing. Simon & Garfunkel did pretty well without me, and what can you say about Barbara Streisand and her career? I remember when a young songwriter came to my office and suggested he played the guitar and wanted to be a singer. I was approached by so many of these people and in this case I suggested he visit a club called the Bitter End and request an audition. Neil Diamond never called me back. There were many others, but who could have known? Like I said, we all make mistakes.
Distantè…A Specialty Boutique
Importers of fine men’s and women’s clothing, designed for the discriminating buyer who insists on the absolute best in everything, and that includes custom clothing. Distantè is a visual and emotional experience through clothing. It’s one of a kind! 1510 Sansom Street, Philadelphia distanteclothing.com 215.545.2850
77 & Still Rockin’‌
Mr. Charlie Gracie by Bob Bickell You gotta love this guy. He grew up in South Philly and he never forgot where he came from. His real success came as a great father and husband, and he even had a street in Wildwood named after him.
A Quote from the man… “I never thought of me as anything. I just sing and I play the guitar. I think I do it fairly well because I never could have survived all these years in the business. I never claimed to be the best or the greatest at anything. I just go out there and do what I do and the people seem to like it.” I spoke to Charlie and it was like talking to a friend. He told me how it all started… “My father worked at the Stetson Hat Company and I can remember the day he took me to South Street to buy a suit. I was ten-years old, and he surprised me by not buying the suit, but buying a musical instrument. He told me that I had to learn music or I would be doomed to end-up working in a factory.” “I wanted a trumpet, but he insisted on a guitar. He told me that if I played the guitar, I didn’t need anyone else. It would just be me and the guitar.” Charlie hit the big-time in the early 1950’s with a song called Butterfly and he became the first rock & roll star to come out of Philadelphia.
Over the years he became more popular in London than he was in the United States. Of course, it helped that Paul McCartney and the Beatles loved his music, and every year he still returns. “It’s not an easy business, and many years ago I came to the realization that while I could make a living as a musician even though I would be playing the clubs instead of Madison Square Garden. I wish I had a few million in the bank, but that wasn’t meant to be. I pay my bills and I’m still married to the same woman that I married some fifty-five years ago. It’s never been about the money – I would play my music for free, and I have done that. I still need to make a living, and I still love what I do.” “It was a thrill for me to have a bronze plaque on the Wall of Fame on Broad Street, and I’m smart enough to know that I will have my name on my own tombstone. Not bad for a street kid from South Philly. I wasn’t a Frank Sinatra, but I did do it my way!” www.charliegracie.com
Mütter Museum
Philadelphia is blessed with so many interesting places to visit, and that would include America’s finest museum of medical history. The Mütter Museum is as fascinating as one could possibly imagine. Located at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (19 South 22nd Street) be prepared for perhaps the most unique museum visit of a lifetime.
The museum’s collection includes more than 25,000 amazing objects, and how many times have you seen one or more of the following? Part of Einstein’s brain; the tallest human skeleton on display in North America; Joseph Hyrtl’s collection of 139 skulls, illustrating anatomic variation among ethnic groups of central and eastern Europe; the plaster death cast of the torso of world-famous Siamese twins (Chang and Eng) and their cojoined livers; and Dr. Chevalier Jackson’s collection of more than 2000 swallowed objects removed from patients. The real goal of the museum is to help people understand the mysteries and beauty of the human body while appreciating the history of diagnosis and treatment of disease. There is so much to see and to learn, and visitors can do this at their own pace.
www.muttermuseum.org – “Disturbingly Informative”
Prime Travel
A friend is getting married and looking for a honeymoon on a tropical beach. I asked a neighbor (a travel expert) to make some suggestions. With the weather being as it is, this “tropical� advice might be very interesting, even if marriage is the last thing on your mind.
Jennifer Byrne runs a company called The Tropical Travelers and she shared this with me… “Let me start by listing our top 10 tropical honeymoon destinations (in no particular order)”… 1.Antigua 2.Bahamas 3.Turks & Caicos 4.Mayan Riviera 5.Hawaii 6.Jamaica 7.St. Martin 8.St. Lucia 9.Cancun 10.Anguilla Each location offers its own unique touch of tropical paradise, and we’ve got the pulse on all ten. Nothing kindles romance like warm ocean breezes, palm trees and tropical surf.
The honeymoon is for the special couple and the special couple only. Here’s where it truly is just about the two of them. The ceremony and celebrating with others is officially over and love is ready to blossom. It’s time to refresh and renew the energy that went into the arduous undertaking of wedding planning. Now you and your spouse can reminisce about the details of your special event poolside, surfside or ocean view. There are so many options to choose from! When it comes to tropical destinations, we would love to tell your friend about all of the tropical beaches and resorts that our planet has to offer, but if we had to pick just a few, I highly recommend one from the top ten list. Put me in touch and I will help to make it happen. www.TheTropicalTravelers.com
The Final Word… The following advice will only help to make you feel better: “All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past and not enough presence.” Stay Well! www.PrimePhiladelphia.com