Culture-savvy go extra mile for urban flavor

Penn hopes eastward expansion will connect the University to Center City, but students are already going out of their way to experience life beyond College Green.

The city is full of opportunities, ranging from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the man who plays guitar on 13th and Market streets every Saturday, and students are finding creative methods to take advantage of them.

David Gottlieb, for example, started the Facebook.com group "Nights on the Symphony!" through which he informs members of the Philadelphia Orchestra's upcoming schedule and coordinates transportation to and from events.

"It's about making the students more knowledgeable about what's happening," Gottlieb, a College freshman, said. "There are a lot of people who like classical music here, but there aren't that many people who have gone to symphonies regularly."

Realizing the number of cultural sites that the city offers, some seniors have begun programs with the specific intention of making up for lost time.

College senior Alyson Krueger compiled a listserv of mostly seniors to whom she sends out weekly e-mails to organize trips to "go into the city and do something fun," she said.

Planned excursions include ice skating, visiting the zoo and going to impressionist art exhibits.

"We live in an amazing city right now," said Krueger, adding that she hopes these e-mails will help encourage other students to take advantage of Philadelphia.

Other culture-oriented organizations, like the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, have programs designed specifically for college students.

"There's tons of music stuff happening all the time," said College sophomore Aaron Blacksberg. "There are free concerts, sometimes with pretty big-name professional musicians. You just have to keep an eye out for stuff."

College and Wharton freshman Maxwell Black added that it's often useful to check the Web sites of Philadelphia organizations to see if anything is available for students.

"Tickets are usually not that expensive, like New York," Black said.

The University itself also makes a push to get its students out of their dorms and onto the streets.

Wharton freshman Alex Anderson said he saw Avenue Q, a Broadway musical, with a group of about 30 other students through Fisher Hassenfeld College House.

"It was a cool opportunity," he said. "The prospect of jumping cities in just under two hours doesn't happen for me at home."

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