Philly evil DUers

[Bushfire]

I have an opportunity to move to your area in the near future. Can you sell your great city to me? I'm looking to live north of town in the Mont Co. area, and would like to know if there are any local bike trails (paved or offroad). Is there a French club I could get involved with? Anyplace to see foreign/independant movies? Any good health food stores north of the city?

[goobergunch]

1. Most movies you have to see in the city proper (n/t)

[starroute]

2. The County Theater in Doylestown gets art movies

That's in Bucks County, but within easy range of central Montgomery.
http://www.countytheater.com/

Montgomery County is not exactly a cultural center -- it's mostly rural in the north, surburban in the middle, and decayed urban in the south. However, you might do Google searches on things like "bike trails" "Montgomery County" to see what you come up with.

[Bushfire]

3. Thanks for the link!

Glad someone took time to highlight something to share. I'd prefer to live in the city, but don't want a big commute every day. I've heard traffic can be a nightmare in Philly during rushhour.

[Mandate My Ass]

4. Lots to do here

Here's some info on bike trails:

http://www.billcotton.com/philadelphia_area_bicycle_trails.htm

http://www.montcopa.org/parks/lpvp.htm Maps of the Schuylkill River Trail and other Montgomery County trails and parks are available at this web page The Norristown Farms State Park has a system of trails and is not far from the Schuylkill River Trail Norristown Connection.

We have the Ritz movie theaters in Philly and southern NJ which do artsy/foreign and independent films exclusively.

My sister belongs to the Alliance Francais, which is in downtown Philly, and she loves it. She's quite fluent and takes classes there almost all year round. She could probably give alot more detailed info on what they offer.

As far as health food goes, I think the only problem you'd have is choosing among them.

[Bushfire]

6. Hello Monica_L & Johnny Canuck

Thanks for the Alliance info. I meet with a local Alliance group already, and they are lots of fun. I would imagine that would be the best way to make friends in a new town, outside of work where I can vent in French. I also found a Trader Joe's in Abington near Willow Grove. They both appear close to mass transit for getting into the city with ease.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. For a French Club

try the Alliance Française of Philadelphia. The Alliance Française is an organization dedicated to promoting the French Language and culture with branches in most major cities worldwide. They have French language classes and arrange cultural/social events for their members as well.

About 10 years ago I took a conversational French class at the Alliance Française in Calgary, Alberta. It was a riot. The instructor was a Frenchman who had worked in the theatre and he would tell us a humorous story or describe some event entirely in French while acting or pantomining out the situation. He had all of us in stitches for most of the class time and really made the learning experience quite painless. I can't guarantee that all their staff would be that entertaining but their teachers and instructors are usually very capable and enthusiastic.

This is the URL for the Philadelphia Alliance Française branch:
http://alliancefrancaisephiladelphia.com/index.html

The Alliance Française de Philadelphie is the Philadelphia branch of an organization headquartered in Paris with over 150 locations in the world. We have been incorporated separately in Philadelphia for over eighty-five years.

Our goals are simple: to introduce others to the French language and to French culture. A major part of our operation is a French school. We cater to students at all levels and we feature a wide variety of skilled teachers with native fluency. We also sponsor many important community activities, such as our annual Bastille Day gala, in addition to many more intimate events designed to give our members, students and the public a chance to absorb some French culture. Some are in English, some are in French.

The school and our events schedules are described in detail from links on the home page.

Welcome, and please join us! Whether you want an introductory course for your upcoming trip to France, or would like to attend a French Mardi Gras evening, we have something you will like.