Best for Curious
Philadelphians
Philly History Pop Ups are lively presentations on intriguing but
little-known Philly stories about people, places and historic events.
Book your own, or attend
a free public one.
Independence Visitor Center
The portrait of Marie Antoinette was a gift from France, our key ally, after the American Revolution.
Why is there a portrait of Marie Antoinette in Independence Hall?
About
Lesser-known stories of familiar places
Corinthian Gardens
Meet Cara
I'm Cara Schneider Bongiorno, a lifelong Philadelphian who always stopped to read the historic markers.
After 22 years promoting the region to travel media at VISIT PHILADELPHIA®, I decided to share my take on the city in a new way. Mid-pandemic, I started doing "history pop ups" at the picnic tables in my neighborhood garden. Amazingly, people showed up!
Since then, I’ve done 40+ Philly History Pop Ups at sites ranging from the visitor center terrace overlooking Independence Hall to artists' studios. I present to corporate groups, community groups and friends’ gatherings.
I tell full-length stories about some amazing but little-known historic Philadelphia moments. And I do "Interesting Twists on Places You Know," which give unlikely, but rich and relatable context around
familiar places. I can also present these “Interesting Twists” around themes for affinity groups.
For instance, I focused on historic workplaces for a pop up at a coworking space; a “happened here” event for a pop up in an historic home; ships of the Delaware River for a pop up in the studio of an artist who paints those vessels; and I even worked in an item about blood-letting leeches at a pop up preceding a horror movie!
I'm available for hire by groups.
And I do free pop ups in public places throughout the year. Why? Because it's deeply gratifying to
meet so many wonderful, curious Philadelphians and deepen their attachment to our city.
What’s the story behind the Barnes Foundation’s logo?
The Barnes Foundation’s logo color comes from Henri Matisse’s Joy of Life; the shape from Albert Barnes’ sketches for wall hanging arrangements.
Guild House Hotel
Photo Credit: Rebecca Poole
What do the elements of the Octavius V. Catto sculpture at City Hall represent?
The large blocks in the back of A Quest for Parity: The Octavius V. Catto Memorial represent the trolleys he fought to desegregate; the box in front represents the ballot box and the right to vote.
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Props
“Fascinating. Well woven together.” – Jeffrey
“The pop up was everything I thought it'd be and more. So much great info told in a compelling way.” – Dan
“You rocked the house! People were interested and engaging.”– Alexandra
“You were as engaging and charming as a presenter could be.” – Ellen
“I loved it! You packed in so much interesting history…and in a way I could remember (most of) it.” – Liz
“Thanks so much for your unique and entertaining talk. Still hearing positive feedback.” – Ginny
“And thank you for another excellent presentation. I loved it!” – Anne
“Brava! We LOVED your talk yesterday and had a brilliant time.” – Kate
“Highly recommend these history pop-ups 👏👏” – Carson
“Thank you for such a lovely evening, Cara. Can’t wait for the next!” – Isobel
A pirate on the Schuylkill River?
Scottish sea captain John Macpherson was a privateer, or legalized pirate, who used his riches to build Mt. Pleasant, a mansion on the cliffs overlooking the Schuylkill River.
Media Kit
Here are some words and pictures to describe Philly History Pop Ups.
Philly History Pop Ups are fun gatherings hosted by a veteran tourism
marketer who loves sharing what she found most interesting in
promoting Philadelphia to travel media for 20+ years.
The pop ups started in Fall 2021 with a few people around a
picnic table in Fairmount and are now reaching a wider
audience and new locations.
Philly History Pop Ups are: 45-minute lively presentations
on intriguing but little-known Philly stories connected to
people, places or historic events. Each topic is tied
to something you can see today. They're best for
curious Philadelphians!
Pop Up leader: Cara Schneider Bongiorno is a born-and-
bred Philadelphian and was long-time media relations
director for VISIT PHILADELPHIA®. She represented the
region to local and national media for 22 years, earning
Philly positive press coverage and contributing to our
thriving tourism economy. She’s still smitten with
Philadelphia–and with sharing her knowledge
about it. She also volunteers for Mighty Writers,
a non-profit which teaches kids to think and
write with clarity.
About the Logo
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The color, aside from being my favorite, is a nod to Philly brickwork.
The tree, with its twisting branches, refers to the beautiful cherry tree that hangs over the picnic tables at Corinthian Gardens in Fairmount, where the pop ups began.
The “twists” of the branches double as a reminder of the word I kept using to describe my own quirky take on Philly history, leading me to land on the term, “Interesting Twists on Places
You Know.”
The natural lines of the tree also remind me of the bends in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, which come to their closest point in Center City, Philadelphia. Because, as much as history focuses on what happened on land, it was the rivers which nourished the original inhabitants, brought settlers here and flowed with the goods and ideas that built the city.
Many thanks to Rebecca Poole and Tiffany Mercer-Robbins for turning this concept into an actual logo.
Corinthian Gardens