Sometimes, our curiosity and attention span are at odds: we see something we want to find out more about, make a mental note of it... and quickly forget at the first glimpse of something shiny.

We've been noticing an increasing number of black buckets filled with white, full-sized umbrellas at restaurants and bars around the city. We'd always wonder what they were, but by the time we got home, we'd forget to look them up. Turns out they're Dutch Umbrellas: available for free to the umbrella-less stranded in the rain, provided they get returned to a nearby "RainDrop." It's a very cool idea, and one that we'll probably take full advantage of in the not-too-distant future. Maybe even beginning tomorrow, when Dutch Umbrella hosts an Old City Tasting Stroll.

For exactly zero dollars, Dutch Umbrella will transport you by shuttle (PDF schedule) from Center City to Old City (and back again). From there, you can visit nine restaurants and taste some of their best offerings for a nominal fee: no menu items are over four dollars—not even cocktails (PDF menu). Be sure to pick up a Dutch Umbrella Passport to Old City at one of the participating restaurants or the Independence Visitors Center, or local hotels (you can also download it as a PDF here) and get it stamped at each location you go to, which will, in turn, stamp your passport and give you a $5 gift certificate (think of it as a rebate on your purchase). If you get stamped at all nine locations, there's an extra, undisclosed prize in it for you.

The event will happen rain or shine (naturally), so go forth, ride free, eat cheap, and help spread the word about a local organization that wants to make sure you're never caught in the rain.

Dutch Umbrella Old City Stroll
Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 5-8PM
Various Old City Restaurants (see links above)
Free transportation; all menu items $4 or less

Photo of two people holding an umbrella in the Netherlands—a literal Dutch umbrella (aren't we clever?)—by Flickr user Maarten (Superchango).