Sly was pretty much the only Philly luminary not in attendance last night. Image courtesy of www.sylvesterstallone.com

Last night at Buddakan, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. (GPTMC) hosted members of the New York City media at a reception promoting the City of Brotherly Love. The GPTMC brought a dozen heads of key civic institutions — from the Philadelphia Zoo to the Equality Forum — to mingle with assorted guests, who alternately listening attentively and stalked plates of finger food.

At 7:10, the CPTMC gave a brief presentation about the city. "It's much closer than the Hamptons," the host said. We laughed. No one goes to the Hamptons in the winter. Philly is also a mere 70 minutes from New York City by train. (Hence the 7:10 speech during an event that started at 6:00. Get it?) Philly gets 29 million visitors per year, but the tourism board wants more. They also have restaurants, hotels and attractions, just like New York.

Stephen Starr, the "Ben Franklin of destination dining" and the man who brought Buddakan to Gotham after opening the original one in Philly, spoke about his hometown. "If you can make it in Philly, you can make it anywhere," he said. He's considering opening an Indian restaurant. We are so there. Can we get a reservation in 70?

After the jump, one pictures sums the night up.