Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

M@
By M@ Last edited 201 months ago
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on.

In Gothamist's neck of the woods, they found out that many things are possible: A man caught a 40+ pound fish off the Rockaways and took it home on the subway. Graffiti artists got mad at a man who compiled a book of their work, claiming their works (on public spaces) are copyrighted. They learned it's possible to order drinks besides [fill-in-the-blank] tonics, and that energy drinks can cause three-day erections. And also that people can even get arrested when asking for a cop's badge number.

It's been one of those Hollywood weeks for LAist. Forget that Paris Hilton is going back to jail for part two of her stay. The important and sad thing is that Bob Barker of the Price Is Right is leaving! No tears were wept as LAist live-blogged from the MTV Movie Awards, but there were some when the Stanley Cup ended up in Orange County. Helene Elliott covered the games for the LA Times and LAist covered her with an interview. Also on the interviewing block: Editor Tony Pierce for his one-year anniversary with LAist, and the star on HBO's John from Cincinnati, Austin Nichols.

Phillyist was told they were horny by hilarious stand-up comedian Paul Mecurio (to whom they introduced themselves with great confidence) and happily watched the Phillies win one, for a change. They worried that some local fuel-oil purveyors were engaging in unwise activity, wondered about the fate of an early-90s band, marvelled at the accomplishments of some local engineering sstudents, and caught live music with teenyboppers – of sorts.

SFist was out, about, and active all week – notably, with a contest where readers' ideas to fix AT&T Park could earn them Giants' tix! They're also hoping San Francisco wins Yahoo's Greenest Cities contest, and the ten hybrid taxis that go with it. They talked to Kevin Rose: "Digg that!" SFist's "Blocker" kept examining the city on a micro-level. Finally, SFist got a photo and had a small discussion on a gated community with a not-so-multi-ethnic history.

DCist was shouting from the rooftops all week with a string of big announcements. First and foremost, they announced the line-up for their 6th Unbuckled concert, featuring soon-to-be-huge locals Le Loup and Brooklyn's XYZ Affair. But of course, this only took a close second to the news that the National Zoo's female panda, Mei Xiang, might be pregnant again. Later they got excited about the Google Maps StreetView team showing up in town, and angry about the pricing structure for tickets at the new Nationals stadium. Mostly though, folks in D.C. just wanted to talk about the poetry installation that might have been censored for being too gay and that weird National Spelling Bee kid.

Austinist was happy to learn that Austin was ranked among the dog-friendliest cities, though it was dismayed that the local law enforcement has a less-than-stellar reputation. Grisly human remains found hidden in a cement-filled barrel at the lake were finally identified. Austinist had a laugh over local tennis pro Andy Roddick's "22-inch guns" on the cover of Men's Fitness, and wondered whether internet giant Google might be setting up shop in town.

Torontoist pondered the meaning of the word "eskimo" and gave props to their readers who invented their own Stephen King-esque plot (the author made his first public appearance in Canada EVER). They got a bit bummed about a leftover garbage can from a Calvin Klein promotion and a viral LOVE IS... marketing campaign, but all is well since they celebrated great architecture and swooned over The National.

Bostonist stayed up late all week to watch the Sox play on the west coast – and caught Matt Damon bashing the Yankees and sporting a Red Sox Jersey in Letterman's NYC studio. They also thanked their elderly population for putting the smack down on domestic flights, while at least one elderly woman was sent to the hospital as an MBTA bus slammed into parked cars. The best of the crime news this week from Boston didn't have to do with Mooninites but some perp caught with his pants down. All the while trans-fats were banned, not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Seattlest stoked the coals of an old-time machine and visited the past life of a bridge that reopened in 2007. They also employed the youngest art critic and spent some time with Al Gore and The Police as they blew through town. They found out that there's hope for high school kids, but not for the rest of us if we can't take better care of the homeless.

Chicagoist formally celebrated its third anniversary (finally!). During the bacchanalia and hoopla, they gave readers a tour of a popular neighborhood via bicycle, revealed the truth about dogs as outdoor dinner companions, warmed to the idea of fare-free public transportation, analyzed His Elective Majesty's renewed attempts for stricter gun control, wondered if R. Kelly was ever going to stand trial, and took to the radio waves to talk about their site.

Londonist attended the unveiling of the official 2012 Olympic logo. The unloved emblem caused epileptic fits, general derision, comparisons to Lisa Simpson giving head, and even a goatse alternative, which got onto BBC news. Elsewhere, they interrogated a questions-and-answers hotline to see how much it knows about Londonist. And looked into whale buffing and naked bike rides, though not at the same time.

Curious about what's going on across the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week's favorites on Houstonist, Sampaist, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Top photograph by Rodney Calhoun, via Gothamist.

Last Updated 10 June 2007