Londonist » Phillies

Elsewhere In The Ist-a-verse

Hazel — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:46:29 +0000

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts — okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles — now that’s a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude’s landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Nunez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses.

DCist spent the week honoring some local heroes. First and foremost, they honored 75 year-old Mona Shaw, who smashed up a local Comcast cable office with a hammer after she got fed up with their terrible service. They also premiered a new music video by rising D.C. band Georgie James and got some great comments in support of a local reporter who got kicked out of the White House by First Lady Laura Bush for asking a tough question about voting rights. Finally, they got a chance to hear from famed photographer Annie Leibovitz about her new exhibition at the Corcoran and…they had to bust Wizards star Gilbert Arenas for cheating at Halo 3. Sometimes Agent Zero isn’t always a hero.

Gothamist loves fall – and can’t helping loving City Councilman James Oddo for letting his f-bomb flag fly when a Norwegian comedian fails to be funny. Also fun: A makeover that a statue of Mahatma Ghandi got. Not so fun: A noose found outside a Columbia professor’s door, a strange murder where a man killed his date and slept next to the body for days. The And the Big Apple blog spoke to Jonny Greenwood about his solo projects and that album his band Radiohead dropped this week.

Phillyist rubbed elbows with teenagers and had their pens stolen at a concert, which made the, stark “raven” mad. A local drug bust proved that they really do need you to take your shoes off at the airport, and got a glimpse of what might have been a normal sight if the Phillies hadn’t choked. They also made it through hell, and found themselves back in 1995.

Oh, it’s on. Sparked by Desperate Housewives‘ recent assessment of medical schooling in the Philippines, SFist witnessed a heated protest at the Disney Store — i.e., Disney-ABC TV. (Come again, Teri?) A building manager/tenant feud led to a passive-aggressive find. (Meow!) And an electronic mail exchange between SFist and SF Bay Guardian scribes amused and angered readers. (Pft.) Flare-ups notwithstanding, cyclocross enthusiasts impressed us with their bloody knees, perilous cycling skills, and tight spandex. (Dangerous? Yes. But safer than riding Muni buses these days.)

In London, an almighty crack has appeared in the floor of the Tate Modern gallery which allowed plenty of puns and innuendoes to fly around to coincide with a sudden load of sexy stuff that has flooded the city. Meanwhile, for those trying to avoid getting hot under the collar about cracks and coupling, there was the chance to ponder the economics of music tickets and then taking all that financial thinking to a free lunch and a little learning. And learning is cool, as long it’s free and makes it onto the map.

All week long, Bostonist has laughed until their sides split at the Boston Comedy Festival Comedy Contest, in which over 90 comedians compete for a big break. But it’s not all funny–some extremely talented female comedians got robbed this year. Bostonist had plenty of other reasons to laugh besides the comedy festival. For starters, the public transportation system has decided that commuters need a little soft rock to get through the day. Bostonist will laugh until the strains of Neil Diamond’s “Cracklin’ Rosie” drives them insane. And, if they weren’t laughing, Bostonist was definitely smiling as the Red Sox advanced and beat Cleveland in Game 1 of the ALCS. But it absolutely wasn’t funny when the MLB rained on a presidential candidate’s attempt to raffle off much-coveted Red Sox tix.

Want to know what else is happening across the Ist-a-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Austinist, Chicagoist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest and Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.

SFist’s Disney-ABC TV protest image: Jim Herd.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

M@ — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:15:05 +0000

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.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:03:47 +0000

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week’s “Segway Mom” and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It’s not West Side Story, but about as close as they’ll get. They’re also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested.

As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried to stay on the good side of Jack White (unlike a DJ who played the unreleased new White Stripes record on-air), detailed the rules and regulations behind sidewalk cafes , and beat up a little more on their favorite political whipping boy.

Phillyist denied the sudden onslaught of summer by taking a look at their snow-covered downtown. But, as much as they may deny it, they know that it’s warm outside, and that means baseball, even if it’s not particularly good baseball. When the Phillies aren’t depressing them, though, they’re catching awesome live shows, eating awesome Spanish food, admiring responsible dog owners, and reminding their readers to support small bands.

Torontoist had one hell of a busy week. Besides being the first media outlet to get photos of the interior of the gorgeous Daniel Libeskind redesign 0f the largest museum in Canada, they found their prime minister on Facebook (sorta), and interviewed the brain behind PostSecret, Frank Warren. They launched a new feature, Touch Up Toronto (inspired by Londonist’s project over the past year). Finally, they decided to give up on Amato, their (now ex-)favourite pizza place in the city.

DCist spent the week asking the tough questions, like whether cops on Segways are hilarious, or helpful, and whether the good people behind Esquire magazine actually know where the best bar in D.C. is. More seriously, they also questioned a plan to close a popular nightclub because a shooting happened outside it, and a heated debate emerged after they wondered if unsupervised kids were back to throwing rocks and attacking people in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Finally they launched their new wine column, because the real question is, what are you drinking tonight?

Austinist was thrilled that a local landmark finished renovations, but saddened that another classic watering hole might close because of zoning problems. Tickets for the Austin Film Festival went on sale, and a bunch of extraordinary students from the University of Texas embarked on a 4,500-mile ride to Alaska. Local police turned down a chance to be on “Cops”, which was still not as disappointing as the Texas House failing to get rid of its speaker. Austinist finally learned what $335.9 million worth of assorted drugs looked like, and are awfully fond of a local buzz band.

If you wear Hooker shoes at Dodger Stadium, LAist is going to catch you (and no Kosher Hot Dogs? What’s with that?). Huge news in town is that Kobe Bryant is leaving the Lakers (or maybe… not). In other sports news, bikini races at Hollywood Park anyone? Unfortunately at the Silver Lake Trader Joes, you need to race across the street if you want to stay alive. To rest off all those sporty activities, Los Angeles has another movie theatre full of posh fun including alcoholic drinks, assigned and cushy seating and free parking.

A lot of things to watch at SFist this week. There was a little whale watching, with a mother and calf that had lost their way. With shock, awe, and amusement, they checked out Google’s new “street level view” maps. SFist watched and positively reviewed the RiffTrax show. They saw an L.A. paper’s take on perhaps their most famous ‘hood, The Haight. The whole nation watched on pins and needles as a Bay Area resident won the national spelling bee. All of this while the city ran from zee-oh-em-bee-eye-ee-ess.

Bostonist watched as the Red Sox’ Kevin Youkilis continued his consecutive game hitting streak to 23, and started up his very own blog (they even created a slick “has a posse” graphic), took a lesson from Chicago voting (vote early and often) and figured out how to make those 25 all-star votes count best for the Sox. Baseball isn’t the only sport in town – the Patriot’s Tom Brady is on the platform of a candidate in the commonwealth, or, more precisely his “equipment.” The Mooninites attack Boston again, this time using fax machines. And Passim is named top hub club, but it’s not the 70′s anymore.

Londonist are beginning to think they live in the world’s most surreal city. First, there’s the High Court judge who speaks in poetry. Then, there’s the man who ate a corgi to protest about Prince Phillip shooting animals. And if the royals aren’t killing foxes, the suburban giant cats are.

Gothamist marked the final week of May with Manhattanhenge, that day of the year when the sun is lined up with streets perfectly. Gothamist wondered if a Harlem minister’s suggestion that the way to save Harlem would be to boycott businesses made sense and thought about the many faces of Rudy Giuliani. The hungry Big Apple blog also enjoyed a delicious meal at Bo Ssam and was impressed by a middle school’s noble fight against graffiti. And then there was the City Council fight over naming a street after a radical black activist, that prompted a number of verbals fights, including “jokes” of assassination and criticism of Thomas Jefferson.

Also, check out other favorite stories from Houstonist, Shanghaiist and Sampaist!

Photographs, top to bottom, from Torontoist, Chicagoist’s third anniversary invite, Dapper Dan J for SFist

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 10:40:09 +0000

We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we’re sensational, but it’s very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we’ve decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week.

Torontoist Special Report: Rosie to Trump: “Fire 300 Bicyclists for Fraud!”

On DCist: Students Go Wild for Slogans, Secrets and Sexual Harassment

The action was thick and heavy at SFist: Mayor Discovers Public Transportation Not Very Good! War on Paper Bags and Food Critics Who Attack Food Bloggers! Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Turns Raucous When Chickens Attack!

Seattlest mentions McCain’s momentous MySpace same-sex marriage announcement, mumbles that their monstrosity of a library might be a Monet, and muses on the possibility of a drunken pitcher on the mound of last year’s All-Star matchup. Meanwhile, members of their lit group meet the author, a local musician questions the merits of the Pitchfork Effect and a man makes moves to get a MacBook Pro in the mitts of local radio.

Scandal galore on Houstonist this week: Killer Barbecues Ex-Girlfriend’s Remains! Senator Offers Women Cash for Their Babies! Man Fakes Kidnapping To Slip Ball and Chain! Antique sofa miraculously preserved! Hard-Working City Bloggers Get Screaming Drunk!

This just in from Londonist: Rutting Royal VS. Rocking Racer: Ready to Rumble!!!

Overheard outside the trash bin Chicagoist collects its news from: Obama’s Gay Gaffe Slightly Less Upsetting Than “The Man” Saturating a Hipster ‘Hood and Staining Their Lily White Belts. Breaking! Spire to the Sky or Fusilli Jerry? And, Marvel at the Transit System That Doesn’t Actually Transit!

Shanghaiist exclaims: Kenny G! Ziggy Marley! Sonic Youth! Giant Chinese Dragon! Crazy Sex Scandal Involving Shanghai Toys and Chairman Mao condoms! Yowza!

Breaking news on Phillyist! Flyers and Phillies Flock to Decorated Dormitories: Decency Dies, Defecates

Austinist crushes over cool “kustoms” while a crazy chick (who couldn’t kick the chronic) creeps away in a cop’s car. Meanwhile, the city reached a copasetic conclusion to a college controversy just as the climate turned calamitous.

Bostonist (who helped inspire the guidelines for this post) features: Out-Of-This-World Athletes and Angels, While Governor Derides Droopy Drawers

Next up on LAist: Man(cia) Bites (Veggie) (Dodger) Dog; Echo Film at 11, Music by Datarock

Extra, extra, hey look at Gothamist‘s headlines: Brooklyn Artist Cocoas Christ! Supermarket’s Super Opening Party! Wal-Mart’s CEO to NYC: Drop Dead! Neighbors want San Gennaro fest To Sleep With the Fishes! Splasher Tired, but Brusher Is Wired! Pachyderms Back in Big Apple!

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Collage by Londonist Editor Mike Atherton.

News From The Ist-a-verse

Rob — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:55:08 +0000

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks “the elusive Bahamas streetcar”, and watches Tom Green get surgery.

Phillyist rejoices in the Phillies’ wild card chances, mourns the injuries sustained by Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse, and goes pirate on our asses.

SFist notes that Guns and Roses were in town, that San Franciscans are taking over reality TV, and that the San Francisco Chronicle’s skills of original nomenclature could use some polishing.

Shanghaiist hits McDonald’s, clues us in on a scandal at their Madame Tussauds, and tells us about some controversial survey results.

Holy crap — Gothamist meets Tim Gunn! They also report on Hugo Chavez’s visit to New York, and interview Consumption Junction founder Paul Dinn.

LAist goes to the mat for USC, HATES on Helio (and gets results! Man, LAist rules!), and welcomes H&M to Pasadena.

Bostonist lets us know that we might be able to give up Magic Tanning sooner than we’d expect, reports on a truck that helps public transit users understand the fare collection system, and gives the latest from MIT.

DCist feels like chicken tonight and hot dogs tomorrow. When they’re not walking the culinary wild side, they’re checking out rising Israeli hip hop stars.

Seattlest tells us why Darwin matters, bids Ron Fairly farewell, and has some seriously goofy Seattle American Idol audition video.

Parisist: it’s not just in French anymore. Check it out! Now we monolinguists can easily read stories about stuff like the impressionist train driver (and Parisist commenter!), and the surprising gender divide among drivers in the TGV. Hooray!

Image of Tim Gunn and Gothamist Jen Chung from Jen’s post on the EMc2 event.

Links compiled by SFist Eve “That’s All, Folks!” Batey

Across The -ist Network

Rob — Sun, 21 May 2006 19:19:51 +0000

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark “Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid.” Is that a promise? They also give us this week’s best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow.

Ah, Houstonist. They’re biking to work, that is, if they can figure out how to get there. That’s right, Mapquest says “Houston had the largest percentage of respondents saying they got lost in their hometown.” Let’s hope they don’t go so far astray that they end up menaced by alligators! We fantasize that the shorts-wearing Houston Dynamos take a wrong turn and end up at our house, but that’s a whole other post. And as much as we want all of you to read Houstonist, do not read this story about a dog mistakenly euthanized by the HSPCA. It’s just too sad.

It’s a rough week for Phillyist. They’re starting to lose faith in the Phillies! Or maybe they’re just in a crappy mood because of their high taxes and crummy EMS. And if that’s not bad enough, Philly’s snack institution Tastycake might leave the area. Oh, yeah, and a local woman ripped her husband’s scrotum off. Poor Phillyist, go give them some love!

SFist comes out swinging, as the city plays host to Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, and Jonathan Richmond in a benefit for the West Memphis Three. Of course, any good karma the Bay Area built up with that event was squandered when they booed the Canadian national anthem at a recent San Jose Sharks game. And if that’s not skanky enough, someone rigged the World’s Ugliest Dog contest! Oh, well, before they go to hell they’ll have some Beard Papa cream puffs to snack on, so all is not lost.

Austinist is so clever! They get us the Austin City Limits Festival lineup well before it’s released, making us feel cool by association. They review Russian comedian Eugene Mirman’s new release, who is not your father’s Yakov Smirnoff. When they’re not reviewing CDs, they’re reporting on our nation’s review of the president and how that might affect your wacky summer road trip. Or your wacky road movie, which you could submit to the SXSWclick mobile media festival. Another place to avoid on your road trip: Eldorado, Texas. No, the “Yearning For Zion” ranch is NOT a spa, it’s a crazy cult compound. Y’all come back now, ya hear? One person we know will never be welcome at the YFZ ranch is Austinist interviewee Suzan-Lori Parks, of Topdog/Underdog fame. Speaking of top dogs, how about Austin’s own Voxtrot, who are making quite a splash all over. UT running back Ramonce Taylor makes a different sort of splash when he gets pulled over with 5 lbs of weed. Some guys have all the luck.

Gothamist goes to a Beard and Moustache contest, but for the real fun check out the cranky comments regarding the post’s previous headline. And the competitive theme continues with their post on the rivalry between Williamsburg Hipsters and Park Slope Yuppies. We’d suggest they meet on neutral ground to work things out, but the subway’s so damned dirty they probably don’t want to leave the house. Hey, can you get Hep C from the E train? Ask the The Raconteurs! We don’t care how dirty the trains are, we’ll still go to the new 24-hour Apple store. Insert your own “city that never sleeps” joke here.

DCist reports on the shocking Catholic University’s women’s lacrosse team stripper scandal. We’re more surprised that the stripper in question was a dude, but that’s just us. And an item that’s truly shocking: Baltimore police arrest a couple for asking directions? Read through the comments on this post for elaboration on this case. Far less murky is the story on DC’s blaspheming mayor, though we’re sure that some DCist readers were using much harsher words than “goddamnit” as they watched the unsatisfying conclusion to “The West Wing”

Bostonist traverses the digital divide by bringing their readers a YouTube video featuring Dudley Square at night. On the other side of the divide, we have the an ironic initiative to rename locations in Cambridge, and folks from MIT wiring their homes for sound and vision. God, William Baldwin’s character from Flatliners would have loved this! Maybe those folks need to get some more exercise (not that kind, Baldwin), how about kayaking around the 48 lower states? Of course, while some folks paddle 11,200 miles, other folks can’t be bothered to take public transportation to Sox games, and want their parking money back if the game’s rained out.

Chicagoist (and their commenters) ask some interesting questions about the man who stands with a sign reading “FBI Agent Chris Saviano Stop Raping My Wife”. He’s not the only man standing up for his principles — check out the guy who refuses to sell his home even as two high rise condo buildings went up on either side. One guy who can’t stand up for anything anymore is the guy who died with $2.5 million of pot in his house. Speaking of pot (and not of yuppie hipsters), hey, Pearl Jam plays Chicago! And more women’s sports trouble, this time hazing at Northwestern.

Seattlest angers the lord by mocking allegedly Christian band Mute Math, which must be why Pat Robertson’s predicting a Pacific Northwest-centered tsunami. In an effort to prepare for the chaos that is sure to ensue post-wrath, they interview author Eric Blehm, who wrote a book on the case of missing forest ranger Randy Morgenson. Geez, if even the forest rangers are disappearing, we’re SOL.

Miamist‘s eponymous city lives up to their hot (both is appearance and emotion) reputation by interviewing Miss Miami, reporting on the airport arrest of City Commissioner Johnny Winton, and admitting that they have more road rage than any other US city. Calm down, Miami!

Torontoist marvels at Craigslist’s Missed Connections, thus raising the question “why wouldn’t some 25-year-old unhappy virgin use CL to get laid?” Answer: her’s not real. Damn you, Internet! And while we’re mad, how much does it suck that many of Toronto’s rep movie houses are closing? Answer: a lot. Finally, is Toronto’s mayor a plushie? Answer: oh god we hope so.

All images of New York’s new, 24-hour Apple store by Gothamist’s Neil Epstein

Compiled by SFist Eve Batey.