Londonist » Shanghaiist

Shanghai Could Overtake London As Financial Centre

M@ — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:33 +0000

Ed Harcourt woz ere

In the competition to be the world’s capital of finance, London could soon be pushed into third place. A survey by law firm Eversheds of 600 senior business executives concluded that Shanghai would probably overtake London in the next decade, with New York retaining its fiscal crown. The mega-city already trumps both its financial rivals in many respects, including population size, shipping capacity and (arguably) skyline. Yeah, but who’d win in an arm-wrestle? If anyone from Gothamist or Shanghaiist is reading, consider that a challenge.

Week Around the -ists

Staff — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:17:42 +0000

Photograph of Michael Strahan, coach Tom Coughin (holding the Vince Lombardi trophy) and quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning by Tien Mao

Gothamist was amazed after the Giants won the Super Bowl, the city went wild, and it witnessed a ticker-tape parade.
Barack Obama drew 20,000+ ahead of Seattle’s Saturday caucus.
Londonist had Super Tuesday too.
Elusive guerrilla street artist Banksy revisits Los Angeles.
After the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and came this close to making history, Bostonist spent much of the week consoling itself and trying to think about baseball.
Toronto has been experiencing a ton of snow lately, so

they tried to make the best of it by
href=”http://torontoist.com/2008/02/phototo_snowbal.php”>photographing a big, organized snowball fight.
SFist partook in some hipster bashing.
Shanghaiist uncovered all the sordid details of Hong Kong’s biggest celebrity sex scandal ever.
DCist was concerned about a new reality TV show in the works that might make people who live in Washington look like privileged jerks.
Phillyist wants a pet baby more than anything in the world.
Chicagoist had a time honored motorists vs. cyclists debate.
Austinist reported on seven-time Tour de France champ and crybaby Lance Armstrong’s hissy fit at a local venue.

Week Around the -Ists

Staff — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:32:25 +0000

Photograph of memorial outside Heath Ledger’s NYC apartment

Gothamist learned that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his SoHo apartment, cause of death unknown so far (but apparently the masseuse who found him called Mary-Kate Olsen before 911).
Bostonist considered sending a link about the Super Bowl, but damn! The New Kids are reuniting!
Although Sylvester Stallone is a native of New York City, his Rocky character lets many Philadelphians consider him a native son – so Phillyist just had to attend a preview screening of Rambo.
Shanghaiist swoons over Shanghai’s coolest tattoo artist.
LAist has a dirty little secret and it comes in the form of an addictive sour frozen yogurt chain — Pinkberry.
Torontoist discovered a pro-life billboard downtown that begs its watchers to think of the children(‘s toys).
SFist found itself green with envy over the advent of the automatic weed machine.
Houstonist brought it after witnessing Taucha Hogue make it to the championship round for College Cheerleader of the Year.
DCist saw a “snotty-nosed little brat” get read to filth by a school administrator’s wife over a snow day, or lack thereof.
Londonist received a Bloggie nomination for Best European Weblog.
Seattlest threw down the gauntlet after calling Denver “overrated” when compared to their own mountain ranges.
Austinist took a ride with Clean Air Limo, Austin’s first green private car service.

Week Around the -Ists

Staff — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:33:07 +0000

Photograph of the Trump Soho by Riccardo Sinti

Gothamist went to the scene of the Trump Soho construction collapse, which left one construction worker dead and others injured (an indirect culprit – Manhattan’s hot real estate market, causing rushed construction jobs).
Shanghaiist is confused by media reports as to whether Playboy will be available in China during the year of the Olympics.
LAist got fugged in an interview with the Go Fug Yourself girls.
Torontoist set hearts aflutter by featuring some fake information flyers being distributed around their transit system by street artist extraordinaire, Posterchild.
SFist uncovered even more of SOMA district’s recurring neo-Naziesque graffiti.
Phillyist visited scantily-clad women giving out Tofurkey in honor of Philadelphia’s favorite founding father.
Londonist witnessed
href=”http://londonist.com/2008/01/6_years_on_amne.php”>Amnesty International bringing Guantanamo Bay to the American embassy to raise the profile of the continuing campaign to close the detention center.
Seattlest reviewed J.J. Abrams’ new camcorder monster movie.
DCist was relieved to hear that Stephen Colbert’s portrait is finally hanging up in the National Portrait Gallery.
Austin was in shock after hearing about an Arlington stepfather who sodomized his stepson who sodomized his daughter.
Chicagoist healthily reported on week three of the smoking ban.
Houstonist saw a recent Rice University scientific creation, touted as “the darkest substance known to man.”

Week Around the -Ists

Staff — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:59:59 +0000

Londonist pondered who might be the next sponsors of the London Eye and whether or not readers would be willing to donate £1,000 each for a Londonist Eye.
Shanghaiist was shocked to find a cameltoe in the city’s only English-language paper.
Gothamist believed that a writer who wanted pre-gentrified gritty New York and ended up getting beaten up during a mugging learned his lesson.
DCist followed Mayor Adrian Fenty and the D.C. Council to New Hampshire, where they helped introduce a bill that would signal that state’s support of voting rights for the District.
Torontoist learned a brand new threat this week, thanks to a police officer who pulled over a driver in the city’s entertainment district and told him––actually––“I’ll break your fucking ponytail.” Oh, and then they tased him.
SFist witnessed (and predicted) San Clemente’s Greg Long winning this year’s Mavericks Surf Contest.
LAist reported on everything you wanted to know about this year’s most anticipated movie, Cloverfield, as told by director Matt Reeves.
Bostonist watched as Bronson Arroyo, formerly of the Red Sox and now of the Cleveland Indians, pleaded to return to Boston–in song.
Chicagoist saw lightning strike twice.
Houstinist interviews Big Daddy’s Ass Burn Hot Sauce founder Trevi Biles.
Phillyist supports an end of the city’s “quack-tacular” duck tours.
Seattlest discussed this year’s presidential election with some top-notch political writers.

Week Around the -Ists

Staff — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:30:22 +0000

LAist listed a top ten list of sorts: things they hope not to see in Los Angeles in 2008. (one example, pictured above).
Shanghaiist was surprised to learn that “godless,” “atheist,” and “commie” China is soon going to be the world’s largest supplier of Bibles!
Torontoist picked some of their favorite photos of 2007.
Londonist was relieved to hear the fire at the Royal Marsden hospital didn’t harm any of the patients even though it was a pretty big blaze.
Phillyist resolves to be better in 2008.
Gothamist marveled at a lawsuit from a nightclub patron who was beaten up by bouncers over a questionable bill.
Bostonist has a word of advice for all ballplayers–look up the name of the drink in Urban Dictionary before you endorse it, OK? Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis has signed up to market an energy drink entitled the “SlumpBuster.”
Austinist has your SXSW 2008 news and rumor updates.
Chicagoist breathed easier after smoking was banned from any and all indoor spaces in 2008.
SFist witnessed a mighty storm – well, mighty for Californians, that is – blow through the Bay Area.
Seattlest saw controversy about Starbuck’s new Skinny Latte grow even wider.
Houstonist chats with a College Cheerleader of the Year candidate.
DCist reads about Ruben Castaneda, a crack addict and Post Metro correspondent.

Photo Credit: Malingering

Week Around the -Ists

Staff — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:14:49 +0000

SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others.
Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia’s New Year’s wish list.
Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC’s first bike share program on Governors Island.
LAist received a Christmas present in the form of a drunk Santa Claus in a g-string.
Bostonist launched Veggieist, a brand-new weekly column that is already whetting the appetites of vegans.
Torontoist is ending the year by naming its heroes and villains of 2007––the people, places, and things that they’ve either fallen head over heels in love with or developed uncontrollable rage towards over the past twelve months.
Shanghaiist saw their city turn into a Christmas wonderland.
Chicagoist will never tire of watching a local news anchor’s hilarious reaction to a car crashing into the studio. No one was hurt, so it’s OK to laugh.
Austinist interviewed the intimidating but always brilliant Joe Rogan, chatting about News Radio, Fear Factor, Dane Cook, and more.
Seattlest mourned the loss of iconic jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
Londonist cheered after hearing news that London, it seems, is the capital of the world. (Sorry, NYC.)
Houstonist tells an interesting tale about Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher getting trapped in the powder room at a Houston Hotel.

Image credit: Flickr user Steve Rhodes.

Elsewhere In The Ist-a-verse

Hazel — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:47:20 +0000

Gothamist learned about the craziest urban nightmare come true: A huge python found in the bathroom pipes. It was also a nightmare for some Yankees fans, as manger Joe Torre declined to come back and manage the Bronx Bombers. At least the city’s attempt to give some direction to subway riders was interesting, pranksters went shirtless at the Fifth Avenue Abercrombie & Fitch and the I Heart Brooklyn Girls calendars came out. And just in time for Halloween, the Chocolate Jesus is back.

By the time you read this, Bostonist will either be elated or will have had its heart broken by the Cleveland Indians during the ALCS. The Red Sox has taken Bostonist on a tummy-turning roller-coaster ride. At one point, they thought Cleveland was messing with its head when the Indians hired Josh Beckett’s old girlfriend to sing the National Anthem. In non-Sox-related news, Bostonist found out what an Iron Butt is and mourned the imminent closure of one of the city’s finest theaters. And an astronaut is planning on taking a little bit of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with her when she flies.

SFist interviewed New Yorker scribe Alex Ross, saw Archbishop George Niederauer apologize to the Catholic Church for giving communion to the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and had a time-honored NYC vs. SF debate. SFist also questioned the practice of “tipping” cable car drivers. The eco-y Lights Out SF ended up a dim success. Oh, and therapeutic sound healers? Are interesting. And bizarre. Just listen for yourself.

Londonist spent much of the week in a fluffy, alternative universe, where people talk about clouds and dogs get their own walk of fame. What is a radium-luminised gauge dial face, and why is it making headlines? Such musings were interrupted by a note of seriousness, when Nobel prizewinner James Watson was barred from London’s Science Museum for alleged racist remarks.

Apparently, LAist is on to something: being a UCLA student can turn nerds into Hippie Apple computer users. And is seems they generate peer pressure to try out public transportation in the city of gridlock (the good thing is, the kids like it). Another great Los Angeles juxtaposition is the urban-nature one where you can be Downtown among the hustle and bustle and 15 minutes later feel like you are in the countryside at Forest Lawn. Those wanting a little different, like experiencing an abortion or what it feels like to be in a school shooting, need to get thee to WeHo for the Hollywood Hellhouse. But what could be scarier is the disease of Pinkberry spreading around town like Starbucks, by Starbucks and for Starbucks.

Phillyist may have had a zombie encounter at a local ethnic restaurant, but they escaped with their brains intact enough to do some shopping. They found beauty in the little things, humor on their streets, and learned a very special lesson about global warming.

But what about the other -ists, you ask? Well, check out this week’s favorites on Austinist, Chicagoist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.

Gothamist photograph: I Heart Brooklyn Girls calendar

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, 16 Sep 2007 18:37:59 +0000

Protest over national vs. regional chains, the never-ending debate over the place of cars and bicycles in our metropolises, professional sports scandals, remembering a solemn day, and being issued a search warrant – it all happened across our sites this week!

Another banner week at Chicagoist started off with daily reports from food writer Lisa Shames on her attempt to eat only locally grown and raised foodstuffs all week as part of a farmers market challenge. Wilco also played Millennium Park under a picture perfect late-summer evening. The one-year anniversary of Macy’s taking over and re-naming Marshall Field’s was marked by protests outside the store. They also took a look at the rotten egg the Bears laid in San Diego. Finally, the story of a Loop pandhandler whose dog was stolen was enough to sheath the claws of even the site’s most negative readers, if only for a few moments.”

Londonist delved into past, present and future. They went back 300 years as they explored the dingy cellars of royal wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, then welcomed aged rockers Led Zeppelin and Brian Wilson to town. In the present, they attended a talk by Naomi Klein, author of controversial exposé The Shock Doctrine, and lamented the fact that London is now the most expensive city in the world for eating out. Looking to the future, a team of scientists recommends banning all cars from central London by 2030.

LAist must be doing something right if the Beverly Hills Police Department is serving them with a search warrant after a controversial bicycle post. Even later that week, Denis Leary and Jay Leno went off on how they hate the bicycles on the road (but love motorbikes). Other celeb news included a visit to the red carpet of MTV’s VMA Awards, an interview with Carol Channing and the audio of Kathy Griffin telling Jesus to suck it. In non-celebrity news, but equally as important, they caught up with artist Florencia Pita of the Southern California Institute of Architecture and took photos of a girl being hung by hooks in her skin.

Bostonist embarked on a week of discovery. They saw their beloved Patriots grow tarnished from a cheating scandal. Pats QB Tom Brady tried to teach them how to pick up chicks (he didn’t do a good job). After all that, Bostonist was in no mood for football, so they tried rugby. Exhausted from that endeavor, they slurped on some tasty–but pricey–noodles. At the coffee shop, they rediscovered Jack Kerouac. On the way home, they discovered a new species riding the subways — the T Bag.

Phillyist continued their insanely detailed coverage of the Live Arts/Philly Fringe Festival, remembered a tragedy, had an interesting phone call with the bassist of Metric,panned Jodie Foster’s latest, and got excited about the return of the TV show with their town’s name in the title.

Gothamist started the week wondering if the end of Missahpes meant the end of an era for Manhattan hipsters. September 11 was observed, and the fate of a beloved tribute is uncertain. A violent rumble during a weekday afternoon raised questions about unruly teens on the subway. The sexual harassment lawsuit against the Knicks revealed Isiah Thomas’ dislike of details – or dealing with ticket sales – and more of Stephon Marbury’s wacky behavior. And Brooklyn’s first bowling alley to open in nearly 50 year captivated their attention.

Over at SFist, readers’ tempers revved up over pedestrian safety versus (illegal) luxury car parking as well as taxi drivers versus (more convenient) limo and town car drivers. Sean Penn will play assassinated San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, but more importantly, who will play Dianne Feinstein? Dave Eggers received a well-deserved, big ol’ cash prize; and Mayor Gavin Newsom requested letters of resignation from his entire staff, and then some. Yikes.

And learn more about the top stories from our other sites: Austinist, DCist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.

Images: Array of three photographs (at top) of the Macy’s protest in Chicago by Timohty State for Chicagoist; search warrant (middle) from LAist; and photograph of the Tribute in Light, with the Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground, (bottom) by TomVu on Flickr

Elsewhere In The Ist-a-verse

Hazel — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 18:18:07 +0000

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren’t many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and several smiles as well as lots of cash were raised by some plucky urban ironing. London is apparently full of lies and whales: one of these things is true. We leave that up to you to figure out.

The students have returned to Boston, and they’ve really made a mark. Bostonist was impressed by an incident in which a Northeastern University student shouted out his window that his roommate was selling pot. This guy might be the worst roommate ever – Boston police arrested both students, and NU kicked them out. Another student drove a U-Haul under an overpass, peeling off the top of the U-Haul and clogging Labor Day weekend traffic. But we still like the students anyway, enough to give them tips on how to cook chicken and where to buy cupcakes. And their shenanigans don’t top the local brainiac who drove his truck into a moving trolley. Beyond the students, Bostonist is loving the fresh young Red Sox. Last, but not least, we’re thinking Gisele Bundchen might have a bitch streak in her a mile wide.

LAist, along with the rest of the city, celebrated Los Angeles’ 226th birthday in the form of a nine mile walk retracing the steps of the original settlers who established the pueblo back in 1781. On Labor Day, there was more celebration over past jobs, whether that be a phone scam artist or professional bootlegger. And heck, why not celebrate Thai Town by reviewing every restaurant in and surrounding the neighborhood? In the un-celebratory category, bicyclists were shocked of a story about a Beverly Hills SUV driver attacking a cyclist , only to have the cyclist get two tickets from the cops. A follow up to the incident came out with hints of optimism. As they say in LA, see you on the streets!

Readers of Chicagoist had a lot of pent-up energy to expel this week. It’s probably because they all work out at the same place, the now-shuttered Cheetah Gym and wonder if they’ll ever see their September dues back in their bank accounts. But that wasn’t the only story that gained their attention. The on-again/off-again annual state bailout of the region’s public transportation system was off again (for now). But if Mayor Daley gets his way–and he usually does–Chicago residents may be able to rent bikes like in Paris when the CTA grinds to a halt. Readers all agree that Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano is a big fat overpaid baby. Finally, there was a time when people complained about having an airport on the lake; now they’re bitching about having to hear lewd lyrics from concerts on the lake.

SFist saw the Bay Bridge open early after it shutdown during the Labor Day Weekend. Steve Jobs dropped the price of the iPhone, still manages to sport a fine ass after all these years. Devastating wildfires in the Bay Area made for some gorgeous sunrises, and a 911 crank caller has logged in over 2,000 fake emergency calls since March. Speaking of insanity, American Airlines will force San Francisco departing passengers to use major credit or debit card (no cash!) for snacks, booze, and headphones. Also, Summer of Love celebrated 40 years of groovy vibes and navel-gazing.

Phillyist is going crazy catching performances at the 2007 Philadelphia Live Arts/Philly Fringe Festivals. But they’re still making time for hating, laughing, and rhyming. And hey: pretty!

Curious about what’s up across the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Austinist, Houstonist, Gothamist, Sampaist, Shanghaiist, Torontoist, and DCist.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Images: Flickr user moocatmoocat on Phillyist; Flickr user The City Project on LAist; Flickr user crow soup on SFist.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 17:03:05 +0000

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend’s annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what’s becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist’s decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take her medicine and offered their own suggestions to how the city should capitalize on the local music scene. And everyone thinks that a suggested tax on bottled water is a great idea.

While LAist is prepares for Burning Man’s 21st, they celebrated what would have been Charles Bukowski’s 87th birthday. Hell, why not celebrate The Dude at Lebowski Fest. Or guys and girls dressed up as Oompa Loompas or sexy 1960′s flight attendants playing beach volleyball in a tournament? But the true celebration for Los Angeles will come on the peaceful day when black and brown learn to get down.

This week, SFist found a (presumably pre-AA) Mayor Gavin Newsom looking strikingly similar Sophia Loren. On the downside, the Tenderloin Housing Clinic forced its one-time ally and documentarian to foolishly take down his informative and helpful hallway cam. SFist cover boy Ed Jew came to the defense of local radio nut, Michael Savage; SFPD got cross with some skaters; and the left-hand-inflicted folk finally got their day.

Londonist met some interesting characters this week. First, they spoke to a lady who collects stories about virginity loss. Another Londoner is renting herself out on dates to raise money for brain tumor research. And why was Bill Cinton wearing orange socks with a green tie?

Bostonist welcomed Ron Jeremy to town, but his visit wasn’t without incident. A drunk driver nearly took out the porn star’s tour bus. Of course everyone wanted a picture with Ron Jeremy – and a cop might be in trouble for posing in uniform. If it’s not porn, it’ll be sports and politics on the front page. Mitt Romney was mixed in both when it was released that he and his wife have significant investment in YES, the TV network that televises all of the Evil Empire’s games. Bostonist issued a warning about peeing on the toilet seat, as such action may have been the background that will send a woman to jail for first-degree murder. And Boston beat out all the other –ist cities in the survey that gave Boston the title of Bloggiest city.

Over at DCist, the news that former Mayor Marion Barry and Michael Jackson have become friends was just too much for them to take, so they spent the rest of the week trying to get over it. While recovering, they wondered why movies set in D.C. never get it right, why Metro won’t just outright direct people to stand to the right and walk to the left, why GQ Magazine could possibly think Condoleezza Rice is the most influential person in town, and what’s up with that Samuel Gompers Monument.

Gothamist loves being in a town where the City Council is looking to ban smoking in cars with children (’cause banning non-hands-free cellphone use was sooo successful) and where federal Department of Transportation will give hundreds of millions to support congestion pricing efforts (which makes one wonder if the Barnes Dance should come back). But it was also a sad week: Legendary Yankee shortstop Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto died, as did philanthropist Brooke Astor. In other news, a storage company’s provocative billboard drew comments, as did Gothamist’s interview with the president of the Church of Scientology in NYC.

Phillyist was all abuzz with the news that M. Night Shyamalan is shooting a new movie in Philadelphia and that divine messages can appear in eggplants. The city’s tallest building is set to open in November, a local sportswriter must go, and the tubers at a local restaurant are way too honest. Plus, check out this ad campaign!

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

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Chicago’s Air & Water Show photographed by Chicagoist Todd McClamroch. Images of Gavin Newson and Sofia Loren via SFist. Flushing, Queens in the 1950s by Bill Leahy, via Gothamist.

Elsewhere In The Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:32:39 +0000

We at the Gothamist network would like to express our heartfelt wishes to the people of Minnesota in the days after their tragic bridge collapse. We’re not trying to discount the severity of the accident by making note of it in opposition to our usual -Ist lightheartedness – we just wanted to take a moment and recognize those affected last week.

After the Minneapolis bridge collapse, Bostonist did a little research and found that Massachusetts bridges could use a little help. But Bostonist brightened up considerably when they discovered they could drink themselves silly on the Amtrak booze ride and at the Sam Adams brewery. And, if they’re not boarding the party train, they can think about their much-improved sports teams. Thanks to the arrival of basketball stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Bostonist is finally feeling some Celtic pride. (They had to exercise that pride when a certain blog attempted to talk trash about their fair city.) Oh, and the Red Sox got pitcher Eric Gagne, too!

With hot weather forecast in the Midwest, Chicagoist offered its readers a survival guide to Lollapalooza. That isn’t the only major event happening in the City of Broad Shoulders. The YearlyKos convention rolled into town, as well. Meanwhile, changes are afoot at the city’s largest weekly newspaper after a change in ownership, more women are talking on their cell phones as a means of discouraging assaults, readers disagreed with a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee’s decision not to serve pork breakfast sandwiches, and a retired machinist thought he won a million dollars until a Miller Lite girl took his winning ticket away.

DCist was a little testy this week: to start with, they called for a ban on Crocs after discovering that the ugly shoes are destroying the city’s escalators, they gave another popular blog a hard time for ripping on their fair city for no reason, and they begrudgingly gave San Diego their best wishes after that city beat D.C. in the race to create more adorable panda cubs. Finally DCist Senior Editor Martin Austermuhle traveled to Chicago for the YearlyKos convention to speak on a panel about the struggle for District Voting Rights.

This week, Houstonist checked in on a series of fallen icons: an animatronic gorilla from their youth singing bad hip-hop, the virtuous halls of government invaded by a mysterious pink dildo, and a flamboyantly white-haired, blue-spectacled local news icon gone to the big TV studio in the sky. It all gives you something to think about while making late-night grocery runs in your PJs – which is totally acceptable, considering that Houston once annexed the city of New Orleans. And we all know what that means: drinks all around!

Gothamist was amazed when it turned out that Mayor Bloomberg, who always talked up his subway riding habits, gets driven in an SUV to a subway station twenty-two blocks away—when there’s a station just four blocks away—and totally confused when a weird submarine-like vessel was found in the Buttermilk Channel . The Big Apple blog also chatted with the former senior editor of Playgirl and ran into JJ Abrams’ mysterious movie taking over the Lower East Side. Finally, Gothamist decided that a blog tracking the movements of a shirtless He-Man could only be a good thing.

SFist‘s fatality-free news: Mayor Newsom’s innocuous non-joke bruised the delicate feelings of several Castro bar patrons; SFist Jeremy went slapstick and spilled hot coffee on himself while riding a MUNI line, sparking a public-transit etiquette debate; the sibling rivalry between LA and SF got gastronomic; and evangelical preachers in Dolores Park need to shut the hell up, volume-wise. Now the bad news: Former 49er’s football coach Bill Walsh succumbed to leukemia; and police/SWAT teams raided Oakland’s Your Black Muslim Bakery in connection with the execution of Oakland Post‘s editor, Chauncey Bailey. RIP, gentlemen.

LAist got stoked that the LA Times snagged two of their writers to write for them. Those new jobs can mean new commutes, but in LA where they say traffic is terrible, one photographer has found empty freeways at rush hour through his camera lens. And who cares if Dodger baseball traffic sucks, Sporting News gave Los Angeles the title of “Best Baseball City” (Go Dodgers!). It should also win Best City to be Surrounded by Other Best Cities — ’cause, come on, visiting Comic-Con is a hop and skip down the coast to San Diego. However, there’s one downside from the past week: the apartment complex where Charles Bukowski wrote “Post Office” is for sale and it could be leveled.

Finally, Phillyist had the dubious honor of interviewing some of the young stars (starz?) of Bratz: The Movie – girls of an age at which it’s important to know how not to dress in public. Phillyist writers pondered celebrity self-awareness and how you can misspell a word when it’s printed on your t-shirt. But at the end of the week, they got a little serious and took a close look at the city’s shocking murder rate.

Curious about what’s going on across the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Austinist, Londonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Images: Flickr user sklose on Gothamist, tien mao on Gothamist, and Flickr user ananzi on Phillyist.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

Hazel — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:21:26 +0000

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton’s San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan’s cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a picture displaying the woes of cruising in a tacky limo on the streets of San Francisco.

Over at Chicagoist, readers weighed in with their favorite memories of a local concert venue celebrating its silver anniversary and railed about the passage f a statewide smoking ban for Illinois. The former Marshall Field’s department store received bad publicity in the form of fruit flies in the food court and someone falling from the upper floors. And local residents worried about the possibility of increased pollution in Lake Michigan from an Indiana oil refinery.

This week, LAist invited five Guest Day Editors from the blogLAsphere to join them: Green LA Girl, Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA, Zuma Dogg, the LA City Nerd and previous LAist editor, Carolyn Kellogg. On Wednesday, the DEA raided 10 local medical marijuana clinics while TARGET’s newest three-story store soft-launched to almost no one. Then there was Lindsay Lohan. Oh Lindsay.

Austinist welcomed the name change of a local lake to honor Lady Bird Johnson, and was surprised to find that Austin is a model for Iraqi reconstruction efforts. Nonstop rains of the past two months have led to a cricket infestation, plus A university professor claimed that obese girls are less likely to attend college, and another report showed that Austin’s suburbs are among the fastest growing in the nation. Meanwhile, locals are up in arms over a secret Spoon show.

Sampaist was shocked when they went inside the building slammed by an airplane for the first time. On July 17 an Airbus 320 with 187 people aboard landing at Sao Paulo’s Congonhas airport, Brazil’s busiest, skidded off the runway, across a road and slammed into an airport building. See the pictures here.

This week, Londonist found out that London loves Facebook – that’s a fact. We also learned that men can be burlesque as well as burly in the Male Tournament of Tease. With all the social networking and bare-bottomed men everyone is enjoying, Londonist held the first ever Londonist pub quiz – deemed such a success by one and all, the next one is already being compiled (with even harder questions and even better prizes…). Everyone went home smelling of roses, perhaps due to the smoking ban but sadly, it doesn’t suit everyone. A sad and shocking shooting took place leaving a former heavyweight boxer critically ill after he confronted three men who were smoking in a club.

Phillyist isn’t trying to tell you how to live your life or anything, but, well, they don’t approve of your breakup methods and they don’t think you should rule out the Counting Crows just because they’re so 1993. They’d like to encourage you check out The Swell Season, Irish rocker Glen Hansard’s side project or hot women covering classic rock, and maybe pick up a Spanish/English dictionary on your way. And, look! Pretty!

Bostonist was charmed by the prankster who re-programmed a road sign to announce to the driving public that penis was being served for lunch. All the news outlets were coy when forced to discuss the male member. Needless to say, Bostonist had no such qualms. The residents of the Boston area aren’t coy about anything, from getting free rides to auditioning for controversial reality shows to protecting a nearby 7-Eleven. Bostonist also went big with the sports this week. They found a link between German legend and baseball and helped dispel the bizarre rumor that Pats player Tedy Bruschi was dead.

Houstonist laughed out loud this week. 30 Rock funny man Judah Friedlander popped in for an interview and then Houston native Beyoncé took tumble during her recent performance. The mood was subdued when it was learned that fat girls are less likely to go to college. But, stories about aging hipsters failing to pick-up in trendy bars got us to smile again. Perhaps treating the hotties to a few cool lychee martinis would have helped.

DCist spent most of their week checking out all the offerings of the Capital Fringe Festival, but in between they contemplated adding trolley service to the city, thought about killing some pesky Canada Geese, and caught up with local band These United States out on the road.

Gothamist thinks it’s in a golden age of NY State and NYC politics, if golden age means totally insane goings-on. A controversial City Councilman and his former staffer accused the Council speaker of racism and white supremacy while Governor Spitzer’s staffers were accused of using the police to discredit a rival. Gothamist wondered if the 1 train really is the best subway of all and readied itself for likely subway and bus fare hikes. Redheads took the streets to demand their rights and during an mmminterview withTaylor Hanson, he told Gothamist that one fan got a larger-than-life-sized tattoo of his face on her back.

And check out other top stories from Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

Hazel — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:45:15 +0000

Banner week for SFist as the site’s new editor introduced himself — hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF’s mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist’s readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with “open mic night” and sang a custom version of Madonna’s “Borderline” to a much-beleaguered board member.

Phillyist has had a busy week, looking for power outlets while liveblogging the First Annual BlogPhiladelphia “unconference.” (Here’s day 1 and day 2 of their coverage, and a video from the event.) They also interviewed Chris Funk of the Decemberists (since those guys are in town this weekend to play with a local orchestra), reviewed that little indie film about the wizard child, and helped out with tips on how to act if you run into that annoying ex of yours. Finally, they warned the suburbs to Beware of the Blob!

For LAist, it was a week of new beginnings. Soccer Star, David Beckham, made his official move to Los Angeles just in time for LAist’s Neighborhood Project, which will cover the 170+ neighborhoods in the city. They interviewed the Los Angeles Fire Department and found that they may be the most Web 2.0 savvy government office in the world. In other government fun, a bill in the state senate is being pushed through to ensure that a particular person remains in office indefinitely. Speaking of things that remain forever, you have probably seen TV shows and movies that were shot at the rickety-almost-alling-over Lacy Street Studios.

You might have Duck Tours in your city by now, Bostonist has been watching them roll the streets and rivers for years – now there are two, and a court case. A couple weeks ago news came out that former governor, now presidential hopeful Mitt Romney strapped his dog to the roof on family vacations, now blogs have gone to the dogs. A new name for a subway stop has Bostonist coming up with their own suggestions. They said goodbye to a beloved by some, hated by others, personality. Oh, and, as usual in Boston, Sox fans believe.

Torontoist had a busy week yet again. They investigated some monkey business (literally) in its east end; dissed the Blue Jays, much to a mother’s chagrin; invited its users to call a lonely Irish woman; and hooked its readers up with some great coverage of their local Fringe Festival. They realized that karaoke maybe isn’t all that great, dissed their city’s most brutal example of Brutalism and covered the Polaris Prize shortlist announcement. They explored their city’s downtown walkways and wondered about the future of their transit system’s signage. It wasn’t all shiny happy people holding hands, however: this week, they had to bid farewell to a local legend, “Honest Ed” Mirvish.

For Gothamist, the week started off on a sad note, as two police officers were shot during a traffic stop; the suspected shooters were all captured by the end of the week. Readers debated over whether a large flag should still hang in Grand Central Terminal as Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood was examined for its child friendliness while the trend of “New Victorian” living was alarmingly noted. There was excitement over seeing dragon fruit at stores and sharing – not stealing – bikes. Finally, Miss NJ’s “racy” photographs were totally hilarious, but ultimately pretty tame.

Over at Londonist, there’s been a flurry of right-on activity in the past week. Shop workers have been getting naked to protest against over-packaging, and the sisterhood of London has been surprised and outraged by the light touch (in a manner of speaking) reserved for sexual harrassment on public transport. However, it was discovered that avoiding public transport can cost, ooh, close to £10,344 in cab fares… less politically stirred up members of London’s cocktail crowd ignored all the kerfuffle and got on with preparations for a

gin-flavoured, terribly exciting Olympics. Butlers across the city have been pressing tweed suits and tennis flannels all week.

DCist was busy throwing their biggest Unbuckled concert yet, featuring rising local band Le Loup, but they still made time to find out what’s up with the scaffolding around the Statue of Freedom on top of the Capitol Dome, wonder why anyone would want to swim in the Potomac river, and indulge in the latest D.C. Madam scandal revelations.

Also read some more posts from Austinist, Chicaogist, Houstonist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Sampaist.

Video of man singing Madonna’s “Borderline” during a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting from CUIP-SF via SFist, photograph of a (stuffed) monkey and koala hanging around by Val Dodge/Torontoist, photograph of man running through DC’s rain by maxedaperture via DCist

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:16:12 +0000

What with Paris Hilton’s release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we’re happy we’ve been free to blog about this week.

Being the nation’s capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they were that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty failed to perform a cannonball dive. After standing up for Spider-Man and discussing whether street preachers should be allowed to use megaphones, they spotted the city council chairman getting out of a parking ticket. Finally, they celebrated their independence by exercising the right to make LOLcats, even though everyone’s sort of over them.

Bostonist plans to bring the right tunes for a July 4th backyard barbecue. Side one of the Bostonist Chock-Full-o-Freedom Summer Soundtrack comes courtesy of the Ryan Montbleau Band. Side two is a mix from Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. If the barbecue is really ragin’, they’ll bring new singles from Mitt Romney’s dog called “Station Wagon From Hell” and new Celtic Ray Allen’s cover of “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number.”

As neither American (they have their own birthday to worry about) nor interested in Paris Hilton in any capacity whatsoever, Torontoist freely covered what it knows best – its local beat. They compared notes on what the city’s greatest albums of all time were, watched some sweet-ass rock balancing, and continued covering the sale of one of its favourite CD stores, Sam the Record Man, with a report from its merchandise auction. They freely checked out the smallest bar in town, then told their readers to go beat the shit out of a car. When emergency vehicles were ordered to “Support Our Troops,” they debated the issue and watched as a street artist, Posterchild, mocked it (and then re-published his manifesto a few days later).

SFist had freedom to love covered, with coverage of the city’s famous annual gay pride parade. And of course, they covered the freedom to rock, with an interview of local American air guitar champion Hot Lixx Houlihan. The commenters were free to complain about the terrible parking situation in San Francisco, in not one, not two, but three posts this week. What San Francisco’s not free to do, though? Throw away garbage – the city’s taken away over 300 of our city trash cans!

Overseas, Londonist was politely pretending not to be aware of Independence Day, but everyone was keeping busy with a variety of big, outdoor events, all washed out by ceaseless rain, as is traditional for all of London’s “summer” shenanigans. As everyone limbered up for a slightly confused Canada Day, the whole of London was suddenly unnerved by a major bomb scare – news still coming in so watch that link. Despite the troubling situation, Londoners are still embracing their freedom and are marching and partying for London Pride, Europe’s biggest gay and lesbian festival. And with the famously stoic and bravest of faces only Londoners know how to produce in troubled times, chins are up and voices are soaring for the week-long London-wide Sing London event. Let’s hope the stiff upper lips are relaxed a little for the big finale next weekend.

For those who say they don’t like LA, filmmaker Werner Herzog says this: “Los Angeles is raw, uncouth, and bizarre, but it’s a place of substance.” Therefore, LAist has been celebrating film, day by day, this past week by following the Los Angeles Film Festival. (But let’s not forget about the erotic stuff, okay?) Angelenos are also savoring their last year of using cell phones while driving – was that why all those UCLA students were running around in their underwear? And with such freedom of mobility in their car culture (okay, the traffic doesn’t help much), why not host an art exhibition called The Parking Lot Show?

Summer in the city has been heating up for Gothamist. The Big Apple had a forty-eight-minute blackout that freaked everyone out. Even still, there were people celebrating their freedom to camp out for iPhones, which arrived in NYC with possibly more media and spectators than people on line. A fight broke out between two cozy seafood restaurants over claims of intellectual property theft (the Caesar salad, the wainscotting, and the marble counters, for starters) and some people got upset at vehicles violating no-car rules in a Brooklyn park. Luckily, there is Matt Allen, who has been handing out free frozen treats across the country, and is now in NYC. And the Splasher, the strange figure who’s been splashing street art, sent us a 16-page manifesto.

And in Philadelphia, where that whole Fourth of July thing got started, Phillyist was celebrating freedom left and right: freedom to act for twenty-four hours straight, freedom to shop and drink at the same time, freedom to make Seinfeld references and the mayor’s freedom to get his iPhone on. They were happy to see their local transit corporation feels free to ask people to keep it quiet, that kittens are free from cheesesteak restaurants, and that The Nightwatchman is still all about a different kind of freedom. On a completely different note, they educated their readers about pulmonary embolism, which took the life of their beloved editor, Star “Sarcasmo” Foster, in December.

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

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Top image by Flickr user 37°C, via SFist. Middle image by Flickr user NYCViaRachel . Bottom image by Michael Femia at Bostonist.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:00:10 +0000

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here’s what you should know from our -ist cities:

This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes’ exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang.

Bostonist watches politics as Mini Mitt makes the scene. Probably trying to upstage the bobble head of Whistler. Maestro gives them his thoughts on Pops Goes the Fourth: Keith and the Cougar. Meanwhile in law enforcement news JSYK OMG BPD <3 SMS, k. Oh, and Cocktail Condoms?!?

What a weird week for San Francisco! SFist called attention to the fact that KRON 4 will not broadcast the pride parade–wha huh? Island for sale! What a bargain! SFist yelped a bit about yelping with Yelp’s founders. Super-dirty review of a super dirty movie, anyone? For your safety, a color-coded guide map to gang zones. And, finally, some urban repurposing: former car bonnets are now a nice band shell in Golden Gate Park.

LAist is asking the tough questions: Would you pay $3,121 for a pair of exclusive Prince tickets? How about $15 and a 2-hour wait in a line for a designer “I’m not a plastic bag” canvas bag? This all feels like an episode of HBO’s Entourage, eh?. On the down and dirty side of things, the Valley’s largest pet spa is accused of major animal abuse, Hermosa Beach has not one, not two, but three Cajun food restaurants and well, the Police are back in concert form (and a video of them singing Roxanne)!

Gothamist marveled at Mayor Bloomberg’s second political party change in seven years. It set the pace for a week that included mice loving Pinkberry, freegans explaining the benefits of dumpster diving, and a weird incident involving a huge, faceless stuffed monkey. And that doesn’t even include the crazy unfolding story about the people disrupting a Shepard Fairey street art gallery show – shades of the Splasher, you know!

Torontoist kicked off the week by liveblogging the Much Music Video Awards. But oh, that was just the beginning. They got excited over their police force’s new fleet of smart cars, celebrated the joys of sheer pants, and enjoyed their city’s new gay-visitor-targeting slogan, “As Gay As It Gets.” Jealous?

And check out the favorite posts on Austinist, Chicagoist, DCist, Houstonist, Londonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, and Shanghaiist.

Photographs: Top, inside of a New Jersey Transit Train by Triborough on Flickr; shoppers buying Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag!” bag by Julie Wolfson for LAist; and Avril Lavigne at the Much Music Awards, courtesy Much Music

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

Hazel — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:32:51 +0000

Happy Father’s Day! For those of you who have dads, are dads, or know dads, this one’s for you, from all of us at the Gothamist network.

It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by poop. Finally D.C. contemplated taking Vermont’s place as a state and marveled at the GOP lessons learned from the “Macaca Moment.”

Due to some sad shootings in the Western Addition neighborhood, SFist needed to engage in a little escapism. They also got some kicks by making fun of an embattled member of the SF Board of Supervisors. They reviewed Mike Daisey’s phenomenal (and long!) show, playing in Berkeley. Then, back to sobering: a conversation with San Francisco Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein about some of that paper’s troubles. McSweeney’s, whose home base is in San Francisco, announced some money troubles of their own, and an associated sale. Luckily, no matter the locale, folks can find out where it’s safe to pee.

The fair folk at Londonist woke up one morning to discover that The National Gallery had gone outdoors and left several masterpieces around town to the delight of wandering art lovers. Meanwhile, the battle of the freesheets continued underground and yet more innovative uses for the discarded “newspapers” have been suggested, a Londonist walk has been organized to get everyone out of their toxic moth-infested homes and the International Olympic Committee came to town. Everyone politely coughed, hummed a little tune and started talking about the weather whenever anyone from the committee asked about the logo. You know, that logo. Yes, that one. Wifi continues to woo laptop-wielding Londoners and they’re loving it mapped out for them. A lot.

Gothamist started off the week with the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Later on, the whole Brooklyn waterfront was deemed endangered, the legislature debated legalizing medical marijuana and the Lower East Side became fun again in its virtual self. But the sweet highlight was the deliciously funny claim from the Staten Island Borough President who thinks “Staten Island Landfill Ice Cream” was a disgrace.

Props to LAist for making it into TIME Magazine this week for their live blogging at the MTV Movie Awards. Additionally, they won an exquisite award: 4 of the 12 worst freeway intersections in the country. When it came to other top ten type lists, they lit the fire of many when giving 10 reasons why LeBron James is better than hometown hero Kobe Bryant. They also found out that there are about 10 billion reasons why you should not wear white pants (yes, photographic evidence is included). And not a soul dared to dress in white slacks at Dyke March LA 2007.

Bostonist watched as the legislature got together to decide if same sex marriage will be a ballot question in 2008. It won’t, and it will remain legal. The latest terror threats have been uncovered in Boston: ice cream truck music and college professors. Since the MBTA is shutting down one of the rail lines for construction this summer, Bostonist gaveaway their secret of public transit – gasp – the bus.

Austinist wasn’t surprised to have the worst drivers in Texas in their town, but was interested to discover that most people in the state are pretty reasonable folks. Between listening to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards’ campaign promises and learning the art of turntablism, they sat down for a chat with the songwriter behind 80s cult cheese classic Teen Witch.

Torontoist had a busy week. First of all, later tonight (Sunday), they’re going to be live-blogging the MuchMusic Video Awards, so you should totally check back for that. Two historical landmarks may or may not be saved, and Torontoist got the scoop behind both of them: a local theatre that the city thought was doomed, the Revue, needs $60,000 to open its doors; and a large sign from a record store, Sam The Record Man, needs to be designated a historical landmark before it is sold at auction. Torontoist spent the rest of their week getting freaked out about Dan Aykroyd’s new vanity winery, checking out the CN Tower’s pimping new lights, wondering if there is such a thing as Torontonian accent, and telling the timeless love story of boy meets girl. In more alliterative news, they previewed the city’s Pride festivities (plus parade) and pondered about pocket pizzazz.

Phillyist, now [arguably] gainfully employed, geeked out this week, had some laughs, crimped their hair, and featured some meta-art. They also caught an urban adventurer, complete with pith helmet, in action and asked their readers to explain, featured an adorable (and impressive!) video, waxed classical, and hoped for a more pleasant commute. Finally, they paid tribute to their dear friend, the late great Star “Sarcasmo” Foster.

Want to know what’s going on across the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Chicagoist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, and Shanghaiist!

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Photo of the bomb squad trying to gain entrance to the Postal Museum earlier this week by DCist reader and Flickr user Diggin, used by permission. Apparently the man in the bomb suit is throwing up his arms because the doors were locked.

Photo of Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse, one of the endangered Brooklyn sites, from Bluejake.

Photo of protesters in Boston against doing it doggy-style via Bostonist writer C. Fernsebner.

“pink lady” by Flickr user lenyon77, via Phillyist.

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

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 27 May 2007 19:57:43 +0000

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we’ve all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we’ve been doing!

Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried a juice cleanse diet. They chatted with Steve Guttenberg. They lamented the crowded L train. They wondered if old, gritty New York was better than safer, shiny New York. And they cooed over baby falcons born on the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Londonist took a tour of their city’s great landmarks this week. They visited Trafalgar Square, which, for two days only, was carpeted in grass. On to Greenwich, where a mysterious fire caused severe damage to the Cutty Sark ship, while another vintage vessel sailed along the Thames. Finally, from rags to riches when a hobo who has lived on Hampstead Heath for nearly twenty years was granted ownership of the land.

Three things on Chicagoist really had people talking this week, and it’s about time they had a long, restful weekend. This week, the Feds subpoenaed their governor’s campaign fund records, there was a big debate about whether the Macy’s/Marshall Field’s boycott is working, and the CTA threatened to raise fares and cut services… again.

Torontoist celebrated their holidays last weekend (crazy Canadians!) in style: with front porch fireworks. This week, however, perhaps because of the grumpiness of returning back to work, Torontoist was pretty indignant: they got pissed off about Audi vandalizing their public space, some douchebag blaming gun crime in the city on women, and some other douchebag who literally had beef with the mayor. Their commenters endlessly debated potential reform to Ontario politics and the collapse of some gorgeous historical buildings.

Bostonist has been absolutely hopping with breaking news. First, the circuits of the subway system crackled, nearly squashing a commuter between two doors and trapping a group of riders on a train. Then, the city streets got hot when a gang member shot a police officer. In the political realm, the battle over gay marriage heated up – thanks to an impending gay divorce. And, in sports, Bostonist’s hopes were dashed when the unlucky Celtics discovered they won’t be getting a hot draft pick. So much for wearing green all the time!

Austinist had a chat with Chalk director Mike Akel, who’s probably glad that school’s out. Another local institution, the Bass Concert Hall, also started its break to begin extensive remodeling work. The Austinist and KEXP-sponsored weekly music residency continued to be a big success. Elsewhere in Texas, a student protest didn’t go as planned.

Seattlest got a little excited about the NBA bingo game this week as the top two picks went to the Pacific Northwest. Goats came down from the hills to graze on pets and Seattleite babies. A small group of bikes braved an elevated highway at night and the world as we knew it ended.

Sampaist didn’t have a long day weekend, except for the students who are still occupying the São Paulo University dean’s office. While the cops weren’t getting them out, Sampaist was having drinks at the opening of Brazil’s biggest bookstore and fighting for cheaper tickets to see the Blue Man Group.

A Reggae/Jazz festival, an event dedicated to the history of restaurant cafeterias, and a ton of other great festivals are making up this holiday weekend for LAist. For Angelenos leaving town, choices of wine country or crazy times in SFist territory were only the beginning of the list. Travel is good, but moving is too—so why not use abandoned grocery carts to hall your stuff around? A new local magazine is hitting LA with rumored problems (not that the eponymous city mag doesn’t have their own), and never moving in were the short-lived Doc Martens ads featuring dead punkers that offended many (and it’s hard to offend in a town where the County Coroner has a gift shop). And of course, whether it be movie premieres of Knocked Up, a CalArts graduation or a Chicken Car, the LAist blogarazzi was out in full swing.

On Phillyist, they were talking to their former news anchors, girls were rocking for girls to rock, bees were swarming, Katie was visiting, and they were trying to find out where to grill on the holiday, while not forgetting the real meaning of it all.

Oh No Ed Jew! SFist was all over a member of the city’s board of supes who had his office and house raided by the FBI on accusations of taking big bags of cash. Or was it his house? Now Mr. Jew’s jettsetting to China, seemingly playing “catch me if you can,” despite being wanted for questioning. Speaking of jet planes—transportation’s always big for SFist, but on May 22, it was crazy—”Transportation Tuesday!” Stories on cars (State Senator Migden wasn’t driving too well – was it the cancer meds?)! Trucks (blowing up and closing major highways)! Planes (SFO not rated so high by JD Power)! And, of course, Muni (an awesome idea on how to revolutionize it)! And, in response to the city’s paper of record announcing 25% layoffs, SFist asked its readers: “Why Aren’t You Paying For The Chron?” Whew, an exhausting week: but nobody needs this break more than a girl that had been a fake student at Stanford for the past school year!

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Houstonist, Shanghaiist, and DCist.

Top image of baby Falcons by by MTA Bridges and Tunnels Maintainer Danny Castoria. Photo of Segway mom via this LJ user, via this Seattlest post.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Elsewhere In The Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 20 May 2007 12:08:56 +0000

LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big — really freaking big — so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city’s San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA Weekly on a bookish guide and the Dodgers lost to an ugly man. Two writers go out and find graffiti and one finds fuzzy grandma tags. What a weird city, complete with hiking at a place called Stunt Ranch.

Seattlest notes the anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption, the grounding of a local cruise ship in Alaska and the return of the Blue Angels. Land, sea and air being covered they turn their sites on a nearby resort town and the prickly problem of vague set times at a rock club.

Sampaist had a busy time trying to decide whether to support or not the invasion of the São Paulo University dean’s office by the students. Meanwhile, the “1st Whiskey Festival” brought them a very fun Scottish trio playing Brazilian music on the Scottish pipes. Watch

the video! Finally, they were amused to see the first-lady kissing her own hand when meeting the Pope in São Paulo. See the picture.

Like all Brits, Londonist loves two things: cups of tea and their pets. Uber-posh hotel Claridges has the perfect activity – afternoon tea for dogs. Unfortunately, the same place received several tonnes of horse manure from animal rights activists, for serving horse meat. In other dog news, top soccer manager Jose Mourinho almost had his Yorkshire terrier confiscated by police. Back to the rational world, and Londonist interviewed a bunch of urban ironers.

Phillyist discussed how to navigate a breaking circle, how to get happy, how to meet the parents, and how to leave an audience with something to think about.

Houstonist spent the week finding new euphemisms for self-love, considering the merits of slaughtering horses (no, that wasn’t a euphemism), Houstonians can’t handle parallel parking. Fortunately, they always have Austinist wonders why a local TV network censored a tasteful nude t-shirt and welcomes the arrival of electric scooters to Texas. Two local scout troops broke the Guinness Book world record for most simultaneous rocket launches, and, not to be one-upped, Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre seems hell-bent on setting another record for most classic film screenings in a summer. Austinist chats with The Clientele, and previews an exciting new photography retrospective debuting at the Austin Museum of Art.

Ahh, futility was the theme over at SFist. Their local Survivor contestant, Yau-Man, leaves the island. No good for either side of the bike debate comes from the meltdown Critical Mass had in Berkeley. Some folks want to dance on Falwell’s grave; their efforts prove impotent as well. Are you a homeowner in San Francisco? The joke may well be on you. SFist got fussy about a San Diegan’s claim of burrito superiority, yet their commentors, shamefully, seem to blow in SD’s direction. A pro-war rally(?) involving chimps(!!) proves to be flaccid (small favors). Hopefully SFist’s guide to a safe, sane Bay To Breakers will empower their readers to enjoy that event this Sunday!

This week Chicagoist announced their 3rd birthday party plans (awesome), dished about The Loop’s party (not awesome), and confessed our undying love for meat and this local meat market. They also discussed the big faux paux on the logo designed by for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and whether local girl, Jaslene, was too drag queenish to win America’s Next Top Model.

DCist felt a lot of forward momentum this week, starting off by rolling into work with city’s annual Bike to Work Day. The D.C. Voting Rights Act moved forward with a hearing in the Senate, and the District’s changing demographics kept on changing with predictions that the city would no longer be majority African American in the near future. They also noticed an increase in graffiti around town, and said goodbye the D.C. Madam scandal in favor of a new Dominatrix scandal.

Torontoist had a very musical week: they checked out the Arcade Fire, Amy Winehouse, the Silversun Pickups and Mando Diao. Though they might have the mumps, they’re breathing easy over an escape monkey (!!!), gave their readers tips for a healthier BBQ, checked out a massive pillow fight downtown.

Gothamist wondered if you’re ever too old or too stupid to tempt fate by trying to square off against youths convening under scaffolding. But if it ever gets into a fight, Gothamist would like this 11-year-old girl to be on our side, given she defended herself from a kidnapper and even helped capture him! The Big Apple blog also headed to College Point for some well-done burgers from Five Guys, interviewed John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants, and visited a jewelbox of Modernist architecture under the Queensboro Bridge. And then there are the fears: Too many skyscrapers on the Far West Side and falling through sidewalk grating. At least there are the cool folks auditioning for the chance to perform in the NYC subway system to inspire them.

Shangahaiist ran hot AND cold. An artist caused a stir by living in a glass box in sexy lingerie and crotchless stockings. Shanghaiist also tried to visit Ice World before it melted, debated the chemical nature of maotais and rode the new bullet trains. But above all, Shanghaiist wants the animal torture to STOP.

And this week the best of Boston were making noises in Washington. Bostonist heard about Barney Frank and his arm injury about which he refused to dish details, Jim McGovern is eating for a week on food stamps, and Mitt Romney is still running for President. It almost seems relevant that zombies marched through Cambridge in the same week as cops were practicing their golf swings in Big Dig buildings. And when the rain forces Bostonist to do something other than watch baseball you’re going to hear all about how the names of our players are oddly the names of local towns.

Photographs, from top: Graffiti from Pesky Humans/LAist; Poo at Claridge’s from Dave Nicholls on Flickr/Londonist; censored shirt/Austinist (which has the uncensored version); the questionable Chicago Olympic bid logo; Prouve cottage in Queens, NY by Gideon Fink Shapiro/Gothamist

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

M@ — Sun, 13 May 2007 10:40:21 +0000

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to since last week!

Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler’s Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh’s controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio’s Hacienda is a good place to get Mexican when you’ve got kids in tow, and looked forward to Looptopia, an all-night party in The Loop.

DCist had a busy time keeping up with all the latest local controversies. First they had a pair of ridiculous lawsuits to follow: one between two rival kickball leagues, and the other, of course, being the infamous suit of a judge seeking $65 million for misplaced pants. Later, they asked their opinionated readers what should be done with a dormant Smithsonian building and encouraged UDC students to give their commencement speaker a hard time. Finally, they spent a little time complaining about how D.C. needs a better concert hall.

In the week when Tony Blair finally, finally announced his departure, Londonist welcomed such unlikely visitors as the Dead Sea Scrolls, a porn site for the blind, thirty-one cast-iron gentlemen, and a pride of giant cats.

Seattlest checks in on organic beer and a soccer rivalry this week. The two go well together, by the way. There’s also an interesting case of the blind leading the freeloaders on a metro bus, and in an uneven trade, Seattle lost an icon, but gained an Idol this week.

One thing hasn’t changed for Bostonist in the last week: they still hate on the Yankees. But they read up as the state’s highest court upheld a libel ruling against the local rag and they decided the former governor and Al Sharpton might best settle their beef in a WWE hair vs. hair match. And the world watched Boston this week as things went Pop at Symphony Hall. Now that’s class.

SFist says: GO GOLDEN STATE! At least it’s getting a little bit easier to drive to GSW games again, now that they’ve fixed the bottom half of our highway collapse. In other news, Eric and Danielle won the Amazing Race: All-Stars in our very own Golden Gate Park, a shipwreck from the 1860s appeared on the beach, and a cutie-pie little girl extolled our environmentally-friendly City Carshare program.

Phillyist got a little nostalgic, got a nearly-private performance from Abra Moore, was insulted on The Daily Show, and ate some more food they shouldn’t've. They kindly request that you clean up after yourself when using public restrooms, and don’t dump human hearts in their rivers—it keeps them from being able to enjoy nature.

Just a week after the May Melee, LAist had to deal with a massive 800-acre fire that raged into the night. So they

http://www.laist.com/archives/2007/05/07/exclusive_interview_with_a_c…”>correctional officer who works in a jail similar to where Paris Hilton will do time, snickered when the Sheriffs had their bomb stolen, rocked out for a good cause with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eddie Vedder, and then ranted thru a photo essay about fake boobs in LA.

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

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Top image by SFist contributor Jeremy. Image at the right by Phillyist contributor Matt Johnson.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

M@ — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:00:56 +0000

There’s so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it’s almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don’t have to!

Londonist took a walk through Oliver Twist’s London, thanks to a gorgeous map layer for Google Earth. They also caught up with modern-day fictional London, with the Fantastic Four and 28 Weeks Later.

It was a week of insanity over at DCist. They started the week off with a series of tragic fires that destroyed two historic District buildings, Eastern Market and the Georgetown Public Library. Then they spent the week following the madness of the D.C. Madam story in all its glorious detail. Wrapping up the crazy business was a heated debate about the effects of D.C.’s smoking ban and some toll booths proposed by Marion Barry that left them musing about giving everyone a bicycle to ride.

If you have not yet seen the LAPD taking a baton to the FOX news crew, well, LAist has it. Despite the leading and bleeding national headlines and being the near anniversary of the LA Riots, the protest was peaceful before those 240 rubber bullets were fired. Speaking of protests, a few days before May Day, a bunch of men walked a mile in high heels to stop rape. That sort of workout deserves some Lemon & Basil flavored ice cream. Hrmmm, maybe we’ll take Bacon & Maple. In music news, LAist broke up with Coachella, but was ready for Stagecoach. They profiled Red Hot Chili Peppers’ legendary bassist Flea’s Silverlake Music Conservatory and wished Paris Hilton to jail for her DUI. In neighborhood news, Koreatown (or K-Town as they refer) is going through a renaissance.

This week, Chicagoist asked everyone what kind of beer they’re drinking, mourned the closing of an infamous Lincolnwood “landmark,” the Purple Hotel, and debated whether or not the announced Taste of Chicago lineup is any good (John Mayer, Cheap Trick, The Black Crowes, Kenny Rogers, Los Lonely Boys). You be the judge, but remember, it is free to attend. They also rehashed the age-old public smoking ban argument.

Torontoist had one busy week. They interviewed an artist who is painting 999 portraits of Borat, admired a Henri Cartier-Bresson lookalike, “discovered” some street furniture (emphasis on the “fur”), and gleefully awaited Stephen King’s arrival in Toronto. They had their eyes on the roads, as they wondered why their city’s trucks and trailers don’t have wheel guards and what their former prime minister is doing getting into car accidents in the downtown core.

SFist was burning, burning, burning this week. First, a fuel truck caught on fire and an overpass melted. Then there were the en fuego Warriors who burned the Mavericks and turned the Bay Area into basketball heaven. All this plus a Special Guest Appearance by Conan O’Brien.

Sampaist was pleased to celebrate their 2000th picture tagged “sampaist” on Flickr. They also debated the best use for a hideous statue: scarecrow or carnival drool?

Confusion was a running theme for Gothamist this week. They were confused by why an incident about payment with pennies escalated into a media circus, why people spend thousands on bachelor/bachelorette parties, why Chase Bank leaves unshredded records on the street, and why the Department of Health would think a cat, who catches vermin, is a health threat to a store. Luckily, the universe slightly balanced itself by the DA not charging a cancer-surviving grandmother with pot possession and they can all scream for Five Boroughs Ice Cream!

Bostonist will never stop the Yankees Suck cheer – especially when Pats QB Tom Brady puts on their cap. Brady isn’t the only one rooting for the wrong team: a Boston cop was arrested on drug charges. They also watched the motorcade pull up for a Harvard Law School reunion – Alberto Gonzales stepped out, only to escape the protest through the back door. All the while, the annual rat hunt came to town, which extended the search beyond Bush’s cabinet.

Phillyist is perfectly happy right where they are, thanks. And they’ll remain so, so long as you don’t start sharing too much personal information with them. They also got all into etomology, interviewed a local newscaster, enjoyed the sunset, really loved Joss Stone, and broke a couple of religious laws—again. ?uestlove of Philly-based band The Roots got in trouble for Flying While Black, and one Phillyist refused to be half of “that” couple.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-a-Verse? Check out this week’s favorites on Austinist, Houstonist, Seattlest, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Top image by Flickr user moonwire, via Torontoist. Bottom image by Zach Behrens, via LAist.

Elsewhere In The Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:50:34 +0000

This week we’d like to congratulate the -ist network’s Mother Hen, Gothamist’s Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine’s Wired Rave Award. If that doesn’t sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that’s right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us.

Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making their stunning debut. The city wants to renovate a cherised watering hole, while an evil individual attempted to blow up a local women’s clinic. Austinist is still stumped that someone would give our president a Purple Heart, and a religious freedom bill has caused quite a stir on the Texas House floor.

Chicagoist supports Roger Ebert’s courage to appear in public even though after cancer surgery he “ain’t a pretty boy no more.” They also dished about the possibility of Illinois lawmakers passing a cell phone lemon law, argued about whether Wrigley field is the best stadium in the country, and reviewed Diet Coke Plus, which turned out to be a negative.

DCist had money on its mind this week, alerting its readers to the potential demise of a favorite local arts venue thanks to skyrocketing property taxes, as well as the first entrance fee ever to be introduced to a Smithsonian museum exhibit. Later they got excited to see D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Colbert Report once again, and learn that the second “bloggiest” neighborhood in the country is right here in D.C.

Do you hate Uggs? So does LAist. Do you hate Paris Hilton? So do Giants and Dodger fans. Do you hate trendy hot dog stands that have half hour lines? Many do. But there is much to love about LA. From Phil Spector’s courtroom coiffure to the LA Times Festival of Books, there is plenty to go around for all, including Carson Daly, Newsvine CEO — Mike Davidson — and that intense guy on that billboard in Hollywood.

It’s Spring, and Gothamist finds flowers – and a plethora of ideas – blooming. We got excited about the cherry blossom festival in Brooklyn. An alternative subway map is loved by most everyone except the MTA. We found an artist who makes chocolates in the shape of the hepatitis C virus (really!). And we have to question the whole “no snitching” plan many hip hop artists seem to use. Plus, Mayor Bloomberg wants the city to be a little greener and even suggests a congestion pricing plan to make things better for the future.

Anarchy reigns in Londonist, with a week of wrath and destruction. Someone’s stalking London’s kittens with a crossbow. A man lops off his own cock in a crowded restaurant. Nearby, a major fire closes off the main shopping area on Oxford Street. And Londoners are encouraged to smash up lots of old TVs and stuff.

Phillyist was feeling a little romantic this week, as they waxed poetic about springtime, showed the extent of their love for puppets, explored their beautiful City Hall, and then got some reader-love for a fab band and the Food Network.

Seattlest watches a religious group walk out of a Mike Daisy performance and destroy his notes en route. Soccer season begins in the city, unbeknownest to many, and we can’t do our spring shopping until H&M shows up. A popular resort and brew pub chain tries to restore an old seminary in Washington and we remember David Halberstam.

SFist was concerned about getting from here to there. Would Critical Mass get in their way? Would they have to pay tolls to go downtown? Would they be able to fly Blue Angels? And why do they do dumb studies about getting around that pretty much say what everyone already knows.

Torontoist explored a now-defunct daily paper’s gorgeous cover designs (and checked out the not-too perfect copy editing in another still-alive daily), checked out some sweet Minority Report-type projection tools, celebrated International Dance Day, while contributor Chris Tindal began his “Campaign Confidential” series of posts about running for public office. Finally, they embraced Hate, but as for the city’s new street furniture…not so much.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s readers’ favorites on Bostonist, Houstonist, Sampaist, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jon Shurkin.

Elsewhere in the Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:06:28 +0000

With all that went down this week, we thought we thought we’d cheer everyone up by giving everyone a double dose of dogs.

It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions this week at DCist. Like the rest of country, we were floored by the news of so many dead coming out of Virginia Tech, and with so many of the victims and their relatives from the D.C. area, we felt it important to pay tribute to those who were lost. But somber thoughts came right along with optimistic ones, as we headed out to the streets to march in protest for a full voting member of Congress for the District. After live-blogging the debate on the House floor once again, the bill passed the House, and we celebrated by paying tribute Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s tenacity.

Bostonist has been watching as the murder rate in the city heads towards the highest level in over a decade. Boston Police have been looking for new recruits for the force, but it’s Scottsdale, Arizona looking for a few good men amongst the relievers at Fenway. Other fans were engaged in Pizza-gate (replaying in our minds and a YouTube near you) which included a Bartman move followed by an airborne slice. All the while political statements were made as art was protested and destroyed. And tens of thousands completed a soggy 26.2.

Austinist was baffled by Tom Delay’s crazy ramblings on Charlie Rose, and even more baffled by the antics of some local would-be art thieves. Tickets for Austin City Limits went on sale, with the first batch sold out in mere hours. Mean while, a massive new project is underway that might transform Central Texas into a powerhouse film industry hub. Austinist sat down for a chat with touring artists Hot Chip and The Books, and exchanged emails with technology guru Douglas Rushkoff.

Chicagoist had two big interviews this week: Radio shock jock Erich “Mancow” Muller and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn. They also argued some more about the Olympics and came together to rejoice over the resignation of the CTA head, Frank Kruesi.

In the Big Apple, driving was a big topic. Gothamist was amazed that NJ governor Jon Corzine was not only unbuckled but speeding at 91 MPH when his SUV got into a car crash. In New York, the city is awaiting Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan to alleviate city traffic and raise money for city coffers. Also, the trial of four lesbians accused of attacking a man because he was straight ended with guilty verdicts. But the momentary bright spot of the week was the

http://www.gothamist.com/2007/04/19/brooklyns_sludg.php”>ventually died, but not without the well wishes of city folks.)

Houstonist had wacky celebrity stuff going down in their neck of the woods. Andre Agassi hit his wife in the facewith a tennis racket, Beyonce got sued, and George Clinton had a groovy video. To settle down all that craziness, they found the new mojito and a feng shui cemetary.

Phillyist wrapped up its very through and extensive two-festival coverage and celebrated by taking a much-needed hiatus. Meanwhile, the OHS-delayed Rodrigo y Gabriella show finally hit Philly, and the City of Brotherly Love is losing a musical institution.

Over at LAist, it may have been 4/20 week, but dozens of suburban pot growers are getting busted. Meanwhile, it is going to get easier for gang members in LA to get off injunction lists. Just as dangerous and rowdy are baseball games, so they provided a tutorial on baseball etiquette when rooting for the away team, but those rules are thrown out of the window when it comes to the hot chicks of the Derby Dolls. Also, lots and lots of interviews with the likes of the Daily Editor of MSN.com, CrooksandLiars.com, OutsidetheBeltway.com, Smoosh and the guy bringing the party back to Downtown LA.

Everything is outsized in Londonist’s world. The locals are going after world records, somebody’s scribbling random graffiti everywhere, and Londonist’s “Touch-Up London” photoshop contest has some giant residents of Buckingham Palace.

SFist wondered about cameras on buses spying on you and whether San Francisco was a great place to meet your mate or a lousy place. They also wondered what would happen if bloggers who ironically support the Mayor would do if they meet bloggers who ironically hate the Mayor. And speaking of the Mayor: is he about to get hitched?

This week, Torontoist rocked out…for science, gave props to music producer Bob Ezrin for his praising of Trent Reznor, and decided to engage in a bit of self loathing. Plus, they’re totally giving away Justin Timberlake tickets.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s readers’ favorites on Sampaist, Seattlest, and Shanghaiist.

Photo from Londonist

Compiled and edited by Jon Shurkin

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 22:17:21 +0000

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it’s nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here’s a glimpse at what’s been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed.

For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese version of 7-11, called Famima!!, is spreading around town. That and celebrating National Grilled Cheese month with a different style everyday will make things better, not to mention the glory hole action over at UCLA. Ack!! With that image stuck in your head, maybe a beautiful rock-climbing hike 25-miles from downtown will clear your mind.

Spring may be happening somewhere, but it sure isn’t at Bostonist HQ. Ugly weather may descend on the Boston Marathon runners, and the Red Sox got rained out. It’s also raining a little bit on the inside: Dice-K was supposed to shine in his home debut, but another pitcher cast some clouds his way. And then a local actor discovered that Cadbury is pulling a fast one on us with its luscious crème-filled eggs. Staying inside with a sunlamp seems like a good idea.

Torontoist is also still patiently waiting for spring to arrive, but in the meantime, they declared a winner of their poetry contest (April isn’t the cruelest month, as it turns out), overheard children solving mysteries, pointed out a particularly awkward example of architecture and praised a half-decent name for a really crappy downtown development. All of this, and they still had time to make great puns about their beloved hockey team.

Chicagoist bode farewell to Vonnegut, leaked the Lolla line-up and argued about whether or not they want the Olympics. They also wondered, if they got the Olympics, whether it would be a big enough deal to add another star to Chicago’s city flag.

SFist had a busy week this week, but too bad their public transportation system had a meltdown. Also, according to the head of the Police Union, Gen X-ers are too busy to becomes cops, while the city decides whether everyone is too busy to close a street in the park on Saturdays.

Londonist wasn’t sure if it was safe to venture outside. Not with so many loaded breasts on the streets. And if you don’t get hit by a mammary, you still have to get past the zombies. And don’t mention all the unexploded bombs from WWII. Although they would risk it to visit a real world Flickr Gallery or for a spot of civil disobedience.

Houstonist welcomed spring with news of a nurse who was really afraid of being fired, an interview with Rhett Miller and a shocking exposé about people Googling their dates (don’t worry, it’s a computer term) in an effort to avoid bad love decisions. Just one thing about spring confused them, though: When one gets hold of a chocolate Jesus, which end does one eat first?

DCist felt like the world was going a little crazy with the change of season. First they discovered that local amateur photographers were being harassed by the Metro Transit Police. Then they found a D.C. judge who thinks a pair of his pants are worth $67 million. Trying to insert a little sanity into their spring, they dove into a debate over using your cell phone in cafes and gave you a list of reasons to come out to march for District Voting Rights on Monday.

Austinist mourned the passing of a literary titan, and finally welcomed the arrival of spring. They were also relieved that locally-filmed Friday Night Lights was renewed for more episodes. Meanwhile, state troopers discovered a serious stash of weed while the politicos in the Capitol continued with their silly antics.

The Big Apple spring fever means a garden variety of happenings in Gothamist‘s neck of the woods. There’s a couple who hired a cabbie to drive them from Queens to Arizona and finally, officially, allowing dogs to run off-leash in the parks. Shoe companies decide to have graffiti artists tag a fake subway car, while the MTA breaks ground—for the fourth time in thirty-three years—on the Second Avenue Subway. The fever also means even the naked photographs of a law student’s Playboy TV romp pale compared to an aging shock jock’s remarks.

Phillyist was also stunned and sad over news of Vonnegut’s death, but didn’t let it stop their momentum, whether they were keeping busy covering the future of the rock musical, or a local music fest, or the very best (and absolute worst) of the Philadelphia Film Festival. They also spent some time loving their skyline, not giving all their lovin’, and debating the merits of the last winner of a certain televised musical competition—we’re sure you’ve all heard of him.

Want to know what’s going on in the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week’s readers’ favorites on Sampaist, Seattlest, and Shanghaiist.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Top photo of Malibu Creek’s Rock Pool by LAist Zach Behrens. “Blue Monday” by Flickr user Vandelay Industries via Phillyist.

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.

Elsewhere in the Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:00:16 +0000

It seems like, all across the network, folks were up to no good. Maybe it was all the green beer from last weekend…

Gothamist spent the week writing about New Yorkers behaving badly: at the post office, at the Garden, and at the fertility clinic. Calvin Klein may not be misbehaving, but he’s just a little dirty, and in a completely different way than some NYC kitchens.

SFist had its share of misbehave-rs, too, like people who can’t be bothered to turn off their car alarms and married bus drivers who bring their girlfriends to work with them and scary vehicular homicide and catty investigative teams. And then, there was a tribute to one of our favorite misbehave-rs in the music biz: R. Kelly.

Londonist also had some bad behavior to report. Like this highly inappropriate television clown and these nosy bean tins. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with discovering a secret Roman wall or some vintage tube posters.

Phillyist saw their share of bad behavior, what with St. Patrick’s Day being a very big deal in Philadelphia and some subversive street tiles and slightly lecherous dog owners. High on their list of those behaving badly? The Office of Homeland Security—although we hear they finally relented.

Torontoist‘s readers were behaving badly when they submitted this very, very NSFW video and this photograph of the Canadian Prime Minister with a fuzzy kitten, thereby eliciting very confused feelings from the Torontoist staff. Torontoist can’t condone the bad behavior of the locally-based Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts Limited and responded with some bad behavior of their own, by using any excuse they could get to post a vintage Will Smith video. But there’s nothing bad about March Madness or a good, old-fashioned Coat of Arms.

DCist was trying to be on their best behavior—need to be impressive to get those voting rights. Of course, when that didn’t work, they got a little subversive and encouraged their readers to reach a congressman—any congressman. And when they get tired of writing letters to congress, DCist readers can watch a little baseball or read the new and improved Washington Post “funny pages.”

LAist didn’t mind that some UCLA co-eds were being more than a little naughty. They were so spent from watching the naughty behavior, in fact, that they were quite nice when they reviewed the new Modest Mouse album and wrapped their SXSW coverage.

Bostonist is on their best behavior right now, while they hope for a good Red Sox season. They got up in Manny Ramirez’s grill and found out that the Red Sox got a closer… thanks to Curt Schilling scooping his own team. However, the ladies only take their clothes off for Boston College. And there’s nothing well-behaved about that!

Shanghaiist is trying to be all good and law-abiding, but is finding that it’s hard out there for a [BlogSpot] blogger. Maybe they can be calmed into submission with the promise of the X Games, American beer, and marble-slab ice cream. If nothing else, there’s always the promise that they can be snarky about Google Translate and really inventive cell phones.

Seattlest was refreshingly honest in their review of a play about an (arguably) badly-behaved American activist. They seem to feel that a local snowboarding outfit has been naughty by tricking them, and they’ve provided a photo of some misbehaving Easter candy. Nobody could ever accuse a rodeo bull of being nice, but that’s okay: enough love for the bible and all will be forgiven.

Houstonist has been afflicted by some nasty pine pollen of late, but at least it’s not as nasty as Pastor Joel Osteen’s wife appears to be. Houstonians were candid about their new QB, which we think was nice, not naughty—of course, nothing was as nice as seeing their mayor give special recognition to a minority group that may or may not have strong ties to the petroleum industry.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Image courtesy of eBay user MannyRamirez1524. (Is that for 15 major league years as number 24?)

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:46:58 +0000

We’re guessing most of you are hungover from St. Patrick’s Day. We are too. But still, we’re going to muddle on through our green haze and give you (drum roll please…) this Week In -ists.

We start with SFist which broke the -ist record for comments with nearly 500 comments on a post about our Mayor’s girlfriend. She responded back on charges that she’s not a “girl’s girl” and, whoo boy– the floodgates? They did open. Why all the fascination with Gavin’s girlfriend? Was it the violation of the girl’s code? Or simply her choice of fashion? Either way, SFist had the Best Week Ever.

Gothamist saw cops indicted and two volunteer cops shot. They also saw lines form to register kids for pre-kindergarten, searched for frozen yogurt, and shook their fist at a very bad man who mugged old ladies.

Chicagoist was all about leisure activities. Maybe it was because their daily rag is expanding to weekends? But they had a story on on the Olympics and plenty of restaurant reviews. They then waded into perhaps one of the most intractable issue of our time– does New York or Chicago have the best pizza?

LAist was excited about SXSW, tours of the LA river, the annual LA Times Festival of Books, and the Hollywood Bowl Schedule, but weren’t excited about people who don’t take public transportation.

Torontoist celebrated the census, their nightlife, one of their favorite intersections, a message board, and their own take on March Madness.

Phillyist sang the praises of WaWa, more cops, and the flower show. People who walk around nude in the gym and the cold weather do not make them sing.

Austinist threw themselves a SXSW party and checked out a new guerilla dance production. They also settled the debate about who’s got the best queso in town and detailed displeasure at a housing development.

Shanghaiist watched Gore Vidal give a talk, Avril Lavigne try and sing in Chinese, some weird two headed things, and pandas have sex. They also might be able to watch Spiderman III before LA does.

Londonist went shopping and bought themselves some crocidile skin Nike’s. Luckily, they didn’t get in trouble so didn’t wind up in some department store cells but thought the price on the Olympics was too high. They didn’t buy but still dug a YouTube clip of Lilly Allen as a Sim.

Houstonist might have been a tad angry this week as they found some long rant about the world’s worst boss and a local beat someone to death on the NJ Turnpike. Elsewhere, they checked out a photo exhibit on what Houston looks like to people who’ve never been there and interviewed soccer star Brian Ching.

Bostonist said goodbye to Boston’s lead singer Brad Delp and Manny being Manny. Also Dice-K doesn’t hate the Yankees enough and their very own transit sitcom has their second episode.

Picture of the LA River from LAist

Written by SFist’s Jon Shurkin

Elsewhere in the Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:24:03 +0000

With the sun out, the temperatures high, one can only think of one thing– what’s going on in the World of the -ist’s?

Bostonist dug deep to uncover Barack Obama’s unpaid parking tickets, their Governor’s latest ethical lapse, and a plagarizing sports writer.

Chicagoist had everything in twos: two views on having the Olympics, losing two members of their Super Bowl team, and two music festivals.

DCist put their noses in legal books as they wrote about the Scooter Libby trial, the House possibly taking up a Voting Rights Act for D.C., and a court ruling against DC’s gun ban. To lighten up their mood from such weighty issues, they had their first photo exhibit and packed the house. Congrats DCist.

Gothamist would like to celebrate the opening of a Muji Store but not when taxi drivers are about to strike over the addition of GPS and after biking 100 blocks to work. Even worse, a plan to name a street after Jerry Orbach fell through.

People can’t hear in Houstonist’s world. Maybe it’s because they’re listening to iPods at work or a because a speaker blew out at a Hannah Montana concert. Some people can’t even listen to other people’s opinions and burn down radical bookstores. But as long as somebody hears you when you order a mint-julip martini, all is right with the world.

Despite itself, LAist was full of questions. Such as can a Free Culture group get fined for posting fliers all over a Free Speech Zone or can a size-queen be with, well, someone not so sized? Or why did a famous restuarant close for business and what happens if LA calls an election and nobody knows?

Londonist had money on their mind when they discovered they were all rich. So rich they could spend loads of money on Obi Wan Kenobi’s cloak (but not rich enough to buy some other Star Wars memorabilia as somebody made off with someone’s private collection). They might actually be too rich as developers might be doing too much developing around the Tower of London.

Parisist spent the warm weather discussing International Woman’s Day and the life and times of cultural theorist and philosopher Jean Baudrillard. But what really got them stirred up was a new law banning people from filming “happy slapping.”

Phillyist was concerned about what to do and what not to do. What not to do: leave drunken text messages and ejaculate on airplane passengers. What to do: take videos of imploding buildings, honor long-time baseball coaches, and have awesome Mayoral elections.

Seattlest had things big and small on their minds. The bigger things concerned their inept Governor and Mayor and a video series on Black History Month. As for the small things, donuts and fast food.

Despite the great weather, SFist was in a cranky mood. Cranky about litter bugs and cranky about bad public transportation web sites. Luckily for them, they have dragon-loving racist columnists still to make fun of and is that a picture of their Mayor in a kimono with his purple gloved stalker?

Shanghaiist saw China block LiveJournal and go after pet dogs. But they also saw an awesome show about a magic cellphone and some great beat boxing.

Torontoist was in a musical frame of mind. Perhaps because it’s so cheap to live there? They couldn’t decide on the video of an 18 year old songwriter, but were all over Canadian Music Week.

Photo of DCist Exposed from DCist

By SFist’s Jon Shurkin

Elsewhere In The Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 16:49:44 +0000

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we’re all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn’t officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we’re up to…

Over at Sampaist, spring has more than sprung: it’s sweltering! But, as everyone knows, museums are an ideal place to avoid the heat. Museums featuring controversial displays of the unclaimed bodies of deceased Chinese? Even better. (WARNING: Don’t click that link if you don’t know what you’re in for.)

Phillyist knows that nothing says spring like pigeon stool (not that kind) and puppy love. And spring means feeling comfortable enough to walk around outside and appreciate gorgeous views. Unfortunately, spring also means fewer layers to cover up bad cologne, but no worries: fabulous performers (of the camp and public variety) will take your mind off your offended nose. Your offended sense of grammar, though, perhaps not.

SFist knows that springtime is for lovers, and what’s more romantic than a latex-gloved stalker? The answer to that question, natch, is racism. Spring storms may have caused this San Francisco landslide, but one thing’s for certain: pizza is glorious, no matter the time of year.

Of course, while love is in the air every spring, the folks at Torontoist wish to remind you that there’s a difference between love and date rape. The greatest love of all, though, is the love of oneself, as a former Torontonian songwriter discovered when she became a he. Torontoist also shared their love of film, or perhaps just awards shows and Broken Social Scene, but their disdain for disappointing concert performances and serious factual errors.

LAist also knows that spring means Oscar (even if the awards were earlier this year), and covered the ceremony’s set-up, as well as one of those fabulous gifting parties that we’ve heard so much about. You don’t usually think of the Chinese New Year having much to do with the springtime, but with LA’s weather lately, you probably should. But what about those chilly nights in California? Well, we’d imagine that the shiny metal facade of this new BP station in Beverly Hills retains enough heat from daytime sun exposure to keep you warm, if you forget your coat.

Speaking of California (albeit not of spring), Houstonist confirmed that yes, the Golden State is still more expensive than Houston. And with Lent in full swing, why shouldn’t the Blessed Virgin Mary visit a school cafeteria? Of course, for any of those asking “WWJD?” (and who isn’t, with Easter coming up?), we’re guessing the answer isn’t make English the official language of your town. (Aramaic, perhaps…) And hey, any day but Friday, why not take your significant other to Ikea for some tasty meatballs?

Londonist, being those brilliant bloggers that they are, know that spring is the season that comes immediately before summer, and that five summers from this one, London is hosting the Olympics. Because nobody wants an embarrassed home team, the UK is trying to recruit tall people. That makes sense. About as much sense as looking for Mexican food in London. Spring is also when St. Patrick’s Day happens, and since everyone knows (in the world of stereotypes) that the Irish love potatoes, it’s time for an annual potato portrait competition. And while it’s still chilly enough for people to want to take public transit over walking, it’s nice for Londonist to know that London’s Tube is the best in the world.

Shanghaiist also knows the order the seasons come in, and so is painfully aware that summer will follow spring, and with it, quite possibly the worst mosquito year to date. But never fear: there are killer fish to take care of that problem! But before the mosquitoes descend on Shanghai, spring will also see a Sonic Youth Chinese tour, and, hopefully, an upswing in the currently very-low Chinese Stock Market. Maybe Hollywood’s recent interest in Chinese film will help. Meanwhile, Shanghaiist is feeling a little confused by Virgin’s recent subway rankings, and disappointed in disappearing WiFi spots.

Spring in Austin means it’s (almost) time for SXSW, and Austinist readers are celebrating by kinda pissing off one of the creators. Meanwhile, the lovely spring weather is making it easier for a pretty extraordinary feat, concrete harvesting, and the possible construction of McMansions. Of course, spring can also bring rain—not that that kept away any of Barak Obama’s Texas fans.

Springtime in New York is the perfect time for walking around. Gothamist is especially jazzed to have the opportunity to walk through the newly-restored, and absolutely gorgeous, Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park. Not all the outdoor art in NYC is so mainstream, but one street artist is getting mainstream attention. Some in Manhattan may find that it’s still too chilly to make the trip downtown to Trader Joe’s, but no worries: Gothamist has some creative alternatives to grocery shopping. If, however, you do need to go to the store, Gothamist suggests you don’t drive, but instead take New York’s highly-regarded subway. And all times of year are equally awesome for making fun of hipsters.

Nothing, and we mean nothing, says spring to us like baseball, and Bostonist is covering aptly-titled Spring Training—they even have an endorsement idea for the Sox. Good thing they’re focusing on the baseball, too: its announcers aren’t usually this sexist. Meanwhile, if you’re going to a spring wedding in Boston, there’s the legal possibility that it will be a same-sex union. And a Massachusetts judge has ruled that, no matter how hard they try, parents can’t keep their kids from reading “gay” books.

And speaking of sports and prejudice, Seattlest writes that the Sonics were sold to bigots (who at least may be trying to cover up, if not entirely rescind, some of the prejudice). While Seattle tries to sort through that mess, Phoenix tries to make sense of a Seattle alt-weekly. Maybe everyone would do better if they just took a break and had a nice dessert.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

All images from Ist cities listed on the oft-cited Top 11 Underground Transit Systems Throughout the World by Virgin Vacations, as credited below:

Untitled. Photo taken by Rubira.

The Docklands Light Rail by Canary Wharf, London. Photo taken by Brian Weinberg.

Modern L Train. Photo taken by Brian Weinberg.

Elsewhere in the Ist-iverse

M@ — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:10:37 +0000

We’d like to start this week’s run-down by wishing a very happy birthday to parent blog Gothamist, which turned four on Friday. If it wasn’t for them, the rest of us wouldn’t be here. They celebrated their birthday by nabbing an interview with Entourage star Adrian Grenier, who misses NYC public transportation when he’s working in LA. They also reported on NYU students protesting a band whose name is also known as a slur, the new graffiti king in town, Bill Cosby’s adorable dog, and the disturbing tale of a yoga instructor who was found guilty of killing his girlfriend, a dancer from Ohio who stripped to make ends meet.

Bostonist is grateful that the Celtics broke their losing streak on Valentine’s Day—perhaps the players girlfriends were withholding the slam dunk until they won! They were also all about Valentine’s Day: they made sausage, taught breaking up 2.0, and shopped for Barbie Dolls that were suspiciously like the ones in San Francisco.

Torontoist wasn’t sure how they felt about four Greenpeace activists chaining themselves together in the offices of Kleenex’s manufacturer. They hunted down the remains of Microsoft’s Windows Vista Ice House, and wondered about the future of their men’s magazines after the death of one.

Phillyist got pretty in to local politics this week, what with their wacky local mayoral race and being Facebooked by city council candidates. They also stumbled across some sweet vintage concert footage and, in honor of Valentine’s Day, listed ten things to love about Philly.

SFist presents to you: East Bay Barbie (it’s funny even if you’ve never been to Northern California) and debates recent measures on restaurants like health care, minimum wage, and paid sick leave, and their effect on restaurants. Their cartoonist tells you how to break up with your girlfriend in sixty-four steps, and that laugh is probably much-needed, what with all the shootings last weekend. And in case you’ve been stuck in the same situation, here are some ideas for how to get a table at a coffee shop when everyone else is on a laptop.

DCist threw their fifth Unbuckled concert with Pela and These United States, which looks like it was way fun. Meanwhile, D.C. residents and their mayor went down to Capitol Hill to lobby for a vote on the voting rights bill, and DCist wondered why D.C. residents have such a hard time shoveling snow and offered their best ideas for cooking a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Over at Sampaist, there’s not that much to report, what with all the Carnaval cleavage to distract the staff.

Houstonist is proud that they’ve slimmed down in the eyes of Men’s Fitness Magazine, but they’ve got a pretty definite way to regain all that lost weight. On the arts and entertainment front, Houstonist was able to track down a pair of enormous Beatles, and Leo’s gonna make him an Enron movie.

Shanghaiist is thrilled that Al Gore has announced Shanghai will be hosting one of the Live Earth concerts. And hey, few things make them happier than subtitled American TV. Also in Shanghai, a mountain was painted green after a man was told that the bare mountain was bad feng shui and detrimental to his business, and a Chinese soccer stadium, where the Chinese national team qualified for its only World Cup finals appearance, was destroyed in 6.6 seconds. And hey, Valentine’s Day was this week!

LAist has an interview with the owner of the video game store where kids and celebs would go to get illegal X Boxes, and a game review, podcast, and photo essay of the LA Derby Dolls’ latest match. Joe Rogan has joined the ranks of comedians banned from Hollywood nightclubs, and an area mayor was told during a council meeting that his campaign manager is a two-bagger.

Seattlest reports that the Mariners are out of pens. Pencils, we assume, they’ve still got in spades. Seattle is getting ready for NASCAR on the Waterfront Highway (which seems like such a waste, given Seattlest’s catastrophic car troubles and NSA-approved dolphins. And their weeklies are having a lovers’ quarrel.

Chicagoist‘s senator, Barak Obama, has made his presidential run official. Chicagoist interviewed the founder of locally-owned and coming-to-LA, Intelligentsia Coffee and weighed in on their favorite places in the Andersonville neighborhood. Former NBA star and Chicago native Tim Hardaway is a big homophobe, and iPods might become illegal in Chicago intersections.

And last but not least, Londonist posted about some rather ambitious architects want to build mile-high towers in London and took forty of their readers on a spooky walk along the Thames. You know those red-coated, big-hatted soldiers we have in London? Here is one going completely la-la—maybe because he wants a a new hat?

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Break-up 2.0 graphic by Christi Gorelli, via Bostonist.

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:34:40 +0000

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, and we here across the Gothamist network wanted to express, in the spirit of the holiday, just how much we love you, our readers. Don’t let it get to your heads, though. There are plenty of things we love, you included. Just be glad you’re not amongst the things we hate.

SFist saw their beloved mayor enter rehab, and they loved the opportunity to gossip about it. Of course, that doesn’t stop local Facebook users from totally crushing on him. Meanwhile, they asked their readers which MUNI line they hated the most, and got a conclusive answer.

Phillyist loves its local Billy Bob Thornton, and cars. Also on its good side are pretty sunsets over the city. On its hate list right now, though, are law-flaunting smokers, and the hearts-and-flowers holiday itself.

Austinist is blissfully in love with the upcoming SXSW lineup, and more than a few bands playing in it. When not with their musical crushes, they’re romancing giant bunnies and bloggers with a good bottle of vino. Of course, it’s not all hearts and flowers for Austinist. They hate the lack of quality street food downtown. And, don’t you hate it when you find glass in your soda bottles, too?

Shanghaiist positively hates that they’re sinking into the ocean. And everyone seems to hate Chinese footballers. But lest you should worry that Shanghaiist is bitter, you should know how much they love sandwiches, technological innovation, and their city’s top tourist destinations.

Meanwhile, Londonist doesn’t hate anything. They’re all about Valentine love for the guy who gives out free iPods, highly-skilled bees, being invited on private tours, their city in Lego, and giant snowmen.

Torontoist wasn’t feeling as lovey-dovey as Londonist: they had plenty of hate to go around. Torontoist hates angry jewelry store owners who harass local TV celebrities,

“independent” teenaged girls, and punk kids messing with change on the subway. But they weren’t without some love, for its local basketball team (whom they want them taken off notice by Stephen Colbert), and for continuing to solve the Bridezilla mystery, and for cute misspellings.

Bostonist is hating the Celtics’ losing streak. But they totally love screwing around with said team’s logo and the new hit song ~~99 luftbaloons~~ 99 Mooninites.

LAist wasn’t really about love or hate this week. They were more about the ambivalence, especially toward the Colts’ reactions to that Snickers commercial and John Waters. They do, however, know where to send you if you’re lookin’ for love, yourself.

Houstonist hates crime, and as young bloggers, they also hated Ronad McDonald. The two came together this week when Ronald went missing. Of course, while they’re not crazy about crime, they do love stupid ideas from politicians, and building Texas prisons in Mexico qualifies. And as much as Houstonist loves adult entertainment, it seems the city of Houston isn’t so hot on it. Houstonist also loves them some crazy love triangles. And Houstonist’s readers (mostly) love Anna Nicole Smith.

Seattlest totally loved this pro-breeding story, fist fights of the past and present, and ironic content matching. Of course, they kinda hate Canada (kind of) and the local buildings that everyone else seems to love.

Chicagoist gave its readers some love, and got some love from local TV. And then they got some hate on a somehow-controversial post. The honeymoon, apparently, is over.

Parisist reports that Parisians who love the NFL have options—if they are willing to watch a game that kicks off at midnight, that Parisians who love each other can leave Valentines messages on electronic traffic signs, and that Parisians who love indie bands with awesome dance numbers were able to catch OK Go! live in concert. No hate in Paris, though. It is the City of Love and all…

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

sizemore — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 11:02:17 +0000

As the world holds it’s breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning.

Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called “punk rock” for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area.

Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry’s plans for running in 2008 but hello to some local reality TV people. They also dug some illustrations, one from the MBTA and the other of a Craiglist personal.

Chicagoist visited a restaurant that somebody said is the best in all of the land and jumped into the debate over whether their train systems is the “L” or the “El.” Oh yeah, their football team is going to the Superbowl, hopefully without some classless fans.

DCist waded into some controversy as their Mayor snubbed the First Lady, a councilman tried to ban all-ages shows, and complained about suburbanites trying to come into the city.

Gothamist was feeling cultural as they debated Robert Moses, wondered who is splashing street art, and claimed “been there, done that” over a story bout bloggers hanging out with each other. And who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

Houstonist wondered about the person who bought a chunk of ice on eBay for $26 and a proposal that came and went on the banning of racial slurs. They also ain’t saying if she’s a golddiger but there are apparently a lot in Houston.

LAist went from LA to San Fran in three minutes and then went to Sundance. They also raved about Netflix and some music.

Londonist geeked out to the iPhone and some handmade maps of London. They also had some problems with the snow and wondered if the S.A.S. made them safer.

Phillyist was in a cranky mood as they vented on people with bad grammar, hipsters, and everyone in general. But you know what puts them in a good mood? The extended title sequence of the “Fresh Prince of Belle Air”.

Seattlest had big things on the mind as they wrote about the trial of a Canadian serial killer, a school that banned an Inconvienant Truth, the death of a local paper, and the lameness of a local used car salesman.

SFist found themselves in the middle of several big debates– that of paper vs. plastic, cars vs. bikes, and the Mayor’s spokesperson vs. sock puppets. In less troublesome posts, they let the world know all about Ghost Riding (check out the awesome video too).

Shanghaiist was doing some traveling as they considered traveling the countryside in ways both frugal and expensive. And while travelling, they discovered some fancy new ticket machines and a Starbucks in the Forbidden City.

Torontoist discovered a rather obvious church bulletin, questioned the validity of complaints about a local housing development, and mourned the loss of etiquette signs on their subway system.

Eye Still Standing Tallest

sizemore — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:14:16 +0000

We’re still number one when it comes to really big wheels. Shanghaiist report that we can relax after plans for a Shanghai-eye bit the dust:

They will remain, for the foreseeable future, the city with the biggest ferris wheel. Pop open the champagne, guys! They have Shanghai to thank. Our idiot city planners have decided to scrap plans to build a “spinning giant”

The Shanghai Star would have stood perhaps as much as a whopping 100 meters higher than our own effort. Just as happens so many times in London though mediocrity has won out over dazzle and the land is now to be used for a… wait for it… office block.

Commiserations to the people of Shanghai, but as our friends point out

plans to build the largest versions of everything else in the world other than ferris wheels are going ahead on schedule.

Shanghai Star is also the name of a weekly English-language newspaper published in the city. Thank the Gods no one thought to name any of our new buildings after The Standard.

Photo credit: pod peeps by Jimbus.org

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 05:32:27 +0000

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to.

In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend Vince Young (Hook ‘Em!) named NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year (albeit not in Austin), Playboy—which we only read for the articles—naming Austin’s Emo’s one of America’s Top Ten Rock Clubs, and a hip Austin neighborhood, once home to junkies and prostitutes, named one of America’s most eco-friendly.

Chicagoist was all about the verbs this week. They debated whether Playboy‘s pick for Chicago’s best live music venue was right or wrong, defended their city’s poor disaster preparedness rating from the Department of Homeland Security, giggled over the reportage of a New Year’s Eve party gone out of bounds, wondered if a Chicago branch of guerilla knitters had descended upon the city, and worried over the Rex Grossman problem affecting our Chicago Bears.

Phillyist found puppy love—or infatuation, made a few predictions for 2007, contemplated the execution of Saddam Hussein, and struggled to get home. They strongly recommend both books and short films about giraffes, but suggest you steer clear of this very unpleasant bathroom experience.

Torontoist‘s commenters were keeping themselves busy this week—but how could they resist, with posts like this interview with a local condo king, a call for suggestions and comments for the city’s new transportation leader, a really large shawarma as a publicity stunt, thoughts on the best and worst of 2006, and a crew of rebel huggers?

Gothamist covered the rescue that everyone’s talking about, and showed what good karma the rescuer’s feeling—we’re sending some his way, too. They also let us know that Park Slope might not be as safe as we thought, but it’s still probably cleaner than Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Morrissey insulted a New York institution, but maybe he can make it up to them by gently stroking the concierge’s hair.

This week, DCist took a close look at why there is a monument to the founder of homeopathy, was holding its breath with anticipation at the thought of getting voting rights soon, caught its mayor in an awkward situation and asked readers to caption the photo, and discussed their mayor’s new takeover plan of their public school system.

SFist writer Matty Matt caught a bus confrontation on tape, and landed him—and SFist—on TV. Meanwhile, a mother-son team got arrested for pimping. And SFist Christina interviewed Lisa Congdon, who’s doing a very good thing for the Kim Family.

Londonist can’t stop raving about their city’s fireworks, and (this is a quote, we swear) would fancy having a go at the police’s latest PR exercise. The Tower of London has its first female beefeater, which is awesome. Paying nearly $5 (US) for a bottle of water, however, is not. And it’s been a happy, happy week for pop star Lily Allen: her dog, Maggie May, is home, safe and sound.

LAist presents us with the story of a relationship told through traffic signs, a review of a concert we wish we were at, the saga of an important record store that may be forced to close soon, and last week’s Tournament of Roses Parade—a.k.a. this week’s compost heap.

Parisist informs us that the French love their protests—including the arrival of the new year. (It still came.) An old Nazi stronghold and current government building is apparently worth more than Notre Dame and the Louvre combined. And we’re totally jealous, because apparently, once upon a time, New Year’s Day meant even more presents.

Bostonist is shocked—shocked, they say!—that their great state may bring a gay marriage ban to a vote. The low cost bus taking Bostonians to New York, and New Yorkers to Boston has a couple screws loose, but New Yorkers can save their $15 (for a ride on the Fung Wah) and quit trying to rename Boston’s neighborhoods. And tourists, visitors, and regular riders beware! MBTA fares have gone up and the fare structure is a little bit wacky.

Shanghaiist has been a little light on posting lately due to earthquake-related cable damage, but it hasn’t kept them from searching for sugar-free beverages, and reporting on Metro-themed ringtones, meat on a stick, and The Curse of the Golden ~~Cleavage~~ Flower.

Seattlest suggested how you might rid yourselves of your holiday buttermilk and interviewed the author of Vanishing Seattle. Speaking of books, Seattle’s publishing scene has been hit. Seattlest has some dating advice for Carrie Underwood and, while they’re handing out free advice, really thinks your kid should be wearing a helmet.

News From Around The Ist-A-Verse

sizemore — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 16:45:31 +0000

Happy Holidays!

Chances are, you’re reading this the day after Christmas, back at your day job after all-too-short a holiday, and the last thing you want from us is stuff about the holidays. But that’s just too bad. Because, see, here in the Ist-A-Verse, we do things ahead of time. It might be December 26 for you, but that’s what you get for not checking your Favorite Local Blog on Christmas Eve.

Austinist is in good holiday spirits, and so is their interview, Andy Roddick. They know what CDs they want in their stockings, but more than that, they know that the greatest gift you can give them is making fun of a famous Austinite on national television.

Torontoist isn’t really feeling the Christmas spirit, though: unfortunately, there’s still no snow in Toronto. Maybe if somebody were to put a big Christmas tree at this famous intersection, it would help. The thing they’d like best, though, is probably a big fat royalty check. Natch.

Parisist readied for Christmas and bought a few gifts in Marais. To reward their efforts, they were given the gift of more convenient public transit and cleaner air. Having a less-happy holiday? The SDF of Paris.

DCist has a super-helpful local gift guide for last-minute shoppers. On their list of gift requests? A jukebox. They can probably get a good one, used. Unfortunately, some folks are less holiday-minded than they. To cheer up, they’re going light-looking.

Phillyist was all about interviews this week, even as they were preparing for the holidays. They rallied against bad Christmas music and holiday retail protocol, all the while celebrating the best parts of the holiday. Like the food. And the gifts. And the football. Not the yeast infections, though. Those aren’t fun for anybody.

Chicagoist was, in editor Scott’s words, “all up in the holidays” this week. They named some uniquely Chicago holiday gifts, tried to figure out how to tips for the holidays, and even made a gingerbread version of some classic Chicago architecture, complete with lights! They also remembered the death of the first Mayor Daley, and tried to remember those less fortunate this year.

Londonist was invaded by Santas, held spellbound by a giant snowman competition, came up with some children’s books they’d like to see, decided on the best video of the year, and accepted a new savior into their lives.

Houstonist to former President Bush and wife, Barbara: “you can ring my bell!” Houston’s local soccer team auctioned off its MLS trophy, and its area politicians maybe aren’t celebrating the holidays appropriately. And you’ll probably want to drink plenty of Houstonist’s egg nog before you check out this crazy video.

LAist gives the gift of free music, all wrapped up in a nice package, and delivered by naked Santas.

SFist took a look at who wanted to give their mayor a very special holiday holiday gift. Someone in San Francisco wants to give area commuters a big, helpful gift; someone else in San Francisco wants to screw with the animals in a local nativity scene. And, look! Christmas drag queens!

Bostonist has some potential dirt on Santa Claus, and an idea for gift he could bring to blackmail them out of spilling it. The mayor knows where to do your Christmas shopping in Boston, and it’s downstairs, and probably not where Rachael Ray does her shopping. But who knows, what with all the media craziness in the city?

Shanghaiist reported on some decidedly un-holiday-spirit news: two American mountain climbers are missing in China and there’s not much information on their whereabouts. Back on the lighter side of the news, here’s a stupid way to get yourself fired right before the holidays, sweet potatoes are awesome, and Madonna only has a few years left to adopt a baby in China.

And finally, Gothamist knows exactly what sort of gift you should be buying for your friend from Brooklyn. You might also consider investing in some anger management classes for your friend the stockbroker. They also ask a question we’re dying for the answer to, accuse Knicks coach Isiah Thomas of trying tos tart something, and keep us updated on The Donald and the “nice, fat little Rosie.” They also assume that nothing will happen on the NYC music scene during the last week of 2006.

Image of a cat on a leash on Gothamist, by Flickr user NYCViaRachel.

This Week In -ist: Elsewhere in the Gothamist Network

M@ — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 12:12:50 +0000

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all.

Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary.

And now, the awkward transition to the highlights of the week…

Phillyist carried on with an interview with Patrick Halloran of Ceann, their top-ten albums of the year, and their typical excellent photography.

Bostonist had some runaway reindeer while their Mayor wanted to sell city hall (literally) and MBTA workers made sexy time during work hours. Meanwhile, a bookstore misplaced some rare books.

Torontoist was ready to rock as the Queen musical is about to hit town but not so ready to rock about a fire at a popular restaurant (check out the great photos). They also played explorer and explored the pedestrian tunnels underneath their downtown core.

Austinist was also ready to rock as Pete Townshend and Iggy Pop were announced as acts at SXSW 07. A new Wal-Mart brought the controversy, as are plans allowing blind people to hunt and a George W. Bush presidential library. Insert joke here.

LAist dropped some Top 10 album lists and got Colin Meloy of the Decemberists and the one and only Brooke Hogan to give theirs. They also prepped for rain and helped out a U.N. food program. Oh, and UCLA co-eds ran around in their underwear.

Gothamist was all over the Rosie O’Donnell controversy. They also checked out a cool art installation and got ready for the holiday season with hangover remedies. The future was also on their minds as they contemplated New York city in 2030.

Houstonist took on over-protective schools, the teen crime rate and kleenex (kleenex?). In lighter news, it looks like happy days are here again for plastic surgeons.

Londonist, perhaps because of all the Christmas drinks, found itself making repeat visits to the toilet. But they also engaged in other seasonal activities such as checking out a Frost Fair, and sniffing the Mayor – sorry – myrrh.

Seattlest got dragged into the “War on Christmas” and a strip-club raid. In other news, they covered Rachel Ray signing books, took some pretty pictures and managed to slip in a “Welcome Back Kotter” reference.

Shanghaiist wondered why all the hating on dogs. They also interviewed the band Maximo Park and reviewed them. Finally, Shanghai Perfume?

Chicagoist also had dog-related issues (warning, super-cute photo alert) and issues with skunky beer. SantaCon came and went but what Chicagoist really wanted was “The real World” to go. Amen to that.

Parisist went gallery hopping (in French) and enjoyed photography from a museum. In tech news, free WiFi was being discussed and a blog conference got political.

And finally, while SFist’s endlessly photogenic Mayor was caught macking on his girlfriend, they took a poll on who should run against him (sadly, the Giant’s mascot came in second). But what they really want to know is if he’s going to answer a few questions. Also, is Islamo-facism really about to take over a suburb?

By SFist Jon Shurkin

News From Around The Ist-a-verse

sizemore — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:30:08 +0000

Before we begin, we’d like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of James Kim. We are not, by any means, trying to discount that tragedy by juxtaposing posts about the Kims with more light-hearted posts. It’s the nature of doing a compilation such as this one: we’re trying to give a full slice of the goings-on in the Ist-a-Verse: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Londonist wants you to know where to avoid radiation poisoning if you’re traveling to London. They also sat down with an aspiring space cadet, featured a woman who was very lucky to have a camera phone, let their readers know what sloppy drunks they really are and wonder what’s better: a real Christina Aguilera, or a fake one?

Chicagoist says there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch if you’re not reviewing a restaurant, but would gladly accept a free drink—if it was a hot toddy or made with flavored vodka, that is. Chicagoists also love local bands and the CTA’s holiday bus, even if plenty of people seem to disagree.

Parisist welcomed the Wii to Europe, as did about twice as many people as there were Wiis for. Also on the technology front, Parisists love to party with graphic designers, and, cheese.

Gothamist is in pre-mourning for French fries, but pleased to announce that happy, healthy dogs have been approved in New York City. Gothamists are now going to start frequenting stoop sales that might contain hidden treasures, and making fun of NYU students, even more than they have in the past. Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games in New York. There was a teenage riot (of the non-musical, and therefore, negative sort) in the Union Square Greenmarket, and a drunk driver killed an NYC teaching fellow and unfortunately, the punishment probably won’t fir the crime.

SFist respectfully mourns James Kim, but doesn’t let their tears interfere too much with their increasing obsession with San Francisco mayor Gavin Newson or their disdain for Barry Bonds. And they missed out on the chocolate bus.

Torontoist was robbed, they say—robbed! They totally heart their gorgeous skyline, their ballet, and Dirty Dancing Especially Dirty Dancing.

Houstonist is finding the city surprisingly cold, but Houstonists are warming themselves up quite nicely. And in the world of things that make Texans look bad, they bring you Enron, xenophobia, and Evangelicals.

LAist got to interview George McFly (don’t tell him we called him that), and wants to make sure you know the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday shopping list. Area college soccer fans have started acting like real soccer fas, and hey, who in Southern California doesn’t love cars?

Shanghaiist thinks that prostitutes might need a little more [non-sexual] love and respect, and misses their favorite cigarettes. Good thing that it’s pretty easy to cheer up at Toys’R'Us, also a choice location to get video games, like this one set in Shanghai. But there is nothing cheery about this controversial BenQ ad, which uses an image of the WTC ruins to sell an mp3 player.

Seattlest wants to help you find the perfect gift for your racist friends and family, and they’re feeling a little baffled after the local football-and-hooters mortgage company went under. The Sonics aren’t helping, either. Seattlest also lent very thorough coverage to the Kim family‘s disappearance and reacts to its tragic end.

Bostonist now knows who to pray through when the going gets rough, and who to talk to when they really need to get high. And the MBTAis ready to join the twenty-first century.

Phillyist loves chocolate. office Christmas parties and tourists. Things aren’t looking so good for America’s finest, either. But they have a great, and literal, pick-me-up.

DCist likes pizza and booze. (Hmm… sounds like college…) They’re also big fans of stuffed animals, and not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, even if it doesn’t make their commenters happy.

And last but not least, Austinist goes political (twice!), but make up for it by supporting the arts. Of course, art can’t always make up for gentrification.

Compiled and edited by Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey.

James Kim photo via Seattlest. Toronto skyline via Torontoist reader Gareth.