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.
