Phillyist

We're Still Thankful

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey — 2009-11-26T09:00:26-05:00

Image by Editor Jill, who remains unreasonably proud of it.

Last year, we took Thanksgiving as an opportunity to thank all of you, our wonderful readers, for checking the site, posting comments, submitting photos, and generally being awesome. We also took it as an opportunity to show off our mad kindergarten art skills. This year, we'd like to do both of those things again.

Phillyist is on hiatus for a couple of days so the staff can step away from our computers and spend time with our loved ones. We hope you'll do the same. Barring any breaking news, we'll be radio-silent (blog-silent doesn't have a good ring to it) until Monday.

From all of us, to all of you, here's hoping for a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Much love,
The Phillyist Staff

Parking

amy — 2009-11-25T11:30:00-05:00

Photo by author

I have a new favorite park. Well, a new favorite park that I probably will not get to visit all that often because it's a bit far from where I live and I don't have much business in its neighborhood. I'm talking about Coxe Park, on Cherry Street and Beechwood Street (which interestingly enough, Google maps is unable to find. It's between 21st and 22nd streets.)

Coxe Park is super small and, like a few other parks gave me the feeling that I wasn't supposed to be there. It abuts a row home and for a second, I thought I was in someone's very carefully maintained side yard. The fact that no one else was there, even though the day was sunny and warm, didn't help the feeling. I settled onto a bench and started reading—and no one yelled at me to get out, so there's that.

It seems that the park was built in 1974 with help from the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and named for Daniel Michaux Coxe, a "friend and good neighbor." The Coxe family had a long history in Philadelphia, dating back to the 1600s. I couldn't really find much about them, or at least anything that seemed like it would interest anyone, so if anyone has any info, please share in the comments.

Coxe Park looks very much like it was built in the '70s, meaning it is small and consists of brick pathways and planters. Its few benches are diminutive in size and painted light blue. The playground boasts a very retro looking horsey seesaw, a candy cane striped twisty slide and yet another concrete dolphin statue, identical to—but in better shape than—the one in Weinberg Park. In the way of public art, there's a sculpture of Ben Franklin holding a kite, aptly titled Benjamin Franklin and His Kite, by Agnes Yarnell.

The park is a mere block or two away from the Schuylkill River Trail, so next time you're walking or biking on the trail, it would be totally worth your time to take a detour and visit Coxe Park, especially if you are a fan of old-style playgrounds.

Upcoming Events in Parks:

Get Involved:

Dickinson Square Park (map) Clean-Up – Saturday, 9 a.m.

Farmer's Markets:

Fitler Square (map) – Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Clark Park (map) – Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Rittenhouse Square – Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

If you know of anything exciting happening in your local park in the near future, please e-mail amy@phillyist.com!

PAWS Dog of the Week

Ross Currie — 2009-11-25T11:00:00-05:00

PAWS is in constant need of support, both personal and financial. Click through for information on volunteering, fostering, or making a donation. If you have specific questions about fostering, you can e-mail the PAWS foster parent coordinator Robin at robin@phillypaws.org.

And don't forget—Phillyist still has two of the Phillyist fosters who are looking for a forever home!

Willa

Willa is a darling three-month-old girl who was found in an abandoned house. She is playful and sweet, and gets along with the children and other dogs in her foster home. Willa tends to be submissive with the older, bigger dogs, and a bit more bossy with the other puppy in the house. She is doing very well with her training, but is still a puppy, so she'll need a patient owner who can continue her training and help her reach her full potential. She loves her chew toys and is a little mouthy, so she would be best in a home with older children who can handle her puppy-ness. Willa is bursting with potential, and will surely be a wonderful pet in the right forever home.

If you'd like more information about Willa, e-mail her foster mom at savabull@gmail.com.

PAWS Cat of the Week

Ross Currie — 2009-11-24T15:00:00-05:00

And don't forget—Phillyist still has two of the Phillyist fosters who are looking for a forever home!

Jimmy (ID# A08242414)

Jimmy is a dapper one to two-year-old tuxedo cat who has been at the PAWS Adoption Center for far too long—since December 31, 2008. He's got a little bit of an independent streak, but does want a human who will know when he wants to be pet and loved. This Thanksgiving, Jimmy would certainly be grateful to get out of his cage and into a forever home where he roam and relax. He's FELV/FIV/Heartworm negative, neutered, microchipped, and up to date on his shots, so there's nothing holding him back from jumping into being a permanent pet for you.

If you'd like more information about Jimmy, e-mail alamond@phillypaws.org. You can find Jimmy at the PAWS Adoption Center, which is located at 100 N. 2nd Street (the corner of 2nd and Arch). Also, make note of Jimmy's ID number above, and bring it with you when you go to the adoption center. Adoption hours are Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Hey Man, Can't We All Just Get Along?

Erica M — 2009-11-24T12:30:00-05:00

Photo by Flickr Florian

Lately there's been a lot of brou-ha-ha over the use of the road. Spruce and Pine got some fancy new bike lanes just as reporting of bike-pedestrian accidents went to print. Now, the general hum of Philly hostility is increasing. Who gets to blow which stoplight, and which group gets to most egregiously flout the rules without consequences. Are bicyclists the worst because some idiots insist on riding with their headphones? Or are they the worst kind of scum because hipsters love their fixies? But what about cars? Aren't they the folks with the polluting and the South Philly Roll, the 2-ton death machines, cell phones, and lack of turn signals? And man, those pedestrians. They just walk out into traffic in front of everybody. Everyone hates them.

I have hope. We can get along. And we should, because people are going to obviously keep walking (unless Pixar's prognostications speed up), biking because it is awesome, and driving, because that's what modern folks do. We need to get along.

Part of the problem is that everyone believes they are entitled to continue doing whatever annoying/law-breaking thing to which they are accustomed. So, this means it is time to spend some effort breaking down that mindset. Start feeling guilty. Acknowledge that blowing that light is breaking the law. That not bothering to signal you'll be turning left in front of that biker is unsafe and illegal. That when Sesame Street taught all of us to look both ways, it really was for the best. Remember there are other folks out there, going about the daily business of life, and most of us aren't trying to be jerks.

Across the Ist-a-Verse

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey — 2009-11-22T19:30:36-05:00

Gothamist was saddened after seeing why Sad Panda is so so sad.
DCist caught up with the dapper gents and ladies who took to the streets in high style for the D.C. Tweed Ride.
Torontoist Googled its city. Googled it hard.
Seattlest sputtered in disbelief at a grassroots campaign in favor of a proposal to dig the world's largest open-pit mine.
LAist wondered if the city's drivers are ready to go Dutch--as in be taxed based on miles driven instead of the current taxes levied on roads and new car purchases.
Bostonist interviewed Russell Ferguson of So You Think You Can Dance.
Shanghaiist rounded up all the news you'd ever need to read about Obama's town hall in their fair city.
Phillyist wondered if all the fun was on its way out of town.
Chicagoist focused on Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she plans on ending her show in 2011--which resulted in Mayor Daley blaming the media--causing Chicagoist to reflect on the Oprah of yesteryear.
SFist yearned for a McRib sandwich comeback.
Londonist mapped every London location that Sherlock Holmes visited. So now you know.

Asshole of the Week

Erica M — 2009-11-20T17:00:00-05:00

Photo by Flickr user bglasgow

So this week's asshole is coming not from Philadelphia, but from the internet. After last week's delve into the personal, we're taking it out into the tubes.

We at Phillyist are obviously Americans (except for that one British dude, but nevermind him). We live in the cradle of freaking liberty. With a bell. So, it seems worth some Philadelphia-sized outrage that some wackadoos are hiding behind God to call for the death of the president. Through a T-shirt.

Yup.

The shirt, with the always recognizable symbol of hands praying, exhorts readers to "Pray for Obama, Psalm 109:08." This particular passage reads, "May his days be few, may another take his office" followed by "let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." The people who would buy this trash are especially nefarious because of the code they are creating amongst themselves. To most normal people, they're going to look like patriotic-religion-loving types, while instead they're hateful and possibly murderous.

So, gentle readers, if you see someone wearing one of these shirts, remember gentleness. The kind that guy doesn't have. A pretty famous guy once said we ought to turn the other cheek, and even to just give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's. Nothing at all about capping Caesar or praying for God to cap Caesar. Not even if you don't like him.

Maybe the wackadoos ought to try reading the rest of their book. We hear it's pretty good.

Thanks to This Week's Advertisers

tien mao — 2009-11-20T16:00:00-05:00

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Phillyist.

John Mayer, find tickets for his Battle Studies tour with the AMEX early on sale.
American Apparel, with 3 stores in Philadelphia, you can look your best after dark.
GroupOn, using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day.

If you're interested in advertising on Phillyist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.

Blogged Around Philly: The Geeks Rule Edition

melissa shae — 2009-11-20T15:00:00-05:00

Photo by Flickr user thisisbossi

Who needs an RSS feed when you have us? Bringing you the best of the 215 blogosphere...

We kinda feel bad for the Sixers after reading this Philebrity story.

Geekadelphia celebrated their third anniversary last night.

Word on the street—or in Beerleaguer—is that Pedro Feliz is showing interest in the Orioles.

Break my Routine forces us to stop for a second and check out 30th Street Station. It's the second busiest rail terminal in the country.

We can't get enough of Schmitten Kitten's "Things in his house that make me sad" posts. This time, it's wastebaskets.

PAWS Dog of the Week

Ross Currie — 2009-11-19T15:00:00-05:00

And don't forget—Phillyist still has two of the Phillyist fosters who are looking for a forever home!

Goldie

Goldie is a young male Chihuahua mix who is friendly and smart as a whip. Goldie gets along with other dogs and is indifferent towards cats. He is eager to please and appears to be housebroken, as he's had no accidents in his foster home. Goldie is shy at first around men, but is fine once given a little time to warm up to them. It would be best if he went to a home without young children. This handsome boy will really light up your household.

If you'd like more information about Goldie, e-mail his foster mom at sandramannon@hotmail.com.

Parking

amy — 2009-11-18T16:00:00-05:00

Photo by author

There was an eerie stillness in the air as I approached Ridgeway Park, tucked behind CAPA at 13th and Carpenter Streets. A rather large, seemingly unattended rottweiler stood in the path near the park's entrance, which made me a little nervous. Fortunately, I saw two people who I took to be the dog's owners sitting nearby, and entered the park, creeping past the dog, who remained absolutely still, staring off at something. When I left the park later, the dog was still standing in the exact same place, motionless and staring. I kinda have to wonder what it was that got his attention, but I didn't see anything. Other than those two people, the dog, and a man sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, Ridgeway Park was deserted on what may have been one of the last nice days before the chills of winter set in for good.

Ridgeway has an air of neglect and forgotteness about it, even though it is largely in good condition and is litter-free. Towards the park's back (the Christian Street side) are two concrete picnic tables, each of which, strangely enough, only have one bench. The lone piece of playground equipment is a metal structure that resembles a giant light bulb cage (that's it in the photo). Climbing on the thing to made me feel as though I was taking my life into my hands. It's certainly a far cry from the bouncy, safety focused equipment at other parks. The pool, open in the summertime, sits drained and full of leaves. I had a staring contest with a squirrel who was sitting on a tree branch. I'm pretty sure he won.

A fence surrounds the park, leaving only an opening at the Carpenter/13th Street corner. A shrub with bright pink flowers grows over by the fence along Christian Street, an unexpected summery display standing in contrast to the the bare trees and fallen leaves all over the rest of the park. Ridgeway is one of a number of parks participating in this week's Fall for Your Park leaf clean up, see below for more details.

Upcoming Events in Parks:
Get Involved:

Fall For Your Park this Saturday, 11/21, various park locations and times. Click on the link to see if your neighborhood park is participating. This year's event will focus on leaf pick up.
Dickinson Square (previous Parking) Park Clean Up Saturday 9 a.m. (Google Map)

Farmer's Markets:

Cliveden Park, Wednesdays, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Google Map)

Schuylkill River Park (Previous Parking), Wednesdays, 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. (Google Map)

Fitler Square (Previous Parking), Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Google Map)

Clark Park (Previous Parking), Thursdays 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Google Map)

Rittenhouse Square (Previous Parking),Tuesdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and Saturdays 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. (Google Map)

Palmer Park, Thursdays 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Google Map)

If you know of anything exciting happening in your local park in the near future, please e-mail amy@phillyist.com!

And Before You Know It Philly Will Be No Fun At All...

Allison Krumm — 2009-11-18T10:30:00-05:00

Image Credit: Flickr user michaelwm25

So you may have heard: New Jersey has kidnapped the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta. Well, more like bought. Why Rumson, NJ has an extra $250,000 to throw around, we don't know. But what we do know is the Dad Vail has been raced on the Schuylkill River every year since 1953. Over those 50+ years it has become an integral part of Philly sports culture. To take it off the Schuylkill and move it into New Jersey is like taking the Bike Race out of Manayunk. Like defacing the Rocky Statue. Like imploding the Spectrum. Oh wait. We're actually going to do that.

Slowly but surely all that lends fun and character to the city is being destroyed. It started last year when there almost was no Mummers Parade. This year hometown movie star Kevin Bacon and his musically inclined sibling Michael are doing their best to give us the big, fancy, comedic, string band and booze-filled, parade we all know and love. The Bacon Brothers Benefit Concert: Save The Mummers Parade is slated for December 5th at the Electric Factory. But what happens next year when the city's still in the red? Will the Bacons save our (eh-hem) bacon yet again? Or does the grand Mummers tradition wither and die?

Taking away Dad Vail, the Mummers, the Spectrum—it's like ripping the heart out of Boat House Row, Broad Street, 2 Street, the entire South Philly Sports Complex... Might as well close Fairmount Park (hey, hey, Doomsday Budget), too. And just for shits and giggles: send all the Tastykakes to Pittsburgh, destroy our murals, and ban cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, running up the Art Museum steps, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes. We get the city has no money. We don't know how to get it more. But somebody sure as hell better figure it out before all the fun is sucked out of town. We do elect people who are supposed to do that right? Cause we'd like to keep our Philly traditions, please. It'd be real cool if we didn't end up like Detroit.

PAWS Cat of the Week

Ross Currie — 2009-11-17T15:00:00-05:00

And don't forget—Phillyist still has two of the Phillyist fosters who are looking for a forever home!

Pip

Pip is a beautiful Domestic Shorthair-Oriental mix with striking green eyes. She is a talkative, active cat who loves to play; even though she has a bit of an independent streak, she likes to cuddle and will purr up a storm. Pip is a special cat—she's deaf—and she can startle a bit, so she should not go to a home with young children. Apart from that, though, she's perfectly healthy and normal. She'd be best in a home without other cats, but is ready and deserving of a forever home and she'll be a wonderful addition to a lucky household.

If you'd like more information about Pip, e-mail her foster mom at haircrazie016@aol.com.

Our Ever-Changing Skyline

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey — 2009-11-16T11:00:45-05:00

Not a big change, but still a big sexy demolition.

Across the Ist-a-Verse

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey — 2009-11-15T14:15:21-05:00

Photo by Clayton Hauck

Chicagoist occupied itself with Twilight and pillow fights.
Seattlest reminded us that we don't watch Mariners baseball for the game, we watch it for the player-on-player bromance.
Phillyist got personal this week, calling the man who stole a staffer's purse their official asshole of the week.
Torontoist thought about personal blogging, with special guest Lauren White (known better on the internet as Raymi the Minx).
Austinist had a chat with John Krasinski (Jim on The Office) about adapting David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men for the big screen.
Shanghaiist stopped making out in public, after getting wind that there was a group of PDA police tasked with ensuring that our displays of affection stay off the streets.
Gothamist was sad to hear that a dog which was brutally beaten and thrown off a building was, after being nursed back to health, euthanized by the ASPCA, which determined her to be too aggressive.
SFist wondered who paid for Mayor Gavin Newsom's life coach.
LAist interviewed Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, stirring up talk of still-hot topics like John McCain, Rev. Wright, political journalism, and the concept of change.
DCist watched as a real life nature show unfolded at the National Zoo when a deer wandered in to the lion habitat on a busy Sunday afternoon.
Londonist mourned (or celebrated) the demise of poor quality free evening newspapers and loved/hated bendy buses on busy routes.