Results tagged “bicycle”

We've never heard Kelly Drive referred to with an article before its name, but we kind of like it.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline.

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!

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to.

Looking for some outdoor fun this weekend? If AccuWeather is to be believed, it won't be raining, so you'll be able to join the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia for their Freedom Valley Ride. There will be five routes to choose from, all incorporating stretches of the Schuylkill River Trail, which proceeds from previous Rides helped build. Those routes range from an eight-mile "easy" ride to a 68-mile journey that will take you all the way through Valley Forge and back.

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.

After missing one too many trains as a result of crowded escalators en route to the platform, we have decided to offer up, as a public service, a basic escalator riding tutorial that will be an education to some and a refresher to others. Plus, we want you to get out of the way when we are trying to catch the train!

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!

Or, at least, not putting up any new ones for now.



In a victory for Philadelphians and all Americans, on Friday the National Park Service announced that a proposal to enclose Independence Hall within a security fence has been scrapped [Philly.com]. If realized, the plan would have cut Independence Square in half with a six-foot tall black iron barricade, hypocritically restricting access to one of the world's most important symbols of freedom.

After releasing the plan, the NPS also allowed for a period of public commentary, accepting thoughts from citizens via their website. Apparently the people of Philadelphia and elsewhere turned up in droves to criticize the proposal, fueled by local blog protests like this one on phillyskyline.com. In that entry, author Brad Maule summarized the problem this way:



Comments from Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa) during Friday's press conference implied that the local outcry was the main reason for reconsideration of the proposal. The public's statements resonated so well, in fact, that some of the "temporary" bicycle barricades we've endured at the site for years will also be removed. Security upgrades moving forward will focus more on improving "human resources."

This is great news. Thank you, National Park Service, for trashing this ill-conceived plan.

Dear Bicyclists:

Reading our sister sites is not only enjoyable, but also educational. Just look at some of the lessons we've learned from the other -ists since last we spoke!

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets.

The Penn and Drexel Cycling Clubs are co-hosting The Arkema Group Schuylkill Challenge Bicycle Race in Fairmount Park this weekend. (Note that the title of that last page we linked to predicts the winner as Penn - we wonder if the folks at Drexel, not to mention the other schools, have noticed that yet.) It's actually a series of bike races and time trials taking place in various places and at various times on Saturday and Sunday; for more details, check out the link above, or download the PDF of the flyer here (beware - almost 3MB). You can register here.

DCist helps us make more sense of the world this week. Posts like this concert review are the reason for Scott Stapp. DCist also enumerates the reasons for playing ultimate frisbee, Condi's tight buns, their love of a local convenience store, and their jealousy of a person in Seattle calling the city.

Oh potholes, how you mock us! Lying in wait for us to bicycle into your Cadillac-sized craters, laughing maniacally when our gaping head wounds bleed onto your broken edges - no more! Or so says Mayor John Street.

by Sarah M. Granlund

When Ed Bacon planned Independence Mall, it was lauded as visionary. It was to be a green, open space in the middle of the city's historic district, providing an area for public gathering and a place to view the historic buildings of the area.

It feels like a broken record around here: SEPTA is still on strike, commuters are still pissed (and sometimes stranded), and the union and management aren't on speaking terms.

Things are not looking good for a quick resolution to the now three day old SEPTA strike.

This Friday's ride is dubbed The Critical Massquerade, and attendees are encouraged to wear costumes - in fact, the specific request is that you wear "your most awesome costume ever!!!!" With four exclamation points in their request, Phillyist is pretty sure Critical Mass intends to "take back the streets" in style. We just recommend that when you plan "your most awesome costume ever!!!" that you're careful about bits that might get caught in the spokes...unless "ER Patient" is the look you're going for.

In 1997, a group of cunning arts folk decided that Philadelphia was really missing out on something. With all of the alternative culture in the city, Philadelphia needed a Fringe Festival, much like those held in Edinburgh and New York City. The Philadelphia Fringe Festival is now two separate, concurrent festivals: The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and the Philly Fringe (PLAF) , both of which kick off tomorrow and run for sixteen days thereafter. The website explains the difference between the two festivals: “The Live Arts Festival features selected cutting-edge, boundary-breaking performing arts events, created by some of the most renowned contemporary artists from our region and around the world. The Philly Fringe - which provides opportunities for any artist, independent of a selection process, to self-produce their work - represents the true international ‘Fringe’ movement.”

In this week’s Phillial, we move on from glass cocks to glass houses - or Home Depot, that is. We know there’s a catchy transition in there somewhere. Please don’t throw stones at us. Or dildos.