Dear SEPTA: You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Last Friday, on the way to work, Operator 55 told us that there might be a few delays on the El because of the increased volume that would be experienced due to the Phillies' victory parade, but he also told us that you would be running trains every 4-6 minutes to help alleviate that. And I have to say I wasn't surprised when, two hours......

What's new and/or interesting in Philly theaters this weekend. Juno - Another of this year's big pregnancy comedies! We'll have a review coming up later today. Trailer Showing at: Ritz at the Bourse The Red Balloon - A remake of the 1956 French classic about the evil red balloon that stalks and kills people! Well, okay, it's not a mean and deadly balloon. But it does stalk people! Juliette Binoche stars as a single mother......

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits......

You know how we love the Reading Terminal Holiday Railroad. It's the holiday model train display that's set up annually just up the escalator from the Gallery, and when we see it going up, we know Christmas and the holidays are really on their way. You can see photos from the last two years' displays, and read us gushing about them, here and here. This year they've brought back more of the interactive elements......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Here's the fascinating story of how amateur sleuths solved the mystery of the missing remains of Czar Nicholas II's family members. (Via Jill) Just because the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is over doesn't mean we're out of fun Thanksgiving-related links for you. First of all, turns out it's probably not the turkey itself that makes you sleepy after the......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Thursday post only collects the latest announcements, so definitely check the Tuesday post for any you may have missed. COMEDY Jim Norton Music Box at The Borgata, Atlantic City Fri, 1/18/08, 9PM; Sat, 1/19/08, 9PM On sale: Sat, 10AM, Live Nation (Fri show, Sat show) MUSIC Blind Melon Crocodile Rock, Allentown Fri, 11/23/07, 7PM $12 On sale:......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

Ah, what I wouldn't give to be the average George Bush supporter at this very moment in time. If I could, then I could delusionally ignore what I have just seen and pretend like everything is all right with "the home team." Yes, the Eagles just thoroughly dominated the overmatched Jets! Yes, there are WMDs hidden behind one of the flat-screen TVs in Saddam Hussein's palatial domain that just haven't been found yet! Yes, voting......

What's new and/or interesting in theaters this weekend. For the Bible Tells Me So - This is a documentary looking at Christianity and homosexuality, and whether the two can possibly get along. It includes interviews with people on both sides of the debate, and looks at whether the parts of the Bible that are supposedly anti-gay haven't perhaps been taken out of context and used to serve a political agenda. Sounds like a very interesting......

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford begins with the last train robbery Jesse and Frank James did together, and already you can tell the lengths to which writer/director Andrew Dominik and his DP Roger Deakins have gone to create a new cinematic language for the Western. The night is pitch-black, and the light of the train shines through a late-autumn forest as if God himself were onboard. The inside of the......

A gunman attacked an armored car as it pulled up to service an ATM at a Wachovia Bank in Rhawnhurst early yesterday morning. He killed two guards, injured a third, and escaped with a bag of money. Surveillance cameras recorded the entire attack. The killer "is described as a black man, wearing a yellow baseball cap with a black logo, a black short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. His car appeared to be......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Aliens in America (Mon, 8:30PM-9PM, The CW) - Here's an interesting show premise: a Pakistani Muslim exchange student named Raja comes to a Wisconsin town and is not exactly welcomed with open arms. In fact, in this first episode, his host family have to decide whether to send him back, as they weren't expecting a Muslim. We're betting they decide to keep him. He gets help adjusting......

3:10 to Yuma is another entry in Hollywood's current favorite genre: the remake. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on how you look at such things), I can't compare it to the original, as I've never seen it. But I have seen this film, and it's about a down-on-his-luck fellow named Dan Evans (Christian Bale) who's trying to hold onto his ranch, even though a powerful local businessman is trying to drive him off the land......

By Bill Hayes and Pencopal This week, the Renegade Phillyists are feeling slightly less hateful, but just as snarky. Think of it as haterade lite. So instead of picking people off one by one, we've decided to taze them. Bill's To Taze List: 1) The people at Pitchfork. If you've heard of an album, they probably think it blows. I've been listening to the latest Tegan & Sara album, The Con, and I have been......

What's new and/or interesting at Philly theaters this weekend. 2 Days in Paris - Julie Delpy wrote, directed, and starred in this romantic comedy about a couple - Marion and Jack (Delpy and Adam Goldberg) - who are stopping in Paris to visit Marion's parents after a "romantic" vacation to Venice that ended up driving them further apart. After meeting Marion's parents, her friends, and innumerable exes on the streets of Paris, Jack begins to......

Andy Reid's son Britt pleaded guilty yesterday to four charges. His lawyers are arguing that he's full of remorse and are angling for him to get probation, but he could end up being sentenced to six to 14 months in jail. We won't know for sure until later this year. The FBI is looking for a filthy dude in connection with the robbery yesterday of the Trumark Financial Credit Union at 1811 John F. Kennedy......

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

From 12:30PM to 2PM today, you will find members of the Philadelphia Youth Chess Challenge plying their skills at the Shops at Liberty Place. Passersby are invited to play, but beware! We bet you will get your ass handed to you. As you've probably noticed, it's been hot and humid around here recently, which is uncomfortable and disgusting for everybody, but can also be deadly for some, especially the elderly. The Inquirer has an article......

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......

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......

Saturday night at a party, I somehow ended up getting into a conversation with some new acquaintances (and an old friend or two) about the video embedded here. If you're somewhere where you can watch it, do – but you may want to skip the first two and a half minutes or so. If you're not able to watch the video, it's called "Text Message Breakup," and for all its ridiculous conceits, it does express......

Philadelphia's parade of presidential candidates continues; today the NEA will hear from Senator Barack Obama, Senator Joe Biden, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. The Inquirer has more details on the strange drama surrounding that recently discovered manuscript of The Good Earth. Early yesterday morning, a West Philly biker was bringing up the rear of a group of bikers who were weaving in and out of traffic as they headed north on 95 when he......

When I first saw that SEPTA was conducting a campaign to cut down cell phone conversation on their trains, I have to say I was skeptical. No amount of pandering, I thought, would stop passengers from making incredibly urgent calls to talk about the prior night’s debauchery or the conflict at work that only a complete narcissist could spend more than five seconds thinking about. But, alas, I have to say the signs with the......

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be posting events that are going on sale during the current week. This Tuesday post only collects the early announcements, so definitely check back on Thursday for the latest ticket news. Aztek Trip and Hidden Soul Crocodile Rock, Allentown Thu, 8/16/07, 7PM $10 On sale: Wed, 10AM, Ticketmaster The Bouncing Souls w/Lifetime, Ergs, and Static Radio NJ Electric Factory Fri, 8/17/07, 8PM $18 ($20 day of show) On sale: Fri,......

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 topped off, 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......

When you go to New York or Princeton, are you tired of taking the R7 to Trenton? Do you find the schedule isn’t always convenient or the train gets so delayed you miss the New Jersey Transit train? If you don’t want to risk life and limb on a Chinatown bus, there is another option that is much cheaper and runs more frequently, but the downside is that you have to go to Camden.......

I have become, quite by accident, an occasional commuter. The boy, you see, still lives out on the Main Line until August, and once in a while, I end up staying at his place on a weeknight. We've both got places to be in the morning (he to his bar review class, I to my temping position), so he drives me to the train station, kisses me goodbye, and the fun begins. I'm not......

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 are twelve steps to riding an escalator and none of them involve......

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......

Dear SEPTA: I've had the honor of taking you quite a bit lately. The new man in my life, you see, currently lives out on the Main Line. And I'd just like to tell you, if I may, that a schedule is not a suggestion. It is a schedule. Sure, your trains run more or less on time during rush hour in the morning and afternoon. But in between? Not so much. The trains are......