We've been contemplating a jaunt to the old NYC all summer (mainly to see this geekalicious exhibit and have some chocolate), and back before the humidity fried all neural pathways we looked into how, exactly, we would get there. We're not fried too much to remember we’re on a tighter than usual budget, and when did a train ticket get that exorbitant? We resigned ourselves to bussing it, and were delighted, if a bit hesitant,......

We bring you the buzz in the 215 blogs this week. Philebrity found fault with local columnist/DJ/man-about-town A.D. Amorosi's grammar and punctuation skills. For the record, this Phillyist is horrified, too. No more privately-owned cars on our potholed streets? Philadelphia Will Do isn't so sure about that. We're as flummoxed as Phillybits about the whole feminist terrorist thing. And who knew raising kids was a form of jihad? That sort of takes the whole concept......

For more than five years, Philadelphians have been ditching their own cars in favor of those owned by PhillyCarShare. The program's fleet of sedans, hybrids (which comprise more than 50% of the fleet), convertibles, and pick-up trucks has provided the right wheels for the job for thousands of part-time drivers in our fair city. Each car shared by PhillyCarShare members replaces about 23 individually-owned vehicles. The company itself has become a much-loved local success story......

Photo credit: sniderscion Torontoist spent its week uncovering who was behind mysterious ads for a drug called "Obay" that popped up across the country (Scientology? Frank Shepard Fairey?), first tracing them to an advocacy group called Colleges Ontario and then confirming their suspicions a few days later.Phillyist learned how to put on a puppet show – it's not as easy as you might think!Shanghaiist discovers that the average starting monthly pay for fresh graduates......

Have a nominee for Asshole of the Week? Send it to us! We love stories about local bureaucratic idiocy. They're always good for a laugh or two, but we do tend to forget about them five minutes after we've read them. And then there's the story of Edward Stanley Harris. By now, we're sure you all know the story. This guy had been hassled annually by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 17 years over......

PATCO and SEPTA are thinking about working together to extend PATCO's service along Columbus Boulevard and perhaps to City Hall. The project would involve "reopening the long-closed Franklin Square station beneath Sixth and Race Streets to serve as the hub of the expanded service." This new service, however, would cost at least $1 billion, would thus require financial help, and would take eight to ten years to complete. Another wrinkle in the federal investigation into......

Walking down Broad Street to the Allegheny stop one evening, Phillyist was deep in conversation about the psychology of cities. Discussing the El, when it is actually an El, one person remarked “No wonder people get depressed in Kensington, they can’t see the sun!” Philadelphia based artist Edward Epstein might agree. His new site-specific installation, City Without Expressways, presented by InLiquid.com at the Crane Arts Building, looks at the ways in which the building......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. Game|Life takes a look at recent comments from the presidential candidates of both parties on the subject of violence in video games, and comes to the conclusion that all the candidates are pretty much the same and voting is pointless. Woo hoo! Mega Man's creator says, barring a last minute intervention, old blue boy won't be appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but......

Good morning, readers, from a Phillyist on a plane, killing time on the way to Louisville via Chicago. Yeah, I know that's really out of the way. But then, so is Louisville. Air travel is generally hated by most people. Strangely, though, today's experience has been almost pleasant. Here's why: (1) Tuesday afternoons in December are apparently an awesome time to fly. Business travelers are out of town, going about their midweek business, and......

We have a soft spot for things that are brilliantly stupid. These two sets of signs on the same block we recently stumbled upon in Chestnut Hill definitely qualify. As you can plainly see, there is an obvious conflict of parking instructions here. The No Parking signs appear to be recently installed, while the Two Hour Parking signs appear to have been there for decades. So we think that the sign installers probably should......

When Richard Kelly's film Southland Tales was originally screened at Cannes, the buzz was extraordinarily negative. The word was that the movie was a great big mess - ridiculous and nonsensical. I didn't want to believe it. I really enjoyed Kelly's amazing indie/romance/sci-fi flick Donnie Darko. I thought maybe people were reacting to Southland Tales the way that some had reacted to The Fountain: they were confused by it because they hadn't looked hard enough......

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......

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......

LAist began the month with a new food series exploring the popular and unknown late night eats around town. If a Top Chef winner opened up a late night spot in Los Angeles, denizens would flock it, yet the LA Times and other media might be wary. Turning to sports, the Dodger season was quite memorable in the way that it imploded and the LA County Sheriff's Department made some games of their own......

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. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out......

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......

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom......

Digital video billboards are coming to the area. They display images or ad messages that change every eight seconds, and can also be used to display important information about traffic issues or security alerts. Some important area school news! First of all Penn State ranked number 5 on Princeton Review's annual list of the Top 20 Party Schools in the nation. Meanwhile, Bryn Mawr College ranked number 19 on the opposing list of the Top......

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......

Turns out we've been a bad blog. Thanks to Phillyist Sarah, and the Inquirer, we've found some local news stories that we were supposed to be writing about but haven't. One is the story of Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan getting sued by Chops because, they say, he gave a bad review to their strip steak when he didn't even eat it. However, the receipt from the meal, which he cleverly kept, seems to......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Harry Potter rocks! No, really. That link is to a cool article on the Inquirer about the large and welcoming musical community inspired by the wildly popular series of fantasy books about the boy wizard. Most of its members are quite young and not professional musicians, but that doesn't stop them or their audiences from having a ton......

A new transportation package being considered in the state Senate would add $150 million to SEPTA's operating funds for the coming fiscal year, thus eliminating the need for the threatened fare hikes and service cuts. Even better, the measure would set up a Public Transportation Trust Fund that would hopefully mean the end of SEPTA's annual budget crises. A man who was convicted in 1993 in a 1991 Nicetown rape and murder case is hoping......

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.......

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......

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......

One of the suspects in the planned attack on Fort Dix applied to be a Philadelphia police officer in April, but luckily he didn't get very far in the procedure, as he was ineligible for various reasons. Remember that story about some of the Penn State football players getting into a fight? Well, the law hasn't sorted out what exact punishments they'll receive yet, but Joe Pa has. Good old Joe Pa. (Via Jill,......

The Megaloping guys might be SEPTA’s biggest champions these days. They’re firm believers in the power of public transportation, and they’re on a mission—to make it from northern Virgina to Portland, Maine using only subways, city busses, and commuter railways their entire trip. They’re passing through Philly tonight. Come out to Tattooed Mom’s, have a beer, and hear more about their travels! Megaloping Happy Hour Monday, May 14th, 8:00 p.m. Tattooed Mom’s (530 South......

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. If you act quickly, you can download some free art by UK duo Gilbert and George. (Via Mid Atlantic Art News, Via Editor Jill) PopCap is giving it away free - to your Mom! By which we mean, in honor of Mother's Day, they're sending registration codes for Bejeweled Deluxe to new and existing subscribers of their newsletter starting today and......

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......

For the past month, I’ve been spending my mornings walking from the Norristown Transportation Center to a rehearsal space in Bridgeport. During this trek, I am consistently amused by a billboard for WFIL AM560, “Philadelphia’s Christian Radio.” Call me crazy, but a picture of a family looking like they’ve smelled something miserably foul doesn’t strike me as the best way to advertise a radio station. For all the mornings I’ve gazed upon this billboard,......