Results tagged “trends”

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too – two of them in -Ist cities.

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week.

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

With the Comcast Center pushing upward, 2006 will be the last year that One Liberty Place can claim to be Pennsylvania's tallest building, a title it's held since its controversial ascent was completed in 1987.

Standing at 61 stories and 945 feet, One Liberty Place was the tenth-tallest building in the United States when completed (it's currently 18th). It is a visually striking structure, an angular postmodern homage to New York's Chrysler Builidng, the 1930 masterpiece that is said by some to be the greatest skyscraper ever built. Credit for One Liberty Place's appearance goes to German architect Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects, whose work can be found in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

There was much debate in Philadelphia about whether One Liberty Place should be built at all. Although never an official law, a gentlemen's agreement not to build taller than the William Penn statue atop City Hall (548 feet) had limited the city's skyscrapers to a modest 500 ft.

A flashy building nearly 400 feet taller than the statue, Liberty One looked extremely awkward as the first and only building above City Hall. But once the gentlemen's agreement was broken, more cranes quickly littered Philly's sky. Between 1987 and 1992, six other skyscrapers defied the height limitation, strengthening the "Curse of Billy Penn," a purported hex on Philly sports teams set in place by the breaking of the agreement. (Hoping that the last 19 years without a major sports title are merely coincidence, we're moving on from this subject.)

Philly's skyscraper development trends were not unique in the United States. Fifteen of the nation's 25 tallest towers were completed during an American building boom that occurred between 1982 and 1992. From 1993 throuth 2005, no top 25 skyscrapers have risen in the US, and no new structure in Philly has eclipsed William Penn.

These days, Philadelphia's growth is again following wider trends. As the city's new tallest is under construction, so is New York's Freedom Tower, which will rise 1776 feet to become the tallest building in the United States.

So, in these last few months before One Liberty Place loses its status as our tallest building, we offer this photographic tribute. We have an enormous and amazing piece of postmodern architectural artwork nearly 1000 feet above our city's streets, and we appreciate it.


More photos in the continuation of this article.

The recycled paper books are often printed on is a function of practicality, yet the obviousness of this statement neglects an inner significance of meaning. If it can be said, with an intoned sigh particular to the deliverance of the axiom, that history repeats itself, it should likewise be said, and with an equally emphasized downbeat of a breath, that literature repeats itself as well, and that the reams of 100% recycled paper are more than mere practicalities for their contents, but material metaphors for abstract redundancies of literary tastes and trends, deaths and revivals, exiles and fancy welcome-home parties. Perhaps a case study can be made of the author Stefan Zweig, who enjoyed fame in his lifetime, then obscurity, and now hopefully a revived respect, in the pages of his novel, Beware of Pity.

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week.

No doubt about it, Philly's got a lot to offer: a thriving theatre scene (don't forget, Fringe is just around the corner), fabulous museums, loads of live music and more historical hoopla than you can shake a stick at. However, there are some hotspot trends in places far, far away that look cool too, and Phillyist is wondering why local entreupenuers aren't jumping all over them. Dammit! We want them too!
• Private room karaoke: It's like having a karaoke bar cater just to you and your friends (think Lost in Translation). We'd heard whispers that there was a place that did this in Chinatown, but that it is no longer. If that's the case, the city needs to give this method of musical debauchery a second chance. We gave this a try in Japan, and spent five hours singing ourselves hoarse. Somehow it's simply easier to make a musical ass out of yourselves among a small group of close friends rather than a bar full of strangers. AND you don't end up waiting as long for a microphone.
• Live band karaoke: Caught this on a recent episode of Queer Eye, and if anything can help assuage our frustrated rock star fantasies more effectively than the many hours we spend playing Guitar Hero this is it.

Phillyist is always looking for books to improve ourself. We recently found two such books, and feel honor-bound to share them with you, dearest readers. Both books are out now and should be available at any major book shop in town. So get dolled up and go shopping, because dears, we all NEED these books.

 
Philly Confidential profiles a local PECO employee who isn't afraid of a few odd animal carcasses when it comes to shutting off people's power.
 
South Philly Blocks makes grilled cheese the Benny & Joon way - although they rely on the hotness of a clothes iron rather than the hotness of Johnny Depp. (via)
 
Where do you go when you're looking for the latest Philadelphia fashion trends? Apparently, the Mummers Museum...at least if you're Broad&Market.
 
Philly loves its Battlestar Galactica- MidnightBlue laughs it up old school while Blankbaby looks to the future season. (We have to wait until October? Sigh.)
 
 
Photo by author

Because of a rather unusual cosmic occurence (okay, our neighbors are on vacation), Phillyist was able to procure a copy of Sunday's New York Times to read over breakfast yesterday. Now, we don't necessarily live and breathe the Times the way many people we know do, but this morning's edition had a story that is actually worth our attention.

In our regular sweeps of the downtown shops, Phillyist has noticed a few new trends in pants that please us well.