Happy Independence Day

Elton John singing "Philadelphia Freedom" on Soul Train, probably not too far removed from the year of our nation's bicentennial. Happy Fourth, everyone!

Things I Love About Philly

It hasn't been the best week for Philadelphia. We just found out we're the bike-stealingest and third-most-obscene city in the country. And that's before we talk about about the hordes who have descended, like so many fannypack-wearing locusts, on our city for the Fourth of July OMG WTF WELCOME AMERICA PRESENTED BY SUNOCO!

So I want to take a moment to remember why this city is great. This is a totally off-the-top-of-my-head list of Things I Love About Philly.

The Comcast Center lobby:



Walt Wit...

...and in the interest of keeping things fair and balanced, Philly Pale Ale.

The Rodin Museum:



Overheard in Philly.

And Philebrity, of course.

Santa's trolley:

Philly Skyline.

And on a related note, Inga Saffron.

Mayor Nutter:



The Italian Market.

Old churches with a sense of humor:



Thrifting and furniture-hunting in Germantown.

The Pink Rose.

Guerrilla street art:



Reading I Love You, I Hate You on Saturday mornings.

Being in Rittenhouse on the first day of truly nice spring weather.

The Westbury.

Views like this:



It's not an exhaustive list, by any means, but I'm feeling better about Philly now. How 'bout youse guys? What's on your Philly favorites list?

nod to Philebrity for the bike-stealing and dirty-Internet-searching stories

Bush to Survey Damage Caused by His Presidency

Which means he has to tour the entire country:


Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

If we didn't laugh about it, we'd have to cry. And crying is no fun.

via Andrew Sullivan

Good Morning: Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna, "If I Never See Your Face Again"

If you don't like the song, just turn the volume down and watch Rihanna and Adam Levine be hot at each other.



UPDATE: As my esteemed colleague J.Ro has pointed out in the comments, YouTube has removed the video, but you can view it on Maroon 5's website here.

Bai Ling Has A Blog

Bai Ling has a blog. That's right: the professional party girl, frequent TV show guest-appearer, and favorite target of Go Fug Yourself puts her fingers to keyboard and produces written language for distribution over the internets. A lot, actually. I haven't had a chance to read through all of her erudite musings on parties, being semi-famous, clubs, and more parties, but I must say she has quite a way with words:

So tired after shooting, because I did not sleep for a few nights jet-legged and vegas faver, its hard to relaxing here in Vegas just stay in, but only when you are totally out of your mind and body can not think strait anymore then you will stay in and just watch the city breath in the heat of the evening sea of colored lights and the heat waves almost knocked me to the ground, heat waves can become wind? Wow......

Heat waves can become wind? What? Bai continues:

Magic, even the heated nature shows you the magic just like this if you pay attention to peek in, I stayed out of my hotel in the middle of the empty street when my car dropped me from the set, I just frosen there in the middle, all the cars frosen in front of me too, maybe to them I am some kind of strange magic dropped from the sky and made the fire and waves that burns Vegas, my skin burns in the shining sunlight with the changing color reflects thousends of butterflies...... Just like the reflection you see right now from up close and distance.......

She really is deft with the double ellipses......as it were. I think my favorite part is, "maybe to them I am some kind of strange magic dropped from the sky and made the fire and waves that burns Vegas, my skin burns in the shining sunlight with the changing color reflects thousends of butterflies". Fire and waves and thousands of butterflies, all in the middle of Las Vegas? She must really have a...straaaaaaange ma-a-a-gic! I don't know what substance causes such thoughts, but I'll have what she's having.

UPDATE: Those of you unfamiliar with Bai Ling may not fully appreciate her...erm, talent, so here's a clip of her performing on VH1's But Can They Sing? (t/y Kolajo)



Source: OMG blog
Image: from Flickr user hurricanepoontang, used under a Creative Commons license

New Hotel Planned for 15th and Locust

A friend tells me that the building on the northwest corner of 15th and Locust in Center City - the one with the Bassett's Turkey on the first floor - will be torn down to make way for the Hotel XV/L. Demolition is slated to begin by the end of the year, and the new 18-floor, 144-room hotel will open in early 2010. The name is, of course, a play on its location, as my friend gleefully pointed out.

I'm not wild about the font they're using over the entrance in the rendering, but renderings are just make-believe anyway. All in all, it seems like this could be a swanky little place, and I also think it's a smart location for a new hotel.

Image: Real Estate Forum

Good Morning: Jane Child, "Don't Want to Fall in Love"

'Staycation' Needs To Take A Permanent Vacation

I'm not usually one to shy away from neologisms. I love coined terms, spoonerisms, portmanteaus, and the like. But there is a word entering common usage - especially in the context of our recent insane gas prices - that I cannot stand:

staycation.

I had not learned of 'staycation', my new bête noire, until I had a recent instant message chat with a friend regarding my recent vacation at home. He informed me that people were calling such stationary getaways 'staycations', to my horror and disgust. Apparently it has been around since at least 2006, if its entry on Urban Dictionary is reasonably reliable, but it hasn't found its proper moment in the cultural spotlight until now.

"What's so wrong with it?" you may be wondering. It is an abomination. Overly cutesy, orthographically clumsy with that wretched "yc" trainwreck in the middle, and downright insipid. And this is coming from someone whose own blog's name is of similar construction! 'Staycation' is forced fun in word form. It is designed to make you feel better about the fact that you can't afford to go vacation anywhere more interesting or exotic than home. It does not make me feel better. It makes me want to hurt someone. And I will do everything in my power to keep its popularity from growing.

Will you join me?

Good Morning: Go Home Productions, "Supreme Evil"

A mash-up by the excellent Mark Vidler of ELO's "Evil Woman" and The Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love", with a dash of Michael Jackson's "Bad".

And Here I Thought NPR Was Classier Than Other Radio

WHYY's Brenda Jorett just asked, "When was the last time you had a tour guide dressed as an enema?" Wow.