Pure perfection. Forbes says so.
Frankly, we’re not surprised by the nod to Philly in Forbes‘ article “America’s Best Street Food,” but we certainly do respect their taste. Philadelphia’s food carts and cheesesteaks, particularly those of our own University City area, get a shoutout in the article, in which Philly-local food critic David Snyder says, “Cheesesteaks are as much of an institution in that part of town as the Liberty Bell… People don’t look down on carts here as they might in other cities.” Yeah, because they’re awesome.
Here's one guy whose PIN we'd like to have.
Remember the days when a PIN was just something you used for ATM withdrawals? Yeah, neither do we. We live in a world of BBM, App Stores and Twittassness (totally a word), a world in which Emily Post’s rules clearly no longer apply. Enter Wired’s “New Rules For Highly Evolved Humans” feature, an epic compilation of answers to the most pressing questions of our day. Broadcasting your relationship status on Facebook? Hell no. Texting in the company of others? Go right ahead. Talking on the phone while peeing? Definitely not (Brad Pitt says so!).
Our beloved former Editor-in-Chief clued us in to this piece about sharing viral vids and content in a timely fashion. As if it weren’t relevant enough to UTB (we do strive to bring you the latest and greatest, after all), a read of the article reveals that Wharton’s own Jonah Berger was a source! We love how he studies such favorites as “Lazy Sunday” with a totally Wharton-esque precison, throwing in terms like “velocity of adoption.” Somehow, we have a feeling that Wired readers will understand.
Dear Philly Airport, this is what you will look like if you continue to suck. Love, UTB.
Philly.com has just informed us of some very unwelcome news: that the Philadelphia International airport is considering making spending cuts and delaying maintenance projects as a result of decreased traffic. The horror! The Airport reported a 6.7% drop in passengers from January to May, which is likely going to result in “deferring some maintenance, using cash reserves, and leaving vacant jobs unfilled.” Road trips home, anyone?
Toto, I don't think we're in Philly anymore.
In an article straight out of an Urban Studies class, Money Magazine has compiled its annual list of “America’s Best Places to Live.” The mag assembles a list based on a quaint list of criteria: “strong local economies… great schools, affordable homes, low crime, and much more.” After reading about some of Money’s favorite places — Louisville, CO is blessedly lacking in “pretentious eco-hipsters” and Chanhassen, MN boasts “a carnival, ice-fishing contests on Lake Ann, and skating and hockey everywhere” — we’re less than surprised that only two of Pennsylvania’s towns have made the list. Props to West Goshen and Emmanus, but we’re not buying this whole list. Perhaps we’d be less annoyed with this whole thing if Money had straight-up called it “America’s Best Small Towns,” as they did in a cleverly-buried subhead; Philly has plenty to offer — burgers! Urban Outfitters! Helen Cheung! — as a large city. Philly didn’t even make it onto the list of the “25 Best Places for the Rich and Single.” The nerve! Clearly Money has never been to an Owls party. Ardmore just ain’t cutting it.
Make the trip. For cheap.
In Philly for the summer and short on cash? Well, fret not, because two of New Jersey’s finest (only?) institutions are hooking you up. The Philadelphia Inquirer clued us in to a little-known service offered by Camden’s Adventure Aquarium and Battleship New Jersey: a $2 round-trip shuttle between the riverfront destinations and our own Independence Center at 6th and Market. Sure, there is only one shuttle bus, and the service has had only four patrons as of yesterday, but we think it’s a cheap incentive to encourage breaking out of the Penn/Philly bubble. Take note, however: the service is currently slated to stop running on September 7.
Class of 2013 potential...
Even celebuspawns check out Penn Previews! Philly.com reports that Denzel Washington took his son Malcolm and the rest of his family to the 215 to tour campus, and that Malcolm will likely be hitting up Penn come fall. In typical Penn admissions fashion, a university rep replied, “We can’t give out the names of any students who have applied to Penn.” Let the dirty rushing begin, frat boys.
Welcome to Thursday.
So sad, but also so true. Today’s issue of Street is the last one before school lets out! Make the most of your favorite Thursday pastime: take in the fantastic feature story about skateboarders on the lam — well, sort of — and check out fabulous former Editor-in-Chief Kerry Golds strut her stuff as Ego of the Week. Let Street show you how one last time; we’ve got the low-down on summer storage. Last but clearly not least, this issue features everyone’s favorite declarations of love, lust and (usually) hatred: SHOUTOUTS. You’re welcome.
Wanna celebrate our last issue? Come party with us tonight! 6:30. Smoke’s. Be there.
Yes, we love Wawa this much.
Struggling to pass the time in your classes? We feel the same way, which is why we’re super thankful for a new marketing ploy from Wawa. On DressYourBottle.com, you can clothe and accessorize bottles of Wawa’s drinks, and then post your results to Facebook. It’s quite the elaborate promotion for Wawa’s 99-cent drink special, but we don’t mind. It’s far better than actually paying attention.
In mere days, this will be us. Hell yes.
Even though Penn-sanctioned Fling doesn’t start until Friday, we at UTB must admit to already being in Fling mode. It’s hard to concentrate on class when our minds are filled with thoughts of fried Oreos, lemonade, and the other drinks for which we’ll be using lemonade as a chaser. In the spirit of making the week go by more quickly, we thought we might look ahead to the downtown parties that Spring Fling 2009 is bringing us — the fun starts tomorrow, so get your game faces on!
1. OZ and Tabard’s Wednesday Fling Kickoff: Head to Level to celebrate Fling with your favorite off-campus friends. Free fist-pumping for everyone!
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Welcome to another installment of our visual Penn survival guide, a collaboration between UTB and David Comberg’s Information Design class (FNAR 337). Click on the thumbnail to see the full image. View previous images here.
“How To Get Into A Closed Course,” by Victoria Schwanda.
