There’s A Reason It’s Called Locust WALK

This is a first, we think. Tipster Isabel Friedman sends us a photo of a car proceeding down Locust Walk last night. We have no idea what it was doing there, or if this is allowed.

This is a first, we think. Tipster Isabel Friedman sends us a photo of a car proceeding down Locust Walk last night. We have no idea what it was doing there, or if this is allowed.
What does it take to get an engraved stone on the Locust Walk bridge? Not sure, but we’re guessing a blogger’s salary won’t cover it.
Anyway, we noticed that some of the blank stones on the bridge had last names written on them with yellow chalk. Planning for newly dedicated stones, we guess?
We’ve seen a lot of weird animals around the hood. Pink dogs, horses with cowboys on ‘em. But this couple we noticed on Locust Walk bridge was strutting in style. Closeups of the fine furry folks after the jump.
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People are actually using this random tray of coals by Skulls to fight the well-below-freezing temperatures. And by people we obviously mean us! Those things are warm! Anyone know where they came from? Maybe some naughty kid on campus got Christmas coal early. Patience, Santa, tonight’s only Hanukkah.
With December, comes many things — some good (pretty snow, spiked hot chocolate, A-Gut’s holiday party which we are SO attending next Monday) and some really, really bad (sub-freezing temperatures, finals, more finals). Our favorite thing about Penn in December? The lights on Locust Walk! Sorry for the crappy photo quality, but here’s to making the walk to Van Pelt a little less miserable.

UPDATE: The event has been moved to the Women’s Center at 37th and Locust.
Come to the Compass (37th and Locust) tonight at 7:30 to take a stand against sexual violence. The speak out is being held by Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women (PCUW) and One-in-Four, in response to the third reported case of sexual assault on campus this year (more information available on thedp.com).
We feel that, given the frequency of reports of sexual assault on campus this semester, and in the spirit of those that have not been and will not be reported, it is necessary for Penn students to continue to formally denounce sexual violence. Campus leaders, administrators, and other affiliates will address on-campus sexual violence — by educating our community on its prevalence, disseminating information needed in the event of sexual assault, and advocating on behalf of survivors of sexual violence. We hope to encourage open discussion and create a community that condemns all acts of sexual violence.
The event is last minute, so you can help by spreading the word, and by stopping by tonight to show your support.

We wish the squirrels looked like this! But they don't. They really don't.
Remember last year when the Penn Art Club sold plaster squirrels to be decorated by organizations and displayed around campus? Well, the second installation of these critters hit Locust Walk today.
All in all, we think they’re pretty ugly! Especially in the eye region. Check out more photos after the jump.
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We caught a glimpse of these Spaniard-type folk posing on the Ben Bench and then running down Locust today. The run was pretty short (from the bench to McNeil), but the costumes were phenomenal. Anyone know what the deal was? (More pictures after the jump)

Usually when we want to write about something cute, we have to go through the trouble of locating the cupcake truck. Not today, though! We stumbled upon this sign at a poster sale on Locust Walk, a few sections down from “Sexy.” Our only issues with an otherwise great category are as follows:
1. The suggestion that kids, animals and flowers are not inspiring. Tell that to someone who doesn’t have this poster hanging right next to this one.
2. The work of Lisa Frank was vastly underrepresented in the section. Then again, we did get there kind of late and those things go fast on college campuses.

Listen, we understand that OCR is stressful and that getting a job is hard, and so we’re usually totally understanding of the fact that you do what you have to do to secure future employment. However, we just stumbled upon this pair of underwear in front of Huntsman, and considering that interviews start today, the whole thing feels a little suspicious.
We have some words of wisdom to impart, as well as a close-up of the garment, after the jump.

Finally, a Locust Walk Arts Fair! When Penn announced that this would be the Arts and the City Year, we were like, “Fine, whatever, have fun discussing your painting. Let us know when there’s an Arts Fair on Locust Walk.” And now that day has come.
Today, over 30 arts and culture organizations will set up shop and tell you about all the fantastic things they have to offer. Representatives from the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Kelly Writers House and the Philadelphia Ballet, among others, will be in attendance, so make sure to browse on your way to class.
And don’t be a jerk and put the volume up on your headphones and pretend you don’t hear them calling your name and then accidentally make eye contact and feel obligated to take a flyer and smile and then just throw it out at the nearest garbage can because even though it’s just one piece of paper, it is super annoying to have to carry it. Just don’t, okay? Embrace this, and instead of worrying about the flyers, you can focus all your attention on improving your cultural awareness and avoiding that compass (it’s on 37th St.). The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with October 11 as a rain date. But let’s hope the weather stays fair. No, wait…sunny.
Tipster Preston Hershorn sent in this picture of a chicken handing out fliers on Locust Walk. Apparently said chicken is shilling for PETA. Well, that’s effective.
Our intrepid Features editor Paul Richards sent us this photo of a firetruck zooming up Locust Walk. Turns out there was some smoke coming from a building near The Arch, but no actual fire to speak of.
Weird things were going on in front of Van Pelt today. Check out the video for a less than investigative report with shoddy camera work.
Today the University asserts its backbone, showing us that students can only urinate on a statue so many times before they have to face the consequences. A tipster writes that Sir Ben “is being moved to outside Steiny-D as we speak from its original spot near the compass.” We never thought we’d see the day. Will this more visible location deter urination? Developing…
