Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse

By Margaret Lyons in News on Oct 21, 2007 9:08PM

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 in time for Halloween, the Chocolate Jesus is back.

By the time you read this, Bostonist will either be elated or will have had its heart broken by the Cleveland Indians during the ALCS. The Red Sox has taken Bostonist on a tummy-turning roller-coaster ride. At one point, they thought Cleveland was messing with its head when the Indians hired Josh Beckett's old girlfriend to sing the National Anthem. In non-Sox-related news, Bostonist found out what an Iron Butt is and mourned the imminent closure of one of the city's finest theaters. And an astronaut is planning on taking a little bit of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with her when she flies.

SFist interviewed New Yorker scribe Alex Ross, saw Archbishop George Niederauer apologize to the Catholic Church for giving communion to the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and had a time-honored NYC vs. SF debate. SFist also questioned the practice of "tipping" cable car drivers. The eco-y Lights Out SF ended up a dim success. Oh, and therapeutic sound healers? Are interesting. And bizarre. Just listen for yourself.

Londonist spent much of the week in a fluffy, alternative universe, where people talk about clouds and dogs get their own walk of fame. What is a radium-luminised gauge dial face, and why is it making headlines? Such musings were interrupted by a note of seriousness, when Nobel prizewinner James Watson was barred from London's Science Museum for alleged racist remarks.

Apparently, LAist is on to something: being a UCLA student can turn nerds into Hippie Apple computer users. And is seems they generate peer pressure to try out public transportation in the city of gridlock (the good thing is, the kids like it). Another great Los Angeles juxtaposition is the urban-nature one where you can be Downtown among the hustle and bustle and 15 minutes later feel like you are in the countryside at Forest Lawn. Those wanting a little different, like experiencing an abortion or what it feels like to be in a school shooting, need to get thee to WeHo for the Hollywood Hellhouse. But what could be scarier is the disease of Pinkberry spreading around town like Starbucks, by Starbucks and for Starbucks.

Phillyist may have had a zombie encounter at a local ethnic restaurant, but they escaped with their brains intact enough to do some shopping. They found beauty in the little things, humor on their streets, and learned a very special lesson about global warming.

But what about the other -ists, you ask? Well, check out this week's favorites on Austinist, Chicagoist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.