Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse

By David Topping

Torontoist is one of thirteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Each Sunday, the editors of every site—from LAist to Londonist—choose their most interesting article, a list that is compiled into the network-wide feature Elsewhere In The Ist-a-Verse.

Broadway’s future as a pedestrian-only boulevard in Times Square. Rendering courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

• Gothamist was excited about Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to close parts of Times Square and Herald Square to vehicular traffic and create pedestrian malls.
• Shanghaiist explored an abandoned singing ship.
• SFist reported on Hearst Corporation’s plan to sell or shutdown the ailing San Francisco Chronicle.
• Chicagoist had award show fever, first talking to Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon and then scoping out the International Kennel Club Dog Show.
• DCist liveblogged all three days of Senate debate on a bill that would, after more than two hundred years, finally grant the District of Columbia a voting member in the U.S. House of Representatives—whichpassed on Thursday!
• Bostonist had a musical week, touring Weirdo Records, catching Antony and the Johnsons (along with Ben Kweller and two house shows), and even encountering the elusive banjo cat.
• Seattlest was filled with hometown pride humble-pie at seeing both Jeff Bezos and Baconnaise appear on The Daily Show.
• Phillyist staffer Miss Bee is trying out for the Eagles—their cheerleading squad, that is.
• Londonist was all about happiness this week, with a smiley pink cloud over the Thames
  and pancake races.
• Houstonist’s daily commute is improving, at least according to faster times clocked around the Houston metroplex—except perhaps along the stretch of Interstate 45 where rubberneckers eyeball the
  new 170 foot tall mega-cross erected quickly by a local Christian church in response to a nearby rival church’s plans for a mega-cross.
• LAist watched with the rest of the country when Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal responded to Obama’s big speech and among his fanciful yarns made an example of the “magnetic levitation” line from Las Vegas to Disneyland to sell his point of view.