That Was Quick; Phillies Hike Ticket Prices For 09 Before Fans Can Even Take A Championship-Induced Crap

Not at all unexpected, but still, not exactly welcome either.

Fresh from the glow of their World Series win, the Phillies are raising some ticket prices for 2009.

The Phillies parade confetti is barely swept away. But team officials say the prices of most tickets are going up by $2 or $3 next season. The biggest increase is in the 100-level infield seats. They're going up $6 to $50. Phils ticket manager John Weber:

"The season ticket prices went up a couple of dollars in certain areas, like I said, the $44s went to $50s. The outfield went from $24 to $27. There were certain areas that went up. There were other areas that stayed the same."

Weber says the Phils took the economy into account when deciding on ticket prices for next year.

Really? The economy told you to raise ticket prices?? Fascinating.

Related:
Phillies Plan to Raise Ticket Prices For Next Season [ KYW 1060 ]
Phillies Seating and Pricing [ Phillies.com ]

With Gas Prices Bottoming Out, The Time Is Now To Rock The Always Sunny Gas Plan

From Friday’s Inquirer:

Pump prices continued moving downward overnight, with the five-county Philadelphia area seeing a 2-cent decrease, to $2.31, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

The area hit is pump-price high of $4.16 on June 20.

This is like a drug dealer offering a detoxing junkie one last fix on the house in a desperate attempt to get the addict hooked all over again.

Too bad gas prices aren’t going to stay low. Cheap gas is history.

Knowing as much, it appears that Mac, Dennis and Charlie were really onto something here…
[ Click to watch short clip.]

Wildcard.

Related:
Gas and oil prices continue decline [ Philadelphia Inquirer ]
The End of Cheap Oil [ National Geographic ]
The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis [ Hulu ]

YUM-O! Rachel Ray To Headline Philadelphia's Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade

According to the 6ABC website, Rachel Ray will be headlining the celebrity guests for this year's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Good for 6ABC. Rachel Ray could use some QT in Philadelphia.

Now, as to whether she'll actually show up this time…, well that is anybody's guess.

Related:
2008 6ABC/IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade [ 6ABC ]

[ Photo via Grub Street ]

Andy Reid Is Batshit Stupid

The best part of the Eagles game last night?

This commercial. Seriously.

Andy Reid is a fucking embarrassment. Clock management. Terrible. Play calling. Tragic.

And using the offense's best player (Westbrook) as an extra pass blocker in the backfield for three quarters of the game (right up until they went down by 12) — rather than as a receiver/diversion out of the backfield — totally, mindlessly in-fucking-excusable.

Hope you enjoy unemployment, Andy. You'll probably be there for a while.

* We don't even own an Xbox.

Keith McNally Says No To $100M Offer To Chain Balthazar, Takes Parting Shot At Stephen Starr And Other “Sell-Out” Restaurateurs

The famed New York City restaurateur Keith McNally recently turned down a $100 million offer for his restaurant empire including the right to open copies of the restaurants (Pastis, Balthazar, Morandi, etc.) all over the world.

“If I duplicated Balthazar or Pastis, I'd be ripping the soul out of the original,” [McNally] says.
[…]
"I'm not the kind of person who goes to Nobu in Moscow because I like the Nobu in New York. Quite the opposite — I'd never go to another Nobu again anywhere!"

Zoinks.

Contrast McNally’s philosophy with that of Stephen Starr, who continues to churn out Buddakan after Morimoto after Prime after Buddakan.

Guess that’s the thing about selling out — it basically boils down to money vs (artistic) integrity.

Related
Keith McNally Resists $100M Bid For Manhattan Dining Empire [ Page Six – New York Post ]

California Voters Say Yes To High-Speed Rail, Prove There's Hope For America Yet

Seriously, watch this.

California, that shit is sick.

Build it.

Related:
High-Speed Rail Looks Golden in a Good Night for Transit [ Streets Blog ]
National Trend: Passenger trains gain favor with public, Congress [ AP / San Francisco Chronicle ]

Philadelphia's Trump Tower Indefinitely Postponed, Trump Development Team Receives Unsolicted Pwning From Allan Domb

A new development one day, a new victim the next.

Developer Donald J. Trump has postponed construction of his $300 million Trump Tower Philadelphia project because of tightening market conditions.
[…]
"With the current market conditions as they are, we have decided to continue construction in a more favorable environment," said Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is executive vice president of development and acquisitions for The Trump Organization in New York, which handles Trump's real estate ventures.

Trump had originally projected Trump Tower Philadelphia to be completed by the middle of this year. He spent more than a year acquiring permits and building rights from the city. Then the real estate market tanked.

This follows Trump's building problems in other major cities where he has similar luxury condo hotel towers going up, including Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas.
[…]
Ivanka Trump declined to say when construction would proceed on the Philadelphia project, but she said today: "We are committed to this project, want to build the best one possible, and will continue construction when the market allows us to do so."

Really?

In Center City, Trump is competing against a slew of other high-end residential projects, including 1706 Rittenhouse, where 31 units start at $4 million.

Real estate broker and developer Allan Domb, the so-called "Condo King of Philadelphia," said Trump's waterfront location was not a slam dunk.

"I've always thought a Trump Tower property should be located in and around Rittenhouse Square," he said today.

"The waterfront area has still not developed the amenities that luxury condo dwellers seek, such as the ability to walk to restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops," Domb said. "That location is not a walkable location unless you're a marathoner."

BURN.

Oh snap, Ivanka. Allan Domb's dropping real estate knowledge bombs all over the place. Pretty sure he's saying you don't know diddly about how to develop in Philadelphia, aka his fiefdom.

And while we don't know about all of that, we do agree about the importance of the walkability aspect. That shit is paramount.

Related:
Trump postpones Philadelphia development [ Philadelphia Inquirer ]
Trump Tower Philadelphia [ Official Site ]

Election Day PSA - Vote YES On The Parks Reform Ballot Question

FYI, while you're out there Barack'ing the Vote:

On November 4th voters will be asked to consider the following Ballot Question (Bill # 080169):

Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to merge the powers and duties of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation into a newly created Department of Parks and Recreation, to establish a new Commission on Parks and Recreation and to provide for its powers and duties?

Why Vote "YES" on the Charter Change Referendum On Parks November 4?

1. To Protect Park Land: A newly established "Parks and Recreation Commission" will for the first-time ever establish guidelines for the acquisition, lease, sale and development of land and resources, including a process for community input. Currently land deals are dealt with on an ad hoc basis often to the exclusion of or with limited public input.

2. Create an Open and Transparent Process to Appoint Park Commissioners: The Board of Judges will no longer appoint commissioners in private. Again, for the first time, there will be an open process with public hearings to nominate qualified candidates, with related expertise. The Mayor will make final appointments.

3. Improve Park and Recreation System: A unified system will create new opportunities to revitalize and invest in one of Philadelphia's most precious, but neglected assets - its watershed and neighborhood parks, recreation facilities, and historic treasures. Most cities in America, including those with similar assets, have a combined Parks and Recreation department.

In this merger, the two departments will have the opportunity to build on their unique and shared strengths, find new areas of synergy, and coordinate efforts to maximize the intersection of health, recreation, ecology, public safety, historic preservation, youth development, education, and neighborhood revitalization.

4. Expand Funding: As part of an overall reform package, Mayor Nutter and City Council have just approved the largest increase in park funding in decades - a significant first step toward full funding. With increased mayoral accountability and leadership, new and diverse funding sources will be developed.

Philadelphia Parks Alliance urges you to Vote YES on this ballot question!

Vote YES for PARKS!

It's true.

Related:
Philadelphia Parks Alliance [ Official Site ]

Waldorf Astoria Headed To Philadelphia, To Bring City’s Grand Total Of 5-Star Hotels To, Um, Four

This just announced hotel/condo development is planned for the other half of the old Meridian Plaza site, the half not occupied by the brand new Residences at the Ritz Carlton.

Currently a surface parking lot, this southern parcel is owned by Mariner Properties, who already previously tried to do some high end condos there.

This time, they're adding a hotel to the mix. They’ve lined up the luxury Waldorf Astoria brand to anchor a $420 million, 58-story mixed-use development.

Standing at 670 feet tall, the 58-story Waldorf=Astoria Hotel and Residences Philadelphia will be the city's sixth-tallest building as well as its tallest mixed-use hotel and residential project. The classically contemporary granite and glass tower is to be designed by Cope Linder Architects of Philadelphia.

As a newly constructed property, the hotel will have a variety of opportunities to support a sustainable footprint.

A small sample of the many sustainable practices designed to be utilized in the project include: vegetative roof systems; one of the first U.S. hotel installations of an active chilled beam HVAC system; and an unprecedented degree of building automation through a unique venture with Johnson Controls, Inc., the world's leader in building automation technologies and building system integration.

The developers profess that sustainability is key to the project.

To ensure that the Waldorf=Astoria project meets the developers' high benchmark for sustainability while enhancing the luxury experience for residents and guests, the Mariner/Gatehouse development team retained Re:Vision Architects of Philadelphia, one of the leading LEED consultants in the country.

"We're convinced that being sustainable can enhance the guest experience and, surprisingly, we've found no shortage of extremely high-quality and innovative building products to use in this project from some of the most prominent and respected names in the industry," said Mahoney.

More like paying lip service to sustainability concerns. The project comes with a “350-car valet garage […] located on floors 2 through 8."

350 above-ground parking spaces? At 15th and Chestnut?? Effing ridiculous.

Especially because "residents will also have complimentary access to a small fleet of hybrid or electric vehicles for personal use."

So if that's the case, why all the additional parking?? Totally unnecessary.

Parking spots for the hotel and residences should be minimized. Including 300+ parking spots is fucking brain dead from an urban design/livable streets/sustainability perspective.

Meanwhile, the scene at street-level?

Retail space is planned for a 7,000-square-foot fine dining restaurant on Chestnut Street and a 2,140-square-foot retail boutique on the corner of 15th & Chestnut streets.

The hotel portion of the project will boast 175 rooms between floors 16-27, while there will be 136 residences starting at a cool $1 million on floors 28-58.

Overall, getting the Waldorf=Astoria here in Philadelphia would be great. We just wish the developer, Mariner, wasn't so strangely attached to always including terrible excessive parking.

Due to open in 2012.

Initial probability of that happening — 70%.

Related:
A Waldorf is planned for Center City [ Philadelphia Inquirer ]
One of the First Grand Hotels Meets One of the Country's First Cities [ Press Release via Hotel Chatter ]

U.S. Colleges Jumping On The Bike-Share Bandwagon, Penn And Temple Yet To See The Light

[Across America, many] colleges are setting up free bike sharing or rental programs, and some universities are partnering with bike shops to offer discounts on purchases.

The goal, college and university officials said, is to ease critical shortages of parking and to change the car culture that clogs campus roadways and erodes the community feel that comes with walking or biking around campus.

“We’re seeing an explosion in bike activity,” said Julian Dautremont-Smith, associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, a nonprofit association of colleges and universities. “It seems like every week we hear about a new bike sharing or bike rental program.”

College campuses are perfect areas for implementing bike share pilots. (Even more so when there’s a viable theft deterrent.) It’d be nice to see Penn and Temple, the city’s biggest universities, institute bike share programs as part of their professed desires to be more sustainable.

While it’s not like many of their students are driving across campus to get to class, it would nevertheless be another amenity that the schools could offer their students.

Related:
With Free Bikes, Challenging Car Culture on Campus [ New York Times ]
Sustainability office to help Temple campus go green [ Temple News ]
Penn Green Campus Partnership [ University of Pennsylvania ]

[ Photo via bikesharephiladelphia ]

Is Vince Fumo Going To Pull A Clay Davis??

A little light being shed on the Fumo defense strategy…

After years of near silence, State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo finally laid out his defense last week to the federal government's sprawling corruption indictment.

In the most striking defense argument, Fumo acknowledged that he had received freebies - power tools, consumer goods and much more - from a South Philadelphia neighborhood-improvement charity.

But the defense said Fumo had deserved the gifts from Citizens' Alliance for Better Neighborhoods as thanks for having raised millions for the organization.

We can't give him a gold Rolex watch for $25,000 because he has a watch," said lawyer Edwin J. Jacobs Jr., who represents former Citizens' Alliance head Ruth Arnao, a Fumo codefendant, at the start of the trial Wednesday.

Right, because that logic makes perfect sense. If you're playing by Clay Davis standards…

Related:
Arguments on both sides of Fumo trial [ Philadelphia Inquirer ]
Took - Episode 7, Season 5 of The Wire [ Wikipedia ]

Valet Bike Parking Comes To Philadelphia

There's a shortage of places to park your bike in Philadelphia. With more people than ever biking around the city, those precious few places at which to lock up your one speed have become even more scarce.

Obviously, the city will need a lot more bike racks, not to mention indoor bike parking in office buildings.

But that’s going to take some time.

In the meantime, how about valet bike parking?

Bike valet parking has been around in [New York City] for at least a decade, but mostly as an occasional volunteer service provided at public events like film screenings, “Summers Streets” events and the recent Lower East Side pickle festival by Transportation Alternatives, the pro-bike lobby.

But it’s gone upscale. Even a recent Fashion Week event at Bergdorf Goodman offered bike valet parking. It’s something that is also offered across the country, in cities like San Francisco and Chicago.

“People worry about locking up the bike,” said Hillary Nanney, 24, who was one of dozens of bikers who used the free bike valet service at International Pickle Day. “This is a great service.”

Yes, the city is already making efforts to ease bike parking: increasing bike facilities for city employees, building bike shelters, encouraging buildings to incorporate indoor bike parking and installing nifty bike racks, some of which are spectacularly designed.

But it’s not going to be nearly enough. For one thing, the proposed Bicycle Parking Text Amendment would require buildings to offer bike parking — but only new ones.
[…]
A valet service would give people piece of mind. It could make economic sense too. Right now, most bike valet parking is free. But many people would be willing to pay at the least the equivalent of a roundtrip subway fare or thereabouts — $3-4 a day or $80 a month. So with just 25-30 bikes in a day, someone could earn around $100 to cover wages and overhead, which isn’t much (which would be minimal).

You can pack in bicycles a lot more densely when you valet park (it works that way for cars, too). A parking space for a car can fit 20 bikes.

It’s also quite labor efficient. Instead of one valet driver per car at any instance, a bike valet could ostensibly move two bikes at a time — one for each arm.

And what’s great about bike valet parking (as opposed to car valets) is that it’s friendly to our labor market. First, you deal with sticky issue of driver’s licenses. Second, you don’t need to speak great English to park and unpark bike. As with a coat check, you only have to match numbers. So this could help with the city’s unemployment rate, which seems to be inching upward.
[…]
The city (or perhaps a third party like Transportation Alternatives) should license the valets so people would be be confident that their valet isn’t a fly-by-night bike thief. The city has already used its licensing power to increase the availability of fruit and vegetable vendors in poorer neighborhoods, why not use it to increase parking valets?

Sounds like a terrific idea to us.

Nieghborhood Bike Works provided valet bike parking at last week's opening night of A Clean Break on Broad and at Sunday's Biketoberfest at Dock Street Brewery in the UC as well.

Very cool to see.

It be even cooler if it was standard procedure.

Related:
How Much Do You Tip The Bike Valet [ City Room – New York Times ]
The city needs to get creative on bike parking [ Philadelphia Inquirer ]
A Clean Break [ Official Site ]
12 Reasons to Get To Biketoberfest on Sunday [ Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia ]
Neighborhood Bike Works [ Official Site ]

The Westin Center City Hotel Reportedly Playing Host To The Dodgers, Just As It Did For The Mets And The Brewers Before Them

According to our sources, the Los Angeles Dodgers are staying at the Westin Hotel in Center City. *

We find this to be newsworthy because a) the Milwaukee Brewers stayed at the Westin last week and then proceeded to lose both games to the Phillies in quick succession. And b), prior to that, the Mets stayed at the Westin all season when they were in town, and look what happened to them.

So, as far as we’re concerned, good choice by the Dodgers. The Phillies own teams that stay at the Westin.

And that’s not to knock the Westin — it’s a fine place to stay. In fact, teams' struggles may have something to do with their Heavenly beds being just a little too heavenly.

Regardless, feel free to swing by, have a drink in the lobby bar (or at City Grange), and see if you spot Manny being Manny.

Or stop by just to egg their bus.

To each their own.

* Allegedly.

With All Due Respect To Breast Cancer Awareness, Shouldn’t These Buildings Be Lit Bright Phillies’ Red Right Now?

After all, it’s been 15 frickin’ years since the Phillies have been playing for the NL pennant… They deserve it. [ Photo via PhillySkyline ]

In what can be viewed as unfortunate timing for the Phillies, their march through the playoffs has run into Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during which the Susan G. Komen Foundation organized some 40+ buildings in Center City to light their buildings pink at night.

Which would normally be great, except the timing is unfortunate for the Phillies because if these buildings hadn’t already agreed to go pink for breast cancer awareness, they would undoubtedly be going red for the Phillies. (As is customary with these things, a la Eagles playoff games, Pat Burrell going for the all star game, even Eagles on Monday Night Football…)

After all, it’s like Cole Hamels said of his team’s playoff success. “Hopefully it will turn the city red a little bit more than it is green.”

Indeed. And it should start with the skyline.

Now don’t get us wrong. Breast Cancer Awareness is awesome and we’re all for supporting it, and all for lighting the skyline pink as a way of doing so. We just wish it wouldn’t take precedent over the opportunity to dramatically throw the city’s support behind the Phillies, who are in a playoff series for the National League pennant for the first time in 15 years.

That’s it, really. The elusiveness and rareness of the feat, alone, should justify making the switch.

The Philadelphia skyline can go pink for the cure in November. And December. Hell, throw in January and February if you want.

But, honestly, right now it would be really, really great if the city we’re able to both literally and figuratively show its support for the Fightin’ Phils. And there's really no better way to do that than by lighting the skyline in their team color. The Phillies deserve it. And getting this town a little fired up with some good ol' Phillies team spirit would be a very positive thing.

So we say go pink next month. In our minds, this month the skyline should be lit a brilliant Phillies' red. GO PHILS!

(We’d be willing to accept a compromise — nights with Phillies games, skyline in red; nights without Phillies games; skyline in pink.)

Related:
CBS 3, Susan G. Komen Light Up The Tri-State - More than 100 buildings and landmarks go pink [ CBS3 via PhillySkyline ]
Philadelphia turns from football town to baseball town [ Philadelphia Daily News ]

Apparently, the skyline can go Eagles' green pretty much whenever…

Tiger Woods' Tourney Could (And Should) Be Headed To Philadelphia

Tiger Wood’s own PGA tournament, the AT&T National Tournament, wants to come to Philadelphia for two years, 2010 and 2011, to play at the Donald Ross designed Aronimink Golf Club, if the club will be so kind as to have him.

Woods's Event Set to Shift to Suburban Philadelphia for '10-11

Aronimink Golf Club in the Philadelphia suburbs will be the temporary home for the AT&T National golf tournament in 2010 and 2011 if a majority of the club's membership approves a proposal to host Tiger Woods's signature event on the PGA Tour.
[…]
Aronimink, in Newtown Square, Pa., was the site for the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player and the 2003 Senior PGA Championship won by John Jacobs. The course was designed by renowned architect Donald Ross and opened for play in 1928. It is annually listed among the top 100 golf courses in the United States, playing at 7,206 yards to a par of 70.

"We have made a proposal to Aronimink to host our event in 2010 and 2011," said Greg McLaughlin, the tournament chairman and executive director of the Tiger Woods Foundation, which runs the event and is the main charitable beneficiary. "The members still have to approve it, but we're excited about the possibility of going there. We felt it was the best place to take the championship. It's a historic course, Philadelphia is a wonderful market and they haven't had PGA Tour golf there in quite a while."

We agree. This is a win-win for Philadelphia. Even if it’s only for two years — we’ll take it. A PGA tournament is good for the local economy. A prestigious tournament hosted by Tiger Woods… that’s great for Philadelphia. And one more way to get Philadelphia some very positive national visibility on July 4th weekend.

We can only hope the Aronimink members don’t blow it, via a small-minded, self-interested vote. Aronimink — please throw Philadelphia a frickin’ bone.

McLaughlin had scouted a number of courses in the Washington area as well as venues in other markets, including Baltimore and St. Louis, before settling on Aronimink for 2010 and 2011. He said he wanted to keep the tournament at the same site for two years because "if you look at doing an event on a one-year basis, it's just very difficult from an operational standpoint. Aronimink offered us the best alternative for 2010 and 2011."
[…]
Dick Naumann, Aronimink's general manager, said last night that his club has a long history of hosting important tournaments, including the 1977 U.S. Amateur, and that most of the members he has spoken with "have been very positive about the idea of having the event at our club.

Good.

The member vote is supposed to be held later this month with the outcome to be announced in early November.

Aronimink: please make us proud.

Related:
AT&T National Tournament Finds a Temporary Home in Philadelphia [ Washington Post ]
Aronimink Golf Club [ Wikipedia ]
The AT&T National Tournament [ Official Site ]