Around the World with the -ists

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take her medicine and offered their own suggestions to how the city should capitalize on the local music scene. And everyone thinks that a suggested tax on bottled water is a great idea.

While LAist is prepares for Burning Man's 21st, they celebrated what would have been Charles Bukowski's 87th birthday. Hell, why not celebrate The Dude at Lebowski Fest. Or guys and girls dressed up as Oompa Loompas or sexy 1960's flight attendants playing beach volleyball in a tournament? But the true celebration for Los Angeles will come on the peaceful day when black and brown learn to get down.

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This week, SFist found a (presumably pre-AA) Mayor Gavin Newsom looking strikingly similar Sophia Loren. On the downside, the Tenderloin Housing Clinic forced its one-time ally and documentarian to foolishly take down his informative and helpful hallway cam. SFist cover boy Ed Jew came to the defense of local radio nut, Michael Savage; SFPD got cross with some skaters; and the left-hand-inflicted folk finally got their day.

Londonist met some interesting characters this week. First, they spoke to a lady who collects stories about virginity loss. Another Londoner is renting herself out on dates to raise money for brain tumor research. And why was Bill Cinton wearing orange socks with a green tie?

Bostonist welcomed Ron Jeremy to town, but his visit wasn't without incident. A drunk driver nearly took out the porn star's tour bus. Of course everyone wanted a picture with Ron Jeremy – and a cop might be in trouble for posing in uniform. If it's not porn, it'll be sports and politics on the front page. Mitt Romney was mixed in both when it was released that he and his wife have significant investment in YES, the TV network that televises all of the Evil Empire's games. Bostonist issued a warning about peeing on the toilet seat, as such action may have been the background that will send a woman to jail for first-degree murder. And Boston beat out all the other –ist cities in the survey that gave Boston the title of Bloggiest city.

Over at DCist, the news that former Mayor Marion Barry and Michael Jackson have become friends was just too much for them to take, so they spent the rest of the week trying to get over it. While recovering, they wondered why movies set in D.C. never get it right, why Metro won't just outright direct people to stand to the right and walk to the left, why GQ Magazine could possibly think Condoleezza Rice is the most influential person in town, and what's up with that Samuel Gompers Monument.

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Gothamist loves being in a town where the City Council is looking to ban smoking in cars with children ('cause banning non-hands-free cellphone use was sooo successful) and where federal Department of Transportation will give hundreds of millions to support congestion pricing efforts (which makes one wonder if the Barnes Dance should come back). But it was also a sad week: Legendary Yankee shortstop Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto died, as did philanthropist Brooke Astor. In other news, a storage company's provocative billboard drew comments, as did Gothamist's interview with the president of the Church of Scientology in NYC.

Phillyist was all abuzz with the news that M. Night Shyamalan is shooting a new movie in Philadelphia and that divine messages can appear in eggplants. The city's tallest building is set to open in November, a local sportswriter must go, and the tubers at a local restaurant are way too honest. Plus, check out this ad campaign!

Curious about what's going on across the rest of the Ist-A-Verse? Check out this week's favorites on Austinist, Houstonist, Sampaist, Seattlest, Shanghaiist, and Torontoist.