I live like 4 buildings from this little BYOB called Mercato. I have never bothered to eat there, but have walked by many a time. Well my friend from Atlanta was visiting this week and we decided to go. Mercato also means “Market” in Italian and its location is where the old Camac St. Market used to reside. Very witty. Read on to find out if it was AWESOME or not.
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Really what more could you want? Well OK there is a couple things I want….. I want off on Monday (it’s not happening). I want to shoot large “bottle” rockets at the commies across the river (I don’t think that I am going to be able to get a permit for the kind of rockets I really want to shoot over there). I want to see Superman Returns Friday night (OK so this one might actually happen). Anyway what are the rest of the Philadelphians doing this holiday weekend because I think my plans for invading New Jersey are probably going to fall through and I am looking for some ideas.

In part four of my draft review I will look at the Flyers second round selection defenseman Denis Bodrov. Bodrov was selected with the 55 pick in the draft and was the Flyers third second round selection and fourth overall. The Russian born defenseman weighs in at 6′0″ and 185 lbs. He played for Togliatti in Supereliga (Russia) last season recording two goals and two assists for four points over 35 games. Bodrov was ranked 65th among European prospects on the Central Scouting final report.

So we all know that it’s been raining just a teeny-weeny bit. Well, this morning, in response to the weather conditions, my condo association sent out an email warning about the Schuylkill’s predicted crest and how it might be a good idea for all of us to get our cars out of the garage (it’s below-ground where many people have their basements) and onto higher ground.

Shortly after noon, a follow-up email arrived from one of my neighbors:

Hello everyone. This is Doug Kammerer from NBC 10 in case some of you do not know me. In looking at the latest data from the National Weather Service, the river is now NOT expected to flood our garage. The river level should crest at about 13ft, much lower than last nights 15.5′ prediction. In 1999 Hurricane (tropical storm here) Floyd brought the river to 14.1 ft. I Spoke with Jim [edit] last night and he said that the river did not come close to our garage with the flooding from Floyd. That puts me at ease with this current flood. I am not going to move my car unless I receive new information. This email is in no way intented to tell anyone what to do, I just wanted to give you all a heads up to the latest information. If new information comes out I will try to send out another email.

I have my own neighborhood weatherman!! Coolness!

I may even have to switch my allegience from WPVI to watching the 5′o’clock news on NBC10. providing I’m ever home in time to watch the 5′o’clock news….

Image credit: Wikipedia.

A flyer showed up on our doorstep a few hours ago, looking for one Pinky kitty. It couldn’t hurt to put some info here, just in case. Help a kitty owner out if you’ve seen this baby.

Lost: Pinky!
On 200 block of Christian St. Monday, June 26th around 6p.
Cat- short hair, light ginger color, long tail, no collar, no front claws. May be injured! Approx. 15 lbs. Affectionate.

Please call Coni!
Work: 215-546-3065 x262
Home: 215-551-9030
Leave a message! Please!

Reward Offered!

So if you’re in the area, keep an eye out. Please.

Back when my cash stores were a little less paltry, one of my annual indulgences was an international trip to a faraway land where I could learn about another culture, fumble my way through ordering an entrée in the local tongue, and meet great people, those native to the country and fellow travelers alike. My travels have taken me on cross-country road trips through Ireland and Corsica, jungle and scuba escapades in Belize and Thailand, and backpacking the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, among others.

Because of this love for visiting distant locales and my personal interest in supporting area entrepreneurs, I was excited to learn of a local venture, Terramar Adventures, which organizes off-beat activities for those of you looking for something a little more exotic than a weekend at the shore. Brothers Carl and Jonathan Ewald are Terramar’s co-founders who have taken their own life experiences in trekking across the globe, scuba diving, international marathons and other extreme sports and transformed it into a business that focuses around being active, discovering the world, and connecting with people. They ask you to write in about your unconventional dream destinations and activities and investigate turning it into a reality. Check out their schedule of events–upcoming local excursions include a scuba trip to Dutch Springs here in PA. Membership entitles you to discounts on adventure tours and activities and access to a community of thrill-seeking travelers. More details at www.terramaradv.com.

Story Credit: Thanks to Al for passing on Terramar’s website to Metroblog.

So last Wednesday I stopped in at the Black Sheep at 17th and Latimer. I met up with my buddies Lauren and Bill and Emily so we could discuss a set of gigs I wanna book around town. Of course none of that got done, instead opting for the hanging-out-and-chilling-at-a-pub deal.

It’s a two-floor pub with a smoke-free dining area on the second floor, a bonus among those who don’t like the cigarette smell when you leave the bar.

So you might be wondering what we were served while we sat around exchanging music CDs and discussing local Philly venues like the Tin Angel and Fergie’s, right? You might be wondering what Your Secret Identity and Almost Awake thought of the place. You just might be. Well . . .
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It all started a year ago today, when the first post went up. The big news then was the rapidly approaching Live 8 concert on the Parkway, as well as all the other Welcome, America! events planned for the 4th of July weekend. We weathered it well and have gone on to write about the Flyers, movies, the Sixers, restaurants, the Eagles, Septa, music, closing department stores and our many run-ins with people on the streets of this town. There have been a total of 1357 posts and more than 1100 comments.

Not bad for our first year.

I am feeling rather emo today so I’m going to be depressed and sad and weepy very serious all over the MetBlog and post lyrics that describe my inner feelings about the current situations in Philadelphia. Right now, my soul is singing:

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Those are the lyrics that speak to my withered soul.
I’m going to haul my kayak out of the basement to go pick up a donut at Wawa, if you’ll excuse me…

I’m a little tired right now. I’ve been working two part-time jobs on top of the full-time gig, and I feel as if I’ve spent so many of my hours focused on a computer screen filled with tasks that someone could have wiped out Philly’s population with sarin or the neutron bomb, and I would still be obliviously typing away in my bunker.

Although, I suppose if that had happened, I’d no longer be getting demanding emails from all my many employers.

Guess the city’s still up and running after all. And, with any luck, I’ll be a part of it once again by Thursday night.