Fashion Street: 48th & Baltimore

   I have never quite understood why those rich, famous and beautiful people on magazine covers have the privilege of defining new fashion statements. Us average folks wear clothes too, and quite well, thank you very much!  This is where Fashion Street comes in. Each week, I, Emily, your faithful fashion guru here at The What, will check out a new spot in Philadelphia and photograph the looks as they're happening. (Mostly by asking really, really nicely.) Let's get fashion off the runway and onto the streets! I'm excited to hear your comments about this venture, don't be quiet now. Fashion away!

48th & Baltimore, West Philadelphia

Oh my dears, as you on the East know this past week has been all winter without the wonderland. Ice and snow galore--but somehow it hasn't stopped my hard-core neighbors in West Philly from lookin' damn good. (What can I say, I'm biased). 






But seriously, I am loving the layers this winter. Check out this guy's stellar grey and black trench combo. Personally, he had me at the sunglasses. What a clever idea!

Weekly Top Five - 29.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Films Coming Out in Spring 2011

 

January is typically a slow month for movie goers. Therefore, it is the perfect time to look ahead into the year at the movies we really want to see. With so many promising films being released over the course of 2011, this article will focus on the top five films we want to see this Spring. Look for the Summer and Fall editions later in the year. 

5. The Green Hornet (14.Jan.11) - Michel Gondry helmed this superhero flick starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou. While it's no Dark Knight, it does not try to be. The movie is pure entertainment, a comedy with some cool action sequences tossed in, and it does not pretend to be anything more than that. Of the films on the list, this is the only one that has already been released, so you can head to the theater and check it out now! For more on The Green Hornet, check out our review here.

4. Sucker Punch (25.Mar.11) - This 1950's dystopian tale is directed by Zack Snyder, known for The Watchmen (2009). Snyder used basically the same crew from that film to make this one, so if you were a fan, you should be into this movie. Sucker Punch is the story of one girl's attempt to escape a mental institution before being lobotomized, a story that Snyder has called "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns." With the cast comprising mostly of younger actresses (Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung) this should be an interesting film to catch this March.

Pickelodeon: PYT

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

PYT

After reading several reviews of Northern Liberites' most banging burger joint, PYT, it occurred to me that I had yet to review it myself (save for this blip here), which is inexcusable. For an entire year, as I lived in South Carolina, I heard friends raving about this new place at some Piazza that opened up weeks after I left Philadelphia. For one whole year, I heard hype upon hype upon hype about how amazing PYT was, from the menu to the atmosphere to the staff. A twelve month stream of Facebook messages, texts, calls, and more all  hailing this bar as the greatest thing since beer. Yet somehow, despite the mountainous heap of praise I heard, once I experienced PYT for myself, it managed to surpass any hype I had heard. Let me break it down for you.

Weekly Top Five - 19.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Cereals

 

I absolutely adore food. Yet even as my palate evolves and I start enjoying more exotic fare, one thing remains true: I love cereal. It does not matter at which meal, I always enjoy a nice bowl of cereal. I am, however, picky. My distaste for soggy cereal is so great that I pour the milk into the bowl first, and sprinkle a small amount of cereal into it at a time to avoid sogginess. Genius, I know. So, without any further delay, here are my top five favorite cereals.

5. Rice Krispies - A simple but tasty enough cereal to get the job done. Rice Krispies are one of the few cereals in which I pour the cereal first. For whatever reason, I don't mind very much if the Krispies get a tad mushy. A major plus to getting Rice Krispies is the huge boxes it can be bought in, therefore making it last a bit longer.

4. Corn Pops - I had forgotten how tasty Pops are until recently. I picked up a box because it boasted having added fiber and was pleased to find that the cereal is still delicious. As my normal bowl of cereal contains twice their suggested serving size, a breakfast of Corn Pops gives me 22% of my daily fiber. This is definitely one of the tastier ways to up your fiber intake.

The Off-Day Workout

This workout requires no equipment.

In my efforts to drop 50 pounds last year, I developed an at-home workout plan called the T-Day Workout. The T stood for "torture," referring to the fact that I would work out until I was unable to walk straight. It also referred to the days of the week during which I would workout: Tuesday, Thursday, and SaTurday. While a three-day workout plan is encouraged in the health and fitness community, I found myself occasionally itching to do more. So I came up with a quick, simple at-home workout that I could do on my "off" days.

Weekly Top Five - 13.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Cool Things I Saw Online This Week

 

The Weekly Top Five feature sprung out of an article detailing five ways to kill time on the internet (seen here). Therefore, for this week's feature, we decided to revisit that idea and take a look at five really cool things we saw while perusing the world wide web this week.

5. The Graduate Student's Wardrobe - This article from Real Men, Real Style is a handy resource for gentlemen trying to help their wardrobe reach the graduate level. As I mentioned last week, I spent a lot of time this year updating my wardrobe beyond the jeans and tee shirt look and websites such as this one can be a valuable tool in helping you do the same.

4. Dress Like This Guy: Baron Davis - This piece from Effortless Gent recommends that gents try emulating the style of Clippers' point guard Baron Davis. While not everyone can pull off Davis' look, you can still pull of the attitude, which is half of style anyway. The attitude I speak of is the general lack of caring for how others see you. If you are comfortable with your look and style, run with it and make it work.

Pickelodeon: The Green Hornet

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

The Green Hornet

Geeks of the world, imagine your favorite comic book super hero. Now imagine a comedic actor who, at best, resembles a henchman, not a hero. Imagine that guy, whose only writing credit to date is about two high school buddies trying to score booze and get laid, just wrote a script about your favorite super hero that really does not stay true to the origin story you know and love. Outrage, right? Well, such is not the case with Seth Rogen's take on The Green Hornet.

The main reason there will not be outrage over this retelling of the Hornet's origins is due to the fact that there have been dozens of versions of the origin already. The legend of this green hero began as a radio program in the 1930's, and was most famously a 1960's television show with Van Williams and Bruce Lee that had a couple of crossovers with Adam West's Batman. The Hornet has graced the pages of the funny books as well, but each time the story was tweaked a bit to reflect the changing times. This just so happens to be what Rogen and co-scribe Evan Goldberg did with the film version of the Hornet. Gave it a little tweak to bring it up to modern times.

How to Not Be a Jerk: The Snow Day

Many times in life circumstances arise in which upon taking the easy way out, you come off as a jerk. Here at the What, we would like to help you avoid the stigma of jerkdom (see also: assholiness, douchebaggery, dicktion) by offering you guidance on how to properly behave in certain situations. A prime example of one such circumstance is the snow day.

Even now, years removed from school, the words snow day elicit a certain amount of excitement. That excitement lasts until you realize you have to get up, shovel a path, walk the dog, clear the car, and drive in this mess to get to work. Sometimes adulthood sucks. Yet, seeing as we are all adults here, we suck it up and do what we need to do. I believe it is called building character. Let's take our snow day, step-by-step, and examine how to properly go through the day versus how to jerkily go through the day.

Dreaded chore or awesome workout?

1. Shoveling -  If there is one thing about snow days that the majority of people would have a complaint about, it would be shoveling. I for one love shoveling because it is a decent workout that burns a fair amount of calories. Regardless of whether you do or do not enjoy shoveling, it has to be done. So let's take a look at the two options.

THE JERK WAY:  A jerk is likely to go outside with a shovel and do a quick hack job. He does not care if he is tossing snow into a freshly plowed street, his neighbor's already pristine sidewalk, in front of or onto someone else's vehicle, or onto the nearest fire hydrant. There is also a good chance that the jerk will forgo shoveling and instead use a snow blower and send high-powered plumes of the white stuff onto the aforementioned locales.

Articles Worth Checking Out

Since joining Twitter, I have become exposed to a whole lot of information. Most of it is worthless, if not entertaining, but there is also a fair amount of decent content out there. With the knowledge that there are probably many people out there who either do not have a Twitter account or just have not seen these links, I thought I would share a few of the more interesting ones with you.

Tips On What Men Find Romantic
This particular article is an interview with Brooke Miller, author of the column Soapbox Therapy. Unlike many articles boasting similar information, Miller actually delivers with advice that is helpful and spot-on. For Miller's own writings, which are as entertaining as they are informative, check out her author page at Primer Magazine.

How to Decorate a Room So It Doesn't Scare Away Women

My apartment 4 years ago. Not how it would look today.

Gentlemen, you need to read this. Too often the homes or apartments of the mid-twenties to early thirties crowd are just plain disasters. How you decorate and keep the place you call home says a great deal about you as a person, and this article is a fantastic resource in helping you get on the right track. If you need more help, look for Operation Classy Apartment, a feature detailing my move into a new place and subsequent classing up of the joint. For more from Meghan  McLachlan, the author of this piece, click here.

Day Tripper: A Day in DC

One of the many perks of living in Philadelphia is its proximity to so many snazzy places. Philadelphians are within a two or three hour drive of the mountains, the ocean, and some of the coolest and most important cities in the world. With that in mind, the What is proud to present Day Tripper, our guide to the numerous fun trips you can take in and around the Philadelphia region.

The Destination

Washington, DC is one of my favorite cities in the world, and second only to Philadelphia in the states. Aside from being the nation's capital, it has a ton of culture and easily walkable or accessible via their fantastic Metro system. Like New York, DC is a destination that will pop up frequently in the Day Tripper feature. For this particular trip, we will be focusing on a day that is ideal for a date or a small group of friends (perhaps even a double-date). Furthermore, keep in mind that this itinerary is designed for a very specific Saturday, March 19, 2011. Also, you probably want to wear black and red. It becomes important later.

Mixtape Madness #3: MMP vs. BBG vs. JRK

According to the novel High Fidelity the making of a good mix tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. Furthermore, a good mix is never finished. You never know when you will come across a song that changes the dynamic of the mix you just completed. There is a litany of intricacies to crafting the ideal mix no matter what the mix’s intended purpose should be. This feature is merely a guide on the cosmic highway of mix making, and while experienced, the writer does not claim to be an expert.

MMP vs. BBG vs. JRK Mix

 

Over the past year I have been invited to and attended a few MMP or MMP vs. BBG parties. I have to admit, they're a lot of fun. MMP of course is Madonna, Michael, and Prince whereas BBG typically refers to Beyonce, Britney, and Gaga. Often, these parties are touted as "guilty pleasures." But I say, why feel guilty about pleasure? And why limit yourself to just six artists? So, were I a DJ, I'd expand this party to include JRK (Jay-Z, RIhanna, Kanye) and add Matt & Kim and Passion Pit to the MMP, and finally, replace Britney with Biggie. 

Now, I will stray a bit from our typical Mixtape Madness format for this mix. For one, I did not limit myself to the length of a tape or CD. This is a party mix that deserves a little more time. Plus, I am now the proud owner of a sweet iPod stereo system so look for longer mixes in the future as well. Secondly, seeing as this mix is quite long, I won't be explaining each song and its position, just a few here and there. With that being said, get ready to shake it to the What's MMP vs. BBG vs. JRK mix!

1. "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
2. "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson - To this day, one of my all-time favorite songs. 
3. "Ray of Light" by Madonna
4. "Hypnotize" by the Notorious B.I.G.
5. "Beware of the Boys" by Jay-Z and Panjabi MC
6. "Gold Digger" by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
7. "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit - If you ever have the chance to see these guys live, do it. It's an amazing concert experience.
8. "Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare" by Matt & Kim - See #7.
9. "Single Ladies" by Beyonce
10. "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson 
11. "Hung Up" by Madonna - Thanks to Abba, Madonna's only decent song in years.
12. "Little Secrets" by Passion Pit
13. "Daylight" by Matt & Kim
14. "99 Problems" by Jay-Z
15. "Number One" by John Legend & Kanye West - Kanye's verse on this song is hysterical.
16. "Vogue" by Madonna
17. "Naughty Girl" by Beyonce
18. "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West - Had to include this one with the entire JRK represented.
19. "Please Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna - I love the nod to MJ in this track.
20. "Shake Your Body" by the Jacksons - There are few songs I'd rather hear at a party than this one.
21. "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince
22. "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna
23. "American Boy" by Estelle and Kanye West
24. "Lessons Learned" by Matt & Kim
25. "On To The Next One" by Jay-Z

Weekly Top Five - 3.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Good Decisions I Made in 2010

 

While many people are busy making resolutions for the new year that won't last past next week, I'd like to start off 2011 by reflecting on the positive things I did in 2010. Toward the end of 2010, I started falling into the trap of thinking the year was terrible and that the calendar changing would make everything better. But, after I sat and thought for a moment, I realized that 2010 was one of my best years yet, and here are five reasons why.

5. Snazzed up the wardrobe - Had you asked me prior to 2010 to describe my "fashion sense" in one word it would have been comfortable. I was known for wearing whatever I found comfortable with little consideration for how it looked. Beginning in 2009 I began making slight adjustments to improve my wardrobe, but 2010 was the year when I put a lot of effort into it. With help from sites like Primer Magazine, Dappered, and the Effortless Gent, I gradually improved my style. Instead of wearing a pair of New Balance sneakers with everything, I began alternating between Chuck Taylors, loafers, and dressier shoes. Graphic tees were replaced by solid V-necks and I began shopping at places like H&M and Banana Republic. While I still have a ways to go, in 2010 I made significant improvements to my wardrobe.

Write For the What!

Happy 2011! After spending 2010 as a one-man show, I'd like to open the What up to more writers. Should you be interested in putting the "free" in freelance, send a link to a writing sample to patrickwittwer@gmail.com. If you don't have any samples online, write your own installment of Weekly Top Five. Hope to hear from you soon!