Nautical revelers very confused as Tall Ships Festival simply a model ship exhibition

"I thought they were going to be full-size ships, not models," said Dennis Harris, a Medford, NJ, resident. "I paid $85 for a 90-minute Delaware River cruise aboard a tall ship. How does that work? It's not the Small Ships Festival"

Schuylkill Banks would have hosted Tall Ships if 'those lousy bridges weren't so low and river was wider, deeper'

Papal Visit: Philadelphia, MontCo, ChesCo, to purchase lots of 15-passenger pedicabs for Schuylkill River Trail transport into, out of city

Philadelphia--Yesterday, the city, in partnership with Montgomery and Chester Counties, revealed an ambitious plan to turn forty miles of the popular Schuylkill River (multi-use) Trail into a "major transportation artery" for the Pope Francis visit in September. How? Pedicabs...lots of them. In fact, the three counties, using a $700K grant from the Papal People Partnership, will purchase two hundred, fifteen-passenger pedicycles to be used to (slowly) shuttle visitors into and out of the city on September 26 and 27. Pedicabs will leave from Pottstown, Spring City, Phoenixville, Oaks, Norristown, Conshohocken, Spring Mill, Manayunk, and East Falls. The journey from Pottstown to Center City, roughly forty miles, via the human-powered cabs could take about five hours--if all passengers are truly pedaling and there is a generous tailwind. No other bicycles will be permitted on the trail on September 26 and 27 to clear the way for the cabs. "This is really going to take the pressure off our roads and rails," said Gary Saint Jasperson, interim operating manager of the Ches-Mont Transportation Authority. "But the plan can only work if all fifteen passengers are pedaling." Additionally, the city and Septa announced that Paoli train station will be the only suburban rail station operating on the entire Septa regional rail network during the Saturday and Sunday of the World Meeting of Families. "If you live in Bucks County or New Jersey, for example, and you want to use regional rail to get into the city, you must drive to Paoli," said Saint Jasperson. "Yes, it will be crowded in Paoli, but we'll have plenty of orange cones set up. Really, we just purchased about seventy-five brand new orange cones."

Group of Philadelphia Warriors fans gathering around tiny hospital waiting room tv on Convention Center site for NBA Finals

Visit to 'Future Sensations' exhibit inspires local resident to ponder future of 'that old rust-covered Saint-Gobain fire pit' behind shed

Memorial Day barbecue turns into intense brainstorming session on how to spend entire summer in Spruce St Harbor Park hammock

Topics such as bathroom breaks, beer refills, and park hours were debated over and over again.

Image:VisitPhlly

New Flyers coach makes first big change: wear full face shield or lose your scholarship

DRWC expands water taxi service to include 12 stops inside Penn's Landing boat basin

Papal Visit: Altar at Logan Circle to rotate during September mass, online vote to determine rotation speed

Pope fans can vote at vatican.com/crazy_spinning_altar~holy_dizziness

Customer carefully reviewing wide beer selection at Wegmans Craft Your Own Pack section quietly filling carrier with six Budweisers

Upper Merion, PA--Harry Oliver is not into the craft beer movement. He is, quite simply, "a Budweiser, Coors, Miller kind of guy." Oliver is in the minority among his friends of late twenty-somethings who regularly make pilgrimages to local brew pubs to taste the latest creation of a mad brewer. "I don't need cinnamon or pumpkin in my beer," said a defensive Oliver. "I just don't." But the system analytics coordinator of analysis doesn't particularly like to advertise that he's not aboard the craft beer express. "Yes, I could go to Wegmans and simply buy a six pack of Budweiser, but I like to go to the build-your-own-six-pack section, look intensely over all of the beers like I'm really interested in them, pick one up, read it, put it back, then, when no one or few are looking, quickly put a Budweiser into the carrying case," explained Oliver, referring to his beer-buying excursions to the supermarket chain. "I won't take all six at one time. I'll slowly build the pack with all 'weiser or Miller, while acting like I give a damn about the other beers. I know it's a bit phony, but there's a lot of pressure to be into local craft beer. A LOT of pressure." The King of Prussia resident admits he gets strange looks when other customers--building six packs with micro beers, agonizing over each selection, debating which bottle or can has earned the right to fill one of the six coveted slots of the cardboard holder--get a glance of Oliver's macro beer lineup. Notes: Oliver claims to have found away around the "no more than two (2) of one variety of beer rule" when building a six pack but would not divulge.

Report: New Broad & Walnut Wawa to offer limited selection of Wawa-themed luggage

Calif. drought: Wind wreaks havoc on waterless water balloon fight at child's birthday party

Lurie speaks: Eagles owner claims barrage of trades, transactions made him concerned about own job security

"I was afraid to answer my phone," said Lurie. "I thought I was next."

New Wawa at Broad and Walnut to have seating, full bar, valet parking, live music

The popular convenience store chain is creating the country's first "gastr-hoagie pub" in Center City Philadelphia and will feature touchscreen ordering from tables. 

Anonymous donation ensures Spruce Street Harbor Park dolphins will return for 2015 season

Above: Fresh water Dolphins, Cindy and Sandy--yes, named after the fearless Jaws 3 mammals--perform at the Spruce Street Harbor Park in August 2014. The pair's return for the 2015 season was uncertain until an anonymous donation was made to cover the steep costs associated with keeping the dolphins in the inner water garden area of the floating portion of the park for three months. Adventure Aquarium, just across the river in Camden, NJ, loaned Cindy and Sandy to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, the park's operator, last season and covered much of the costs. "The dolphins were a huge hit last summer," said one DRWC official. "It's a very tight space and the dolphins were real troopers. We may put up splash guards to protect patrons during the performances."

Popular Philly gastropub unveils Sam Bradford sandwich: avocado, chicken, & lettuce

"Someone created the BLT, we just created the ACL," said the eatery's owner. "For just $1.50 more you can make it a double ACL."

What was motive behind Chip Kelly's disguise at the NFL Combine? (If it really was Chip Kelly)

Indianapolis--Was that Chip Kelly? A man who claimed to be a scout for the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, holding several worn stopwatches, was spotted evaluating the nearly 300 talented athletes at the NFL Combine daily from February 17-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The individual, who introduced himself as "Gary Reynolds from the Jets," knew quite a lot about the Philadelphia Eagles and the team's needs in the upcoming April/May NFL draft. The bizarre get-up--if it really was Chip Kelly--fooled most coaches, players, and front office personnel present at the high profile tryout. "I like this Mariota guy," said Reynolds/Kelly. "He'd fit in nicely with the Birds uptempo system, er, I mean, as a right winger up in Manitoba."

New roller coaster will be first to serve meals, offer movies, pressurized cabins, luggage fees, pilots, deicing

Despite using almost all the dental floss to hang pictures, empty container still making local resident 'feel pretty darn good' about own teeth care

Report: NJ, PA awarded $20 million grant to remove 'any and all lopsided' ice chunks from Delaware River

Flyers GM Hextall says new phone cord definitely longer than previous phone cord

Residents calling for better lighting in new pedestrian tunnel at southwest corner of Washington Square

Above: A new pedestrian access way at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park in Philadelphia. The "tunnel," which required the demolition of the first floor of an historic South Washington Square building and millions of dollars to then make the upper floors structurally sound, opened just over two weeks ago after a nearly decade long court battle. Nearby residents are now calling for improved lighting of the passageway that links the park and Manning Street to the south.

Super Bowl XLIX: 'We talked about all the snow in Boston...the Grand Canyon...how Mad Men is ending soon...I don't know, stupid stuff'

Above: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell presents the Super Bowl XLIX MVP trophy to Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. The two assured fans and media that the encounter was not at all awkward after the two weeks of deflategate madness that preceded the big game in Glendale, AZ.

Boston's Record Snow: MBTA tells fans to take rail to Pats victory parade only if they want to miss victory parade

The system-wide delays on Boston's transit network are unprecedented after the city received 34.2 inches of snow over a seven day period.

NHL noticing media attention given to Deflategate, 'will likely' move to inflatable pucks

New York--Could the NHL move to inflatable pucks? Reports out of the Big Apple seem to think that the league is "blown away" by the media circus that deflategate has spurred around the NFL and "wants a piece of the action." An NHL puck is one inch thick, three inches across and about six ounces in weight. A move to an inflatable puck would dramatically reduce the weight and nearly double the dimensions, but the league wants higher television ratings and more media spotlight. Controversy over the proper inflation of a puck could provide exactly that. "Maybe we could have our own deflategate," said one NHL official. "We could use the same 12.5 to 14.5 psi thing that the NFL has. Maybe [Sidney] Crosby likes them at 11.5 psi and reporters from all over the world question him about how he may have let some air out. I'm just blown away by the media hype from [deflategate]. Just blown away."

Deflategate: NFL discovers air in trunk of Belichick's car

The coach's trunk appeared "empty" to the untrained eye, said one NFL official participating in the investigation of the Patriots. "But the trunk was filled with air. Air that could have come from deflated footballs. We're running many tests," said the official.

"The air from those footballs is somewhere," said one NFL coach who wanted to remain anonymous. "It didn't just disappear into thin air. It's in someone's trunk, backyard, or at the bottom of the Charles River."

NFL: Someone on Patriots instructed team's equipment staff to wear latex gloves during preparation for Colts game

49ers insist new hire unrelated to coach's last name sounding like Don Shula

Above: 49ers new head coach Jim Tomsula addresses the media during a postgame news conference. It has been widely speculated that having a last name that sounds like Don Shula, the Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins coach, may have influenced the front office to promote the longtime defensive line leader. "Don, er, Jim is a talented and very well respected coach," said one team official. "Jim Don-Shula is the right person for the job."

Christie makes good on bet: Completes Lambeau Leap but injures at least 30 Packer fans

The New Jersey governor promised to leap into the Lambeau Field stands if the Cowboys lost to the Packers. 

Jason Garrett promises 'much higher, weirder' turtleneck for Green Bay game