Since this website is all about me you guys, I thought I should post some of the best things I’ve written this year for YOUR amusement. I’m such a giver. You’re welcome. In no particular order, here are my twelve best from 2012.
1. The Bizarre Case of the Ben Franklin Bust. How a $3 million Ben Franklin bust ended up in a dumpster in West Philly.
2. How Philly Comedians Handle Hecklers. Pretty fascinating interview with several Philly comedians after the Daniel Tosh heckler incident.
3. When Scoop Jardine Stood Me Up at the City Line Hilton. I have had more people tell me that they enjoyed this piece than anything else I have written in the past several years.
4. Whiskey Cures Asthmatic Canaries. Some of the hilarious things I found in an 1890s Philadelphia Almanac.
5. Five Plans that Could Have Changed Philadelphia Forever. What if we had gotten the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? What if the Eagles had moved to Arizona? 5 things that came remarkably close to happening in Philly that would have changed the city forever.
6. Six Creative Marriage Proposals. Pretty self explanatory. The one at the end, involving dead bees, is pretty mindblowing.
7. Ridiculous Fantasies (and Practical Ideas) for Philly’s Abandoned Buildings. I spoke with a couple of architecture bloggers about what cool things could be done with the Divine Lorraine, USS United States, etc.
8. Interview with a North Korean Tourist. A very fascinating look at North Korea from a guy who’s been there several times. This was the most fascinating interview I did all year, but then again I’m pretty mesmerized by North Korea.
9. The Double Life and Strange Death of Phils Manager Arthur Irwin. This is one of the wildest stories you will ever read. When former Phillies manager Arthur Irwin committed suicide by jumping off a boat, his family in Boston discovered that he also had a family in New York, and vice versa.
10. The 1965 Proposals for a New Stadium, and Dome Proposals for the Vet. If you’re an architecture junkie, you’ll dig this one. There were some very interesting proposals for new stadiums in Philly that never got realized.
11. When Connie Mack had a Heckler Arrested. You think Philly fans are bad now? They were way worse in the 20s.
12. Searching for the Enemy. Don’t read this one unless you’re in the mood for a good cry. Seriously, I think it’s a pretty good piece but I can’t even read it because it will make me too sad.