Morning Headlines: Have You Seen “The Ice Storm”?

Look at the happy people at the Pumpkin Market parklet. Won’t they be thrilled if the city makes it permanent?

Has everyone seen the movie The Ice Storm by Ang Lee? It’s a very beautiful film, but rather depressing. Ignore the depressing parts and just take a look at the scenes of the ice coating the trees and clinking like wind chimes when the breeze blows the branches. In other words, SEPTA’s a mess, the roadways are perilous, and tons of people are without power — but NATURE! Nature is wonderful.

And so is our city. Let’s see what’s going on here:

• Five snows of hippos kill the Zoo Balloon [Inquirer]
• Here’s a philly.com story about an Old City rowhome that’s almost exactly the same story we wrote about that Old City rowhome. [philly.com, I guess]
• The City is considering making parklets, bike corrals and pedestrian plazas permanent rather than ad hoc. You’ll care about this a few months from now. [PlanPhilly]
• The Franklin Institute wants a flashing digital sign to promote exhibits. The city is against it. So is Scenic Philadelphia. A battle ensues, and continues. Which side are you on? [Daily News]