The World Series is winding down, with Yankees and Phillies duking it out for baseball’s bragging rights. Although my household isn’t particularly invested in the outcome -- my husband is a diehard Detroit Tigers fan, and let’s just say that my team hasn’t been to the World Series since 1945 -- I can’t resist the opportunity to sit on the couch for hours watching sports. To play up the rivalry, I’m passing on various nightlife attractions and planning a World Series-themed dinner party. One of the best things about baseball is its unpretentious, all-American traditions, so this is not the time to impress guests with a gourmet menu. Instead, I’ll be serving fare from the competing cities. Nothing says Phillies like, well, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and New York cheesecake is a crowd-pleaser no matter where the sports allegiances stand.

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Forbes trotted out a "Most Toxic" survey, and proudly crowned Atlanta the Queen of Dirty, with Detroit coming in as runner up (can they ever be the best at anything?), and Houston, Chicago, and Philly rounding out the top five. And by "toxic" they don't mean backstabbing and trash talking, so unfortunately they're not referencing NeNe, Kim, Lisa, Kandi, or Sheree. Instead, the survey focuses on air quality and the amount of toxic chemicals released into the water and air in the metro areas. Atlanta takes the top spot because of its dirty immediate neighbors -- Forbes is quick to point the finger at Sandy Springs (holla Sheree!) and Marietta.

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Sixth borough, my ass. Call Philadelphia whatever you want any other time, but this week, in New York, we call them one thing: "Fucked." Because the Yankees have the best team they've had in years, and they're about to win their first World Series since 2000. Granted, it's eight years late, but sometimes we need to play catch-up. For those who will have to tolerate watching the seven games with you -- or watching the Phillies lose in four -- we've come up with some decent alternatives to your average digs you'd watch baseball, for those who might find this a less-than-pleasurable experience. Batter up.

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[See part 1 of Paper Route's tour blog.]

I'm not gonna lie. In fact, I'm pretty bad at lying. Unless you consider exaggerating a lie. If that's the case, I'm screwed. But this is beside the point. I'm not gonna lie. We've been invited by BlackBook to blog about this tour. Consistently documenting the highs and lows of touring, then turning in our tour "gems" at the end of the week. I would love to say that I've been on top of this ... but the reality of the situation is that besides driving, unloading gear, playing shows, loading gear, playing after shows, and sleeping on seats perfectly designed to ruin your back, all I've done is draw pictures (to keep my brain moving) and take some photographs. I haven't revisited any of these, so there's a chance I'm even a bit more intrigued than you. Let's begin ...

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● Village Whiskey (Filter Square) - Over 100 of varieties of whiskey stand tall next to Philly's meanest new burger.

● Blockley Pourhouse and Mary Oaks (Fairmont & Art Museum) - Former insane asylum becomes pub and performance space. State-of-the-art security becomes state-of-the-art sound system.

Check out our new Philadelphia city guide, online now for both the website and mobile and featuring the usual cool mix of nightlife, restaurants, shops, and hotels.

Busting the windows of a cheating spouse
Performing in front of millions, but running away from an exclusive love
Lusting for someone to keep her warm at night

These are all elements of the young soul that Jazmine Sullivan bares with the swipe of her gifted pen. Born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love, music seemed to be the cornerstone that Jazmine’s life was built upon, as her mother whetted her musical palette with a harmonious juxtaposition of gospel staples and secular classics. That concoction of compositions served as the perfect recipe for her critically-acclaimed debut album, Fearless. Featuring production talents from the likes of Salaam Remi, Missy Elliott, and Stargate, Fearless boldly forecasts the torrential pours of essence from a 21-year-old woman who is just coming into adulthood, all while bearing a heart full of feelings for the world to dissect.

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“What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” You’ll probably be asked this question a hundred times by your friends over the next week. However, for many, New Year’s never lives up to the hype, and partygoers' complaints are usually universal: Went to the same club I go to on a regular Friday night, paid ten times the price for admission, had ten times the amount of people there, waited ten times longer for a drink. Enter New Year’s Nation. This unique company hosts New Year’s Eve parties in ten cities, and what makes the events so different is the connectivity -- all cities will be linked live via the Internet. Plus, there’s no waiting outside behind a velvet rope to get in, and no chance of being empty-handed when the clock strikes midnight. NYN has a specific ratio of bartenders to guests, so everyone will get their drink on. And for your listening pleasure, NYN just announced DJ AM and Travis Barker will be DJing this year at their LA party -- their first time playing together since the plane crash.

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A business meeting took me to Philadelphia yesterday. Although the election outcome in New York is a foregone conclusion, many believe Pennsylvania may be close. I saw Barack Obama volunteers everywhere -- even a cute little old lady with a table giving out buttons. One of the great things about Philadelphia are the murals on the sides of buildings. Here too was Obama staring righteously at us as we navigated the streets of the city of brotherly love. I showed my partner Marc Dizon an orange sticker 3 feet wide and 18 inches tall in the window of a building erected just after the signing of the Constitution of the good old USA. This sticker is a notification to the neighborhood that someone plans to open up a drinking establishment. People have 30 days to raise objections, or as I understand it, the license is issued without much ado. My Philly meeting told me that if someone objects, they go before a mediator and objections are heard, the future establishment explains how they will deal with the issue, and most of the time that’s that. Philly is like the fifth or sixth biggest market in America. They have thousands of bars, restaurants, clubs with diverse crowds, and as many big-city problems as we do in New York, and this is how they deal with the process of obtaining a liquor license.

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