Just in time for holiday shopping, we have Metroblogging merchandise ready! Go check out the designs and get all of your holiday shopping done all in one fell swoop.

…to take over the world! Bwah, hah, hah!

Well maybe not the world, but if you have a Helio phone you can now browse all the Metroblogging sites under the “Surf Helio” options with the esteemed company of The Onion, Slate, Yahoo! and Maxim. Helio is clearly focused on providing quality content for their users, and we’re excited that they’ve added Metroblogging as a part of that experience.

Working with our partner WINKsite we have created a network of mobile sites optimized and specifically designed for Helio’s line of mobile devices. This integration will make it a snap for people to read about their hometowns from the unique perspective provided by our local Metrobloggers.

And remember, if you don’t have a Helio phone, Metroblogging is already available on any web capable mobile phone at mobile.metblogs.com.

Hey faithful readers–just thought we would let you know that Metroblogging just added the 50th city to our little blogging network. And the lucky city is…drumroll please…

Graz, Austria!

If you don’t know Graz, here’s an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry:

Graz, with a population of 285,470 as of 2006 (of which 248,146 have principal residence status), is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna and the capital of the federal state of Styria (Steiermark in German). It has a long tradition as a student city, with six universities with over 40,000 students. Graz’s “Old Town” is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe, and in 1999 was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Graz was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003. The city is situated on the Mur river, in the southeast of Austria. It is approximately 2.5 hours south of Vienna by train or 2 hours by car. Graz is the capital and largest city in Styria, a green and heavily forested area. The city itself is surrounded by low hills on 3 sides, thus making it predisposed to haze in the warmer months.

Welcome to the family Graz!
Everyone, please stop on by and say “Hi!”

Hello all,
I am your newest blogger… Hope you like my posts. If not, I’m cool with it.

- My favorite thing about this time of year is not the foliage or the holidays, as it is with many other northeasterners… For me, my favorite part is noticing other people’s choices of clothing. Inevitably in this city, there is a group of people who refuse to make the switch from shorts to heavier clothing. So, right on through Thanksgiving, you have those aloof, socially awkward dudes who are still wearing short sleeves and maybe even sandals around town, clearly cold as hell but trying their best not to show it… I love those guys! They keep me laughing until the spring comes again.
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Hello, New York

I’m your newest Metblogger, Benkay. I just moved here from the Left Coast (Portland, to be specific) to study at Parsons.

I’m gonna show you New York through fresh eyes, baby.

I am a cat lover, always have been and always will be. I rescued a stray once in Houston Texas from the parking lot of ‘Eddie Minnelli’s’ restaurant. I gave my cat the name ‘Minnelli’ and loved him dearly until that horrible day my stupid ex-boyfriend let him out of the apartment. My next kitten ‘Minou” was so small he fit in the palm of my hand. He could flatten himself and squeeze under my bedroom door. When my daughter was born, I found Minou a nice home with a woman who really wanted him. My last cat ‘Sunshine’ liked to slept on my head at night. She did not ‘meow’ like other cats, instead she thought she was a bird and made cute swallow sounds everytime I looked into her turquoise eyes. The point? In ten years, three cats, and I knew them all well.

As a cat lover, there are certain behaviors that leave me wondering what in the hell some people are thinking.

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It is with utter destitution that I tell you on August 10th we are losing the incomparable Anna Weichselbraun to France–BOO! We’ll just have to fill the empty, gaping void in our hearts by reading all about her exploits at Metblogs Paris and counting the days until she comes back to us.

Tomorrow we’ll be sending her off right with a trifecta of NYC Metblogs favorite things–cheap beer, free pizza and air conditioning! We’ll be taking our maiden voyage to the Crocodile Lounge (sister to the Alligator Lounge in Williamsburg) on 14th Street between 1st and 2nd. Won’t you join us?

Anna’s Farewell Extravaganza!
Tuesday August 1st
Crocodile Lounge
14th Street (between 1st and 2nd)
7:00 PM

Photo from Slice’s Photostream

We’re just growing and growing over here.

Last week we added our 48th City – Rio de Janeiro. Brazil
Hard to believe it, but this is our first blog in South America–very cool!

And today we add our 49th – Sacramento, CA
This is our 4th blog in the state of California–woot!

Stop by and say “hi” to our new neighbors if you are so inclined.

Hey! You! Are you a writer in NYC looking for a chance to have your writing reach thousands? If so, go HERE. Are you a fan of Metroblogging looking to join a kickass team of folks? If so, go HERE. Do you hate us and want to show us how it is done? If so, please go HERE. Are you having a love affair with NYC and want to let us in on all her secrets? Do you hate living in NYC and want a chance to vent online about all your gripes? Did you just move to NYC and do you have a lot to say about this city from an outsider’s eye? Do you just want an excuse to be invited to meet-ups on the off chance that you can hang with both Michael Orell and Art Lowe? Are you interested in talking about NYC politics and current events? Do you have nothing better to do? If any of the above is true, go HERE.

Yes, for the first time in who knows how the hell long, Metroblogging NYC has opened up for new author applications. We are looking for a few more writers to join our ranks so if you’ve got what it takes to write anything at all about the greatest city in the freaking world, fill out an application HERE.