Philadelphia, Meet Your Future

Sweeney's a staunch defender of restaurant juggernaut Starr, and he was enticed to come to NoLibs by Blatstein, one of the most controversial developers in city history, who several years ago bought up a huge swath of the neighborhood and decided to make it a kind of experiment in hip urban revitalization, with a sort of Ikea touch. In what can only be described as a brilliant piece of ­enviro-marketing, Blatstein recruited Sweeney to move to what's now his loft, to make that area Ground Zero for Philebrity, and to host parties in the nearby streets, which are not municipally owned. There would seem to be something undeniably dirty about this, a blogger who attempts to exude alternative independence having, at the least, a close relationship with a megapowerful developer. "It seems like right now, [Philebrity's] becoming more of a marketing tool for events than an actual information source. Which is fine, but then that's what you should call it," says Julie Gerstein, 28, a writer and DJ who has been friends with Sweeney for years and worked briefly for Philebrity. "A lot of people question where his loyalties are."

Sweeney's reply to this sort of criticism — of which there is much — is swift, if not altogether airtight: Philebrity, he says, "is neither fish nor fowl. It's a city blog. It's a blog that constantly talks about all things Philadelphia. Where I think people get confused is, it's not journalism. It's something else."

How much Sweeney is earning from Blatstein isn't entirely clear. Though rumors of Blatstein as Sweeney's sugar daddy are pervasive — several scenesters were adamant that Sweeney gets help with his rent or pays none at all — Sweeney says no such quid pro quo exists: "It's not like we are getting any kind of discount simply to be here," he says. Blatstein, however, tells me that Sweeney does receive a discounted rent, but declined to say how much he actually pays. Sweeney adds that any "discount" is in exchange for advertising on the site, a bartering arrangement. (Blatstein says that having people like Sweeney in the neighborhood "lends to the synergy of creative types" and "greatly enhances the energy of the area.") Sweeney claims Philebrity is financially viable; he also tells me the electric bill often goes unpaid for months, he has no health insurance, and he lives "hand to mouth."

But as for Philadelphia's metamorphosis, what about the old neighborhoods — the old Fishtown that was his home? Neighborhoods changing in price, style and reputation, no doubt leaving at least some residents displaced, or at least feeling left out, or at least struggling with the change? Sweeney sees only roses.

"With Fishtown, it's sort of funnier gentrification, because it's, like, a lot of people who just wanted nothing for years and years but to be able to move to New Jersey anyway," he says. "So people in Fishtown really aren't getting pushed out." And where are they going? "They're moving to Cherry Hill, they're moving to little places like Magnolia, they're just moving to Jersey — you know, Jersey. And also I'm sure there's a lot of people moving further up to the Northeast — onward and upward."