Longform
Philly’s Economy Is Growing — But People’s Lives Aren’t Getting Better
In October 2024, a who’s who of Philadelphia’s business, civic, education, and philanthropic leaders filed into the National Constitution Center — invited by a collaborative […]
The Forgotten Cemetery
Listen to the audio edition here: It was almost dusk when I decided to jump the gate. Looking up and down the street, I saw […]
Book Excerpt: The Banker Who Made America
In his new book, author and thought leader Richard Vague tells the story of Thomas Willing, the most powerful figure in U.S. history you’ve never […]
Chad Williams and the Neverending Quest for Excellence
Listen to the audio edition here: “You’ll need to use your imagination,” says chef Chad Williams. I follow him into two empty buildings that sit […]
To Stave Off Gentrification, Kensington Becomes Its Own Landlord
It’s closing time at Sherry’s Restaurant. The last few diners are still finishing up their home fries and eggs as Yolanda Del Valle sinks into […]
“We Owe You One”: The Sixers, the 1977 NBA Finals, and the Fight for the Future of Basketball
The 1977 NBA season was the first season following the league’s merger with its upstart cousin, the American Basketball Association. With the merger came new […]
Philadelphia Forgot A. Leon Higginbotham. America Can’t Afford To
The name Aloysius, of Latin origin, means “famous warrior.” And so it was suitable, on December 28, 1998, that a funeral befitting a champion took […]
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick Is Stuck in a System He Hates
Brian Fitzpatrick, the moderate Republican from Bucks County, has been ranked as the most bipartisan member of the House of Representatives — the member of […]
Inside the Philadelphia Art Museum’s Epic Meltdown
On the morning of Tuesday, October 28th, Sasha Suda, the director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum, was called into a meeting at the […]
The Cure For Loneliness? Dining Out Alone
Listen to the audio version here: Few daily rituals are as meaningful to me — and yet as mundane — as breaking bread. In the […]
Youth Sports in Philadelphia Are Uneven — and the Gaps Are Growing
It is a warm September evening at the sparkling new $21 million Vare Recreation Center at 26th and Moore streets, home to the Sigma Sharks […]
How to Thrive — Not Just Survive — Through Menopause
When Rittenhouse resident Julie Parana had a hysterectomy at 42, she was told that, because her ovaries were left intact, her hormones would be fine […]
How Pilates Became the Trendiest — and Most Hotly Debated — Workout
In the summer of 2024, Abington resident Katie Agnew was navigating motherhood — and the physical, mental, and hormonal changes that come with it — […]
Trump’s Cuts Are Hitting Philly Hard. Can the City Hold On?
I. The letter informing Penn researcher Aaron Richterman that his multiyear, multimillion-dollar NIH grant was being terminated came at the very end of May, 131 […]
Meet the Philly-Born Director Changing the Predator Universe
Dan Trachtenberg believed he’d made his very own Star Wars. It was 1984, and the three-year-old auteur had recruited his mother to hold the family […]