Longform
The Pandemic Made Me Prepare For the Worst. But Nothing Prepared Me to Lose the Love of My Life
In the early days of the pandemic, when civil unrest was at its peak and no one knew when things would “go back to normal,” […]
The World’s a Twisted Place. Thank God We’ll Always Have Mister Softee
It’s an early spring afternoon in West Oak Lane, and I’m about to get ice-cream-man lessons from Morad Khalil, a Mister Softee franchisee who’s been […]
My Neighbors Can’t Believe I Left San Francisco for Philly. I Can’t Believe I Waited This Long
For the past six months, my phone has been blowing up. I’ve gotten at least a hundred text messages from friends and acquaintances who are […]
In Defense of the Ugly But Glorious Mom Swimsuit
One day in early May, exactly 22 days before the local community pool opened, my phone buzzed. It was a half-panicky text from my friend […]
Chef Anthony Andiario Isn’t Trying to “Get Back to Normal”
1. There are chefs everyone knows. There are chefs almost no one knows. There are chefs who came so close to stardom that they’re haunted […]
COVID Stole So Much, But It Couldn’t Take Away Music
When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs in the 1970s, my first encounters with a piano were fairly typical. Starting when I […]
The Pandemic Forced Us Apart. Will Philadelphia Ever Fully Regain Its Intimacy?
On March 10th of last year, I hustled out of the crowded jury assembly room in the Justice Center. Standing in front of the old […]
When Everything Shut Down, Philly’s Black Community Found New, Revolutionary Ways to Convene
When I was a kid, each summer we drove from Trenton into The City. For us, “The City” equaled Philadelphia, which we sometimes called “Philly” […]
In 2020, West Philadelphia Was the Best Place in This Terrible World
On Saturday, November 7th, in the annus horribilis of 2020, I stood in Clark Park and declared West Philadelphia the best place in this terrible […]
Six of Philly’s Best Writers on How the Past Year Changed the City — and Us All
After a long, strange, difficult, challenging, revolutionary year, Philadelphia is still standing. Six notable writers reflect on how the pandemic changed some of their favorite […]
What Is Old City Without Tourists?
Last summer, for the first time in anyone’s memory, the tourists didn’t come. For two decades, we’ve lived in Old City. “A block from the […]
It’s the Peregrine Falcon’s World
In the spring of 2020, frustrated commuters (including me) thought they could finally glimpse the end of the construction morass that was the Betzwood Bridge […]
What Will Happen to Center City If Commuters Never Return?
As she sits in her West Mount Airy twin, Kisså Reckamp sometimes finds herself missing the commute to Center City. Admittedly, it only takes a […]
One Moment From John Fetterman’s Past Could Derail His Senate Bid
It’s the Ides of March, a date that lives in infamy, the day that Julius Caesar was betrayed and butchered by members of the Roman […]
What Will Philly’s Arts Scene Look Like After a Year Without Audiences?
A little over a year ago, I was elbow to elbow with 21,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center, reveling in the diva spectacle that […]