Metropolis

City Life

Joey Merlino Would Like to Get Some Things Off His Chest

In and out of prison and courtrooms for much of his life, accused — and acquitted — of multiple murders, and survivor of numerous assassination […]

City Life

What Happens to Friendships When Money Gets in the Way?

Some years back, a good friend of mine, whom I’ll call Margot, made the decision with her husband to send their two children to a […]

City Life

How Conshohocken Got Cool

It’s a gray day in mid-February, and I’m standing inside a bright shop in Conshohocken perusing the goods. There are crystals — glimmering Brazilian citrine […]

City Life

Lashes, Lipstick, and Leukemia: Philly Drag Legend Martha Graham Cracker Tells All

Raised in Virginia, trained in New York, and now a full-fledged local legend, South Philly resident Dito van Reigersberg talks platform boots, bone marrow, and […]

City Life

Our Phones Are Making Us Miserable — So Why Can’t We Let Go?

There are a few things I do in my daily life that aren’t particularly good for me but that I take great pleasure in. I […]

City Life

How the Pandemic Rewired My Sense of Place and Time

In general, I’ve lived a long and happy life. Sure, there have been intervals of hardship — I lost my mother and a sister too […]

City Life

From CAPA to Motown Philly: How One Philadelphia High School Made Boyz II Men

The following is an excerpt from the upcoming book Boyz II Men 40th Anniversary Celebration, which chronicles the group’s ascent from Philly teenagers to Grammy […]

City Life

Alicia Vitarelli Talks Fan Obsessions, Scuba Dresses, and Her Reluctant Main Line Move

Alicia Vitarelli may be a New York native, but after 15 years in the city she now calls home, she has fully embraced Philly — […]

City Life

“I Hope Your Team Sucks and Loses”: Inside the Head of John Kruk

Last April, while broadcasting a Phillies game in San Diego, John Kruk noticed he had a window. The seventh inning had just started. The Phillies […]

City Life

Talking TV and Philly With Long Bright River Actor John Doman

When you binge the new Kensington-set Peacock series Long Bright River, which debuts on March 13th, you’ll see a familiar face in every episode: the […]