Stephen Fried

City Life

Remembering Jim Quinn, Chronicler of Philadelphia’s Restaurant Renaissance

Critic, poet, language maven, and novelist Jim Quinn, a Northeast native whose career spanned nearly 60 years, died in September at 85. He spent two memorable stints at Philly Mag covering — and in some ways shaping — the city’s food scene.

City Life

What Happened to Marie Noe, the Philadelphia Mother Who Murdered Eight of Her Babies?

The West Kensington woman’s case stunned the world in 1998 — but had faded from memory over the years. Here’s how her story ends.

City Life

Half-Court at Midlife

What I’ve learned playing hoops with the same guys for 25 years.

Things to Do

Billy Paul on Life After “Me and Mrs. Jones”

An excerpt from Stephen Fried’s 1983 Philly Mag story “The Day the Soul Train Crashed.”

City Life

What David Bowie Meant to Philly

And what Philly meant to David Bowie.

City Life

Eric Blumenfeld Is Crazy Enough to Revitalize North Broad Street

The smooth-talking, fast-car-driving real estate man has absurdly ambitious dreams for the development of North Broad Street. If can just keep enough influential people “hypnotized” — and avoid what happened to his equally exuberant dad.

City Life

Tyrone Gilliams: Ivy League Scam Artist

City Life

Patrick Kennedy’s New Career

City Life

Patrick Kennedy and the Jersey Girl

Two years ago, Patrick­ Kennedy, a troubled scion­ of America’s greatest­ political­ dynasty,­ walked into an Atlantic City ballroom­ and met a local schoolteacher who would become his wife. Now he’s reinventing­ himself — while living ­in his in-laws’ house in Absecon.­ An unconventional­ love story.

City Life

What If the Philadelphia Orchestra Can’t Be Saved?

In 2009, the troubled Philadelphia Orchestra hired a formidable Atlanta executive to reverse its plunging fortunes. Two years later, the organization is in bankruptcy, its musicians have just signed a contract that’s left them furious, and its future remains murky.

City Life

Upside the Head

From the concussions of Eagles DeSean Jackson and Kevin Kolb to the tragic suicide of Penn football star Owen Thomas, Philly has been the epicenter of sports head-injury news. Now, two Penn researchers are poised to put a big dent in the problem

City Life

Norman Carol Bows Out

After three decades as the heart of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the concertmaster takes his final encore. Bravo!

City Life

Thing of Beauty (Part 2)

How Gia Carangi carried the seeds of her own destruction.

City Life

Thing of Beauty

Gia Carangi left a Philadelphia hoagie shop to become one of New York’s top models. She was gorgeous, she was successful, she was rich. And within her, she carried the seeds of her own destruction

City Life

Child-Killer’s Sentence Proves to Be Incomplete