Longform
The Pandemic Exposed Our Broken Higher-Education System. It’s Also Given Us a Chance to Make Things Better
All it took to blow up the American system of higher education was a deadly pandemic. For years, admission to elite colleges and universities has […]
Help Me, Doctor! I’m a Philly Sports Fan
Back in May, as the Sixers were a few games away from snagging the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference, sportswriter John Gonzalez took […]
Philly’s David Sylvester Has Hugged More Than Half a Million People, and He’s Not Quitting Anytime Soon
The high five I receive from David Hale Sylvester when I meet him for an interview in May is, honestly, breathtaking. The sound — a […]
Philly Houses Are Selling Faster — and for More Money — Than Ever. How Long Can That Last?
So, how out-of-control is the real estate market hereabouts right now? The following two tales might clue you in. The first comes from Cherise Wynne, […]
Jeff David Thinks the Fitler Club Is Key to Philadelphia’s Post-Pandemic Rebirth
Jeff David has a definitive list of the most influential trend-setting cities in America, and Philadelphia isn’t on it. There are what he calls the […]
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 Pandemic 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 […]