city life: Philadelphia Metropolis

This Old House

By Rachel Levy Lesser» I grew up in a house built my grandparents. The new construction was complete in 1967, and it was distinctively theirs. The 6-foot bathtub and extra high counter tops were designed by and for my 6-foot-4 grandfather. The art studio complete with a science-like lab sink and oversized slots for canvases was what my grandmother, the budding artist, had always wanted. It wasn't their house for as long as they would have hoped. After my grandfather died suddenly, my grandmother wanted nothing more of their dream home in Yardley. She moved to New York City where she could be near the art and culture that she craved. This left my young parents in a precarious position. They had outgrown our small ranch (Comments)

The Reluctant Park Mom

By Kate Wright» I recently attended a birthday party for my son's two-year-old friend. I knew only a few of the people there -- namely, the hosts and their extended family -- but that afternoon I met other moms, dads, and kids who live in my neighborhood. I settled in, keeping watch over my son, who was not yet one, as he played with the big kids. The sun was out. I had a cold drink in my hand. It was a beautiful day. A woman approached. We introduced ourselves and she asked me where I lived. When she found out I was from the neighborhood, she seemed surprised and said: "Oh. Are you a park mom? I've never seen you at the park before." I stood there, staring at her, until our hostess explained: "She's a friend from before the park." "Yes," I said, suddenly feeling awkward. "I do go to the park from time to time, but we do other things as well." The truth is, I don't want to be a Park Mom. (Comments)

Management by Dithering

One of the lessons to be learned in the forced closure of dozens of Catholic schools in the region is the danger of institutional drift. For decades, Catholic schools had a fixed and firm role in the world: education and... (Comments)

A New Wave of Street Gangs

Though law enforcement officials don't like to talk about it, there is strong evidence of a new wave of street gangs in Philadelphia, "greedy, better armed and more prolific" than the famous street gangs who made headlines in 1960's and 70's. In this special report, reporter Frank Rubino reveals the extent and nature of these new-wave gangs, beginning with the Six-O Posse that operates in West Philadelphia. (Comments)

Reading the City

By Samantha Kirk» My father, a Navy veteran and contented suburban Maryland home-dweller, has trouble understanding why I love the city. When I talk about the row house I'm moving into in North Philadelphia, with its bathroom window offering an unobstructed view of the neighbor's bedroom, its crumbling drywall, its nightly chorus of stray cats, he waxes poetic about the Jeffersonian virtues of the countryside and the joys of homesteading. He knows I love the wilderness and the country; so why, he asks, have I spent most of my adult life seeking out the experience of the city? It's true that I am quite the nature lover. I hike, I climb rocks, I garden; plant identification is one of my hobbies. Being able to read a forest or meadow by the leaf shapes hidden within it is a wonderful thing. Much, in fact, like walking down a city (Comments)