metropolis: Philadelphia Metropolis

My Philadelphia: Icons

  Through our stories and essays, Metropolis serves as a chronicle of modern Philadelphia. Over the summer, under the title My Philadelphia, we ran a series of essays about five city neighborhoods. In another series, we profiled young Philadelphians who... (Comments)

Sleight of Hand

It's early in the year, but I feel confident in predicting that the biggest political train wreck in Philadelphia in 2012 will be the AVI, the city's plan to reassess all properties to more closely reflect market value. AVI... (Comments)

Wretched Excess

We all end up with adjectives attached to our names.  Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno had a number of them -- beloved and legendary are two. He added another on Sunday, when he died at age 85.  He is... (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)

Murder, Inc.

Just when you think you have a problem under control, it slips from your grasp. Mayor Nutter is probably regretting his rhetoric over lowering the homicide rate, At least he is getting frustrated at the trend lines, using the word... (Comments)