philadelphia weather: 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 Philadelphian

By Dalyn Montgomery» I start each morning by arguing with a four year old about whether or not her dress makes her look like a tomato. The dress is blue. I don't understand the argument so I usually lose. Next we drop Tomato's older sister off at school. Doing this consists of first parking illegally by a fire hydrant, a risk made necessary because the school buses take up all the curb space. With the flashers on we abandon the car and join the screaming children and chatting parents in the school yard. It is one of those rubberized school yards that make you feel a little like Neil Armstrong as you bounce past the monkey bars and slides. I only partially pay attention as the loosely uniformed kids line up by class and grade, I'm looking for the parents I think of as friends. They are the ones I have three-minute conversations with at eight in the (Comments)

How Hot Is It...?

...It is sooo hot that a friend emailed me a piece I did five years ago about how the media handles heat waves.  It was true then, it is true today. Here it is.... I don't get this weather. It's... (Comments)

Skateboard Outlaws

By Dan Dorr» I've been skateboarding in Philadelphia my entire life - from City Hall and Love Park, to the grittiest of North Philly blocks, jumping from the foundations of demolished buildings. To be a good skateboarder in Philadelphia you need nerves of steel, whether your dealing with cracks in the sidewalks the size of small canyons or over-zealous security guards throwing you on the ground. This is also why there are so many skater-built spots in this city. (Comments)

Walking Philadelphia

By S. Trinh» Walking around in Northeast Philadelphia at night is disconcerting. In the morning, it's quiet, filled by the sound of cars driving by. The blocks upon blocks of cookie cutter houses seem to be a mix between quiet suburbia and busy city streets. Fast food joints litter corners; barely visited stores stand their ground on the grey pavement. Walking in the morning is strange enough, as all you see is a strangely uninhabited, working city. I do enough of it. I walk for hours at a time; there's not much else to do for entertainment in this section of the city. Though Philadelphia has a million-and-a-half people, on my walks, I hardly see more than five to 10. They kneel on their dying lawns, trying to revive (Comments)