snow: Philadelphia Metropolis

The Case of the Crumbling Shoes

Best of VoxPop» On Christmas Eve day, as I was getting out of the car, I noticed an odd-looking thing on the ground: an oval plastic pillowy thing a little smaller than a credit card. It turned out to be the inner heel cushion from the Nike boots I was wearing. They looked fine when I put them on in the morning, but now the heel had separated into a top slice and a bottom, spitting out the air cushion that had been imprisoned inside. An hour or so later, the other heel started flapping and disgorged its cushion. Next, the front of one sole started flapping like a clown shoe. All day, everywhere I went, I left a Hansel-and-Gretel-like trail of black crumbles as the bottoms of my shoes continued to disintegrate. (Comments)

Why I Hate Cats

Best of VoxPop» Flash alert: there's a social epidemic spreading in the City of Brotherly Love. No, not flash mobs. You can stop tweeting about that. Cats. That's right. Kitties. I've made my dislike of these glorified rodents very apparent in the past few years, yet every. Single. Friend. Of mine. Has gotten not one, but two cats. "One will get lonely," they say, or "but they're so cute." Skinny jeans and heels are cute. Reading Twilight in our 20s is cute. Young women between the ages of 20 and 23 investing in a pet that will potentially live for the next two decades is not cute. Yet so many of my friends are following this trend, as if they don't realize--or care about--the commitment. (Comments)

My Philadelphia: Lawndale

Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and Metropolis is celebrating that fundamental Philly trait with six essays by some of our best writers about the places where they live. We also have collected work by local photographers, who live to shoot the city -- warts and all. Look for them at the end of each essay. My Philadelphia opens with Elizabeth McGinley writing about Lawndale, her adopted neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. (Comments)

My Philadelphia: Kensington

By Dalyn Montgomery» I learned a new word; "Kenzo". This new word is even better when used in my favorite insider's movie title, "The Little Kenzo Who Could." Everyone else thinks Rocky was from South Philadelphia but now I know he was really from K&A. Lots of people are from Kensington. From, because they all left. (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)