south philadelphia: Philadelphia Metropolis

A Managerie of Men

By Leslie Cottle» This weekend my girlfriends were approached by a 20-something man claiming that Philadelphia girls just weren't making the cut compared to the usual "Southern Belles" he was used to. He even defined Southern Belle for my friends. Southern Belle (noun)- A girl born and raised in the South. Southern cooking, Southern accent, and Southern "old money". The kind of girl everyone dreams to be or meet. Proper, educated, has etiquette, says, "Yes, sir" and "Yes, mam" and means it. Since I grew up in Virginia and moved to Philadelphia as a teen -- with my "Southern Belle" roots intact - I understand the guy's point of view. But, here is my question: Does he know what kind of men roam around Philadelphia? (Comments)

Born to Boycott

By Janet Golden» Not so long ago I emailed a close friend an article that revealed her favorite line of yoga wear, Lululemon, came from a company that promoted the works of Ayn Rand. I expected her to be grateful for the news and, since she is a good left political activist, to thank me for alerting her so she'd never shop there again. Instead she asked: "Why did you have to tell me that?" I was shocked at her response. But then, I come from a boycotting family. Growing up in Southern California we boycotted all things John Birch Society. No Russell Stover candy ever passed my lips. As my mother taught me, Mrs. Stover gave money to the Birchers. (Comments)

He's Baaack!

Now comes Rick Santorum's 15 minutes in the limelight. His showing in Iowa this week guarantees that.  With little money and no organization to speak of, the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania placed second in the Iowa caucuses, just eight... (Comments)

Riding Their Bikes

Best of VoxPop» There are two kinds of bicyclists in South Philadelphia. If you think I am over-generalizing, go to the corner of Ninth St. and Washington Ave. and try to find a third variety. You'll be standing there a long while. Let's call the first kind -- my kind --the South Philly Cyclists. Let's call the second kind the Passyunk Pedalers. These names aren't terribly descriptive, but what's the point to life if there's no alliteration? We South Philly Cyclists are new to the neighborhood. We are interlopers. We are the educated types, or the creative ones, or occasionally even both. We are young, or despite appearances we pretend to be. We are female as often as male, but uniformly white. By no means are we rich, but we care about reducing our carbon footprint, and a certain material comfort is required of those who care about their carbon footprint. (Comments)

Never Thrown a Punch

Best of VoxPop» When I say I have never thrown a punch, I mean I have never even been in a playground scuffle, not growing up in Salt Lake City, nor later when I moved around the country. I have lived my life avoid troubling situations and employing what I tell myself is wit and charm in situations where trouble seems unavoidable. Five years ago, after moving to Philadelphia from South Carolina, I decided this needed to change. Perhaps it was one too many runs up the Rocky steps, or the fact that I stand six foot one and 240 pounds, but the City of Brotherly Love got me wondering how I would hold up standing toe to toe with another man. I opened my journal and scribbled a goal in ink, "Have two official fights, judged by an official referee." I figured I needed one fight, (Comments)