A Hive Full of Green Bees
An excerpt from Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook
by Matthew Quick
By the time we decide to have a catch, I've had two or three beers, and I'd be willing to bet Jake and Scott have each had at least ten, so our passes are not all that accurate. We hit parked cars, knock over a few tables of food, beam one or two guys in the back, but no one cares, because we are Eagles fans in Eagles jerseys who are ready and willing to cheer on the Birds. »»

The Possible City
An excerpt from Nathaniel Popkin's new book
by Nathaniel Popkin
What is it about Philadelphia that conditions, over and over, the same kind of response? It goes back to the combination of what was and what isn't. What isn't is a city that feels energized by the world around it. It's just not open enough. And that lack of openness leaves it feeling all too often more lackadaisical, somber, and somnolent than it should be. What was, of course, are the physical ruins of a city that in its scale, ambition, and architecture mirror the world's greatest. »»

Philadelphia Dreamin'
Highlights from our Book Quarterly and our brand-new columnist
by Brian Howard
Nathaniel Popkin has been writing about cities for 20 years. He sees Philly — its mix of history and post-industrial struggle — as a fecundating matrix for people who can't walk down the street without wondering "what if?" »»

The Rowengartner Gambit
Palin is the latest piece of McCain quackery.
by David Faris
Facing certain defeat at the hands of the guy conservatives (jealously) call the "Obamamessiah," McCain tried to do what Rowengartner did — use a gimmick to win even when the odds are hopelessly stacked against him. It would have been a great strategy if presidential politics were a Hollywood fairy tale. »»

The Sixth Borough Independence War
From The Philadelphia Encyclopedia of Stuff That Didn't Happen (Yet)
by Joel Tannenbaum
There is conflicting evidence as to where the hated designation "Sixth Borough" originated, or the identity of the first Philadelphia journalist to sell their soul for a byline in the New York Times lifestyle section by using the hated phrase. »»

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
For those who just won't let August go, I'mo let you linger but for a second longer in the summer wind. »»

Home Turf
The Bloods and the Crips surface in Chester.
by Jeff Deeney
Anti-violence advocates held rallies, and editorials demanding change were penned. But one word was conspicuously missing from Chester's urgent debate about violent crime: gangs. »»

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes. »»

First Friday Focus
Sept. 5, 2008
by Lori Hill
Center for Emerging Visual Artists | Projects Gallery | Painted Bride | Arcadia Boutique | Copy Gallery | Edge Gallery
»»

French Connection
Pichet Klunchun and Myself and The Show Must Go On
by Rachel Frankford
"I have to tell you, I never try to be humoristic in my work. I want to be very serious and when the performances happen, the audience laughs!" »»

Last Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Molly Eichel
Yale MFA Photography 2008 | Education and Life: Lost Murals of Leon Sitarchuk | Offspring of the Winds: The Horse in Art and Imagination »»

Daytripper
Scrawl
by Tami Fertig
Who is this author? Why did he fill a page with little symbols and numbers? What does he mean when he writes "Show everybody the dick DiMaggio, Miller, Sinatra, J.F.K., Crawford, etc. had in their mouth. Cyanide"? »»

The King and I
Life goes on, even as the world drastically changes.
by Shaun Brady
Unlike Trains' Milos, I Served the King of England's Jan Díte is no feckless innocent. His surname translates as "Child," referring not just to his playful, boyish appearance but to his immature amorality. »»

Born in the '50s
Secret Cinema at the Hot-Rod Hoedown
by Shaun Brady
Films will be shown in a secluded spot perfect for dragging up lawn chairs or spreading blankets or, of course, driving up and re-creating the environment in which these films were most often seen the first time around. »»

Rebound
Nicole Reynolds mines her past loves and returns for something unordinary.
by M.J. Fine
"No love is uncomplicated, but my new relationship is much less complicated than my other relationship that I had while living in Philly. I'm totally in love and am with an amazing person and I know that comes out in my newer songs." »»

New Jersey Drive
J. Edward Keyes on Shuffle
There's nothing here you haven't heard before, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't hear it again: The Gaslight Anthem wrap raw heartache in roaring riffs, writing songs that take off like motorcycles, with just as much isolated desperation and pure raw horsepower. »»

Top of the Worlds
Former lawyer Michael Dolich found happiness in the dough.
by Drew Lazor
Dolich looks and sounds like a lifer, a guy who's been elbow-deep in flour and water since he's been able to open his eyes. But the truth is that he was a trial lawyer for a decade before he even knew how to spell spelt — and the fervent cult following Four Worlds now enjoys began with a single e-mail between friends. »»

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Bistrot La Minette | Hinge Café | Josh McCullough at Time
»»

Soaped Up
Hitting the Wall at the Red Bull Soapbox Race
by Lori Hill
The soapbox car is perhaps the greenest vehicle on the market. Gravity is its fuel — supplemented, some might say, with a fair dose of insanity. »»

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Monica Weymouth
Sheila Frank Spring 2009 Show | Oh, I'm So Glad We're Friends! | Grasshopper Second Anniversary Party
»»

NYT on "We're Taking Poe Back"
by Brian Howard
3 hours ago
It's sort of fitting, given that it revolves around Edgar Allan Poe, that this story will not die. Last year, CP ran a cover piece called "We're Taking »»

BRIEFING: What's being said with 22 hours to jury selection
by tom namako
4 hours ago
Philly MagThe Betrayal  Jason Fagone takes a rare look at the Fumo family.More than once, Vince had told Christian that he considered him to be like a »»

RNC Post-Game Link Round-Up
by Patrick Rapa
1 day ago
Palin lied about selling the plane on eBay. Palin's not allowed to do interviews for fear that she'll make a mistake.McCain allies in Alaska are trying »»

Friday Afternoon Procrastination Guidebook
by James Beale
2 days ago
Because we're intrigued by so much that is going on in the non-Philly sports world, I'm presenting you with the pre-weekend Friday Afternoon Procrastination »»

We Are Getting Fringe All Over Your Asses
by Patrick Rapa
2 days ago
Just a reminder, we've got lots of reviews and comments over at City Paper's Live Arts/Fringe blog and we update it every day of the festivals. Just click »»

How to make halo-halo at home
by Drew Lazor
2 days ago
Last weekend, a bunch of my family got together down in my home stomping grounds of Harford County, Maryland. Yes ma'am, we ate crabs — but we were »»

Once more unto the breach, dear Vince
by tom namako
2 days ago
Sen. Fumo has actually beaten more federal charges than most rappers claim to have evaded in their lyrics. (Jay-Z, as I remember in '01, is responsible »»