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.

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.

Highlights from our Book Quarterly and our brand-new columnist

by Brian Howard

Palin is the latest piece of McCain quackery.

by David Faris

Even if Obama is elected, I still fear the terrible machine.

by Bruce Schimmel

What You Say

There is conflicting evidence as to where the hated designation "Sixth Borough" originated, or the identity of the first Philadelphia journalist