Philadelphia City Paper Archives

Whatever else he is, Philadelphia’s next mayor is going to be a crisis mayor. In addition to the ongoing catastrophes of poverty and an unsound economy, he can expect to face a homicide crisis that is escalating as surely as summer approaches; a budget crisis that threatens to incapacitate the city government;...

The term “pojangmacha” literally means “covered wagon,” and it’s commonly used to refer to the tented restaurants on wheels in Seoul. The Korean community in Upper Darby has its own version by the train crossing on Terminal Square. With a 15-year track record and dedicated clientele, however, this particular pojangmacha has a...

This the season for holiday parties and even Philadelphia’s mafia is getting in the spirit. Next week, mafiosos and their ilk will gather at Malone’s bar at 18th and Ritner streets, the same place where more than 70 “made men” and associates toasted the health of alleged mob boss Joseph “Uncle Joe”...

say college; you say kegger. I say naked; you say co-ed. It’s no wonder university sex rags can’t get no respect. JiaJia Fei, an aspiring photographer and junior art history major at Bryn Mawr College, wants to change that. And she may have founded the perfect literary erotica magazine to do it....

Fourteen years ago, when Morjorie Newlin was 72, her neighborhood supermarket had 50-pound bags of kitty litter on sale. Without anyone to help her carry the bags back to her house, she struggled mightily under the load. Never a particularly athletic woman, but staunchly independent, she decided that she had to do...

Under the El Artists, dancers and artisans are fighting to save Frankford. But it’s tough to overcome a history of violence. by Duane Swierczynski Every morning, my 2-year-old daughter smiles and points to the train yard where they found the first mutilated body. “Dumpdozers!” They’re building a multilevel garage there now. By...

He built a multimillion dollar empire out of monster magazines, plastic skulls and dirt from Count Dracula’s estate, only to lose it to real-life terrors. But now, Jim Warren is ready to rise again, along with the woman who inspired it all. “What would you say if I told you I could...

He built a multimillion dollar empire out of monster magazines, plastic skulls and dirt from Count Dracula’s estate, only to lose it to real-life terrors. But now, Jim Warren is ready to rise again, along with the woman who inspired it all. by Duane Swierczynski “What would you say if I told...

For those already familiar with the work of Philadelphia natives Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim—Timanderic for short—Tom Goes to the Mayor, their new show debuting on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim this week, will just be another hilarious addition to their quirky, sometimes bizarre catalog. For those not so familiar with the...

SEPTA veers into a potential $56 million trolley boondoggle. by Amy L. Webb Wondering what happened to the much-ballyhooed Girard Avenue trolley service set to run this fall? SEPTA’s new Route 15 trolley cars—part of a $56 million restoration project—are now parked indefinitely in a West Philadelphia depot lot. SEPTA assumed that...