When the server at this long-running French brasserie in Washington Square West delivered my croque madame for lunch Thursday, I was taken aback by its size and beauty. If ever a sandwich deserved a place in the Louvre, this was it. The thick-sliced brioche bread was toasted golden and crispy, the Parisian jambon (ham) and cheese within were grilled to perfection, and a decadent béchamel sauce was drizzled over the bread and spooned in a perfect circle around the entire sandwich. A well-executed sunny-side up egg atop was sprinkled with paprika and julienned ribbons of fresh herbs.
Of course, once I dove into it, this croque madame went from beautiful to big ol’ mess very quickly — but it tasted delightful. Should I have eaten a salad for my first lunch out of the year? Perhaps. Do I have any regrets? None whatsoever. Not only was the food good, Caribou’s French-inspired decor always has a way of transporting me to Europe while still in Center City. Philadelphia. Caribou Cafe, 1126 Walnut St., 267-951-2190, cariboucafe.com
— Stephanie Farr
The salmon buerre bialy at Cleo Bagels.
Salmon beurre at Cleo Bagels
On a rainy day in West Philly, I found myself wanting to switch it up from a classic Nova lox sandwich — but not veer too far from it at the same time. The salmon beurre, a recurring special at Cleo Bagels, was the perfect fit. Served on a garlic za’atar bialy (one of my favorite bialys in the city), this lighter sandwich pairs a schmear of fancy cultured butter with lox and cornichon pickles. It’s a pleasant, balanced, and just-filling-enough bite I’m sure to repeat. Cleo Bagels, 5013 Baltimore Ave., 215-282-7292, cleobagels.com
— Emily Bloch
Matines Cafe’s default breakfast sandwich features scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese tucked into a croissant.
Breakfast sandwich at Matines Cafe
The day after New Year’s was cold and gray, and the prospect of going back to the grindstone was a grim one, and the only sensible salve for that was a breakfast sandwich. (Judging by this week’s other Best Things entries, I wasn’t alone in that sentiment.) So I swung by Chestnut Hill’s Matines Cafe — now in a larger, new-ish space just off the main drag on Highland Avenue — and ordered their signature breakfast sandwich, which comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheddar. And I chose to have it on a croissant instead of a baguette for all of the aforementioned reasons, not to mention Matines’ owners are French and know their way around viennoiserie.
Split just enough to tuck in a sizable scoop of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy strips of bacon, and a scant layer of cheddar, the croissant sandwich scratched my itch for something savory and slightly decadent — and managed to do that without flaking or falling apart. Paired with a big mug of black coffee and its accompanying tuft of balsamic-dressed side salad, it got the first workday of the year off to a very satisfying start. I’ll be more than happy to return to try one of Matines’ other breakfast-sandwich varieties, including avocado with turkey and Swiss, salmon with brie, and black truffle-parmesan-prosciutto. Matines Cafe, 23 W. Highland Ave., 215-621-6667, matinescafe.com
Broadway playwright, composer, and actor Shaina Taub knows the power of theater to make a political statement. As an enthusiastic teen in Vermont, Taub staged a teach-in to protest the Iraq War at her high school — a bold move inspired by the anti-war musical Hair.
About a decade later, when she was approached to write a musical about the suffrage movement, Taub recognized another meaningful opportunity to blend activism with theater.
The one challenge: She was pretty unfamiliar with the American women who fought for the right to vote.
“I really didn’t know anything,” Taub said.
She was stunned, but her feelings turned into frustration as she concluded that her American public school education had been seriously lacking. “I was blown back by the scope of this history,” she said.
That fueled her to create Suffs, the hit musical about the suffrage movement centered on South Jersey Quaker activist Alice Paul, a radical and charismatic organizer played fittingly by Taub herself in the Off-Broadway and Broadway runs.
Alice Paul, seated second from left, sews the 36th star on a banner, celebrating the ratification of the women’s suffrage amendment in August 1920. The 36th star represented Tennessee, whose ratification completed the number of states needed to put the amendment in the Constitution. (AP Photo, File)
After premiering in 2022 at New York’s Public Theater for a sold-out run — following the trajectory of another history musical box-office success, Hamilton — Suffs opened on Broadway in 2024. It went on to earn six Tony Award nominations.
Taub took home two, for best book and best score, making history as the first woman to win in both categories independently on a night where Hillary Clinton, a Suffs coproducer, introduced Taub and the cast.
Now on its first North American tour, Suffs has landed at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music this week (running through Jan. 18) to help kick off a year of events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. The musical graces the same stage where suffragist Susan B. Anthony once spoke some 150 years ago advocating for the right to vote.
Though mostly set in the District of Columbia, Suffs has some local shout-outs, too: The show mentions Swarthmore College, where Paul studied before pursuing her master’s at the University of Pennsylvania, and Bryn Mawr College, where President Woodrow Wilson (Suffs’ main antagonist) once taught history and politics.
“Suffs” on Broadway.
On opening night at the Academy of Music, director Leigh Silverman nodded to Philadelphia’s history in the suffrage movement, mentioning the protests Paul organized at Independence Hall, only a mile away, and across the city.
“The suffs you met tonight, and the many, many others … were here in Philadelphia, and they remind us of our collective strength and what is possible when we stand up and fight, despite how far it might seem like we have to go, or for how long we have to keep marching,” she said.
“This is the first year of Suffs being performed under this president, and [it feels like] a radical act to get together in the theater and tell these stories,” Taub said.
She added that it’s acutely meaningful to see the show in Philadelphia as the city reflects on the nation’s history for America250 this year.
Though the actor/playwright grew up in Vermont, she saw shows in Philadelphia as a kid when she visited family in South Jersey; her mother, Susan Taub, was raised in Cherry Hill, just a few miles down the road from Paul’s childhood home in Mount Laurel.
Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross — these are the massive engineering marvels that come to mind when most Philadelphians think of the bridges between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But less than an hour north of the city, the Delaware narrows enough to let charming, Norman Rockwell-type trusses span the forested riverbanks.
Everyone knows New Hope. But on the opposite side of the river, Lambertville and neighboring Stockton make a compelling case for a Jersey-side getaway, thanks to stylish revived historic inns, a vibrant arts scene, and some excellent shopping. Start the car.
Hunt: Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market
Coming off I-95 and up River Road, you’ll hit Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market, just outside Lambertville. Over five decades, this sprawling indoor-outdoor operation has grown into one of the largest antique markets in the region. Treasure hunt for Tiffany-glass lamps, rare baseball cards, glittering geodes, and more. Don’t miss Art & Restoration gallery on the first floor, where the chatty owner is happy to talk through the process of paper deacidification and the highlights of his ever-changing collection (which recently included a Picasso).
📍 1850 River Rd., Lambertville, N.J. 08530
Hike: Goat Hill Overlook
River towns offer plenty of scenic walks along the water, but a little elevation makes all the difference. Goat Hill Overlook, halfway between the Golden Nugget and downtown Lambertville, is a low-effort, high-reward climb: a gently uphill, paved path that clocks just under a mile from the trailhead parking lot. At the summit, the blue, bridge-laced Delaware slides toward the horizon before dissolving into the woods.
Indie boutiques, antique dealers, and cafés line the streets of downtown Lambertville, which stretches along Bridge Street (at the foot of the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge) and spiders out in a series of charming alleys and lanes. Wander into Zinc for home and garden inspo, Lambert + Hope for Flamingo Estate candles and Laguiole knives, and Panoply for special-edition books and vintage vinyl.
📍 Bridge Street, Lambertville, N.J. 08530
Snack: RSC Atelier
Perhaps the only gourmet grocery you’ll find attached to a gas station, RSC Atelier in Stockton grew out of the old Rosemont Supper Club nearby. Build a picnic basket with Iberico ham, upscale tinned fish, and farmstead cheese sourced by sister business Immortal Milk Cheese Co.
A crossroads for travelers since 1710, the nine-key Stockton Inn reopened in 2024 after a seven-year renovation that modernized the staying experience while still preserving the building’s historic bones. Earthy colors and natural fabrics give the rooms and suites a tranquil, contemporary vibe that feels both at home in the country but also more stylish than the typical area B&Bs.
📍 1 S. Main St., Stockton, N.J. 08559
See: Music Mountain Theatre
New Hope’s Bucks County Playhouse gets most of the attention, but just a mile from Lambertville’s downtown, Music Mountain Theatre is quietly expanding the arts scene on the Jersey side of the river. Founded in 2017, the company stages polished productions year-round for families and adults alike. This winter’s lineup includes Grease (through Feb. 1), followed by Dangerous Liaisons and Shrek the Musical.
True to headline, nearly everywhere in this guide has a Lambertville or Stockton address. Dinner is the only exception. For that, head three and a half miles inland to the Sergeantsville Inn. Chef Sean Gray, formerly of New York’s Momofuku Ko, runs the tavern and restaurant housed in a building that dates to 1734. Stone walls, wood beams, and Shaker-style chairs set the stage for a candlelit meal of radicchio salad with cheddar and pears, beer-battered onion rings with horseradish aioli, or a whole roasted duck. Look alive — the Revolution is here.
Robert Williams III never knows which Yacht Rock tune or ’90s hip-hop jam he’ll parody when his beloved Birds take the field.
But by the top of the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles fan and social media content creator not only has the song picked (more times than not, it’s a Billy Joel classic), but he has also written most of the lyrics, practiced the hook, the chorus, and the bridge.
The result looks something like “Allen Down” — a hilarious remix of Joel’s 1982 hit “Allentown.”
Williams, a retired Army veteran who served in the Afghanistan war, wrote that one as he watched the Birds beat the Buffalo Bills the Sunday after Christmas, clinching their spot in this Sunday’s first round of the NFL playoffs.
In the video he’s dressed like a giant Eagle while clowning on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The clip has 19,000 likes on Instagram and tens of thousands of likes on TikTok and Facebook.
“Philadelphia took Allen down
Every time you looked he was on the ground.
Vic Fangio did a heck of a job.
I’m guessing the Bills drank too much eggnog,” the song goes.
Williams’ cheeky videos, filmed in his Severn, Md., Kelly green man cave, have earned the Hamilton, N.J., native a combined 2 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. And a lot of those followers are from Philly.
That includes Questlove, Jazzy Jeff, Chill Moody, State Rep. Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia), and legendary WDAS announcer Patty Jackson.
Robert Williams III posed for a portrait at his home on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Severn, Md. Williams has an Instagram page where he performs parodies of popular songs with lyrics about the Eagles.
Before the 2025 NFL season even started, former NFL player-turned-podcaster Cam Newton ribbed Jalen Hurts, saying he wasn’t one of the league’s elite quarterbacks. Gillie took offense and hazed Newton on social media all season.
After Hurts’ stellar game against the New York Giants in Week 8, Williams dropped a video sampling LL Cool J’s 1997 hit “4,3,2,1.” In it, Williams mocks Newton — complete with long hair, wide-brimmed hat, and round glasses offering a fake apology to Gillie through a series of crisp bars.
Gillie liked and shared it.
“I was like ‘Wow’,” Williams said. “That right there is a big thing for me.”
Williams, who is known across social media as @robertwilliamsfilms, is also recognized as being among the influencers who trade in Gen X nostalgia, creators like Maria Ferrer and the Urban Rewind.
His loyal fans include some of the biggest old-school rappers: Ice Cube, and Wu Tang Clan’s Ghost Face Killah and Inspectah Deck. Common began leaving friendly — albeit slick — comments on Williams’ parodies in Week 13 after the Birds’ devastating loss to the Chicago Bears.
Williams quickly borrowed the arrangement of Common’s “Go,” changing the lyrics to “No.” That post has 74.3K likes on Instagram.
Even famously estranged musicians Daryl Hall and John Oates both agree on Williams’ talent. Williams cover of Hall & Oates’ 1975 hit “Sara Smile” after Week 15’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders as ”Jalen Smile” drew likes and comments from each of the musicians.
Williams’ devotion to the Eagles goes back to the mid-1980s when Buddy Ryan was coach and Randall Cunningham and Reggie White were on the team.
“I fell in love with the passion they brought to the game,” he said
Williams, 49, a fan of soft rock groups Tears for Fears, Toto, Air Supply, and Journey, watched a lot of MTV. He enjoyed Weird Al Yankovic’s parodies of ’80s icons Michael Jackson, Madonna, and later, Coolio.
“I had such an admiration for Weird Al,” Williams said. “Me and my little brothers would walk to school making up our own lyrics … Songs would just pop in my head and I’d rearrange the lyrics.”
He never stopped.
Robert Williams III tries on one of his signature wigs for a portrait at his home on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Severn, Md. Williams has an Instagram page where he performs parodies of popular songs with lyrics about the Eagles.
While still in the Army, Williams, now a husband and father of two, picked up a side hustle as a videographer, shooting weddings and other special events.
“I was a student of YouTube University,” he said.
COVID ended that gig but also marked the beginning of Williams’ social media career.
He posted his first parody — “It’s Almost Thanksgiving” performed to the melody of The Golden Girls theme “Thank you for Being a Friend” — on social media in 2020.
His bridge: “It won’t be a party, we’ll be talking to everyone on Zoom.”
Some of Robert Williams III’s Eagles collection at his home on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Severn, Md. Williams has an Instagram page where he performs parodies of popular songs with lyrics about the Eagles.
He combined his love of sports and parodies during the 2023-24 NFL season. That first post centered on Williams’ disdain for the Dallas Cowboys. In it, his daughter slyly asks, “Daddy, how long has it been since the Cowboys won the Super Bowl?” Williams (also known as Billy Soul) puts on a strawberry blond wig and spoofs a 1984 Billy Joel hit: “For the Longest Time.”
Some of Robert Williams III’s Eagles collection at his home on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Severn, Md. Williams has an Instagram page where he performs parodies of popular songs with lyrics about the Eagles.
That video received 212K likes on Instagram and remains one of his top posts.
“My Billy Joel parodies seem to do the best and I have a lot of fun doing them,” Williams said. “My favorite genres of music are hip-hop and R&B so those parodies are easy to me. When I’m doing Billy Joel, I’m challenging myself.”
He is committed to posting an Eagles recap weekly during the 2025-26 season. This year his costumes are more elaborate — he has two boxes of wigs to choose from. His wife, Katrina, and his children, Rakim and Dayla, make regular appearances. He’s also monetized his page, earning a few hundred dollars a month.
Williams’ videos do well because he’s fast. By the end of the game, not only is the song written but he has also cued up the footage to intersperse between verses. It takes him about a half an hour to record his voice and film the storyline.
The videos are posted within two hours after the game ends.
Robert Williams III posed for a portrait wearing his Hall & Oates wig at his home on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Severn, Md. Williams has an Instagram page where he performs parodies of popular songs with lyrics about the Eagles.
But sometimes, Williams is scrambling.
Last Sunday, after the Birds’ surprising fourth-quarter loss to the Washington Commanders, he had to quickly retool his version to Billy Joel’s “Keeping the Faith.”
In the revamped final verse, he sang: “Some say sitting the starters was a good thing. Now we will play as the No. 3 seed. Now it’s time to be the Broad Street Bullies. ‘Cause the 49ers aren’t all that good and we’ll prove it at the Linc next week …”
As for Sunday’s game, Williams is keeping the faith.
“Some people think we can’t turn on a dime and win this whole thing,” Williams said. “But I believe we will.”
The buyers: David Snelbaker, 59, finishing technician
The house: a 1,440-square-foot townhouse in Port Richmond with three bedrooms and two baths built in 1925.
The price: listed for $275,000; purchased for $269,500
The agent: Allison Fegel, Elfant Wissahickon Realtors
Snelbaker in the kitchen of his Port Richmond home.
The ask: Snelbaker didn’t want to give up his house in Graduate Hospital. He’d spent years rehabbing and repairing it. But in 2023, on the heels of a breakup, he determined he couldn’t afford to keep it on his own. He needed to downsize, but he wanted to stay in his neighborhood. Other than that, his list was short but firm: a backyard for gardening and a rowhouse that wasn’t too narrow.
His budget was $300,000 — a number driven less by lender approval than by self-preservation. “I didn’t want to be house poor,” he said. “I have friends who are. They don’t go on vacations. They’re just kind of financially stuck.”
The search: Snelbaker needed to sell his old house before he could make an offer on a new one, which made it difficult to compete in South Philly’s hot market. “A lot of the places I wanted to jump on would just go so fast,” he said.
He expanded his search and discovered better stock in Fishtown and Port Richmond. “For the same price for something in South Philly, it was a fixer-upper,” he said. “And here, it was in good shape.” Snelbaker had already lived through years of construction in his old house and wasn’t eager to do it again. “I just didn’t want to get into another fixer-upper situation,” he said.
He checked out a few places in Fishtown but settled on Port Richmond because it was closer to his work. The prices were better, too. “It was a win-win,” Snelbaker said. The only other place he considered was a recently renovated rowhouse close to the river. “It was laid out well,” he said. “That was my second choice.”
Snelbaker liked that the house was recently renovated and move-in ready.
The appeal: Snelbaker knew he’d found the one when he stepped out back. “The backyard was unbelievably, unbelievably big,” he said. “It’s like 27 feet long and 18 feet wide.” Plenty of space for the major landscaping projects he wanted to do, like planting several trees and building raised beds. Even better, one side of the yard abutted a warehouse, not another rowhouse, which gave him “a level of privacy,” he said.
Inside, the house was open, newly renovated, and neutral. “It didn’t have a lot of personality,” Snelbaker said, “but it wasn’t a lot of work either.”
The deal: Snelbaker saw the house at the end of the summer, but because he needed the proceeds from his Graduate Hospital home for a down payment, he couldn’t make an offer right away. Thankfully, the Port Richmond house lingered on the market until he sold his place in October. “I was surprised it didn’t move,” Snelbaker said.
Once his old house sold, Snelbaker moved quickly. He offered $269,500 — $5,500 under the asking price — and the seller accepted without pushback. The inspection brought little drama. The sellers, who were contractors, handled minor repairs. “They did some patching on the roof and some stuff on the brick in the front,” Snelbaker said. “There was something with the dishwasher … they repaired that. That was pretty much it.”
Since moving in, Snelbaker has added personal touches like this antler lamp to give his house more personality.
The money: Snelbaker walked away with $240,000 from the sale of his previous home. He put a chunk of it into a certificate of deposit and used the remaining $180,000 for the down payment. “I put more than 20% down because I wanted to keep my monthly payment low,” he said.
Even so, timing worked against him. Interest rates climbed to 7% as he was shopping, and insurance costs jumped a few months after he moved in. His monthly payment was originally $1,300. Now it’s $1,900. He plans to refinance once interest rates drop a few percentage points, and he’s actively looking for a better rate on his home insurance.
Snelbaker removed some of the concrete in the backyard to plant trees.
The move: Snelbaker sold his old house in mid-October and officially closed on his new one on Halloween, but he wasn’t ready to move in right away. His agent did some “fancy footwork” and worked out a deal for Snelbaker to rent his old house from its new owners for a few weeks. “She negotiated a really good timeline that gave me space to pack and wrap up everything at the old house,” Snelbaker said.
Even better, he celebrated Halloween with his old neighbors. “We handed out candy, and they made me dinner. It was very sweet,” Snelbaker said. He moved into his new home the week before Thanksgiving.
Any reservations? Without an attached neighbor on one side, the house runs colder than Snelbaker expected. He contacted an energy auditor who advised him not to do anything until he insulated the roof. It’s pricey, but worth it, Snelbaker said. “It’ll definitely increase the comfort and lower my heating bills.”
Life after close: Since moving in, Snelbaker has focused on the backyard. He removed slabs of concrete to make room for trees and raised beds. “That was important for me,” he said. “I really wanted to get a garden going again like I had in my old spot.”
DEAR ABBY: My mother passed away six years ago. She was a manipulative woman who had alienated all family members except my adult son. She promised him a sizable amount of money when she passed but didn’t follow through. As the fiduciary of my parents’ estate, I followed their trust directives as written, with no exceptions.
My son received a nice check, but not as large as he had expected. He was upset and blamed me for “taking” his money. Then he declared that we would never see our grandsons again unless he received what his grandmother had promised. He refused to understand the concept of a trustee’s fiduciary duty and has ghosted us, even though I have tried reaching out to him several times.
Thanks to the generosity of our former daughter-in-law, we do have access to our grandsons. I have finally come to terms with my son’s decision to remove himself from the family, which includes his brother and sister. He’s an adult and can make that decision for himself.
It was always my intention to one day pass what I inherited on to my three children. What I am struggling with is that I’m feeling a considerable amount of guilt because my husband and I have excluded this son from any monetary distributions from our own trust because of how he has behaved and his attempt at blackmail. Am I justified in excluding him? I want to forgive and forget, but I can’t get past his actions.
— CONFLICTED IN IDAHO
DEAR CONFLICTED: That your son misdirected his anger from his grandmother, where it belonged, onto you is very sad. Forgive him in your heart, but do not reward him by changing your estate plans. If you haven’t already done so, discuss with your lawyer leaving your son’s share of your estate in trust for your grandsons instead.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: I am married to a verbally and economically abusive alcoholic. His drinking has grown much worse during this last year to the point that he can no longer hold a job longer than two months. We have three children, and I know our constant fighting is bad for the kids.
Because I haven’t worked in eight years, it has been extremely hard for me to find a job. I have applied for many. I want to leave this toxic marriage, but I’m scared. I don’t know how. I have nowhere to go, no money, no car, no job. What can I do, Abby? I am so miserable that I can’t stand it.
— BREAKING POINT IN THE WEST
DEAR BREAKING POINT: It’s time to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which can be accessed at thehotline.org or by calling toll-free 800-799-7233. Your husband may not be beating you, but that does not mean you aren’t being abused. The atmosphere you describe isn’t healthy for you or your children. You cannot save your husband from his addiction. Only he can do that when he finally hits rock bottom and decides to seek help for his drinking.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re often the one who takes charge, but you don’t always have to. Today, let others lead. Conserve your energy for the moment you’re truly needed: the moment only you can handle better than anyone else.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Once again, you’ll be reminded that power can create or destroy. Wisdom is what keeps it pointed in the right direction. Keep seeking it. What you learn today will be exactly the guidance you need to make the right move.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll make huge goals, as you usually do. Just remember, falling short of an unreasonable goal is normal or even expected. If you aim for the moon and land in the upper atmosphere, that’s still further than most people ever get.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll face a group challenge. There’s pressure to belong or impress. Don’t treat the group as a single force. Really try to see each individual instead. When you meet people one by one, everything becomes more flexible, relatable and negotiable.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Today offers the opportunity to be gentle with yourself, even a little lazy. Get rest when you can, because a shining focal point is about to enter your scene. It will be wonderfully disruptive.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If can’t say “no” to someone, are you ever really saying “yes”? Maybe what you’re saying is, “sure, it’s easier just to do things your way.” Healthy relationships include the freedom to disagree or decline without fear of the backlash.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The beginning of an interaction will set the tone. Help people feel safe to contribute — to be real, honest and comfortable. Get everyone into a rhythm and they’ll keep coming back. Whatever you can do to make things easier and more accessible for others will make your life better, too.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). With the right people, you can just be yourself. The friends who matter won’t be scared off by your big feelings. They know they can handle life’s messiness, so yours doesn’t rattle them. Therefore, you can relax, be real and trust the connection.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Someone keeps disappointing you, so you rewrite your expectations. You’re not being cynical; you’re being accurate. The smart move is to let reality set the terms so your heart doesn’t shore up all the differences.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll have a receptive audience today. When they laugh at your joke or praise your work, it’s more than an ego boost. Being seen makes you want to offer even more of yourself and share what you do best.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You might wrestle with the job at hand. Don’t assume that because it’s hard for you, you’re in the wrong. No. This is just the learning curve doing its job. Keep going. The thing that was hard to learn will be sweet to know.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People consult you for a reason. It’s not just that you know what’s up. You also keep adding to the knowledge and information, and now you’re practically an enlightened expert whose comprehensive understanding is essential to operations.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 10). In your Year of Dynamic Harmony, personal life and public life complement each other beautifully. Family politics smooth out, and your reputation rises with each generous act. You’ll make powerful connections and experience love that feels both fated and freeing. More highlights: artistic breakthroughs, a financial win, moves that have you living in beauty. Libra and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 1, 10, 36 and 12.
Now it’s just a matter of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. The team going to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, won’t be announced until Sunday. But South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito did everything necessary to make the team.
Levito, 18, placed second in the free skate and third overall Friday night at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis, after placing third in Wednesday night’s short program. But this was by no means any failure on her part. The top five women skated clean programs on both days.
At the end of the evening, Amber Glenn won her third consecutive national title, landing triple axels in both programs. Alysa Liu, the 2025 world champion and a two-time national champion, won silver. Two-time national champion Bradie Tennell placed fourth, which in the United States also is a medal, the pewter.
Levito, who lives and trains in Mount Laurel, charmed in both of her programs, set to Italian music. Friday’s long program was a light but dramatic piece, to “Cinema Paradiso” by Ennio Morricone. Every note was accentuated and every toe pointed.
She opened with a triple flip-triple toe combination and moved through the program without missing a beat. She pumped her fist after she finished skating.
Isabeau Levito skates in the women’s free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis. She won the bronze medal.
“She truly is a ballerina, but what I love most about Isabeau is that there is iron below; there is grit,” NBC commentator and 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski said. (Lipinski, like Levito, was born in Philadelphia.)
“I can’t wait to see that on Olympic ice,” added NBC’s other commentator, two-time Olympian Johnny Weir. (Weir is from Coatesville.)
In the end, Levito earned 148.73 points in the free skate and 224.45 points overall. Her overall score is a new personal best.
“I feel like [my free skate] reflected the training I put in,” Levito said in a news conference after the competition. “It was my first time competing in an Olympic year being age eligible for the Olympics.”
Levito, Glenn, and Liu are expected to be the women’s team representing the United States in Milan — which also is Levito’s mother’s hometown and where her grandmother and other relatives still live. Levito understands and speaks Italian.
Silver medalist Alysa Liu (left), gold medalist Amber Glenn, bronze medalist Isabeau Levito, and fourth-place finisher Bradie Tennell pose with their medals after the women’s free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.
Unlike other sports, the national championships are not an Olympic qualifier. It is the last of a series of events over two years that are considered in the equation that determines the team.
The center rotation between Joel Embiid remains in flux.
And Kelly Oubre Jr. must regain his shooting rhythm. But in the meantime, his effort has been a huge asset.
Those things stood out in the 76ers’ 103-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night at the Kia Center.
George continues to shine
The Sixers (21-15) need someone to take over when Tyrese Maxey and Embiid are on the bench at the start of the fourth quarter. Based on Friday, George is determined to fulfill that role.
The nine-time All-Star scored eight of the Sixers’ 11 points to put them up 94-82 before Embid and Maxey checked in with 6 minutes, 48 seconds remaining. George made 4 of 7 shots, grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots, and assisted on Andre Drummond’s layup during the stretch without the two standouts.
After he went to the bench briefly at the 6:18 mark, Maxey and Embiid continued where he left off. They combined to score seven points before George returned with 3:35 remaining. He added his 10th point of the quarter on a layup with 2:57 left.
“He was really good in the fourth,” Maxey told the media. “Really good! He played defense all game. Then in the fourth, he made shots.”
The 6-foot-9 small forward finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals to go with his two blocks. This is the second consecutive game that George dominated a quarter. He scored 13 of his 23 points in the second quarter of Wednesday’s home victory against the Washington Wizards.
The Sixers need him and rookie VJ Edgecombe to keep dominating quarters, especially when Maxey and Embiid are resting.
George didn’t shoot the ball well, missing all seven of his three-point attempts. But he played with poise and got to his spots for key buckets, especially in the fourth quarter.
Maxey finished with a game-high 29 points and three steals. Embiid added 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Edgecombe had just six points on 3-for-8 shooting. But the shooting guard finished with nine rebounds, a team-high seven assists, and two steals.
The Sixers will be tough to beat if their four best players continue to display this type of balance.
Center rotation
When healthy and available, Embiid will always get the start at center. And that’s understandable, considering he’s the 2023 MVP and a seven-time All-Star. Who backs him up, however, often depends on the matchup.
Adem Bona usually gets the nod when the Sixers are playing an athletic team that likes to play an uptempo style. Meanwhile, Drummond assumes the role whenever they need rebounding against a towering team.
So against Orlando (21-18), Drummond was the first player off the bench, subbing in for Embiid with 5:47 left in the opening quarter. This marked his second consecutive appearance after not playing in the previous two games.
Drummond quickly made an impact, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring a putback at the 5:12 mark. He played well, finishing with seven points and six rebounds, and was a plus-8 in 16:37. Bona did not play.
Friday marked his second game back after missing 22 games with a sprained left knee ligament. The small forward failed to score while missing all five of his shots. But what Oubre lacked in shooting, he made up for in other areas. The 6-8, 203-pounder finished with six rebounds and one block.
He’s shooting 1-for-9, including missing all four of his three-point attempts, in his return.
But his energy and solid defense have made Oubre an asset off the bench in the last two games. And he should make an even larger impact once he regains his shooting rhythm.
Before the injury, Oubre averaged 16.8 points on 49.7% shooting — including 34.3% from three-point land.
The Sixers expect him to regain his shooting form over time.
The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers to open the first round of the playoffs on Sunday. The last time both teams met was on Dec. 3 of the 2023 regular season, when the 49ers avenged an NFC championship loss to the Eagles a year prior.
Now, the Eagles enter as 4.5-point favorites. Will quarterback Brock Purdy lead the 49ers to a win in the postseason? Or will the Eagles back-to-back hopes stay alive?
Here’s what the 49ers players and coaches are saying about the Eagles …
‘Obviously, we know Philly’
Almost three years ago, the 49ers and the Eagles met in the NFC championship game. The Eagles dominated the 49ers at home in a 31-7 victory to secure their spot in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the loss, Purdy tore his UCL in the first quarter, but returned to the field after the team’s backup quarterback, Josh Johnson, suffered a third-quarter concussion. Entering Sunday’s game, Purdy isn’t focused on his past encounters with the team.
“More than anything, it’s our 2025 season and we’re trying to finish strong and compete against a new team, scheme, kind of feel,” Purdy told reporters. “That’s where my mindset is at with that. Obviously, we know Philly, being there, their environment, their fans, all the things. It’s about getting prepared for that right now, rather than having flashbacks or anything like that.
“I already went in there in 2023 and played after what had happened in 2022. So, I feel like that’s out of the way and we’re ready to move on.”
The following season, the 49ers traveled back to Lincoln Financial Field during Week 13 and avenged the NFC championship loss with a 42-19 win over the Birds.
“Two completely different outcomes,” George Kittle told reporters this week. “They whooped up on us the first time. Then we did it the next year. I try not to think too much about that. I try not to hold onto grudges or anything like that because I think that just kind of clouds your judgment and you’re thinking about all this stuff that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters to us is beating the Eagles who we haven’t played in two years.”
Although both teams have history with one another, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is only focused on one thing.
“We have history with the team, but this is about executing, it’s about controlling what you can control, and going out there and playing extremely hard,” McCaffrey said.
Eagles fans can be hostile, but some 49ers players prefer it that way.
‘They hate us all equally’
And when it comes to traveling to the Linc, the 49ers are just as familiar with the Philly fan base. On Thursday, Kittle reflected on his past experiences in the city.
“The one thing that’s really unique about Philly is that they don’t really — I mean, maybe like a division rival is different, but any other road team that comes in there, they hate all of us equally and I just appreciate that,” Kittle said. “It’s incredibly loud, they flip you off, they moon you on your bus ride in.
“But, they do that to everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re the 49ers, if you’re the Jacksonville Jaguars. It doesn’t matter. They just give you that no matter what and I appreciate that because you can tell how much they love their team.”
The veteran tight end has played four times in Philly, including that 2023 playoff game, but appreciates each one. “I just thoroughly enjoy it because it’s so unique every single time,” Kittle said.
However, there was one moment that really stood out to the seven-time Pro Bowler.
“I’ll never forget my rookie season, the year they won the Super Bowl, it was my first time playing in the Linc,” Kittle recalled. “There were like four 10-year-old kids holding a seven-foot-tall papier-mâché middle finger that had a rotating thing on it that made the middle finger come up. That was the coolest thing, I’ll never forget it. That was my rookie year and I was like this is excellent.”
Playing on the road in the postseason may be a tough challenge for the 49ers, but it’s one that fullback Kyle Juszczyk is ready to take on, especially in Philly.
“It’s more difficult [going into a hostile environment] but the payoff is better,” Juszczyk told reporters. “There’s nothing like that feeling of going into a hostile territory and getting a win. Yeah, it’s a little bit more difficult but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
Vic Fangio’s defense allowed the fifth fewest point in the NFL this season.
‘It’s a big challenge’
Sunday’s game likely hinges on Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense vs. Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense. Shanahan spoke earlier this week about how much respect he has for Fangio — and how he’s tried to hire him multiple times — but he’s not the only member of the Niners who appreciate the test they’ll face Sunday.
“I feel like Kyle does a good job at making sure we all understand what kind of game it’s going to be,” Purdy said. “If they’re going to load the box, what our answer is. If they’re not, let’s do our job — whether it’s still throwing the ball or running the ball efficiently.
“I feel like the Eagles do a really good job at switching things up and making it hard to run the ball with the front that they have and dropping guys back in coverage. So, we respect the heck out of what they do. But, we also have to be on top of our job and have success in what we’ve always done.”
The Eagles defense has been dominant this season, especially down the stretch, and 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak credits much of its success to coaching — and a physical defensive line.
“It always starts with the players,” Kubiak told reporters. “They’re super talented on defense, up front especially. It starts with 98, he’s one of the most talented interior players that we’ve gone against. All three levels, they’re talented. Extremely well coached and coordinated.
“Vic [Fangio] knows how to identify what you’re trying to do and take away those things that your offense is trying to exploit. That’s why they’re a top defense. We’re going on the road. So, the environment is going to make it harder. So, it’s a big challenge.”
On the opposite side of the ball, the Eagles have struggled to find an identity. But 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is well aware of the threat that Saquon Barkley still possesses.
“I still think he’s elite,” Saleh said. “I know his production isn’t what it was a year ago. But he’s still a damn good football player. He’s still a threat to break it anytime he touches the ball. [Jeff] Stoutland is still one of the best O-line coaches in all of football, creating good angles and creating space for the backs. They can still run the ball as good as anybody.”
