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  • Philly named the world’s best place to visit in 2026, apparently | Weekly Report Card

    Philly named the world’s best place to visit in 2026, apparently | Weekly Report Card

    The Wall Street Journal crowns Philly the best place to visit in 2026: A

    Congratulations to Philadelphia, which has officially been named the world’s best place to visit in 2026 — a sentence that still feels fake even after you say it out loud.

    The Wall Street Journal says it’s because of America’s 250th birthday, the World Cup, March Madness, the MLB All-Star Game, and a stretch of months where Philly will be hosting basically every major event short of the Olympics.

    But let’s be clear: Big events don’t make a city great. They just expose whether it already is.

    Philly works as a destination because it can handle the chaos. This is a city that treats historic milestones and sports meltdowns with the same emotional intensity. Where strangers will give you directions, opinions, and a life story within 30 seconds. Where the best part of your trip will almost certainly be something you didn’t plan: a bar you ducked into, a neighborhood you wandered through, a crowd you got absorbed into without realizing it.

    So why not an A+? Because Philly being crowned “best place to visit” comes with consequences we know all too well. Inflated hotel prices, SEPTA stress tests, streets that were never designed for this many people, and locals being asked, again, to carry the weight of a global party while still getting to work on time.

    And because, frankly, Philly doesn’t need outside validation. This city didn’t suddenly get interesting because the Wall Street Journal noticed. We’ve been loud about this for years, from barstools, stoops, and comment sections, and now the rest of the world is finally catching up (and booking flights).

    Still, credit where it’s due. This is a huge moment, and a deserved one. Philly is about to have the kind of year cities dream about, even if we’ll spend most of it grumbling, redirecting tourists, and muttering “we told you so.”

    We’ll host the world. We’ll complain the entire time. And somehow, we’ll still prove them right.

    Primo’s founder Rich Neigre and Audrey Neigre, his daughter, hold a whole Italian hoagie in 2011.

    Primo Hoagies covering big-dog adoption fees: A+

    This is what “using your powers for good” looks like.

    As PhillyVoice reported, Primo Hoagies quietly covering adoption fees for large dogs at a South Jersey shelter is the kind of move that cuts straight through the holiday noise. No brand stunt. No overexplaining. Just: These dogs keep getting passed over, that’s not right, let’s fix one part of it.

    Big dogs are the last ones out the door. Everyone wants the tiny, apartment-friendly, Instagram-ready pup. Meanwhile, the 70-pound sweethearts sit there, year after year, wondering what they did wrong (answer: nothing). Removing the fee doesn’t solve everything, but it removes one very real excuse, and sometimes that’s all it takes.

    Also, this is extremely on-brand Philly energy. Feed people. Love dogs. Don’t make a big deal about it. Just do the thing.

    City skyline with people present for the unveiling of the new logo for Xfinity Mobile Arena the former Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

    Philly making Zillow’s hottest housing markets list: B (with side-eye)

    Congratulations to Philadelphia, the only actual big city crashing Zillow’s list of America’s most popular housing markets… entirely because we’re still, somehow, cheaper than everywhere else that wants to be us.

    That’s the compliment. Also the warning.

    Zillow’s takeaway is that Philly is “affordable,” centrally located, and culturally desirable. Which is true. It’s also the most polite way possible to say: People are moving here because they’ve been priced out of everywhere else. Welcome! Please enjoy our rowhouses, strong opinions, and streets that were absolutely not designed for this many buyers.

    The median home value sitting around $230,000 looks great on a national list. On the ground, it translates to open houses packed like an Eagles tailgate and starter homes disappearing in 48 hours with cash offers that make lifelong renters quietly spiral. Philly didn’t suddenly become hot. It became relatively attainable, which in 2025 is the real flex.

    But let’s acknowledge that there is tension baked into this moment. Being desirable is good. Being affordable is better. Staying both at the same time? That’s the hard part.

    Jason Kelce with the Hank Suace cofounders (from left): Matt Pittaluga, Brian “Hank” Ruxton, and Josh Jaspan. Hank Sauce was founded in 2011 and is based in Sea Isle City. Kelce announced a partnership with the local brand and his family’s Winnie Capital.

    Jason Kelce investing in Hank Sauce: A+ (this was inevitable)

    There are celebrity investments, and then there are ones so perfectly aligned they feel less like a business move and more like destiny. Jason Kelce backing Hank Sauce, a Sea Isle City staple sold in surf shops, Shore houses, and Philly-area grocery stores, is very much the latter.

    Sea Isle is so Jason Kelce. He’s there constantly. He bartends there. He fundraises there. He rips his shirt off there. He eats there. At this point, investing in a Sea Isle brand feels less like branching out and more like protecting his natural habitat.

    And Hank Sauce? Also a perfect match. It’s not about pain tolerance or macho heat levels. It’s a hot sauce for people who want flavor without suffering, which somehow mirrors Kelce’s whole deal: loud, intense energy paired with surprising warmth and accessibility.

    This doesn’t feel like a celebrity slapping his name on a product he just met. Kelce was already a customer. Already a fan. Already drinking beers with the founders in the back room years ago. Philly and the Shore can smell authenticity a mile away, and this one passes immediately.

    Will this help Hank Sauce grow further nationally? Almost certainly. But more importantly, it feels earned. It’s a local guy with local roots putting money behind something that already belonged to the place — and to him.

    SEPTA buses travel along Market Street on Dec. 8, 2025, in Philadelphia.

    Philly’s ever-lengthening commute: C-

    Nothing bonds Philadelphians quite like the shared understanding that getting to work will take longer than it should, feel more chaotic than advertised, and somehow still be your fault for not “leaving earlier.”

    A new report confirms what everyone stuck on the Schuylkill, the El, or a delayed Regional Rail train already knows: Philly’s average commute is longer than most big cities — and it got worse last year. Thirty-three minutes doesn’t sound brutal until you remember that’s a one-way trip, on a good day, assuming nothing’s on fire (which, this year, was not a safe assumption).

    Yes, return-to-office mandates are part of it. Yes, traffic is bad everywhere. But Philly commuters have been playing on hard mode: SEPTA funding drama, service cuts that almost happened, service cuts that did happen, train inspections, near-strikes, and the ever-present question of whether your bus is late or just gone.

    The most Philly part is that it’s still technically better than 2019. Which feels less like a victory and more like saying, “Hey, at least it’s not the worst version of this misery.”

    New York’s commute is longer. Congrats to them. But Philly’s special talent is making 33 minutes feel like an emotional journey. You leave your house hopeful. You arrive at work already needing a break.

    An Eagles fan holds up a sign supporting the Tush Push as the Eagles faced the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field last month.

    The Tush Push is officially losing its magic: C

    Let us be honest with each other, because denial is unbecoming. The Tush Push is no longer a cheat code. It’s a memory. A beautiful, violent, once-automatic memory.

    Three tries. Three failures. False starts, no gain, another flag, and then Nick Sirianni punting like a man quietly admitting something he didn’t want to say out loud. When the Eagles chose not to run it on fourth-and-1, that was the tell. Not the stats. Not the penalties. The vibes. Coaches don’t abandon unstoppable plays. They abandon plays that might get them booed.

    For a while, the Tush Push was everything Philly loves: blunt, physical, a little rude, and wildly effective. It turned short-yardage into theater. It broke opponents’ spirits. It sent NFL discourse into absolute hysterics. It won games. It won a Super Bowl. It made grown men scream about “nonfootball plays” like the Eagles had discovered witchcraft.

    And now? Teams figured it out. Officials started staring at it like it personally offended them. Hurts clearly got tired of being a human battering ram. What was once inevitable is now… work. And unreliable work at that.

    This grade isn’t a condemnation. It’s grief. The Tush Push didn’t die because it failed once. It died because it stopped being feared. It went from “automatic” to “ugh, here we go,” and that’s not good enough in January.

    The Eagles will be fine. They have Saquon Barkley, creativity, and other ways to move the ball. But the era of lining up and daring the defense to stop you, knowing they couldn’t, is over.

    Raise a glass. Pour one out. Say something nice. Then move on.

  • Are you satisfied living in Philadelphia right now? For many, the answer is ‘no.’

    Are you satisfied living in Philadelphia right now? For many, the answer is ‘no.’

    Do you like living in Philly?

    In a global survey that asked residents of 65 large cities how satisfied they were with where they lived, Philadelphia came in almost dead last, according to the Gensler Research Institute. Only about 59% of Philly respondents said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” about living here.

    And among U.S. cities, Philly ranked 26th out of 27, with peers like New York City at nearly 70% satisfaction and Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, at 66%.

    But satisfaction is subjective, and surveys are not gospel. As a tumultuous year comes to a close, here is what a handful of neighborhood leaders across the city had to say about living in Philly today, the issues that matter most to their communities, and what still makes them excited to be Philadelphians.

    Life feels harder and more expensive

    “Things just feel a lot harder and a little bit more expensive,” said Jamila Harris-Morrison, the executive director of ACHIEVEability, a West Philly anti-poverty nonprofit focusing on single-parent and homeless families.

    This year, ACHIEVEability has received more requests for assistance than ever before, she said. Inflation has created financial pressure. “We’re talking about people who are working full-time jobs or maybe two jobs and feeling like they can’t make ends meet,” she said.

    That pressure has led West Philly’s young people to pick up any side hustle they can, like photography and sneaker cleaning. Some dismiss the idea of going to college or trade school, Harris-Morrison said, because they need money and resources now, not years down the line.

    Latisha White gathers at a balloon Release in memory of her nephew Maurice White, 19, at Level Up, in Philadelphia, July 10, 2024. White was killed in a drive-by shooting that injured eight others at a July 4th gathering in Southwest Philadelphia.

    Harris-Morrison hears them talk about aspirations to get out of their neighborhoods one day, but not necessarily out of Philly. And their adult counterparts still hold some optimism, despite recent struggles.

    She said that Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s H.O.M.E. initiative especially has people energized and looking forward to how it might ease their housing burdens.

    “There’s still a level of hope,” she said.

    Community problem-solving

    Affordability is a major issue in West Mount Airy, too, according to Josephine Gasiewski Winter, executive director of the West Mount Airy Neighbors nonprofit. She said it has become more difficult for people who have lived in the area to stay, and for younger families to buy homes.

    But in general, people are pretty happy to be living in the neighborhood and the city, she said. Her organization was founded in 1959 to make the area one of the first intentionally integrated neighborhoods, and she said people today still value its diversity, plus its access to green spaces and the rest of the city.

    “It is a very magical little corner of Philadelphia,” she said.

    A strong sense of community is a key component of making people feel more satisfied, according to Winter. Recently, neighbors have come together for anti-immigration-raid trainings, and for mutual aid activations when SNAP benefits were paused.

    Local resident Carol Bates (far left) aims a speed gun at passing motorists as members of the West Mt. Airy Neighbors (WMAN), East Mt. Airy Neighbors (EMAN) and other community members hold a Protest Traffic Violence rally at Emlen Circle on Lincoln Drive Lincoln Drive in Phila., Pa. on Sept. 11, 2022.

    “So when it feels like there’s not much you can do, there are people around that are doing things, and they’re united toward that common goal. That is a reason I think why people love living here,” Winter said.

    In South Philly, trash and litter are always top of mind for residents, according to Jimmy Gastner, board vice president of the Passyunk Square Civic Association.

    The problem persists even going into year two of the Parker administration’s twice-weekly trash pickup program in South Philly, so Gastner’s block has a contract with Glitter, a popular sidewalk and street-cleaning business. Gastner said litter in the area is a multifaceted problem that requires improvements to infrastructure but also personal responsibility.

    Attendees pass vendors at the 2025 Flavors of the Avenue Festival, hosted by the East Passyunk Business Corporation, on East Passyunk Avenue.

    He said residents have also shared concerns about maintaining safe, accessible options for transit.

    Gastner still sees people positive and optimistic about their slice of South Philly, boosted particularly by neighborhood schools, parks, and resident groups. People value the restaurants and small businesses, and together it makes residents feel connected to where they live.

    “Particularly coming out of COVID, I think we’re all looking to get that sense of community,” he said

    Uncertainty moving forward

    While Kensington may have a certain reputation to those living outside the neighborhood, lately residents have shared mostly mixed feelings about living there, said New Kensington Community Development Corp. executive director Bill McKinney.

    Their ambivalence is driven strongly by uncertainty. McKinney said people feel unsure about what is coming next from the federal government.

    Theo Caraway of Philadelphia walking his dog Cooper, 6 months, Shitzu/Poodle wearing his Eagles jersey along Kensington at Ontario Street on Philadelphia, Friday, September 5, 2025.

    What the city’s latest plan is for the neighborhood’s unhoused population, its open-air drug market, and those suffering from substance abuse is also unclear to residents.

    “There’s constant movement but not a lot of clarity,” McKinney said. “You’re kind of just waiting for the other shoe to drop because you know the larger thing wasn’t solved.”

    Yet McKinney said there is plenty of positivity around, and it often goes overlooked. Whether or not that adds up to people being satisfied with living there, McKinney said he clearly sees the ways community members are invested in their neighborhood, like reclaiming open spaces to create Kensington’s thriving community gardens.

    His agency hosted a workshop series on housing over the last few months, with hundreds of people coming to learn about housing policies work and how coming plans may affect them.

    At a packed youth town hall cohosted with the nonprofit FAB Youth Philly, many questioned whether Philly was a place where they could see a future for themselves, McKinney said. He hopes that changes — for young people to envision a home here, a family, a job, and a community that they love. It will take major changes and investment, but McKinney thinks it’s possible.

    “I’m here because I love Kensington. I can live anywhere … I believe in it. I believe in the people here,” he said.

  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to WXPN host Joey Sweeney

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to WXPN host Joey Sweeney

    Musician, writer, journalist, DJ, and tastemaker Joey Sweeney has been having a conversation about Philadelphia with Philadelphians for more than 25 years.

    The native Fishtowner broke into the Philly music scene in the ’90s, eventually fronting bands like the Barnabys, the Trouble with Sweeney, and Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease, as well as recording and performing solo.

    Founding and publishing Philly’s first cityblog, the now dormant Philebrity, in 2004, Sweeney wrote about Philly daily for a decade with signature snark. Before that, he wrote about music and culture for Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper, and national outlets.

    Since 2023, Sweeney, who is soon releasing a new single with the Grease, has also been creative director — and “vibe Sherpa” — at 48 Record Bar.

    Joey Sweeney waits for his lunch at Pho75 on Washington Avenue.

    In August, Sweeney, 53, joined WXPN as new Saturday morning host of Sleepy Hollow, one of the station’s longest running weekend programs, which has played an intimate, ambient blend of folk, jazz, New Age, and indie since 1973.

    A definite change of pace for the longtime nighthawk — “I’ve only recently discovered mornings,” Sweeney said with a laugh — joining the iconic show has been a “dream,” he said.

    “The biggest wallop of it is experiencing that WXPN community from the other side,” he said. “The staff is amazing. The listeners are really passionate about loving the station. They really give their love to it. Especially with Sleepy Hollow. It’s this legacy program, and you really want to honor that. The audience and the longevity and all the people who made it happen all those years. It’s a powerful thing.”

    Sweeney, who lives in Society Hill with his wife, Elizabeth Scanlon, poet and editor in chief of the American Poetry Review, and stepson, Sully, 20, says his perfect Philly day would revolve around a diverse culinary excursion through the Italian Market, record store shopping, a corner bar pit stop, and some late-night guitar in his attic.

    Joey Sweeney is greeted by server Kevin Trinh as he stops for lunch at Pho75 on Washington Avenue.

    8:30 a.m.

    I’m going to Loretta’s on Second Street. It’s the coffee shop closest to my house, and they do wonderful things. Generally for me, it’s coffee and pastry, usually a chocolate croissant. If I’m feeling extravagant, I’ll go for their Betty sandwich. It’s their breakfast sandwich, which is a really amazing riff on the classic bacon, egg, and cheese.

    10 a.m.

    Then I’ll head over to South Philly to Pho 75. I am a big pho-for-breakfast or pho-for-mid-morning-meal guy. I love Pho 75. Get the brisket with extra noodles.

    11 a.m.

    Then, I hunt and gather my way back to my house. I walk down Ninth Street and get all the food we need for the week. All of the things that we need and eat on the regular, that are good, come from a six-block area around Ninth Street. My whole palate lives on that street or thereabouts.

    I’m going to the Hung Vuong Supermarket, at 11th and Washington. Hung Vuong has all the noodles and dumplings and the chili crisp and fish sauce — all that stuff you need.

    At Ninth Street, it will be any combination of the following: Anastasi Seafood, where I will probably get a half dozen already cooked crabs, and whatever fish we need for the week. Cod. Maybe, Branzino. Anastasi always does me right. They are our household’s Seven Fishes place. God forbid they ever went away. I don’t know what happens to the fish order.

    Joey Sweeney at Cappuccio’s Meats. He especially likes their chevalatta gourmet pork sausage with provolone and parsley.

    Then, it’s Cappuccio’s Meats for their chevalatta. It’s this very thin sausage with greens and cheese. It’s a very Philly Catholic thing. And Esposito’s Meats. Because Esposito’s will grind meatball mix for you while you wait. The veal, beef, ground pork mix. They don’t put it out with the rest of the stuff. You have to ask for it, and they go in the back and grind it up for you. It’s the best way to make meatballs, by the way. My whole life, I’ve been searching for how to get my Grandma’s meatballs. She left us a long time ago, and I don’t have the recipe. I finally figured it out. You gotta get it ground right there, and not use the crushed tomatoes. Use the canned tomatoes you squeeze with your hands.

    1 p.m.

    Somewhere in the middle there, I will pop across the street to Molly’s Books & Records. Pound for pound, Molly’s has the best used record selection in the city, and the inventory changes over frequently. They don’t gouge you on the prices. I’ve been going to Molly’s for as long as I can remember. I love giving Molly any shine.

    I would also go to Tortilleria San Roman at Ninth and Carpenter. They have these tortillas that they make right there. If I am doing meatballs, I am going to Talluto’s, because they have cavatelli pasta, our house favorite.

    Joey Sweeney looks through bins at Molly’s Books & Records.

    2 p.m.

    I’ve gotten my giant bag of food and records. At this point, I would like to go to Grace & Proper, over on Eighth. It’s a corner bar right off the market. They’re open Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It’s got this cafe kind of vibe and there’s something about it in the daytime. It depends how perishable the food is in my bag. But I might go there, have a drink, have a snack, before I come home and listen to whatever records I got.

    6 p.m.

    I cook. But my wife, Elizabeth, is the better cook. If we’re not cooking, I like an early bird dinner. Since I’m back in the neighborhood at this point, I’m going to either Cry Baby or Bloomsday.

    Cry Baby, especially, is like a second home. Bridget Foy, who owns the place, was kind enough to let me shadow at Cry Baby before 48 Record Bar opened, because I had never had a proper hospitality job. She put me on every station in the place just about. It feels so casual and friendly, like a family spot. But you pop the hood on that place, and it runs like a machine. Her team is so amazing that by the end of it, I was like, oh, man, I would work here.

    9 p.m.

    Creative times usually come after dinner. Maybe I’ll put on a record or play some guitar. Or I will get on my computer in my attic office and start working on tunes. My wife and I had this really funny moment, like six months ago, where we were hanging out up in the office, and I started playing some of the songs that I’ve been recording up there after dinner. And she’s like, “You never played this for me. This is an album you’ve got. This might be one of the better things you’ve ever done. When are you doing this?” I’m like, “I do it after dinner.”

    Joey Sweeney pauses under a big crab sign.
  • Behind the scenes at world-renowned Martin Guitars

    Behind the scenes at world-renowned Martin Guitars

    Whenever Christian F. Martin IV hears a Martin guitar, whether it’s the timeworn piece Willie Nelson’s nearly strummed a hole through, or a customer nervously picking a D-300 that looks like fine art and costs $300,000, he beams with pride. Like a father.

    Martin is the executive chairman of C.F. Martin & Co., the sixth generation of Martins to create arguably the world’s most-renowned acoustic guitars out of Nazareth, Northampton County. Founded in New York City in 1833 by German luthier Christian Frederick Martin, the company moved to Nazareth in 1839 and has crafted 3 million guitars, all of them intertwined with the family tree.

    So when Martin took his daughter to a Post Malone concert in 2020 and watched the artist play a Martin, he smiled from afar. Later, when Malone dragged — yes, dragged — what appeared to be the same guitar across the stage, Martin’s heart dropped.

    “I’m freaking out,” Martin said. “I’m looking at my wife, and she’s looking at me like ‘I don’t know.’”

    Martin was still processing the trauma of a 145-year-old Martin guitar being smashed in the 2015 Quentin Tarantino film The Hateful Eight. So when Malone smashed the guitar onstage and poured a beer on it, Martin’s heart broke into small pieces, too.

    “I need to leave,” he told his wife.

    Luckily, before Martin could flee the concert in Hershey to process the trauma, he was told the smashed guitar was a prop, not a Martin.

    That’s how seriously Martin, and its devotees, takes guitars. On a recent fall weekday in the Nazareth headquarters, tourists were lining up before the building opened for tours, taking selfies. Inside, guitars that belonged to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hank Williams, two of thousands of artists who played Martins, sat in glass cases.

    (Later that day, Martin flew to London to give a special presentation about the Martin D-18 Cobain played during Nirvana’s famed Unplugged set in 1993.)

    “I’ve always just gravitated toward playing Martins,” said Delaware County musician Devon Gilfillian. “When I first started playing, that was just always the goal. The tone is just so perfect and warm. Plus, it’s from Pennsylvania.”

    Mike Nelson inspects a guitar frame at C.F. Martin & Co.

    Martin said guitar sales booms are usually tied to specific cultural moments or trends in popular music. Folk music in the 1960s, for example, or the popularity of MTV’s iconic Unplugged series that featured Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Alice in Chains, and countless others.

    Today, Martin is still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many workers were forced to stay home and went looking for something to do. The company is producing approximately 500 guitars per day in Nazareth and a plant in Navojoa, Mexico.

    “We’re on a bit of a roll,” Martin said.

    “I think it’s important to show people this is where a Martin guitar is made and this is what it takes to make a Martin guitar,” he said. “For many guitar players, coming to the Martin factory is like going to mecca.”

    Inside, the factory floor is divided into sections, an assembly line of sorts, with some specialists focusing on fretboards, others on the necks. Some were spraying lacquers, with ventilation masks on, while other lucky employees — musicians themselves — do sound checks, strumming chords for tone. Few guitars are rejected.

    The factory is both high and low tech, with robotic arms meticulously sanding bodies while workers use ancient woodworking tools to shape some parts.

    That level of specialization, Martin said, makes Martin’s craftsmen the best in the business.

    “You’ll see what it takes,” he said. “You’ll see why we’re the best.”

    Most Martin guitars are made with various timbers, including a slew of different spruces, along with rarer mahogany and rosewood.

    All businesses change, subject to the whims of markets and greater global issues. While the overall design of a guitar hasn’t changed all that much over the centuries, newer and different materials may be in the pipeline, due to issues with climate change and deforestation. The tropical hardwoods grow slowly and are under threat.

    Temperate hardwoods like maple and walnut are more abundant, and the company is exploring them, Martin said. The use of alternate materials might be possible, but they would all fall under the same standard: the guitar would need to sound like a Martin.

    “We would not use a material that doesn’t work,” he said.

    Martin has committed to reforestation projects in Costa Rica and the Republic of the Congo. Martin’s sustainable Biosphere III, with a polar bear design by company artist Robert Goetzl, benefits Polar Bears International and retails for $2,399.

    Gregory Jasman strings a guitar. The list of musicians who play Martins could fill a music hall of fame.

    Goetzl has been responsible for most of Martin’s “playable art,” and he cherishes the idea that his art will make art.

    “It is art, and it could be hung on a wall, but that would kind of be a shame,” he said on the factory floor, holding a guitar featuring owls and the northern lights. “It’s not cheap. It’s a very real instrument with a beautiful design.”

    On this weekday, a buyer had come to Martin to possibly purchase a guitar worth more than a quarter-million dollars.

    The list of musicians who play Martin is endless, enough to fill a music hall of fame — Nelson and his famous “Trigger,” Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Ed Sheeran, Joni Mitchell, and so many others.

    Thomas Ripsam, president and CEO, at the C.F. Martin assembly line.

    “We are very intentional about who we want to work with,” said Thomas Ripsam, who assumed the role of CEO in 2021. ”We don’t really pay artists for playing our guitars, so we are looking for artists who have a sincere connection.”

    One of them is Billy Strings, a popular, Nashville-based guitarist who combines bluegrass, rock, and even metal.

    “When you think of the word guitar, I think of a Martin D-28,” Strings said in a promotional video for guitars that the company designed for him. “It’s so American. It’s like baseball or something.”

    An A-frame guitar adorns the museum entrance Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, at C. F. Martin & Co. Inc. in Nazareth, Pa.
  • The best things we ate this week

    The best things we ate this week

    Red shakshuka at Café La Maude

    There’s a whole lotta shakshuka going on at Café La Maude, Nathalie and Gabi Richan’s snug, perpetually busy French-Lebanese bruncherie in Northern Liberties. In fact, the café offers two varieties of the comforting sunny-side-up-egg-topped dish that traces its roots to Amazigh (also known as the Berbers of North Africa). The red shakshuka, more prevalent on local menus, floats beef sausage, crispy chickpeas, pesto, sliced fingerling potatoes, and harissa labneh atop a rich, spiced tomato sauce studded with onions and peppers. Café La Maude’s green version sits on the opposite side of the color wheel: green tomatoes, spinach, kale, and green fava beans, plus sweet potatoes and fried cauliflower, with a drizzle of carrot tahini sauce and a sprinkle of toasted almonds. Budgeting your pita consumption is essential so you can be sure to get every drop of sauce.

    Café La Maude, 816 N. Fourth St., 267-318-7869, cafelamaude.com

    — Michael Klein

    The candied ginger scone from The Bread Room, Ellen Yin’s new-ish bakery at 834 Chestnut St.

    Candied ginger scone at the Bread Room

    There’s a lot to love about Ellen Yin’s new-ish bakery The Bread Room — the fudgy olive oil brownie, the large hoagie salad with capicola, and the holiday pies — but perhaps the menu’s most overlooked gem is the humble candied ginger scone. I’ve been getting it almost weekly as a reward for braving the cold (and my perpetually late SEPTA bus) to go into the office, and it’s often the best bite of my week. What makes the Bread Room’s scone so distinct is the texture, dense enough to verge on a biscuit with an outer crust only made better by a light pink ginger glaze. It feels like biting into just-hardened royal icing, and reveals a soft and sweet crumb. The ginger is potent but never overpowering, more sweet than zesty.

    The Bread Room, 834 Chestnut Street Ste. 103, 215-419-5830, thebreadroomphl.com

    — Beatrice Forman

    The egg custard with uni and swordfish bacon (far left) was served as part of a platter of raw and cooked seafood for the first course at Heavy Metal Sausage Co.’s Feast of More Than Seven Fishes.

    Egg custard with uni and swordfish bacon at Heavy Metal Sausage Co.

    I was told to jump on a reservation for one of Heavy Metal Sausage’s Feast of More Than Seven Fishes seatings; that they would sell out fast and blow me away. Everything I heard was correct.

    On Monday night, my partner and I got to experience the absolute feat that is Heavy Metal Sausage stuffing 14 people into their butchery for an honest and approachable — yet extremely technical — meal that adds layers to the Italian American tradition. Every bite was wonderful, including a key lime cured mackerel and an acidic eel stew over Bloody Butcher polenta. But the night’s showstopper was a velvety egg custard, served in a ramekin and finished with heaps of uni and cubes of swordfish bacon alongside a platter of other raw and cooked seafood.

    Did you know swordfish bacon was a thing? I didn’t, and now I want it forever. Chef Pat Alfiero said he salted, cured and cooked his swordfish the same way he would for pork bacon. Perhaps pig bacon might be overrated.

    Heavy Metal Sausage Co., 1527 W. Porter St., heavymetalsausage.com

    — Emily Bloch

    Halibut schnitzel at Cardinal

    I could go on and on about the amazing duck wings glazed with black pepper hoisin at Atlantic City’s Cardinal, a cavernous restaurant with an inventive menu from chef Michael Brennan. The kitchen and bar focus on the details (my reposado and biscotti liqueur cocktail came topped with a literal biscotti), but it was the main course that left me truly wide-eyed.

    Behold the Halibut Schnitzel, two words I’ve never heard said together. It arrived with two meaty pieces of lightly pounded out and schnitzel-ed halibut perched happily atop a very caper-forward lemony sauce and a carpet of tiny bell peppers. A charred lemon sat beside them. It was a puckery, flaky, satisfying coat of many flavors. Delish.

    Cardinal Restaurant, 201 South New York Ave., Atlantic City, N.J., 609-246-6670, cardinal-ac.com

    — Amy S. Rosenberg

    A Popeyes chicken sandwich and fries almost made Inquirer reporter Dugan Arnett miss his train to Boston. It was well worth it, he writes.

    No. 1 Combo from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

    As a kid, whenever I’d complain of being hungry, my dad would respond with one of his favorite idioms: “Hunger,” he’d say, “is the best sauce.” He was wrong, of course. The best sauce is the blackened ranch dipping sauce at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

    I was already running dangerously late to 30th Street Station to can an Amtrak train to Boston, when I stumbled upon a Popeyes on Market Street. In no world was this a responsible detour, particularly with a $200 train ticket hanging in the balance. But Popeyes is an American culinary institution, and when you come across one in the wild, you must take advantage. (After all, there’s a reason a trendy Long Beach, Calif. brunch spot once got caught serving Popeyes chicken with its dishes and then vehemently defended itself.) I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich combo meal with a biscuit and proceeded to eat it the way fast food is meant to be eaten: Out of the bag, standing, with only a modicum of self-shame. The chicken patty? Juicy and impossibly plump. The fries? Psoriasis-scabbed and fresh out of the fryer. The biscuit? A butter-kissed dream.

    In the end, I still managed to make my train — though, after that meal, it would’ve been well worth it even if I hadn’t.

    Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 940 Market St., (267) 239-2388, popeyes.com

    — Dugan Arnett

    The salmon kebab from Kanella comes plated with grilled green lettuce, fiery red harissa, sweet purple onions, and a wedge of lemon.

    Salmon kebab at Kanella

    It’s not island weather, but the best thing I ate this week was the salmon kebab with a squeeze of sumac-sprinkled grilled lemon at Kanella in Center City. The salmon was a succulent orange-pink, crispy on the outside, tender and juicy within. Yes, my mom and I were the only patrons in the middle of a weekday afternoon. Yes, it was nearly sleeting outside, but the restaurant was so charming. And none of that mattered when this dish arrived. The salmon shared a plate with grilled green lettuce, fiery red harissa, sweet purple onions, and that wedge of bright lemon. The service was warm; holiday covers played on the sound system. I’d come back in any time.

    Kanella, 1001 Spruce St., 267-928-2085, kanellarestaurant.com

    — Zoe Greenberg

  • Sixers takeaways: Bulls target Joel Embiid’s defense, Tyrese Maxey’s offense in 109-102 loss

    Sixers takeaways: Bulls target Joel Embiid’s defense, Tyrese Maxey’s offense in 109-102 loss

    CHICAGO — Joel Embiid scored the ball with ease but didn’t do much else.

    Tyrese Maxey shot poorly, then got hot before regressing down the stretch.

    And Paul George continued to be an asset for the 76ers, even when he struggles to make shots. But his teammates didn’t continue to feed him the ball once he finally got hot.

    Those things stood out in Friday’s 109-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

    Solid scoring, poor defense

    Embiid had one of his best offensive performances of the season and finished with 31 points on 10-for-19 shooting to go with five rebounds, one assist, and a block. The 7-foot-2 center made two of his four three-pointers and all nine of his foul shots. He did all of that while noticeably limited by his ailing right knee.

    Embiid gingerly ran up and down the court. The 2023 league MVP also grabbed his knee while grimacing in pain on the three occasions he fell to the floor. That has been the case on most nights that Embiid plays.

    The seven-time All-Star struggled mightily on defense. He didn’t show much lateral movement and constantly appeared to be out of position. As a result, the Bulls’ post players feasted on him. Embiid didn’t have the quickness to come out and contest shots, nor was he able to prevent anyone from getting to the rim.

    “I don’t know about that,” coach Nick Nurse said when a reporter pointed out Embiid’s defensive struggles. “I got to look at that first [on film]. I thought he had some really good possessions by him defensively. But let me look at the film first before I comment. I don’t think that.”

    This appears to be the version of Embiid the Sixers (16-13) will have to live with.

    But he stepped up offensively after the Bulls knotted the score at 96 with 5 minutes, 11 seconds remaining. Embiid drained a pair of foul shots to give the Sixers a two-point cushion 10 seconds later. Then on their next possession, he assisted on Maxey’s layup that made it a 100-96 game.

    But after scoring a layup, Embiid was dunked on at the other end. On the Bulls’ next possession, Coby White shot a three-pointer over Embiid to give the Bulls a 104-102 advantage with 1:54 to go.

    None of this was surprising as Chicago (15-15) was attacking him on screen-and-roll plays all night.

    Cold to hot to cold

    For a minute, it appeared that Maxey would have his second straight horrid shooting night.

    He couldn’t find his rhythm while struggling through 3-for-14 shooting in Tuesday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He continued where he left off in the first quarter of Friday’s game, scoring three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

    A lot of his early issues were because of the Bulls’ defense.

    The standout point guard drew two and three defenders and had a tough time getting to his preferred spots on the floor.

    But Maxey made his first three shots while scoring nine points on 3-for-4 shooting in the second quarter. He did the same thing in the third, adding nine more points while making 3 of 4 shots. The 2024 All-Star’s persistence is why he’s an All-NBA candidate.

    Then came the fourth quarter, when he had six points on 2-for-9 shooting as the Sixers faded. Maxey finished with 27 points, eight assists, and two blocks.

    George’s contribution

    George made solid contributions, even though it took the forward a while to find his shooting touch. He played solid defense, grabbed rebounds, and initiated the offense while recording 15 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. George shot 5-for-15 — including going 4-of-9 on three-pointers.

    He was held to three points on 1-for-5 shooting while missing both of his three-point attempts before intermission. George got going in the third quarter, when he made three huge three-pointers and had nine points.

    He made a three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter to give the Sixers a seven-point cushion. The nine-time All-Star then missed two shot attempts before subbing out with 6:41 left.

    Sixers sign former Bucks first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp to two-way contract

    However, he didn’t attempt a shot after reentering the game with 5:26 remaining.

    Would Nurse like to see George more involved in the fourth quarter after his solid third period?

    “Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I think that we certainly got him going in the third. Tried to stagger some different guys in there to do just that. He was giving on defense there. He was really playing hard and was doing a lot at both ends, obviously on the boards, everything, yeah.

    “Yeah, I would have liked to see him get a few shots. But I don’t feel like there was any real horrendous possession. … I can think about some wide-open shots and some shots at the rim. We just didn’t finish them.”

    But what did George see late in the game? Did the Bulls have a defense centered on denying him the ball? Why was he was unable to get involved?

    “I just think it was the actions,” George said. “You know, I wasn’t in the actions. Yeah, that’s just kind of how it played out at the end.”

    In any sport, the cardinal rule is to feed the hot hand. The Sixers didn’t do that, and it contributed to their loss.

    But if there’s a positive, it’s that George continues to show that he can do many things to make an impact.

  • Dear Abby | Husband makes poor choice with wife’s health

    DEAR ABBY: Two years ago, my husband was told that our adult child’s partner had tested positive for COVID two days before we were scheduled to visit them. My husband — a forever Good Time Charlie — decided not to inform me. Neither of us at that point had contracted COVID. We had taken every precaution we could to avoid it.

    I have MS, which can react in unpredictable ways to viral exposures. My husband knows this very well, which is why I’m perplexed and furious that he thought it better to “stay on the good side” of our son by not allowing me to decide for myself whether I wanted to walk into a potentially deadly situation.

    I only realized the danger I was facing when our son, while driving us to his apartment, suddenly apologized to my husband, stating he “couldn’t do it,” and said his partner was in the throes of COVID! I was shocked speechless, but I held my tongue until we were alone.

    My husband said he didn’t think it was a “big deal” because we wouldn’t have stayed long, and he knew I’d back out of the visit and “ruin it for everyone.” He doesn’t understand the issue, and I’m considering a divorce because he withheld information which could have led to a serious health outcome for me.

    Is his behavior as major an issue as I think it is, or am I overreacting? We’ve been married 40 years, in a generally fair relationship, but we married very young. His blatant disregard for my health, let alone his own, not caring how either of us would react if we had become exposed to COVID, may be unforgivable. Do you agree?

    — GOOD TIME CHARLIE’S WIFE

    DEAR WIFE: Was your husband’s selfish lapse in judgment a one-time thing or has he always been this way? “Ruin the visit for everyone”? Your son’s partner was in no condition to entertain. You are fortunate the visit didn’t turn into a tragedy. I think you should discuss this not only with your physician but also an attorney and take your cues from them.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: I have been with my boyfriend, “Matt,” for three years. Everything was great in the beginning, and I was happy I had found someone with the same interests as me.

    I have a son, and we are very close because it has been pretty much just me and him for a long time. Matt hates it! He constantly says extremely mean things about my job as a mother. My son hides out in his room all the time, and it has become awkward here. Matt and I have a house together. I am miserable and want out. I have seen what a mean and angry person Matt can be, and I’m done. How do I start that conversation and move on with my life with my son?

    — FED UP IN ARIZONA

    DEAR FED UP: Your boyfriend isn’t likely to overcome his jealousy of your son. If you and Matt own the house jointly, you may need a lawyer to ensure you get your money out. Contact one and ask what the process involves. Once you have that information, let your lawyer tell you how to proceed with separating yourself from Matt.

  • Horoscopes: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). There’s a time to show your skills, a time to downplay them and wisdom in knowing which way to take things. Downplaying is easy. But are you ready to “show and tell”? Because your moment is coming.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your heart’s ambition has been hard to make progress with inside a chaotic stretch of life. But do keep the flame alive. This is an aim for the long haul. Forget about short-term heroics and just keep coming back.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Good relationships, whether with people, places, projects or roles, are going to take effort. But they shouldn’t feel like constant work. Give yourself some grace. You’re dealing with a complicated situation.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Instead of pining for distant good fortune, you’ll pay closer attention to what’s happening around you. The invitations, ideas, people and opportunities crossing your path are just the collaboration you need. It’s not “out there”; it’s in your realm.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It comes up today how it might have been nice to have certain opportunities others take for granted. But don’t let that diminish the rare, defining experiences that are all yours. You’re someone extraordinary despite, or maybe because of, them.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You can’t change the number of hours there are in a day, but you can use them well. And today, with a mix of instinct and planning, you can use them even better than you have been. Efficiency is your middle name.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Big moments of intuition are rare. More often intuition comes in microdoses, tiny pangs and pings alerting you to a moment or detail before you consciously understand why it will be important. Today brings three such signals.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll say yes to simplicity when you say no to superfluousness. Your closet becomes functional when you eliminate what you don’t wear. Your schedule eases when you decline social clutter. Your emotions stabilize when you stop engaging with takers. Less is more.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You are with yourself 24/7. Any relationship on earth with that kind of schedule is bound to have its tense moments. Expect fluctuations of self-esteem, and roll with them, knowing that you deserve loads of kindness. You’re doing great.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You have a bit of competition. Your opponent may be worthy, but the game itself is not. You could walk away, come to a deal or give in. Stay flexible and humble, and you just may end up with everything.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). When you smile, you feel happier. Whether you make up reasons or have no reason at all, either way it just works. It’s not about faking it until you make it. It’s letting go of the petty ideas keeping you from joy.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’ll pick up undercurrents of a situation — the real feeling beneath the surface. Because of this, you’ll understand someone without them having to say much. You’ll also have the right response at the right moment.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 27). Welcome to your Year of Elevation. You’ll rise steadily, no strain, just delight. Everyday life becomes smoother because of better routines, calm mornings and duty-free evenings doing the specific things you enjoy. More highlights: a quirky, unpredictable blossoming of partnership or romance, lucky financial timing and career visibility when it means the most. Libra and Aries adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 12, 4, 20, 49 and 17.

  • $1 million-winning Powerball lottery ticket sold in Northeast Pa.

    $1 million-winning Powerball lottery ticket sold in Northeast Pa.

    A Powerball ticket purchased in Northeast Pennsylvania netted a $1 million prize in the lottery’s Christmas Eve drawing.

    The ticket — which matched all five of the white ball numbers, 04, 25, 31, 52, and 59, but not the Powerball number, 19 — was sold at Pittston Candy & Cigar Co. in Luzerne County, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Friday in a news release.

    Pittston Candy & Cigar Co. could not immediately be reached by phone Friday evening.

    Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot

    The lottery game’s three-month stretch ended Wednesday, after a ticket matching all six numbers was sold outside Little Rock, Ark. The $1.817 billion, or $834.9 million cash, jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com.

    Two other big-winnings tickets, worth $100,000 each, were sold in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and Morris County, New Jersey.

    Nearly 335,000 Powerball tickets purchased in the commonwealth won varying dollar amounts, and 10 New Jersey players won $50,000 prizes, according to the respective lottery commissions.

    The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers. Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins.

    Another $20 million, or $9.2 million cash, will be up for grabs at Powerball’s Saturday drawing.

    The Associated Press contributed to this article.

  • Eagles rookie Jihaad Campbell will step back into a familiar role Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills

    Eagles rookie Jihaad Campbell will step back into a familiar role Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills

    As Jihaad Campbell’s playing time decreased, his focus on NFL life off the field remained vigilant.

    The rookie first-round pick took a back seat when Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean returned from injury and slid back into his starting role. Dean’s play cut into Campbell’s playing time. By Week 13, his defensive snap count dropped to zero. But off the field, the 21-year-old Campbell kept to a schedule and made “mature decisions,” he said.

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    He went to bed early, made sure to keep up a normal recovery routine, and watched a lot of film, knowing that at any moment his number could be called for an increased role.

    That proverbial tap on the helmet came last Saturday vs. Washington, when Dean went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s game in Buffalo and give Campbell his first start in two months. Campbell had six combined tackles in 36 defensive snaps, and two of those tackles were run stops.

    Campbell briefly moonlighted at outside linebacker when the Eagles were missing multiple players. He talked last month, after losing his starting inside job, about keeping the right mindset.

    “The biggest thing is just staying prepared, not getting down, and just understanding the game plan and what has to happen,” he said in November. “So when it is my time to go in the game, I know exactly what I have to do, when I have to do it, with full confidence.”

    Jihaad Campbell, Eagles linebacker? It doesn’t seem real for his Birds fan grandfather: ‘Can’t put words to it’

    The unwavering off-field focus, Campbell said, comes from his upbringing.

    “It’s just in me,” the Erial, N.J., native said Wednesday. “It’s been instilled in me ever since I’ve been a young kid. I have a great foundation and support system back home.

    “It’s just all about knowing my responsibility, knowing that I have to be accountable for my own actions and what I want to do for my career to come.”

    Jihaad Campbell (right) will start this week at linebacker for the injured Nakobe Dean.

    Campbell’s first NFL season and all that comes with it seems to be coming at warp speed for the 31st pick in April’s draft.

    “I look up now and it’s Week 15, Week 16 of my rookie year,” he said. “It’s moving fast; it’s moving pretty quickly. It’s all about just squeezing the lemon as much as I can in this first year.”

    The team awaiting Campbell in his first start since Oct. 26 will test how much juice he’s produced.

    Running back James Cook leads the NFL in rushing, and Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks at using his legs. Buffalo has a dynamic running game that allows Allen some opportunities to use his arm, too. Dean was especially impactful against the run and as a blitzer in recent weeks, and the Eagles likely will need the same out of Campbell on Sunday. He has one quarterback hit and zero sacks on the season.

    “It’s all about what we do,” Campbell said when asked about the challenge of Allen and the Bills.

    Eagles Week 17 film preview: What to look for against the Buffalo Bills

    While Dean is out, the Eagles will get Jalen Carter back after he missed the previous three games with shoulder injuries. Carter should provide a boost, even in a limited role. But the Eagles have played some of their best defense of the 2025 season in the weeks after Dean returned.

    It will be on Campbell to help make sure that level of play continues.

    Injury report

    Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson remained off the practice field Friday and will not play Sunday. Dean also was ruled out.

    Landon Dickerson (illness) returned to the practice field Friday and is good to go for Sunday. A.J. Brown also returned to practice after missing time because of a dental procedure. He will play Sunday.

    The Eagles also listed rookie offensive tackle Cameron Williams (shoulder/injured reserve) as questionable. His 21-day practice window is open until next week. The Eagles then will need to decide to end his season or sign him to the active roster.

    The Bills, meanwhile, are a little banged up. They ruled out defensive tackles Jordan Phillips (ankle) and DaQuan Jones (calf), as well as safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring). A defense susceptible to giving up yards on the ground will be down a few contributors.

    Kicker Matt Prater (quad) also is out, while tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are questionable with knee injuries.

    Allen was listed as limited with a knee injury on Wednesday and Thursday but was upgraded to a full participant Friday and doesn’t have a game designation entering the weekend. Neither does edge rusher Joey Bosa, who didn’t practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday with a hamstring injury.