This week after completing two different portrait assignments I was was looking around as I walked back to my parked car.
I’d seen it in Old City before, but on a really clear, cold morning when the sky’s color perfectly matched that of the Ben Franklin Bridge towering over the public artwork on Columbus Boulevard, I looked more carefully at the giant knot of stainless steel spheres.
Sometimes you go looking for pictures but “found” pictures are most often located just where you happen to be.
I studied the shiny surface, looking through my viewfinder, varying the focal length on the two zoom lenses I had (a 24-70mm and 70-200mm) and switching between different apertures to achieve either more or less depth-of-focus on the orbs and the reflections they mirrored.
I also made a slightly “harsher” version of the blue sky and bridge.
Razor wire beside a pier on Columbus Boulevard frames the Benjamin Franklin Bridge Dec. 3, 2025.
Weather the day before was in sharp contrast — literally, with winds blowing rain almost knife-like horizontally at me as I fought with my umbrella to make a picture outside following another indoor portrait assignment.
I ended up moving to the roof of the garage where I parked my car.
Conditions were more wet than white as an early winter storm hit the region Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2025. This was a view of the Schuylkill, I-76, Walnut Street and the Amtrak and SEPTA tracks leading into 30th Street Station.
A note in support of copy editors: You know how seeing writers (mostly on social media) confusing a possessive pronoun with a contraction or thinking an apostrophe always indicates possession can be mildly distfacting or jarringly annoying to readers? (it’s vs. its and your vs. you’re.)
Well as a long-time photo caption reader (and writer) there are two common errors that exasperate me. Those would be the names of a common migratory water fowl and one of Philadelphia’s three major waterways.
Addam Schwartz, The Inquirer’s senior multiplatform editor, wrote the rain caption for the print version of the photo. He correctly changed my “Schuylkill River” to just plain “Schuylkill.” He knows the word means “hidden river,” so “River” is redundant. (It was named by Dutch settlers in the early 1600s. Prior to that time, the river was called Manayunk, meaning “where we go to drink” or Ganoshowanna, meaning “falling water” by the Lenape.)
In my defense I also know all that. Decades ago Suzanne Weston, the copy editor at Inquirer Magazine when I was on staff there educated me. But I do make mistakes, especially when typing captions on my laptop in my car.
And, it’s Canada goose, not Canadian. As a Consulate General in Minneapolis pointed out to me decades ago, while Canada would be proud to claim Branta canadensis as its own, they belong to ALL of the continent.
(By the way, Schuylkill Expressway IS okay.)
Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
November 29, 2025: t’s ginkgo time in our region again when the distinctive fan-shaped leaves turn yellow and then, on one day, lose all their leaves at the same time laying a carpet on city streets and sidewalks. A squirrel leaps over leaves in the 18th Century Garden in Independence National Historical Park Nov. 25, 2025. The ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is considered a living fossil as it’s the only surviving species of a group of trees that existed before dinosaurs. Genetically, it has remained unchanged over the past 200 million years. William Hamilton, owner the Woodlands in SW Phila (no relation to Alexander Hamilton) brought the first ginkgo trees to North America in 1785.November 24, 2025: The old waiting room at 30th Street Station that most people only pass through on their way to the restrooms has been spiffed up with benches – and a Christmas tree. It was placed there this year in front of the 30-foot frieze, “The Spirit of Transportation” while the lobby of Amtrak’s $550 million station restoration is underway. The 1895 relief sculpture by Karl Bitter was originally hung in the Broad Street Station by City Hall, but was moved in 1933. It depicts travel from ancient to modern and even futuristic times. November 17, 2025: Students on a field trip from the Christian Academy in Brookhaven, Delaware County, pose for a group photo in front of the Liberty Bell in Independence National Historical Park on Thursday. The trip was planned weeks earlier, before they knew it would be on the day park buildings were reopening after the government shutdown ended. “We got so lucky,” a teacher said. Then corrected herself. “It’s because we prayed for it.” November 8, 2025: Multitasking during the Festival de Día de Muertos – Day of the Dead – in South Philadelphia.November 1, 2025: Marcy Boroff is at City Hall dressed as a Coke can, along with preschoolers and their caregivers, in support of former Mayor Jim Kenney’s 2017 tax on sweetened beverages. City Council is considering repealing the tax, which funds the city’s pre-K programs. October 25, 2025: Austin Gabauer, paint and production assistant at the Johnson Atelier, in Hamilton Twp, N.J. as the finished “O” letter awaits the return to Philadelphia. The “Y” part of the OY/YO sculpture is inside the painting booth. The well-known sculpture outside the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History was removed in May while construction continues on Market Street and has been undergoing refurbishment at the Atelier at the Grounds for Sculpture outside of Trenton.October 20, 2025:The yellow shipping container next to City Hall attracted a line of over 300 people that stretched around a corner of Dilworth Park. Bystanders wondered as they watched devotees reaching the front take their selfies inside a retro Philly diner-esque booth tableau. Followers on social media had been invited to “Climb on to immerse yourself in the worlds of Pleasing Fragrance, Big Lip, and exclusive treasures,” including a spin of the “Freebie Wheel,” for products of the unisex lifestyle brand Pleasing, created by former One Direction singer Harry Styles.October 11, 2025: Can you find the Phillie Phanatic, as he leaves a “Rally for Red October Bus Tour” stop in downtown Westmont, N.J. just before the start of the NLDS? There’s always next year and he’ll be back. The 2026 Spring Training schedule has yet to be announced by Major League Baseball, but Phillies pitchers and catchers generally first report to Clearwater, Florida in mid-February.October 6. 2025: Fluorescent orange safety cone, 28 in, Poly Ethylene. Right: Paint Torch (detail) Claes Oldenburg, 2011, Steel, Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic, Gelcoat and Polyurethane. (Gob of paint, 6 ft. Main sculpture, 51 ft.). Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on North Broad Street, across from the Convention Center.September 29, 2025: A concerned resident who follows Bucks County politics, Kevin Puls records the scene before a campaign rally for State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the GOP candidate for governor. His T-shirt is “personal clickbait” with a url to direct people to the website for The Travis Manion Foundation created to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes. The image on the shirts is of Greg Stocker, one of the hosts of Kayal and Company, “A fun and entertaining conservative spin on Politics, News, and Sports,” mornings on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.September 22, 2025: A shadow is cast by “The Cock’s Comb,” created by Alexander “Sandy” Calder in 1960, is the first work seen by visitors arriving at Calder Gardens, the new sanctuary on the Ben Franklin Parkway. The indoor and outdoor spaces feature the mobiles, stabiles, and paintings of Calder, who was born in Philadelphia in 1898, the third generation of the family’s artistic legacy in the city.September 15, 2025: Department of Streets Director of Operations Thomas Buck leaves City Hall following a news conference marking the activation of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras on the Broad Street corridor – one the city’s busiest and most dangerous roads. The speed limit on the street, also named PA Route 611, is 25 mph.September 8, 2025: Middle schoolers carry a boat to the water during their first outing in a learn-to-row program with the Cooper Junior Rowing Club, at the Camden County Boathouse on the Cooper River in Pennsauken. September 1, 2025: Trumpet player Rome Leone busks at City Hall’s Easr Portal. The Philadelphia native plays many instruments, including violin and piano, which he started playing when he was 3 years old. He tells those who stop to talk that his grandfather played with Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, and Dizzy Gillespie. August 25, 2025: Bicycling along on East Market Street.
Ever since he emerged from the rubble of the Wells Fargo arena construction site in 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty, has been busy wreaking havoc across Philadelphia. One moment he’s dumping popcorn on Flyers fans in the Chaos Corner, the next he’s mooning the goalkeeper for the Boston Bruins. More often than not, he’s behaving recklessly with a T-shirt cannon.
Gritty shows his rear end to the Boston goal keeper during the Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers NHL pre-season game at xfinity mobile ARENA in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, 2025.
Despite being famous for his game day antics, Gritty arguably gets into even more mischief off the ice. Who can forget his infamous Kim Kardashian impression?
Or that time he crashed Stephen Colbert’s Super Bowl party. Or how about when he tore through the streets of Philadelphia on a motorcycle to celebrate his third birthday. What did he do on his fourth birthday? Get divorced and start smoking Marlboro Reds?
Does Gritty like being so busy? If he could spend his day doing anything he wanted, would he really spend it throwing sheet cake at people and making celebrity appearances everywhere? To find out, we asked the bright orange, googly-eyed mascot to walk us through his perfect Philly day, and he responded in his perfect Gritty way.
4:55 a.m.
I roll out of bed just so I can tell people that I get up before them. I’m no hero, so I go back to bed. I sleep naked on a concrete floor, no covers, with a memory foam pillow.
8:30 a.m.
By this point in the morning, I’ve hit snooze a fistful of times. Time to start my lil day. First things first, coffee. I like my coffee like I like myself: gritty. I make it with no filter because I like the pulp. I drink it outside so I can bask in the sweet sounds of I-95 rush hour traffic.
10 a.m.
I’m a pretty busy Gritty. I make appearances at events all over the city. I’m also incredibly photogenic, as you know. I reserve my midmornings for events and photoshoots. My favorite thing to do is the 2026 Gritty calendar. It’s for charity, NBD. I’ll do anything for the perfect shot, like squeezing my nude body into one of those skinny rowboats at Boathouse Row and laboring my way down the Schuylkill.
Gritty likes to spend the afternoon bouncing around Philadelphia, posing for photos and popping up at special events.
Noon
I’ll do a little lunch at one of my favorite Philly spots. There’s a dumpster on Broad Street that serves the most delicious half-eaten burritos. I’m gatekeeping the location because I don’t want to see my favorite burrito spot overrun with tourists. But trust me, they’re decent.
2 p.m.
I usually eat until I feel sick, so I like to take a nap after lunch. I’ll sneak onto one of those ships at the Navy Yard and go down for about an hour. Hopefully my upset tum tum settles.
I’ve got people to see and places to be. But instead I do neither. The afternoon is my moment of zen. Maybe a quiet walk, maybe a light jog, maybe a full sprint after a group of strangers just to keep them on edge. There’s not a bad place in the city to chase strangers. Head on a swivel, Philly.
6 p.m.
Time for dinner. I’m a bit of a health nut, so I’m having a salad with a steak on the side. Maybe my steak is slathered in cheese. Maybe I eat it on a roll. OK, maybe it’s a cheesesteak. It could be from anywhere. I don’t judge a cheesesteak on taste. Only on girth. Maybe I don’t stop at just one. Maybe I didn’t want to talk about it because I thought you’d judge me. Maybe get off my case about it. Maybe cheesesteaks are the state fruit of Philadelphia, and I’m a supportive citizen.
Maybe you wouldn’t be so quick to judge if you relaxed a little bit and had a cheesesteak for yourself. Maybe I’m just built different and my body craves protein, and this is the only way to maintain my perfect fazeek. Maybe you’re just jealous that you’re counting calories while I’m counting empty wrappers. Anyway, yeah cheesesteak dinner.
Maybe Gritty eats a cheesesteak from John’s Roast Pork.
7 p.m.
It’s game time. I’m spending the next few hours at Xfinity Mobile Arena getting the people going! My favorite place, my home. I like to keep it out of pocket at Flyers games. Make some people laugh, throw some cake at people. No perfect day of mine would be complete without hurling a sheet cake through the air at a stranger’s face. Highly recommend if you’ve never tried. I live for chaos and chaos lives for me.
11 p.m.
Time to sleep. Naked. Airing out the follicles is a very important part of my fur care routine.
We’ll show you a photo taken in the Philly-area, you drop a pin where you think it was taken. Closer to the location results in a better score. This week’s theme is all about winter. Good luck!
Round #10
Question 1
Where is this ice rink?
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ClickTap on map to guess the location in the photo
ClickTap again to change your guess and hit submit when you're happy
You will be scored at the end. The closer to the location the better the score
Charles Fox / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink located at the west side of City Hall. The ice rink opened on November 14 and will be available to skate on through February 22, 2026.
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Question 2
Where can you find these holiday lights?
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Margo Reed / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is the Miracle on South 13th Street. Residents of South 13th St. have been decorating their houses for about 20 years, turning the area into a popular holiday season attraction.
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Question 3
Where is this garden?
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Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center. It was originally built in Japan in 1953 and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York before being moved to Fairmount Park in 1958.
Your Score
ARank
Amazing work. You know so much about winter! Are you a snowman?
BRank
Good stuff. Your performance was as beautiful as a freshly fallen snowflake.
CRank
C is a passing grade, but your performance was almost a slippery slope to failure.
DRank
D isn’t great. Your performance was an avalanche of bad answers.
FRank
We don’t want to say you failed, but you didn’t not fail.
You beat % of other Inquirer readers.
We’ll be back next Saturday for another round of Citywide Quest.
Unlike Mike’s Hot Honey, the unsubtle chili-fired condiment whose bold heat has become a sticky fixture in local pizzerias, there’s a sneakier, more natural spice to Don’s All Philly Hot Honey. That Don would be Don Shump, who’s not only the city’s most fearless bee beard model, but also the talented apiarist behind the Philadelphia Bee Co., whose locally harvested honey is in the midst of a brick-and-mortar pop-up run through the holidays in the Old City storefront annex to the Franklin Fountain. I’ve enjoyed this hot honey because it’s infused with fresh habaneros, whose fruity heat swarms more than stings, with a warm afterglow that doesn’t obscure the high quality of the honey itself. It’s just one of several unique products harvested from hives across the city for sale at Don and Amanda Shump’s new store.
There’s earthy “Doom Bloom” honey that’s smoky from contact with spotted lantern flies, as well as complex and distinctive honeys harvested from specific neighborhoods, including a newly released Old City edition gathered from wildflowers within buzzing distance of the Franklin Fountain’s rooftop apiary. In addition, there are hive-shaped candles, T-shirt merch, a honey soap collaboration with Vellum Street for various bars in tempting scents like hot toddy or “smoker fuel,” and even bee-themed dog toys that our pooch is obsessed with. When it comes sweet local food gifts, this is indeed, as the Shumps like to say, your “hive for the holidays.” Philadelphia Bee Co., 112 Market St. or online at philadelphiabee.com
— Craig LaBan
Sticky bun with amari gelato from Paffuto
Sticky bun with amari gelato from Paffuto
A spontaneous Friday date night led my partner and me to Paffuto for a last-minute chef’s counter reservation we nabbed. The entire meal, from the bright eggplant parm with fresh basil to the tuna crudo with Granny Smith apples, was just what we were looking for. But the unexpected star was a new dessert Paffuto is workshopping: their dayside pillowy sticky bun, warmed and topped with a heaping scoop of amari gelato made specially for the restaurant by Philly-based Cocco’s Gelato. The result is yeasty, boozy, herbal, and rich with a kiss of Fernet-Branca. I can’t wait to eat it again. Paffuto, 1009 S. Eighth St., 215-282-7262, paffutophl.com
— Emily Bloch
Turmeric chicken curry with rice and garlic naan at Turmeric Indian Kitchen, 1240 Spring Garden St., on Nov. 15, 2025.
Turmeric chicken curry at Turmeric Indian Kitchen
Handry Carvalho, who last worked at Saffron Indian Cuisine in Bala Cynwyd, is from Mumbai. Saurabh Kedwadkar, who last worked at Thanal near Logan Square, is from Karnataka, so there’s a bit of a north-south thing going at their new, casually elegant Turmeric Indian Kitchen at 13th and Spring Garden Streets (the former Satay Bistro). On these chilly days, I defy you to find a more belly-warming dish than the signature Turmeric chicken curry, reminiscent of spicy Mangalorean gassi, with cubed chicken in a rich gravy of onion, tomato, curry leaves, and mustard seed. Just as hearty is the dal makhani, the creamy Punjabi specialty of whole black lentils and red kidney beans cooked with spices, butter, and cream. Order both, spoon them over basmati rice, and get a side of garlic naan to swipe up any remaining sauce. Turmeric Indian Kitchen, 1240 Spring Garden St., 215-933-0430, turmericphilly.com
— Michael Klein
The celebratory sardine parcel special at American Sardine Bar.
Sardine parcel from American Sardine Bar
If there’s one thing American Sardine Bar doesn’t mess around with, it’s a party. And they especially love a theme party. So it was only sensible to order the entire menu of specials for their Night of the Sardine 14th anniversary and Thanksgiving eve block party. Chef Andrew Douglas’ sardine escabeche and sardine-stuffed peppers featured bright bites of pickled sardines, Castelvetrano olives, and piquillo peppers. But the star of the show was the sardine parcel: an envelope of flaky phyllo dough stuffed with artichokes and spinach, parmesan, ricotta salata, and — you guessed it — more sardines. The grown-up spanakopita prompted me to text my Greek bestie and her sister about it. They’d like a bite, so hopefully Douglas runs this one back. American Sardine Bar, 1800 Federal St., 215-334-2337, americansardinebar.com
The house: a 1,254-square-foot rowhouse in Port Richmond with 3 bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms, built in 1925.
The price: listed for $315,000; purchased for $325,000
The agent: Rachel Shaw, Philly Home Girls
The ask: The first time Sindhu Nair tried to buy a house, the deal collapsed the day of closing. A lender told her last minute that he couldn’t approve the loan after all. The experience left such a sour taste that she stepped away from the market for years. But by 2025, she felt ready to try again, especially after seeing how much money she had sent her landlord on Cash App in the past two years. She was done giving her money to someone else, she said.
Sindhu Nair loved the light and the “good vibes” in the house’s living room.
Nair had been looking for a house for years and knew what she wanted. “I trusted my gut instincts,” she said. She needed at least two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor. She also wanted a small backyard for her dog and access to easy street parking. She limited her search to the Port Richmond area. “My dog walker lives in this area,” Nair said, “so I’ve been in the neighborhood a lot, and it’s just so cute.” Her budget was $350,000.
The search: Nair began her search in July. The first place she toured had two private parking spaces but needed a gut renovation. “I didn’t want to take on that financial burden,” she said. She visited two other open houses that afternoon. Both appealed to her, and she hoped to make an offer on the less expensive one, but it already had two bids. She would have had to offer well over the $250,000 asking price to be competitive.
Meanwhile, the pricier home — the one she actually preferred — had no competing offers. After running the numbers and realizing the difference in cost was smaller than she expected because of the competing offers, she shifted course. “I decided just to go for the house that I wanted,” Nair said.
Sindhu Nair’s dog, Scotty, approves of her purchase.
The appeal: Nair says she knew she had found the one as soon as she stepped inside. “I think the universe was ready to provide me with this house,” Nair said. The light looked amazing, the space had a “good vibe,” and the backyard was the perfect size for her dog, Scotty. She loved that it was move-in ready. “Whoever rehabbed it did a beautiful job,” Nair said.
The deal: The seller’s agent told Nair at the open house that the seller was motivated and willing to offer a seller’s assist, which is when the seller agrees to cover a portion of the buyer’s closing costs. Nair and her agent asked for enough to covernearly all of Nair’s closing costs.
In return, Nair offered $325,000 — $10,000 over the asking price — even though there weren’t any other offers. “We wanted to make sure that with the seller’s assist, she was still going to make a profit,” Nair said. She views the seller’s assist as a tool she used to keep more money in her bank account after she purchased the home. “It has nothing to do with financial stability,” Nair said. “It’s a financial tool that people should take advantage of.”
There are three bedrooms in Nair’s home. Scotty sleeps in the bedroom with Nair. Nair’s foster cat has her own room.
The seller accepted Nair’s offer and agreed to the amount for the seller’s assist.
The money: Nair began the year with about $60,000 in savings, but she used roughly half to pay off her private student loans. “They’d been the bane of my existence,” she said. “I imagined being 70 or 80 years old with debt collectors still calling me.” Paying off that balance left her with about $30,000, money she had saved gradually over the years. She didn’t want to use all of it for a down payment, though. “I wanted to have a cushion for anything that came up after I bought the house,” she said.
The back patio is the perfect size for Scotty, Nair says.
To keep more cash on hand, she worked with her lender to take out an FHA mortgage, which requires as little as 3.5% down and allows sellers to contribute to closing costs. With a seller’s assist, her out-of-pocket contribution dropped to around $10,000. Without it, she would have paid closer to $20,000. “It’s my first home,” Nair said, “and I’m proud of the strategies I used to get it.”
The move: Nair closed on the house on Aug. 25, a few days earlier than planned. The original closing date was Aug. 28, but she asked to move it up so she could leave her apartment before Sept. 1 and avoid paying another month of rent. She admits she was nervous while she waited for her mortgage to be approved. “I was sweating because of my first experience,” she said. “But my lender kept telling me, ‘Nope, you’re good. I would have told you if there was an issue.’”
The kitchen and living room in Sindhu Nair’s home.
Once her approval came through, she began lining up help. She hired someone to assist with packing and brought in movers for the actual move, but the two-step arrangement proved more frustrating than she expected. “I realized I didn’t save any money, and I just gave myself a headache,” she said. Next time, she plans to hire a company that handles everything — packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking — in one coordinated sweep.
Any reservations? Nair says she doesn’t have any regrets about the purchase. “I think I got lucky, and I feel very proud of myself for having this accomplishment,” she said. She’s thrilled to have paid off her student loans and bought a home in the same year, and she hopes her experience sends a message to others. “I want people to know, especially single women, that you can do this,” she said. “It’s not easy; it’s very hard, but it’s doable.”
Life after close: A Halloween housewarming party forced Nair to get the main parts of her house unpacked and organized, but there is still work to be done. She just started unpacking her basement and is getting ready to set up her office in the smallest bedroom. She’s not sure what she’ll do with the other bedroom. It currently houses an animal. “I have a cat that I’m fostering,” Nair said, “and that’s her bedroom.”
They don’t go “down the Shore” on the other side of the Delaware Bay. First Staters go to the beach — or, more geographically correct, to the Delaware Beaches: the neighboring Atlantic towns of Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, and Fenwick Island, familiar to most Philadelphians even if they’ve never been.
The Delaware Beaches and Lewes, their historic bayside gateway, are charming and festive during the holidays. Come for the tax-free shopping and craft-beer icons, stay for the smart indie restaurants and pristine nature. It’s a quick trip across the bay on the ferry. Margate, Ocean City, and Wildwood will still be there when you get back.
Getting to Coastal Delaware is half the fun when you take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. It takes about the same amount of time to drive directly from Philly to Lewes as it does to drive to Cape May and board the boat for the 85-minute crossing, but only one option gives you cinematic views of the Delaware Bay — historically the most important waterway in the region. (No bay for Billy Penn to sail up, no founding of Philadelphia.) It’s also a key environment for marine life, from oysters and mussels to dolphins and seals. You might even catch a migrating humpback whale on the 17-mile crossing.
📍 1200 Lincoln Blvd., North Cape May, N.J. 08204
Stay: Dogfish Inn
One of the original craft-beer brands, Dogfish Head is maybe the most famous Delaware resident who wasn’t also POTUS. Sam Calagione founded the Milton brewery — more on that in a minute — in 1995, and it became such a tourist magnet that a hotel was a natural expansion.
The friendly, 16-room Dogfish Inn opened in 2014 and sits along the Lewes–Rehoboth Canal, walking distance to both the ferry and downtown. Rooms are simply furnished and stylish, with branded swag and pops of olive and teal. Outside, beer pilgrims, holiday shoppers, and their dogs (the inn is pet-friendly) gather around the Cowboy Cauldron, the nickname for the communal firepit.
Fig-tahini danish, pumpkin-cheesecake conchas, and sugared doughnuts plumped with chai-spiced cream gleam in the pastry case at the Station on Kings, a charming café with arboreal décor and a greenhouse dining room that feels sunny even when winter clouds cover the coast. Grab a table and settle in for a leisurely brunch of those excellent baked goods, a creamy French omelet, maybe the calendar-correct Mistletoe Matcha, Station’s matcha latte sweetened with white chocolate-peppermint syrup. After, browse the selection of candles, soaps, ornaments, and other local and artisan gifts.
📍 720 Kings Hwy., Lewes, Del. 19958
Shop: Tanger Outlets
Continue making your list and checking it twice at the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth. Bargain hunters come year-round, but the holiday sales are especially enticing. The complex is divided into three clusters (Surfside, Seaside, Bayside) along Route 1, with more than 100 brands, including Nike, North Face, and Le Creuset.
📍 Route 1 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, Del. 19971
There’s a windswept solitude to the beach in December that, for anyone raised on towel-to-towel summer crowds, is narcotically surreal. Encompassing more than 5,000 acres of sandy shores, reedy wetlands, and maritime forest, Cape Henlopen State Park is the place to get centered in nature at the Delaware Beaches. Walking trails lace the preserve, winding through historical sites like Fort Miles, which played a critical coastal defense role in WWII, and around Gordon’s Pond. Head to the Point, near the hooked tip of Cape Henlopen, for views of the 140-year-old Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse.
📍 15099 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes, Del. 19958
Sip: Dogfish Head Brewery
Despite being bought by the Boston Beer Company in 2019, Dogfish remains a Delaware darling. The brand offers multiple touchpoints throughout the beaches, but it’s worth the 15-minute drive west of Lewes to the Milton brewery. Tours run three times daily, seven days a week, and include a pour of 60 Minute IPA. For an extra $8, enjoy a tasting flight in the on-site taproom.
📍 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton, Del. 19968
Eat: the Blue Hen
Located a block and a half from the beach, on the ground floor of the Avenue Inn & Spa, the Blue Hen gives cozy coastal tavern vibes with pewter-blue paint, carved woodwork, and a gallery wall of framed photographs. The cooking, from chef Julia Robinson, elevates the genre: gingered lobster toast with dashi aioli, mezze rigatoni with pistachio pesto and confit chicken, Iberico pork Milanese.
Robinson bought the Blue Hen with her wife, sommelier and GM Heather Sharp, in 2022 after moving from Philly in 2017. Walking the Rehoboth boardwalk after dinner, it’s easy to see the appeal.
But what will the celebrity couple wear? Will Swift choose a strapless sheath or a princess gown with a halter bodice? Will she opt for a simple sheath? Perhaps a sparkling fishtail.
Do we see Kelce in a classic tux or an easy linen suit sans tie?
We asked fashion students — and Tayvis fans — at Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design, and Thomas Jefferson University to sketch America’s favorite couple’s wedding day looks and share their inspirations.
Swifties picture their girl in gowns ranging from fanciful to architectural. And they envision Kelce donning classic or casual suiting with funky NFL detailing.
We combed through the selection and picked our favorites. Swifties, it’s time to vote for yours.
Taylor Swift’s wedding dress
Abigayle Brubaker, 21, Senior, Jefferson University
Abigayle Brubaker’s asymmetrical gown design features three tiers of ruffles along the right side complemented with a deep slit. It’s to be fashioned from silk satin and illusion mesh with hand-beaded crystals along its petal-shaped tiers. “It is slightly understated, to reflect how Swift often separates her personal life from her stardom,” Brubaker said in her design notes. “But it does have a few elements inspired by her career.”
For instance, she says, the strapless silhouette is areference to the custom Schiaparelli Swift wore to the 2024 Grammys and the floral print on the trio of tiers is reminiscent of the floral appliqued Oscar de la Renta mini Swift rocked at the 2021 Grammys. “Overall the dress exudes luxury and encompasses Swift’s style,” Brubaker explained, “while remaining traditional and elegant.”
Courtesy
Caroline Wickramaratna, 20, Junior, Jefferson University
Inspired by a vintage wedding cake, junior Caroline Wickramaratna, said the layered designs in this super-constructed frock “represent the tiers” of the classic dessert. The asymmetrical one-shouldered neckline speaks to the Kansas City Chiefs red Vivienne Westwood number Swift wore to the 2025 Grammys. Structured and fluid, the gown, Wickramaratna said, is a “testament to Swift’s layered personality.”
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Ensaam Farraj, 22, Senior, Moore College of Art and Design
An off-the-shoulder, corseted bodice over a full princess skirt gives Ensaam Farraj’s design a hefty dose of delicate whimsy, while the floral designs etched in layers of ivory tulle give it its sweetness.
“Taylor is known for weaving romance, nostalgia, and fairy-tale imagery into both her music and personal style,” Farraj wrote. “The soft, off-the-shoulder sleeves, delicate corset bodice, and flowing embroidered skirt capture the same ethereal poetic energy, like a gown straight from her love songs.”
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Gabbi Feaster, 21, Senior, Drexel University
Swift’s dramatic capes, structured bodices, and removable skirts were among the most memorable parts of Swift’s wildly successful “Eras Tour.”
Feaster incorporates the quick change feature — and boy shorts — into her wedding gown. After all, a girl might want a new look when she transitions from the ceremony to the reception. The gauzy silks in the flowing cape and train hearken back to Swift’s softer early pop style, Feaster said.
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Who designed your favorite Swift dress?
Thanks for voting
Travis Kelce’s wedding outfit
Isabella Borst, 20, Junior, Jefferson University
The sporty tuxedo — fashioned from dark linen — features a wide lapel jacket and roomy trousers. The look, inspired by the football field, Borst said, would feature aggressive seams running along the arms and the legs, mimicking field lines on NFL turf.
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Carly Marquess, 21, Junior, Jefferson University
Gold chains would be a great touch to Kelce’s look, said Carly Marquess. Kelce’s classic black tuxedo’s golden chains were inspired by the lyrics in Swift’s 2020 hit “Invisible String”: “One silver thread of gold tied me to you.”
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Kyle Bakonyi, 25, Class of 2025, Drexel University
Kyle Bakonyi’s broad-shouldered silhouette reimagines the classic tuxedo. “The wrapped lapel and draped silk cravat instead of a tie gives the look a bold modern twist,” he said. The piece, Bakonyi said, would be crafted from a silk and wool blend. Straight-legged trousers give the full-shouldered look balance.
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Ensaam Farraj, 22, Senior, Moore College of Art and Design
Ensaam Farraj imagines Kelce in a slim cut midnight blue tux with white rose or gardenia boutonniere, plucked from Swift’s bridal bouquet. The suit’s silk lining, Farraj said, would include lyrics from Swift’s love songs and a map of the world featuring the couple’s favorite vacation spots. “His look would be luxe, but refined,” she added.
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Who designed your favorite Kelce outfit?
Thanks for voting
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We’ll show you a photo taken in the Philly-area, you drop a pin where you think it was taken. Closer to the location results in a better score. This week’s theme is all about shopping. Good luck!
Round #9Published Nov 29, 2025
Question 1
Where is this?
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.location {
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ClickTap on map to guess the location in the photo
ClickTap again to change your guess and hit submit when you're happy
You will be scored at the end. The closer to the location the better the score
Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is a public space on East Market Street. It has been transformed into a mixed-use area with apartments, hotels, restaurants, and office buildings over the past decade.
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Question 2
Where is this mall?
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Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is the King of Prussia mall. The mall has more than 450 stores, including Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and a collection of luxury retailers.
Quiz continues after ad
Question 3
Where is this pet store?
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Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Pretty good/Not bad/Way off! Your guess was from the location.Spot on! Your guess was exactly at the location. Here's also where a random selection of Inquirer readers guessed.
This is Fairmount Pet Shoppe on Fairmount Avenue. The store provides more than 1,000 kinds of pet supplies and occasionally has cats for adoption.
Your Score
ARank
Amazing work. You've secured the doorbuster deal!
BRank
Good stuff. You are definitely in-stock of the facts.
CRank
C is a passing grade, but seems like your knowledge is suffering from an inventory shortage.
DRank
D isn’t great. You missed all the deals and walked away with an empty cart.
FRank
We don’t want to say you failed, but you didn’t not fail.
You beat % of other Inquirer readers.
Looking for something special this holiday season? Check our 2025 Gift Guide! We’ll be back next Saturday for another round of Citywide Quest.
Most days newspaper photographers are assigned to illustrate reporters’ stories, or cover news, events, or sports. We are given a time to be somewhere, the name of a contact and are either told, or have an idea of what we will be photographing.
Other times we have to come up with something on our own.
So how do I generate an idea from a completely blank slate? How we each do this is the magic of creativity.
My process is to look around, not just at what’s in front of me, but to think of what I’ve seen and read and thought about lately. I recall pictures I’ve made previously, or images I’ve admired by others. I let my thoughts drift, and try to notice patterns, juxtapositions, or things that seem out of place. And make connections.
Zhaomin Li records Weili Jia as she throws leaves in the air along Walnut Street at Washington Square Nov. 25, 2025. The couple was visiting from Carmel, Indiana.
I am patient, even when it seems inspiration is not going to hit me.
I seldom find that spark while driving. I need to get out of the car and walk. Or sit on a bench. And free associate.
This week I thought of autumn, the end of daylight savings, the sunlight low in the sky, and cooler days. In a park I watched squirrels scampering on leaves collecting and burying food for the even colder days coming.
More walking, and sitting, and I spotted an unusual black squirrel. I once read they are more common around the Great Lakes, but around here, plain old grey squirrels are what we have. (I googled it later. Less than 1% of the grey squirrel population on the East Coast “present heightened levels of the dark pigment melanin.”)
Back on my feet I came across a courtyard full of fan-shaped leaves, spread in front of me like a quiet, golden revelation.
Ginkgo biloba, I knew from previous assignments. The oldest tree species on Earth, it’s often called a “living fossil.” It has survived for over 200 million years, outlasting the dinosaurs, and has remained relatively unchanged.
That became my inspiration this week. Call me a biophiliac (having the hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature). But it’s how I made the connection and this week’s photo.
See more gingkoes (and another photo of the black squirrel) in the gallery:
Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
November 24, 2025: The old waiting room at 30th Street Station that most people only pass through on their way to the restrooms has been spiffed up with benches – and a Christmas tree. It was placed there this year in front of the 30-foot frieze, “The Spirit of Transportation” while the lobby of Amtrak’s $550 million station restoration is underway. The 1895 relief sculpture by Karl Bitter was originally hung in the Broad Street Station by City Hall, but was moved in 1933. It depicts travel from ancient to modern and even futuristic times. November 17, 2025: Students on a field trip from the Christian Academy in Brookhaven, Delaware County, pose for a group photo in front of the Liberty Bell in Independence National Historical Park on Thursday. The trip was planned weeks earlier, before they knew it would be on the day park buildings were reopening after the government shutdown ended. “We got so lucky,” a teacher said. Then corrected herself. “It’s because we prayed for it.” November 8, 2025: Multitasking during the Festival de Día de Muertos – Day of the Dead – in South Philadelphia.November 1, 2025: Marcy Boroff is at City Hall dressed as a Coke can, along with preschoolers and their caregivers, in support of former Mayor Jim Kenney’s 2017 tax on sweetened beverages. City Council is considering repealing the tax, which funds the city’s pre-K programs. October 25, 2025: Austin Gabauer, paint and production assistant at the Johnson Atelier, in Hamilton Twp, N.J. as the finished “O” letter awaits the return to Philadelphia. The “Y” part of the OY/YO sculpture is inside the painting booth. The well-known sculpture outside the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History was removed in May while construction continues on Market Street and has been undergoing refurbishment at the Atelier at the Grounds for Sculpture outside of Trenton.October 20, 2025:The yellow shipping container next to City Hall attracted a line of over 300 people that stretched around a corner of Dilworth Park. Bystanders wondered as they watched devotees reaching the front take their selfies inside a retro Philly diner-esque booth tableau. Followers on social media had been invited to “Climb on to immerse yourself in the worlds of Pleasing Fragrance, Big Lip, and exclusive treasures,” including a spin of the “Freebie Wheel,” for products of the unisex lifestyle brand Pleasing, created by former One Direction singer Harry Styles.October 11, 2025: Can you find the Phillie Phanatic, as he leaves a “Rally for Red October Bus Tour” stop in downtown Westmont, N.J. just before the start of the NLDS? There’s always next year and he’ll be back. The 2026 Spring Training schedule has yet to be announced by Major League Baseball, but Phillies pitchers and catchers generally first report to Clearwater, Florida in mid-February.October 6. 2025: Fluorescent orange safety cone, 28 in, Poly Ethylene. Right: Paint Torch (detail) Claes Oldenburg, 2011, Steel, Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic, Gelcoat and Polyurethane. (Gob of paint, 6 ft. Main sculpture, 51 ft.). Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on North Broad Street, across from the Convention Center.September 29, 2025: A concerned resident who follows Bucks County politics, Kevin Puls records the scene before a campaign rally for State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the GOP candidate for governor. His T-shirt is “personal clickbait” with a url to direct people to the website for The Travis Manion Foundation created to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes. The image on the shirts is of Greg Stocker, one of the hosts of Kayal and Company, “A fun and entertaining conservative spin on Politics, News, and Sports,” mornings on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.September 22, 2025: A shadow is cast by “The Cock’s Comb,” created by Alexander “Sandy” Calder in 1960, is the first work seen by visitors arriving at Calder Gardens, the new sanctuary on the Ben Franklin Parkway. The indoor and outdoor spaces feature the mobiles, stabiles, and paintings of Calder, who was born in Philadelphia in 1898, the third generation of the family’s artistic legacy in the city.September 15, 2025: Department of Streets Director of Operations Thomas Buck leaves City Hall following a news conference marking the activation of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras on the Broad Street corridor – one the city’s busiest and most dangerous roads. The speed limit on the street, also named PA Route 611, is 25 mph.September 8, 2025: Middle schoolers carry a boat to the water during their first outing in a learn-to-row program with the Cooper Junior Rowing Club, at the Camden County Boathouse on the Cooper River in Pennsauken. September 1, 2025: Trumpet player Rome Leone busks at City Hall’s Easr Portal. The Philadelphia native plays many instruments, including violin and piano, which he started playing when he was 3 years old. He tells those who stop to talk that his grandfather played with Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, and Dizzy Gillespie. August 25, 2025: Bicycling along on East Market Street.August 18, 2025: Just passing through Center City; another extraterrestrial among us.
In northern Massachusetts, just below the Vermont border, the Berkshires have been a four-season destination for as long as tourism has existed in America. Over the last couple of decades, greasy spoons, summer camps, and old motor lodges have given way to trendier offerings across North Adams, Lenox, and Williamstown.
The region’s recent renaissance coincides with its rise as a cultural hub — and, more recently, an escape hatch for New Yorkers and Bostonians during the pandemic. Why should they have all the fun? At roughly four hours from Philly, the Berkshires make an easy late-fall weekend trip. You may still catch a few lingering leaves, and with any luck, an early dusting of snow. Dress warm — you’ll want plenty of time outdoors.
With its low-slung, mid-century silhouette, TOURISTS Welcome almost blends into the forested landscape behind Route 2. That’s intentional, since this property (reborn in 2018 from a 1960s motor lodge) is all about the outdoors, offering guided Appalachian Trail hikes, waterfall meditations, and a cinematic suspension bridge strung across the Hoosic River. Inside, Scandi-meets-rustic comfort reigns: fireplaces, worn-in leather, raw wood, and window nooks perfect for reading. It works just as well for families (skip the amaro cocktails) as it does for weekending stylists.
While the picturesque landscapes bring many to the Berkshires, MASS MoCA has functioned as the area’s other magnet since its debut in 1999. Located in a former industrial mill complex, it’s one of the most lauded contemporary visual art museums in the country, filled with (and sometimes seemingly constructed from) colossal installations you can literally get lost in. Don’t miss the immersive light works by James Turrell.
Just a short walk from MASS MoCA, Steeple City Social lures visitors with the scent of cinnamon and coffee — and a menu that runs from thick biscuit sandwiches and sticky buns to savory cheddar-and-pickle scones. The pies by the slice are excellent, and a rotating selection of vintage housewares lines one wall. At night, the café shifts to spritzy cocktails and potatoes with caviar dip.
📍 5 Eagle St., North Adams, Mass. 01247
Walk: The Clark Institute Sculpture Park
Not to be outdone by MASS MoCA, the Clark Institute is the other destination museum of the Berkshires, with a collection of American and English art that includes a striking bronze cast of Degas’ Little Dancer. But the real magic — especially for families — lies outside. Its 140-acre sculpture park is free, filled with meadows, storybook woods, and walking trails that are especially enchanting with a little snow on the ground. The museum provides snowshoes.
Pop a bottle of sour quince, crabapple-and-McIntosh pét-nat, sparkling rosé, or one of the other exciting ciders at Berkshire Cider Project. The young cidery’s tasting room is open on Saturdays and Sundays at Greylock WORKS, a former textile mill-turned-artisan hive.
📍 508 State Rd., North Adams, Mass. 01247
Splurge: Miraval Berkshires
A Relax & Renew day pass at Miraval Berkshires — a nationally respected spa retreat in Lenox — isn’t cheap ($509 Sundays–Fridays; $539 Saturdays). But it includes $230 in credits for treatments (mineral body peels, birch-and-juniper foot massages), fee-based activities (falconry, golf), scheduled classes (yoga, rock climbing), full access to spa amenities, lunch, and gratuities. You can easily spend the entire day here. Consider it an early holiday gift to yourself.
If you love a cozy pub, you’ll love Water Street Grill. Historic building? Check. Friendly hospitality that makes you feel like a regular? Check. Creamy clam chowder you’d be happy to drown in? Check. At WSG, which lives in a wood-clad, century-old building, the 21 taps spout craft beers from here and away, the wings wear eight different sauces, and the meatloaf comes smothered in bourbon-kissed mushroom gravy.
