I invited two Inquirer journalists to discuss the submitted question, which ended with some strong judgments.
Have a question of your own? Or an opinion? Email me.
Evan Weiss, Deputy Features Editor
This week’s question is a question and a story…
A friend and I were waiting for Regional Rail for Center City when the announcement came that the train was canceled. It being freezing weather, I asked other passengers what their transit apps were saying, and what their plans were. A man said he was planning to drive to Center City, and his car was parked in the lot. Before I could stop myself, I asked for a ride. His wife did not like the idea, giving a wide-eyed look, but the man agreed after hesitating.
The husband was very nice, as was the car, but the wife was irritated the whole way into the city — she never said hi or introduced herself and when we tried to include her in the conversation, she sat silent.
Was it weird for me to ask for a ride or was it weird for her to treat us like a nuisance?
Beatrice Forman, Food and Dining Reporter
I am having a lot of thoughts and most of them feel unkind so I’m going to let Stephanie take the lead on this one.
Stephanie Farr, Features Columnist
I think it’s highly unusual to ask for a ride from a stranger. From a young age we’re told not to get into cars with strangers or, once we get old enough, not to give strangers a ride. That being said, we all take Uber these days so the rules have changed a bit.
I think asking for a ride may have put the man in an awkward situation where he felt obligated to help you, but I think the bigger issue is you saw he had his wife with him and you did not ask her if it was OK too. You shouldn’t have just assumed the husband speaks for both of them. I would have been a bit offended too if I was her.
Beatrice Forman
Oh, you’re so much nicer than me.
Outside of the absolute stranger danger of it all (whose to say that man and his wife aren’t Bonnie and Clyde 2.0?), I think it’s absolutely bonkers to assume a stranger would give not just you, but a friend — double the imposition — a free ride when, as you pointed out, Ubers exist. The wife was probably stunned into silence by the gall of it all.
I’m all for the generosity of the human spirit and know that a village requires being a good villager, but a good villager knows when to read the room!
Stephanie Farr
Agreed, so our letter writer is the weirdo and the wife was totally in her right to treat them like a nuisance.
Beatrice Forman
Weirdo is such a strong word but yeah, total weirdo.
Stephanie Farr
They asked if it was weird!
A weirdo move, let’s say.
Beatrice Forman
My 2026 resolution was to be less of a hater and I do fear this question has set me back.
I do wonder what motivated the husband to say yes in this situation even though his wife seemed uncomfortable. Do either of you have any ideas?
Stephanie Farr
Some people have a hard time saying no, especially when they’re put on the spot in a moment of stress and see someone else in need.
Evan Weiss
In an ideal world, giving rides to people who need them sounds wonderful. It’s fair to say that safety is likely not something that presses on the husband’s mind as much as the wife’s. He may have just been trying to be kind without being empathetic.
Beatrice Forman
That’s fair! He seems like a nice guy and very generous. I guess he deserves, like, 10 “good person” points for the gesture. He does lose two though for not considering his wife in the moment.
Evan Weiss
More than 2!
Beatrice Forman
How many points are you docking, Evan?
Evan Weiss
I honestly can’t imagine not considering how my wife would feel in the moment. Or, worse, knowing how she felt and going through with it anyway (which is how it sounds like it went down). Minus 8?
It’s a good deed, but you’re not the only person doing it.
In this scenario, I actually think it’s the husband who’s most at fault.
Beatrice Forman
Ooooof you run a tight program, Evan.
Stephanie Farr
Nobody thought about the wife in this situation and that may be what ticks me off most of all.
Everybody is at fault but the wife.
Beatrice Forman
Mayhaps this man is the true weirdo, not our question asker.
I really do feel for the wife, and I don’t like that she comes off as rude and entitled in the scenario when in reality, everyone else was entitled. I also don’t think the couple owed the question asker more than the hospitality of the ride itself, if that makes sense? The wife didn’t say yes to this, so why is she required to make polite chit chat?
Stephanie Farr
Agreed — but I don’t think the couple owed the question asker anything, not even the hospitality itself.
One thing is for sure, this person and their friend better have offered the couple a few bucks at the very least for the ride.
Evan Weiss
The core of the question is an interesting one: When, if ever, is it OK to ask for a ride?
Stephanie Farr
When you know the person. Dead stop.
But even then there are rules.
Beatrice Forman
Only in an absolute and total emergency situation, like the apocalypse.
Stephanie Farr
Or right after an Eagles Super Bowl win in Center City, when if you don’t get out, you’re gonna stay in till the next morning.
Beatrice Forman
That constitutes an apocalypse-adjacent situation. We do sometimes light things on fire when we’re happy here.
Stephanie Farr
Very true. It’s part of our charm.
Evan Weiss
Any last words?
Beatrice Forman
Always, always think about your partner.
Stephanie Farr
And if someone has a partner, consider them a team when you ask something.
Also, don’t ask for rides from strangers. In Philly, if someone wants to give you a ride out of the kindness of their heart they’ll ask if you want one with an annoyed sigh.
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 is all about Valentine’s Day! Good luck!
Round #20
Question 1
Where did this Valentine’s Day wedding take place?
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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
Jessica Griffin / 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.
Every year on Valentine’s Day, the city holds ceremonies for ten couples to get married or renew their vows in front of the LOVEsculpture. Time slots are reserved on the Parks and Recreation website.
Quiz continues after ad
Question 2
Where was this couple seen holding hands?
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Alejandro A. Alvarez / 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 romantic stroll took place in front of a Chinatown mural.
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Question 3
Where did this cherry blossom-filled kiss take place?
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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.
Springtime is right around the corner, which means the cherry blossoms will soon be blooming. This couple was photographed under the trees along Columbus Boulevard.
Your Score
ARank
❤️ Amazing work. You really love Philly geography!
BRank
❤️ Good stuff. You really love Philly geography!
CRank
C is a passing grade, but this quiz could use some love.
DRank
💔 D isn’t great. This quiz could use some love.
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.
The house: A 1,700-square-foot townhouse in Passyunk Square with three bedrooms and two bathrooms built in 1915.
The price: listed for $725,000; purchased for $725,000.
The agent: Ashley Miele, Compass
The living area in the home in South Philadelphia.
The ask: Catherine Wargo Roberts and her husband, Karsten Roberts, had no desire to leave Passyunk Square. They were already deeply rooted in the neighborhood, with two kids enrolled at the local school and a daily life that revolved around a few familiar streets. But they had grown tired of their mixed commercial and residential block. “We were very happy for new businesses to come into the neighborhood and thrive,” she said. The block had become “just a little bit busier … than we wanted.”
The search: In fall 2024, the family set off in search of a new house. They wanted more square footage, lots of outdoor space, and an unfinished basement. “Everybody in Philadelphia wants a finished basement, but everybody’s basement floods,” Wargo Roberts said. “I want an unfinished basement so that if it fills with water, I’m not freaking out.” They also needed to stay in their kids’ school catchment.
The couple only looked at two homes. The second home was listed as a private sale.
Their list narrowed the search to just two houses. One was north of Washington Avenue, which Wargo Roberts said “felt like a whole different ballgame,” even though it was close to the kids’ school. It also didn’t have any outdoor space.
The other house they had to wait for. An agent friend had given them a heads-up that it would be on the market in a few months. The couple grabbed the first viewing available on the first day it was open for a private sale.
The appeal: Inside, Wargo Roberts was immediately drawn to the home’s size and layout. It was 250 square feet larger than their previous home, and most of the extra space wasin the first-floor living area, which Wargo Roberts appreciated. “I didn’t care about a big bedroom,” she said. “That’s not something I need.”
Outside, the house offered outdoor space that felt special: a large backyard, plus a deck that connects to the master suite on the top floor and a second deck above it. “Most people walk in our backyard and are like ‘holy s—,” Wargo Roberts said.
Wargo Roberts’ favorite thing about their new house? The giant backyard.
The deal: The house was listed for $725,000. The couple submitted a full-price offer the same day they saw it. It was within their budget, and “the comps supported it,” Wargo Roberts said. The next night, they learned their offer had been accepted.
The inspection revealed a failing sewer line and a bowing brick facade. The sellers agreed to a $7,000 credit for the sewer repair but declined to cover the estimated $8,000 cost of stabilizing the front wall. “They played hardball,” Wargo Roberts said. “They knew we wanted the house.
The kitchen in Catherine Wargo Roberts and Karsten Roberts home in South Philadelphia.
The money: The couple’s path to a $725,000 home began more than a decade ago in San Francisco. In 2012, they bought a condo for $562,000 with help from Wargo Roberts’ parents. “We never would have been able to do that without help,” she said. They sold the condo in 2017 and walked away with $330,000. They used $235,000 for a down payment on their first Philadelphia home, which cost $470,000.
To purchase their current house, they used an interest-free bridge loan to cover the down payment while they waited for their old house to sell. “It kept me up at night every single night for 30 days,” Wargo Roberts said. “Because if the house you’re selling doesn’t sell in a certain amount of time, the interest ramps up.” Nine days after it went on the market, their house sold for $612,000, netting them $360,000. They put $300,000 toward the down payment on the new house — roughly 41% of the purchase price. Their monthly mortgage payment is $3,600. “That’s only possible because we had a giant down payment,” Wargo Roberts said.
Marzipan the cat sits in the master bedroom in the home of Catherine Wargo Roberts and Karsten Roberts.
The move: The family closed on their new house in April, but the sellers continued to live there for free until June, when they moved to Florida. Becoming a landlord for six weeks wasn’t worth the hassle, Wargo Roberts said. The sellers, she added, “got a sweet deal.”
She did, however, request a security deposit. “What if they decided to chainsaw the fridge in half?” she said, laughing. “You have to protect yourself to some degree.”
Because of the delayed closing, the family had time to prepare. They put seasonal items, books, and decor into storage to reduce moving costs and packed everything else themselves. The kitchen was the only thing they outsourced. “It’s a huge pain,” Wargo Roberts said.
A friend with a pickup truck moved the family’s plants over, and Broad Street Movers took care of the boxes and furniture. “It’s always the skinniest dudes that you’re just like, ‘I can’t understand how you walk, much less carry my couch up three floors,’ but they did it,” Wargo Roberts said.
The couple installed custom built-ins to cover up a neon wall in the master bedroom.
Any reservations? “We probably overpaid a little bit,” Wargo Roberts said. “I would’ve loved to get it for $700,000 instead of $725,000.”Still, she is happy with the outcome. “We’re in a house that I feel pretty certain we’ll live in until our kids are out of high school,” she said.
Life after close: Wargo Roberts wasted no time making changes. She painted multiple rooms and tackled one feature she couldn’t live with: a neon-lit wall in the master bedroom. “I called it the portal to another dimension,” she said. “It was so weird.” They used money they had set aside from the sale of their previous home to install custom built-ins on either side of the bed, covering it completely.
The traditional South Philly vestibule that the couple rebuilt after moving in.
They also rebuilt a traditional South Philly vestibule in the front of the home. “It was a vanity project for sure,” Wargo Roberts said, “But I just really wanted one.” She doesn’t regret it. “Best money I ever spent.”
Miled Finianos grew up between Miami and Zgharta, Lebanon, until he moved to South Philly in 2019. The 30-year-old rising chef runs Habibi Supper Club and lives in an East Passyunk rowhouse with a lovely modern kitchen, where his recipe ideas come to life.
Loyal diners and first-timers consistently book out his supper club as soon as he drops the reservation link on social media for five- to six- course menus showcasing the flavors of his roots — think spreads of shish barak, warak enab, and kibbeh.
“Having left Lebanon 14 years ago, and I would say it’s important to me to preserve the recipes and the experiences that are attached to these dishes because a lot of Levantine culture is passed down by word-of-mouth,” he said. “So when the mouth gets farther away, it becomes hard to preserve the culture. Habibi Supper Club has brought me closer to my culture than ever before — that’s what fuels me to keep going.”
Here’s how Finianos would spend a perfect day in Philadelphia. “Habibi has no scary Sundays if I follow this exact itinerary,” he added.
8 a.m.
I used to wake up earlier when I was still at my corporate job, but now I sleep in a little longer to make up for some of the later hours of my supper clubs and workshops. Now I can sit in bed, check emails, messages, and socials — I’m a notorious quick responder; it kills me to leave things overnight.
9 a.m.
I’m out the door, dressed for the weather, and walking up Passyunk Ave. to find coffee. We are blessed in South Philly with a plethora of coffee shops, each better than the next. My rotation is usually between Herman’s, Shot Tower, or Rival Bros. Today we’re hitting up Shot Tower for an iced americano — no matter the temperature outside.
Miled Finianos’ perfect Philly day includes a stop to see friend and chef Kenan Rabah at Majdal Bakery.
10:30 a.m.
After sipping on coffee and reading the newspaper at Shot Tower, it’s time for breakfast. The only breakfast spot for me is Majdal Bakery, where my friend [and owner/chef] Kenan [Rabah] is slinging the flavors I grew up with. (This is a public plea for him to bring back the za’atar manouche with makdous.) With Fairouz playing, I feel like I’m back home [in Ehden, Lebanon] for a bit. He won’t let me leave without trying something one of his new pastry inventions and I will always happily say yes.
11:30 a.m.
Sundays in Queen Village means the farmer’s market at Headhouse is in full swing. Armed with my tote and a debit card, I’ll peruse the market goodies, often while on FaceTime with my teta (grandmother) or mother. I show them what’s in season — but low-key, I’m farming for ideas of what they would do with what I buy. Then I head home with my goods and plot some personal menu ideas, along with some Habibi [Supper Club] R&D for whatever event is coming up.
1 p.m.
Hunger hits again, and lately I have been on a Vietnamese kick. I walk back up to either Pho Ha or Cafe Diem for a dry rice noodle bowl to satisfy that craving. We really are so lucky to have such a diverse authentic food scene in South Philly.
Miled Finianos visits the Headhouse Square farmers markets.
2:30 p.m.
Now, assuming I don’t have prep work to do, I’ll head back down Passyunk Ave., find another coffee, and sit with my laptop. If the weather is nice, I’ll park myself outside and people watch, daydreaming about a car-free Passyunk Square. This is the time I think of menu ideas, work on future events, and just soak in gratitude for being able to do this as a full-time gig.
View of Center City Philadelphia from the Bok Bar atop the Bok Building in South Philadelphia in 2021.
6 p.m.
Now, my social itch is itching. If this is a day off, I usually have plans with a friend — or 12. I like to keep it local, so drinks and snacks at Grace & Proper and Royal Tavern. Or if it’s open, Bok Bar, my favorite place in Philadelphia — the view of the city paired with the delicious pop-up of the month just makes my heart full.
9 p.m.
One last drink at my fave dive bar, The Jim. I have been ending my nights with a nice shot of Fernet Branca because anything else gives me acid reflux — that’s just too much information to be sharing, but oh well.
As you can probably tell now, the perfect day for me is devoid of any chores or errands because that’s what Mondays are for.
Shelley R. grew up as a gender-nonconforming kid, and she loves the queer and trans community she’s built in Philadelphia — where sometimes she can feel like the seventh wheel when it’s dinner time and the entire party leaves to go on a group date together.
But she’s also ready for something new in romance. Shelley, who The Inquirer is referring to by her first name and last initial because she doesn’t want her experience to reflect on her employer, is a “nontraditional person seeking normal love.”
A 31-year-old trans woman, she just wants a nice, monogamish boyfriend.
Raised by hippies in Boston who were devotees of New Age spirituality, Shelley was assigned male at birth, and as a teenager came out as gay.
“I’ve never had the choice to just be like, ‘This is my boyfriend. He loves me. We live together and we’re hosting a little board game night,’” Shelley R. said.
As a young adult, she attended Hampshire College, a small, very progressive school in Western Massachusetts, where she started identifying as trans. After graduation, she moved to Philadelphia, where she underwent gender-affirming surgery as part of her transition. She describes herself now as a “post-op” trans woman, and told The Inquirer, “I’ve had all that work done. I am essentially the same as a cisgender woman in most of the ways that count, except for one big one: fertility.”
She now lives in West Philadelphia and is seeking what she describes as “typical love.”
“I just want a guy who will commit,” she said.
The following, as told to Zoe Greenberg in interviews and a letter, has been edited for length and clarity.
On being a “post-op” trans woman on the dating apps in Philly
If I don’t mention I’m trans on my profile, then I’ll get a lot of men who will immediately turn me down when they learn I’m trans, either due to prejudice or because they value being able to get their future wife pregnant. The “trans panic” can also be dangerous, if a man feels deceived. People get murdered or assaulted this way.
If I just mention that I’m trans on my profile, with no medical information, many will make incorrect assumptions about my genitals, which could be a deal-breaker for them one way or the other.
If I say I’m “post-op trans,” then I’m putting on my dating profile, “BY THE WAY, I HAVE A VAGINA!!!” which makes me come across as very focused on sex. Most men on dating apps already assume that no matter what I say I’m looking for, I’m looking for sex.
I think I might try putting, “I have a little secret, and I’ll tell you when you get to know me a little more.”
I’m only half-serious about that.
On attracting married men and depressed artists
Married men are strangely drawn to me. I’ve set a rule for myself: no more. They weren’t cheating, it was always an open marriage, and yet they all turned out to be quite close to divorce.
I attract a lot of depressed artists and activists seeking a manic pixie dream girl to experiment with. Breakup conversations with me often include things like, “I understand myself better now, and subsequently have decided to move to Iceland.”
Apparently dating me is a therapeutic journey.
On becoming an accidental role model for her crushes
I was on a little trip with my friends this weekend, and we met this guy from Central Pa. He was cute and he was nice, and I was flirting with him a little bit. Then we get back to Philly, and I got a text message from him that’s like, “You’re so cool and so amazing and so smart. You helped me realize I want to transition.”
That’s another common occurrence: people who date me not actually being interested in me as a person, just in getting to know any trans woman, so that they can figure out if they want to transition themselves. Roughly 50% of the men I’ve dated fall into this category.
On wanting a ‘more typical romance’
I was raised by hippies, I’ve been trans and gender-nonconforming my whole life. All my friends are queer, poly, trans, pansexual.
I’ve never had the choice to be in a monogamous, traditional relationship with a man. I’ve never had the choice to just be like, “This is my boyfriend. He loves me. We live together and we’re hosting a little board game night.”
I just want a romantic relationship, like what people have. I mean, a liberal-blue-state-normal relationship. If he was having a busy workday, I’d cook him a meal. Give him a little massage.
I’m a nontraditional person seeking normal love, and not a polycule. Because I’ve already done the polycule, and my polycule was a disaster.
This story is part of a new series about life partners across the Philadelphia area. See other stories in the series here and here.
If you want to share your story about who you’re navigating life with romantically or otherwise, write to lifepartners@inquirer.com. We won’t publish anything without speaking to you first.
Bad Bunny vows to protest with love. Bruce Springsteen has opted for a more confrontational approach.
Both are part of a growing wave of pop-music dissent aimed at what critics see as overreach by the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security — actions in Minneapolis that have been linked to the deaths of two American citizens during encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar known as the King of Latin Trap, was the world’s most-streamed pop music maker in 2025. The rapper-singer-producer, whose full name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has a massive platform to air his grievances if he chooses, serving as the half-time show headliner at Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
This year’s half-time show is likely to surpass Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 performance, which drew 113.5 million viewers as the most-watched in history.
Those critics include President Donald Trump. “I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” he said last month, referring to Bad Bunny and Green Day, who will play a pregame concert during NBC’s broadcast. The clash between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will also stream on Peacock.
Bad Bunny haters have an alternative: Kid Rock, whose 5 million monthly Spotify listeners is dwarfed by Bad Bunny’s 87 million, will top the bill on Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show, shown on TPUSA’s YouTube page and conservative media outlets. Country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett will also perform.
Will Bad Bunny’s performance be a virulent attack on the Trump administration’s immigration policy?
That remains to be seen. But the speech he gave at the Grammys last weekend, after winning best música urbana album for Debí Tirar Más Foto — which also became the first Spanish-language album of the year winner — suggests a more subtle expression of Puerto Rican pride that emphasizes the humanity of demonized brown-skinned immigrants.
Speaking in English, Bad Bunny thanked God, said “ICE Out,” then continued: “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” (As a Puerto Rican native, Bad Bunny is an American citizen unlike recent MAGA convert Nicki Minaj, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago.)
“Hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. We need to be different. If we want to fight, we have to do it with love.”
Bad Bunny’s speech was one of many gestures opposing ICE at the Grammys, from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon wearing a whistle on his lapel to Billie Eilish criticizing anti-immigrant voices with a terse line: “Nobody is illegal on stolen land.”
Olivia Dean, the British singer who won best new artist, said: “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
But the Grammys didn’t include any overtly political new music. A rumor that Springsteen would open the show with “Streets of Minneapolis” proved unfounded. Springsteen wrote the new anti-ICE broadside the day protester Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents.
But Springsteen’s protest song leads the way in a trend toward musicians opposing the Trump administration in song, in many cases consciously connecting with a tradition that reaches back to Woody Guthrie, Peter Seeger, Bob Dylan, and the Civil Rights protest of the 1960s.
In “Street of Minneapolis,” Springsteen meets the moment by expressing outrage at the deaths of Renee Good and Pretti, specifically the administration’s initial pronouncements that placed blame on the dead rather than the federal agents.
Bruce Springsteen performs Oct. 28, 2024, during a Democratic concert rally at the Liacouras Center at Temple University.
“Their claim was self-defense sir, just don’t believe your eyes,” the Boss sings. “It’s these whistles and phones against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies.”
The song builds to a rousing “ICE out” chorus that’s so unsubtle it even gave the Boss pause.
Performing in Minneapolis last month with rabble-rousing former E Street Band member Tom Morello, Springsteen said he asked the guitarist whether “Streets” was too “soap boxy.” Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, replied: “Nuance is wonderful, but sometimes you have to kick them in the teeth.”
Springsteen, of course, can afford to be aggressively provocative. Not only is he a revered superrich artist at the tail end of his career whose loyal audience is not going anywhere. He’s also a white man whose fans who look like him are not in danger of being detained and deported.
And he has a history of sparring with Trump, whose administration he repeatedly labeled “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous” on stage in Europe last spring. At the time, Trump responded by calling the Jersey rocker “not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK.” The president hasn’t responded to “Streets of Minneapolis” as of yet, but loyalist Steve Bannon called Springsteen “fake and gay, as the kids say.”
Springsteen’s singing out will also surely lead to others joining the chorus. And plenty of broadsides have been in the works already.
Low Cut Connie at Concerts Under The Stars in King of Prussia on Friday August 1, 2025. Left to right: Rich Stanley, Nick Perri, Adam Weiner, Jarae Lewis (on drums, partially hidden), Amanda “Rocky” Bullwinkel, Kelsey Cork.
Philadelphia’s Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie has been an outspoken Trump critic, among the first to pull out of a Kennedy Center performance last year.
He’s announced an entire protest album called Livin’ in the U.S.A. Weiner said he made the album “because I am disgusted to see our country descend into an authoritarian hell, a place where art does not lead the cultural conversation.” It arrives timed to the Semiquincentennial on July 3.
The same day that Springsteen released “Streets of Minneapolis,” British folk-punk singer Billy Bragg dropped “City of Heroes,” also written to commemorate Pretti’s death.
Veteran punk rockers are joining in, too, sometimes by rewriting lyrics to old protest songs like Boston band Dropkick Murphys’ “Citizen I.C.E.” — a new version of “Citizen C.I.A.”
The protest isn’t manifest only in topical song writing. In Philly, local events in the indie music scene are aiming to assist immigrants. Juntos, the organization that aids Philadelphia communities affected by ICE, will be the beneficiary of “A Jam Without Borders” at Ortlieb’s on Wednesday, with local musicians Arnetta Johnson, Nazir Ebo, and others.
New generation protest singers include Liberian-born Afro Appalachian singer Mon Rovia, whose buoyant 2025 song “Heavy Foot” remains upbeat as he sings “the government staying on heavy foot / No, they never gonna keep us all down.”
Most prominent in branding himself as a modern folk troubadour is Jesse Welles, whose “No Kings” duet with Joan Baez came out in December.
Welles’ “Join ICE” uses humor as a weapon, with an early Dylan persona. “There’s a hole in my soul that just rages,” he sings. “All the ladies turned me down and I felt like a clown / But will you look at me now, I’m putting people in cages!”
Serious songwriters are likely to continue to pen protest songs as long as scenes of turmoil continue to show up on TV and social media screens.
But high-profile artists worried about alienating their audience aren’t likely to start flooding the zone with anti-ICE screeds if they’re concerned about backlash.
A case in point would be formerly Philadelphian country superstar Zach Bryan. Last October, he released a song snippet of “Bad News” that included the lyrics “ICE is gonna come, bust down your door” and cited “the fading of the red, white and blue.”
The song was met with disdain by the White House. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “Zach Bryan wants to open the gates to criminal illegal aliens and has condemned heroic ICE officers.” DHS secretary Kristi Noem was “extremely disheartened and disappointed.”
Bryan did include the song on his album With Heaven on Top in January, but not before taking great care to explain he wasn’t on one political side or the other.
“Left wing or right wing, we’re all one bird and American,” the Eagles fan said. “To be clear I’m not on either of these radical sides.”
At Manong, chef Chance Anies’ bustling, casual Filipino steakhouse in Francisville, customers are feasting. They’re going all in and ordering 1-pound burgers on puffy, house-baked Hawaiian buns for themselves. (“I love that. Such a bold move,” Anies says.) The charcoal-grilled chicken — a half-chicken marinated in soy, calamansi, lemongrass, annatto, and butter — is selling well, too.
Everybody, it seems, orders a bloom shroom. As Manong is Anies’ homage to Outback Steakhouse, he chose to hold the onion for his crunchy, photo-worthy appetizer — one of Manong’s few vegan offerings.
The kitchen skewers a package of enoki mushrooms at the base to keep them uniform and flat, macerates them in a salt cure for about 20 minutes to get them to sweat, and then dredges them in a mix of cornstarch and ground dehydrated garlic. After a few minutes in the fryer, they get a hit of furikake — nori, brown sugar, chili powder, and dehydrated orange peel. You get a side of what Anies calls “salsa rosada,” a mix of banana ketchup and house-made vegan mayo.
You know what they say: “No rules, just right.” Manong, 1833 Fairmount Ave., 445-223-2141, manongphilly.com
— Michael Klein
The chicken liver mousse at Emmett comes with some awfully convincing mini Eggo waffle dupes.
Chicken liver mousse at Emmett
I giggled when the chicken liver mousse at Emmett was placed in front of me. Six doll-sized, rosewater-scented Eggo-like waffles — but most certainly not actual Eggo waffles — are arranged around a silken quenelle of chicken liver mousse. The dish is both adorable and delicious, the mousse simultaneously light and unctuous, covered in a generous rain of crumbled smoked peanuts. Spheres of concord grape jelly add balance and nasturtium leaves bring a tart freshness. It’s a great interpretation of chicken and waffles, and one I can’t wait to go back in for. Emmett, 161 W. Girard Ave., 215-207-0161, emmettphilly.com
— Kiki Aranita
The octopus at Apricot Stone.
Charred octopus from Apricot Stone
For my 25th birthday, I cracked open a celebratory bottle of Eagles Super Bowl LIX bubbly and tucked into a smorgasbord of Apricot Stone’s shareable plates: crisp pita chips with bowls of nutty muhammara and whipped red pepper-feta dip, flaky cheese boreks, and tabbouleh. The star of the spread, however, were three charred octopus tentacles plated on a bed of lentils with juicy beefsteak tomato slices. The octopus was succulent and meaty, with evenly spaced grill marks that gave it a smoky aftertaste. Combined with the lentils and tomatoes, the dish was bright and transporting: If I closed my eyes, I was feasting on a beach in the Mediterranean, not a table with a clear view of Girard Avenue’s dirty, hardly melted snowdrifts. Apricot Stone, 428 W. Girard Ave., 267-606-6596, apricotstonephilly.com
My assignment that day was pretty typical for a newspaper photographer: show the reader what the person a reporter is profiling looks like. And maybe what they do and where they do it.
Newly-inaugurated Mayor Joi Washington at Media Borough Hall.
Having accomplished that task, I headed out looking for something else to photograph in the snow, and ended up at a pedestrian passage way.
As I made a picture of a person silhouetted in the corrugated metal culvert, the first thing I thought of was an old friend and photo editor Joe Elbert who famously said there are four categories in the “hierarchy” of newspaper photographs, lowest to highest: informational, graphic, emotional, and intimate.
In just a few hours I had knocked out his “lower” two types.
I made a few pictures that report “just the facts” without much flavor or fanfare. Then I found a visually appealing scene and waited until I could turn it into a well composed, interesting image. Graphic, even.
Joe was the photo editor at the Post from 1988 through 2007. Under his direction the paper won four Pulitzer Prizes, and many other awards, all for work that epitomizes that highest category of intimate photographs.
It’s easy to feel nostalgic for those “glory days,” but I mourn that almost an entire section of the newspaper is now gone.
Post photographers were still creating those most intimate images of Joe’s hierarchy. They were still making the reader feel something that allows us to connect with lives beyond our own, to empathize, and to care.
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:
February 2, 2026: A light-as-air Elmo balloon rolls along a sidewalk in Haddonfield, propelled by the wind as Sunday’s heavy snow starts to turn to ice and sleet. January 26, 2026: The President’s House in Independence National Historical Park hours Jan, 22, after all historical exhibits were removed following President Trump’s Executive Order last March that the content at national parks that “inappropriately disparage” the U.S. be reviewed. The site, a reconstructed “ghost” structure titled “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” (2010), serves as a memorial to the nine people George Washington enslaved there during the founding of America.January 19, 2026: A low-in-the-sky winter sun is behind the triangular pediment of the “front door” of the open-air President’s House installation in Independence National Historical Park. The reconstructed “ghost” structure with partial walls and windows of the Georgian home known in the 18th century as 190 High St. is officially titled, “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” (2010). It is designed to give visitors a sense of the house where the first two presidents of the United States, George Washington and John Adams, served their terms of office. The commemorative site designed by Emanuel Kelly, with Kelly/Maiello Architects, pays homage to nine enslaved people of African descent who were part of the Washington household with videos scripted by Lorene Cary and directed by Louis Massiah. Deepika Iyer holds her niece Ira Samudra aloft in a Rockyesque pose, while her parents photograph their 8 month-old daughter, in front of the famous movie prop at the top of the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum. Iyer lives in Philadelphia and is hosting a visit by her mother Vijayalakshmi Ramachandran (partially hidden); brother Gautham Ramachandran; and her sister-in-law Janani Gautham who all live in Bangalore, India.January 5, 2026: Parade marshals trail behind the musicians of the Greater Kensington String Band heading to their #9 position start in the Mummers Parade. Spray paint by comic wenches earlier in the day left “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers” shadows on the pavement of Market Street. This year marked the 125th anniversary of Philly’s iconic New Year’s Day celebration.Dec. 29, 2025: Canada geese at sunrise in Evans Pond in Haddonfield, during the week of the Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. December 22, 2025: SEPTA trolley operator Victoria Daniels approaches the end of the Center City Tunnel, heading toward the 40th Street trolley portal after a tour to update the news media on overhead wire repairs in the closed tunnel due to unexpected issues from new slider parts.December 15, 2025: A historical interpreter waits at the parking garage elevators headed not to a December crossing of the Delaware River, but an event at the National Constitution Center. General George Washington was on his way to an unveiling of the U.S. Mint’s new 2026 coins for the Semiquincentennial, December 8, 2025: The Benjamin Franklin Bridge and pedestrians on the Delaware River Trail are reflected in mirrored spheres of the “Weaver’s Knot: Sheet Bend” public artwork on Columbus Boulevard. The site-specific stainless steel piece located between the Cherry Street and Race Street Piers was commissioned by the City’s Public Art Office and the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and created and installed in 2022 by the design and fabrication group Ball-Nogues Studio. The name recalls a history that dominated the region for hundreds of years. “Weaver’s knot” derives from use in textile mills and the “Sheet bend” or “sheet knot” was used on sailing vessels for bending ropes to sails. 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.
The Super Bowl is Sunday, so I’ve asked two reporters — one vegetarian, one not — to help solve this dilemma.
Evan Weiss, Deputy Features Editor
The question is…
My friend assigned me to bring wings for our Super Bowl potluck, but I’m a vegetarian. Can I bring tofu wings?
Zoe Greenberg, Life & Culture Reporter
I want to start by saying I’m also a vegetarian, and the idea of tofu wings disturbs me deeply.
Abigail Covington, Life & Culture Reporter
Who asked the vegetarian to make the wings? Vegetarians should make nachos or dips.
Evan Weiss
Yeah, I think this is on the friend who asked. Why would you ask your vegetarian friend to make wings???
Zoe Greenberg
The problem with tofu for this is that the texture and the flavor (nothing) is completely wrong.
But I do love buffalo cauliflower wings. Personally I would say that’s OK to bring.
Abigail Covington
However, if you regularly eat chicken wings, you will be disappointed by cauliflower wings. So, if you can stand to make a batch of both, maybe consider it. The meat-eaters will be very grateful. Not that you owe them anything.
Zoe Greenberg
Ah, true. You don’t have to make the chicken wings from scratch do you?!
That’s a horrifying prospect, too.
Abigail Covington
Just buy them! But is that still asking too much of a vegetarian?
Evan Weiss
Yes!
I’m not a vegetarian, but I can’t imagine asking a vegetarian friend to bring meat! I would never ask a nondrinking friend to bring wine.
Zoe Greenberg
Maybe they truly meant, “Wings, as interpreted by a vegetarian.”
Abigail Covington
I think the vegetarian has every right to assume that’s what they meant. But please, like Zoe said, not tofu.
Food may be what Kalaya’s Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon is best known for, but her real love is spending time with her Pomeranians, Titi and Gingi, whom she lovingly calls “the boys.”
That, and spending time at her Queen Village home. For former flight attendant Suntaranon, who travels to Thailand (where she was born) two or three times a year, her home is her “happy place.” When she is not traveling, this is where she spends most of her time — cooking, eating, taking meetings, gathering friends, and, of course, playing with the boys and their friend, Wolfie.
She lets her routines be flexible and often goes with the flow, keeping two things constant: time with the boys and a daily visit to her Fishtown restaurant named after her mother.
Those are the two things that define her perfect Philly day, and her everyday.
Kalaya’s chef Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon poses in Lobo Mau’s exclusive Pom jacket. The acclaimed chef collaborated with local designer Nicole Haddad for the jacket. Styled by Nicole Haddad and Miranda Martel; jewelry by Feast and Forge and Finish; shoes by Elena Brennan; Hair and makeup by Tarah Yoder.
7:30 a.m.
I wake up whenever I want to. If I stay up late, I stay in bed until 10:30 a.m. But usually, I wake up at 7:30. The first thing I do is read [Kalaya’s] Resy reviews from the night before. After that, I wake up the boys and play with them on the deck a little bit. Then I either run back to bed and read my emails with them by my side, or go downstairs.
9 a.m.
I go down to the kitchen and feed the boys. Pomeranians are very picky eaters so I make scrambled eggs for them and me. Then, I’ll either make green tea or coffee with beans from McNulty’s Tea & Coffee Co. in New York’s West Village. Some days, it’s espresso. Others, Americano, or flat white.
I often invite my next door neighbor, Yas, to have coffee with me. We just sit on the couch and chat for an hour. Sometimes more than one neighbor stops by. We have our group of women, we live in the same neighborhood, and we hang out all the time. We get coffee, talk, and sometimes we plan lunch together, and then we spread out and do whatever we need to do for our jobs.
Emily Riddell at the Machine Shop, a bakery, in Philadelphia, Friday, September 9, 2022.
10:30 a.m.
If I don’t drink coffee at home, I love going to Machine Shop with Mike and Lizzy, my good friends who also have a Pomeranian, Wolfie. We coparent our dogs. At Machine Shop, we get coffee and wait for canelé to come out of the oven.
11:30 a.m.
On our way back, the boys and I will take a walk in the neighborhood. We have a community garden that we might stop by. Then I come home and take my morning meetings after I give the boys a turkey tendon treat.
12:30 p.m.
If I can find some time, I go to the gym. I sneak in a Pilates class once a week at Movement Source Pilates Studio in Passyunk or the Sporting Club at the Bellevue. If I need a haircut, I go to Whirligig salon in Queen Village. If I’m not doing any of those things, I will go to Kalaya to check on whatever is going on. I mostly take the boys with me. I leave by 3 p.m. because that’s when they have the staff meal. I come home and fix myself some quick lunch.
The fettucini at Fiore Fine Foods in Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.
2:30 p.m.
I prefer to eat at home during the day. Sometimes all my friends who dropped in the morning will come back and we all eat lunch together. I love congee. Usually we will eat that with a simple, healthy vegetable or protein. I also eat lunch at Fiore sometimes because pasta for lunch is a good idea. Then, depending on how busy my calendar is, I will try and sneak a bath in. I love having a bath. Then skincare and getting ready takes about an hour.
4:30 p.m.
I get changed and go back to the restaurant for service. For clothes, I mostly shop online. I rent from Real Real, Rent the Runway, Nuuly. And I have my buyer in Thailand who buys Issey Miyake pieces for me. I get a lot of stuff from Thailand where I have a designer who does custom-made stuff for me. My friend Yas often gets me stuff to wear or my other friend, Michelle, works at Urban Outfitters. It’s a community that is very sweet, because they are always gifting me with very cute stuff to wear.
Chef Jesse Ito prepares a course during the omakase at Royal Sushi and Izakaya on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Philadelphia.
7 p.m.
On Tuesdays, I usually eat dinner at Royal Sushi & Izakaya. I love his Royal Chirashi, the miso soup. His fried chicken is good, and I love all of his rolls.
Once or twice a week, I order half the menu at Kalaya. I invite friends and we eat, talk about food and our lives. That’s how I inspect the food in the restaurant, and give the team feedback immediately.
Organic produce from Blooming Glen Farm of Perkasie for sale at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market.
On Sundays, I try to cook dinner and have friends over. I buy my produce and organic protein from Headhouse Farmers Market and Riverwards Produce.
Sometimes, my friends and I do Sunday Gravy. Someone makes dessert, I make gravy. I buy the meatballs because you don’t need to make meatballs yourself as long as your gravy tastes good. Someone makes the pasta, and we all eat together. Michelle may make a salad, and Mike brings a bottle of Champagne. So we hang out and chat.
Chef Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon at her restaurant Kalaya in Fishtown on August 22, 2024.
8:30 p.m.
If I don’t go to the restaurant, I normally get to bed by 8:30 p.m. I groom the boys, hang out with them, watch Netflix or read as they play next to me. I like to be quiet at home. I am a homebody. I would say, 70% of my time is me staying home. That’s kind of pretty much my day.
