Trekked to Philly Fan Expo Sunday and catch panels with David Tennant and Jonathan Frakes & Brent Spiner. The convos weren’t about their sci-fi shows, as billed. It was interesting. Frakes pulled the lights at one point he was so annoyed by them and Tennant took off his shoes. It was quite silly.

Getting this free sticker has really messed with me because I always thought it was “Woot-de-de!”

I’d like to formally apologize to my coworkers. I didn’t realize the hoagie I got from Reading Terminal Market today smelled that pungent til I had to ride home with the other half in my car. ☠️ In this way, some hoagies are like Brussels sprouts. How can something that smells so bad taste so good?

Why am I just learning Fan Expo is in Philly this weekend and that all four Hobbits from LOTR are doing a (now sold-out panel) and David Tennant, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner are appearing?!? I need a TARDIS to go back and plan for this. 😭

New mural by Alloyius Mcilwaine on Market Street!

Only thing I miss about 2020. There’s one bar in Philly that will still give you beer to go in a plastic cup but I’m not blowing up their spot.

I just watched a hawk fly from the roof of our building with a large mouse or rat or something in its talons and then it landed on the tippy top platform of Independence Hall where it's now feasting or maybe feeding its babies?!? I know there's some symbolism here but it's before 9 a.m. right now.

What the actual F?!? Like hell we're #2! We're #1, ya freaking jabroni. Can you believe this PR rep? Have they ever even driven in Philly?!? It's like Mad Max: Fury Road around here. This survey is trash. Go pound sand, dude. And maybe get your dates straight while you're at it too. gawd.

I took the Cape May - Lewes Ferry with my car for our annual Shore Guide this year and absolutely loved the journey. I told everyone I met that day that it was my first time and I was ferry excited. ⛴️ Later learning the reason for its creation was fascinating too! www.inquirer.com/columnists/c...

Listening to Kathy O’Connel’s final call-in show for Kids Corner on @wxpnfm.bsky.social before she retires and I am here to say that interviewing kids (for an audience, no matter the medium) is hard and she’s a master.

The 250th branding has already jumped the shark.

PR fail of the day: Damn, who are you, Elon? Calm down. It's 10 a.m. on the Tuesday after a holiday weekend. I'm still trying to come to terms with reality again.

Buc-ee’s is a fever dream of Americana — the good and the bad; the consumerism and the convenience; the essential and the excess. It’s an overwhelming experience and an exercise in self-control, one at which I spectacularly failed. www.inquirer.com/life/a/buc-e...

I think Coke maybe didn’t think this one through.

Oh this is Golden! I love that there's all these Philly people (and Aguilera, who's from Pittsburgh) and then there's Seal, the lone artist representing the British. 😂 www.inquirer.com/entertainmen...

The way our entire newsroom jumped when these reenactors fired their muskets on Independence Mall. And I don’t even see any redcoats!

While in Cape May earlier this year, I found an incredible museum where I got to sit in cockpits and go "Pew! Pew! Pew!" and learn about the shore's role in World War II (I had no idea). Take an inside look with me in this piece I wrote for our annual Shore Guide. www.inquirer.com/columnists/n...

A Philly political tragicomedy. I am crying for so many reasons. “The two briefly argued over whether or not Krasner eats macaroni and cheese (he says he does), before City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. intervened in an attempt to bring down the temperature.” www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Went on a side quest to Luray Caverns during a trip to Virginia recently. Love a good cave. Will take all your suggestions.

You know it's hot in Philly when they're issuing press releases about cancelling rooftop happy hours due to extreme heat.

It can simultaneously be true that 1) Philly is dysfunctional as hell But 2) Somehow it’s an incredible city thanks to hundreds, if not thousands, of selfless, generous regular people like this who use their spare time and resources to make Philly livable and functional.

ICYMI over the weekend, a retired Philly schoolteacher who picks up & recycles litter around the city in his spare time - and has collected 3 tons of cans - is the latest in my We the People profile series, about the everyday people who make Philly extraordinary. www.inquirer.com/life/philly-...

Patrick Shanahan’s son, Liam, emailed me recently about his dad: “For decades, he has quietly picked up trash and recyclables wherever he goes, making the city a cleaner place without recognition or fanfare.” www.inquirer.com/life/philly-...

In Virginia for work (for the most ridiculous reason, story to come) and I overhear a tour guide bitching that their governor is not doing anything for the 250th and he can’t believe it because “this is practically where it all started.” Me: “Oh as someone from Philadelphia, I beg to differ.”

Black Thought, beautiful mural. North Philly.

From seeing one of the most beautiful coins ever minted in the U.S. to a counterfeit bill for National Mechanics, (when it was a bank, not a bar), I enjoyed this exhibit more than I thought I would. And you know I got my bag of free cashfetti. Gonna make it rain. www.inquirer.com/life/federal...

Just when you think my colleagues' reporting into Philly Sheriff's Office can't get more WTF-y, it does. But what's even more infuriating is that the Mayor and 15 City Council members declined to comment on this story. What the actual hell? www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

Per square mile, I think New Hope may be the cutest weird small town in the country.

Wawa debuts Gritty smoothie, flagship Wawa shut down days later for “maintenance.” Coincidence? (Honestly I have no idea I just wanted to get lunch 😭)

Stopped in to check out the new Philly bus station and was pleasantly surprised!

This is the correct way to start a pitch to me.

Update: Just got one. This is tasty AF. It also comes in one size: Big AF. There’s no way I could drink this all in one sitting. I loved hearing the Wawa worker yell: “Gritty Smoothie!” when my order was ready.

Why PR reps shouldn't capitalize every word in their email subject line: "Public Advisory Issued from Leading Hair Surgeon on Turkey Hair Transplant Risks" My 1st reaction: Turkeys have hair?!? My 2nd: Why would anyone want it? Took me a second to realize they weren't talking about the bird.

ICYMI on May the 4th - My dispatch from Star Wars Day: A New Hope, PA, celebration. Also check the Inquirer's Insta for my video report! www.inquirer.com/life/star-wa...

Master Yoda said, “Do or do not, there is no try,” so when I decided to cover Star Wars Day wknd this year in New Hope — the Bucks Co borough that shares its name with a Star Wars film — I knew I had to do it in costume. My top-secret report for the Rebel Alliance: www.inquirer.com/life/star-wa...

There’s been a lot of great collaborations in Philly over time — Dr. J and Moses Malone, Hall and Oates, Benjamin Franklin and a kite — and now, Gritty + Wawa. www.inquirer.com/life/wawa-gr...

The force is with this shirt.

The Liberty Bell is getting solar panels so it can Stow and Pass on electricity.

Philly is feeling itself today! Just saw a guy jogging in an open-faced Gritty ski mask on 6th Street between Independence Hall and the flagship Wawa. No other city is so on-brand.

April marks 19 years for me in Philly and today is my 19th anniversary at The Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News! Today is also my 3rd wedding anniversary. I'll mark one of these milestones by getting fitted for a gas mask and the other with cocktails. I'm not telling you which is which. 1/2

Someone’s Grammy is all Flyered up. 😂 Also have to love the 7-year-old in the back with a “Crosby sucks” sign.

I'm gonna need everyone to ensure a Flyers win tonight. Did you wear your lucky socks the first 3 games but not the last 2? Wear those socks tonight, even if they're dirty. And if you missed watching the first 3 games but caught the last 2, we're gonna need you to sit this one out.

Oh man, how should I respond to this email message about my column photo? I know the right response is to delete that sh-- and move on but I'm not sure if I feel like doing the right thing today. "Why don’t you smile a bit? Why so serious?"

Amazing compliment from a reader: "You know where to place adverbs." But this was my favorite line: "Yes, I wonder as I wander, forever looking for smiles this gritty city always generates." That's Philly love.

!!!! www.inquirer.com/phillies/phi...

Philly announces temporary Market East Corridor activations and am I actually excited for this?!? Love seeing Siddiq’s Water Ice on this list (and many others).

Today in absolute B.S. press releases... I love Philly to its core but sometimes smells come around the corner and punch you in the face here. Sometimes scents will come out the sewers and pop you upside the head. Our aroma is aggressive. We're many things, fragrant is not one of them.

Philly Joker aka Ben Skatin.’

Don't Panic....but I'm in need of a "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy"-level fun read. Any suggestions?

Philly van-ity.