City Cast Philly has a new leader, and he’s ready to spend his time here “thinking about, complaining about, reading about, talking about, gossiping about the greatest city in the world.”
A seasoned journalist and longtime Philadelphian, Matt Katz will be directing the City Cast Philly podcast and editing the Hey Philly newsletter. He moved to Philly 22 years ago, when he started reporting for The Courier-Post in South Jersey. He later reported for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covered immigration and criminal justice for WNYC and NPR, wrote a book about former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and produced a podcast about his search for his biological father, “Inconceivable Truth.”
As our executive producer, Matt’s focus now will be on all things Philly, so I sat down with him to get his perspective on the city and what makes it so special to him.
This interview has been condensed for length and clarity.
Asha: If you had to pick one thing you love most about Philly, what would it be, and why?
Matt: “The scale of the city. I can walk to five different neighborhoods from my house within a half hour. On rowhouse blocks, neighbors are close enough that they can have full conversations from across the street. You hear the sounds of your community constantly.
“The narrowness of so many of the blocks feels like a throwback — not just to the horse-drawn carriage days, but to when people spent more time outside and with their neighbors. We do that here better than other places.”
Say you’re talking to someone who’s thinking about moving to Philly, but isn’t quite convinced yet. And assume you like them. What’s your elevator pitch for the city?
“Compared to all those other cities in the Northeast, we run on a different economy. It is much cheaper to live a normal life in a normal-sized space and enjoy going out.
“Also, pound for pound, you have a much better chance of getting a life-changing meal at any random-ass place that you walk into in Philadelphia than you do in any other city in the world.”
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever witnessed in Philly?
“When I lived in the Gayborhood, there was this guy who would stand over various air vents on the street with, like, silk pajamas, silk robes, sometimes shorts and no shirt — and he'd let the breeze fly up his drawers. And he would stand there for hours, expressionless, talk to nobody, and just chill.
“I think it's a testament to this town that he felt comfortable to do this very strange but legal thing almost every day because he enjoyed it, and a testament to this town because no one said shit to him about it.”
🎧 Want to hear more of Matt’s take on Vent Guy, and some of Philly’s other top viral moments? Check out today’s episode of the City Cast Philly podcast!
