Inqlings: Sambora loves life in Philadelphia

Rock-and-rollers live the high life, all right.

Take Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, who soon will settle on his $3.58 million condo on the 52d floor of Two Liberty Place.

Why Philly? "I love Philadelphia," Sambora said in a sit-down last week. He lived on Buttonwood Street in the mid-1980s while Bon Jovi recorded 7800° Fahrenheit at the Warehouse. "Living here is like coming home. At the end of the day, let's face it: I'm an East Coast kid. I'm a neighborhood kid. Philly's a neighborhood town."

Sweeping his hand - and his southern view takes in the stadium complex - he adds: "This is just a nicer neighborhood."

For now, his 2,600-square-foot apartment contains model furniture in its three bedrooms, 31/2 baths. The fridge has only Coke and water.

Sambora, who has a home in California and his mother's place in New Jersey, said he expected to move in around August, as the band's tour ends, and stay a total of a couple of months a year. He's excited about the building's concierge service. "I want to be catered to," he said. "I'm spoiled. I want room service. I want to press 9. When I'm home, I want the same kind of things I get on the road."

Sambora's choice of lodging seems curious. He and Jon Bon Jovi are partners in the Philadelphia Soul arena football team with Craig Spencer, who is developing a competing condo project, the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, a block away.

Sambora said he had worked before with Two Liberty's developer, the Falcone Group. "I said, 'Hey, let me take a look at this.' We're friends. It was a shoo-in."

Sambora, describing himself as a single dad (his daughter, Ava, with ex-wife Heather Locklear, is 10), said he planned to take it easy here. "Oh, yeah. Naked broads all over," he said. "I don't think so. I'm a family guy now. I did all that - and I lived. . . . Everybody's grown up now. We've all got wives and kids. That's what this is going to be. A family place."

Cue the "love theme" from

Jaws

:

Jason Duff

of Beverly Township contends in Burlington County Court that a fish at Camden's Adventure Aquarium bit his hand last year. Duff's complaint, filed last month, alleges "painful bodily injuries" from the arowana he tried to pet in a tank, and adds that son

Gaige

, then 3, suffered "severe emotional distress, headaches, nausea, long continued mental disturbance, and repeated hysterical attacks" after witnessing what happened. Duff's attorney,

Mark Molz

of Hainesport, did not return calls seeking comment, and a rep of the aquarium declined to comment. The arowana in question reportedly is still on exhibit.

Hottie actor/punker

Shane West

will be in town April 12 to talk up his film

What We Do Is Secret

and receive the Rising Star Award from the 17th Philadelphia Film Festival. (Time is TBA.)

Secret

is

Rodger Grossman

's biopic on L.A. punk scenester

Darby Crash

, who died of an overdose in 1980.

Sirius Radio's Grateful Dead channel (32) will feature "Tales From the Spectrum" at 4 p.m. today as part of David Gans' Tales From the Golden Road. The two-hour show will include call-ins from listeners and guests reflecting on Spectrum/Grateful Dead moments. Arena exec Ike Richman will share stories of the Dead, who played more shows (53) than any other musical act (Dec. 6, 1968, to March 19, 1995) at the Spectrum.

What's in a name? A potential legal problem for chef

Jose Garces

, who's been advised by trademark attorneys not to put "Chilango" on his Mexico City-themed eatery coming this summer to the Hub at 3945 Chestnut St.; a restaurant in Highlands, N.J., has it already. Garces, who owns Old City's Amada and Rittenhouse Square's Tinto, will use Distrito Federal, the proper name for Mexico City. (A Chilango is someone born in or living in Mexico City.)

Chef Brian Duffy of the Kildare's pubs will compete in a St. Patrick's Day cook-off on NBC's Today show against Bushmills Irish Whiskey's master distiller, Colum Egan. It is scheduled to be shot outside in the 9 a.m. hour, with Natalie Morales and Ann Curry judging. On Thursday, Duffy squeezed a gaggle of locals, including NBC10's John Clark and Dave Warren, Fox29's Dorothy Krysiuk, Q102's Blaire Galaton, CBS3's Doug Kammerer and MTV star Bam Margera and his wife, Missy, into Kildare's Manayunk location for a tasting of his new gastropub menu.

To explain the 100-foot Chinese dragon dancing on Spring Garden Street near Columbus Boulevard Thursday night: a party marking the second anniversary of Zee Bar. Inside the club, two Cirque du Soleil performers flown in from Las Vegas performed on 15-foot-tall poles in the middle of the dance floor. Among guests were adult-film star

Gina Lynn

; Philly-bred Playmate/actress

Shannon Malone

, who recently had a baby with Poison guitarist

C.C. DeVille

; and Flyer

Scottie Upshall

.

Sports statistician Harvey Pollack will count his 86th birthday today at the Wachovia Center by working the 6 p.m. game between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honored Pollack and inducted the Globies both in 2002

Comcast SportsNet's Michael Barkann was named 2007 Pennsylvania sportscaster of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, his seventh such win.

Was

Mayor Nutter

speaking without his lips moving? That was what it seemed like at last week's gathering of the St. Patrick's Parade committee at Finnigan's Wake in Northern Liberties. As Nutter prepared to take the stage to offer remarks, Finnigan's

Mike Driscoll

tipped off comic

Joe Conklin

, who picked up a microphone near the stage. Conklin launched a speech as Nutter - as the real deal stood there, momentarily speechless.

Richie Sambora talks about the music industry from his Two Liberty Place condo: http://go.philly.com/samboraEndText