December 25, 2023: The sidewalks outside the Academy of Music before the weekend matinees are always bustling with kids.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
There are always little girls and boys dressed up in fancy holiday dresses and tuxedos — to see Philadelphia Ballet’s classic Nutcracker (with lots of young dancers their age on stage).
Philadelphia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” continues nearly daily through Dec. 30, including a sensory-friendly performance at noon on Dec. 26. At the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Streets. Tickets are $25-$352. philadelphiaballet.org, 215-893-1999.
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Every publication does it at this time of the year, so please take a look back with 2023 in Visuals, the Inquirer’s collection of the year’s most stunning images, captured by my award-winning colleagues.
And, here are few of my own visual highlights from 2023, photographed by some of the almost 310 million current smartphone users in the U.S. today (A recent survey found 91% of them prefer to use “the camera in their pocket” rather than a “real” one.)
Drew Weissman is mobbed for selfies by a flash mob at the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 2, as he and Katalin Karikó celebrate winning the Nobel Prize in medicine. The pair's research formed the basis for the COVID-19 vaccines, which are credited with saving millions of lives.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Diners Debra Speyer, Daniella Levin, and Rachel Levin take a selfie at Pietramala in Northern Liberties on Jan. 4.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
WWII veterans Corporal Benjamin Berry and Private First Class Jake Ruser check out their selfie before the start of 9th Annual Philadelphia Veterans Parade on Nov. 5. Both men were at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
ATVs and dirt bikes and smartphone drive along Market Street at 33rd Street on April 16.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Investigators make smart phone evidence photos at the scene of a shooting at 31st and Norris Streets in Strawberry Mansion on Feb. 23.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Sandy Chen photographs from her car, as a parade passes, on the way into Chinatown for the Hoyu Folk Cultural Festival on March 26.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
National Historic Landmark Philadelphia City Hall seen from West Market Street on Nov. 18.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Audience members record Dr. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as she participates in “An Evening Conversation” at Mother Bethel AME Church on Feb. 26.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Fans celebrate at Frankford and Cottman Avenues in Mayfair on Jan. 29 after the Eagles NFC Championship victory over the San Francisco 49ers.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Diane Soucy records at the National Constitution Center Oct. 9, before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces his candidacy for president in 2024 as an independent, ending his bid for the Democratic nomination.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Others capture the moment as U.S. Sen. Cory Booker records a video message on the phone of Kingsway Regional High School senior Dillon Dukes in Clayton, N.J. on Aug. 29.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie poses for a selfie as he launches his bid for the Republican nomination for president at a town hall at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire on June 6.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
School district deputy superintendent of academic services, Jermaine Dawson speaks to students at Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter, after they walked out of school in protest on Oct. 11.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
JoAnn Baldwin photographs the opening processional at the annual service commemorating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 16 at Zion Baptist Church of Philadelphia. Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Marchers rally in City Hall courtyard on Oct. 16 with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia to show solidarity with Israel.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Supporters of Palestine march after a rally in Rittenhouse Square on Oct. 8, organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
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 Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
