Happy Sunday! It looks like the start of another beautiful day in Philly.
In todayâs newsletter, now that weâve caught our breath from the news that LeBron James would be joining the Sixers, weâre looking at 76ers president Mike Ganseyâs first offseason as a whole.
Also, Franklin Square is celebrating 20 years since its refurbishment from a dusty and dim outpost to a destination for family-friendly fun.
â Ellen Dunkel ([email protected])
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
đ Grading Ganseyâs choices
The 76ers became the talk of the sports world Friday, when LeBron James announced he would sign with the team to finish out his illustrious NBA career.
Some final roster tinkering still must occur before training camp begins in late September. But Jamesâ addition means the bulk of business is finished. In short, it has been a heck of a first offseason for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey.
How does it all grade out, player-by-player? Reporter Gina Mizell breaks it down.
A revitalized hub
Franklin Square, the once-forgotten green space at Sixth and Race Streets, celebrated a milestone on Saturday: This July marks 20 years since the squareâs dramatic revitalization, which transformed it from a dusty and dim outpost to a destination for family-friendly fun.
Franklin Square (originally North East Publick Square and later renamed in honor of Benjamin Franklin) dates back to 1682, when William Penn designed Philadelphia. Penn anchored the city around a quintet of parks.
Reporter Maggie Prosser explains its history and more recent status.
What you should know today
-
A Penn professor thought sheâd sell 1,000 copies of her Odyssey translation. She sold more than a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.
-
Philly is beta testing its own version of Bostonâs Freedom Trail.
-
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is reportedly negotiating with the Memphis Grizzlies for a buyout to join the Sixers and team up with LeBron James.
-
Two Sweet Boutique, known for its viral Kelce Klusters, is busier than ever after a move to Washington Township.
-
Five people in a South Philly basement studio are making a whole lot of indie music.
-
The publisher of a satirical quarterly is determined to bring the laughs to South Philly.
This week in history
đ¤ Now Iâm passing the mic to Tommy Rowan with a look back at the first episodes of âSesame Street,â which were tested on Philly preschoolers in the 1960s.
Sesame Street may be set in New York, but the iconic childrenâs show started in Philadelphia.
Over five days in July 1969, producers of Sesame Street broadcast five hour-long test-pilot episodes on WHYY-TVâS UHF Channel 35 on televisions spread across 70 homes throughout Philly.
The program, which can trace its roots to the mid-20th-century Civil Rights Movement, would go on to delight, instruct, and entertain, thanks to the worldview and genius of Jim Henson.
But it wasnât a complete home run.
Read on for the full story.
âPop quiz
Which of the following is not one of the cities where LeBron James played in the NBA on his path to Philadelphia?
A) Los Angeles
B) New York
C) Miami
D) Cleveland
Think you know? Check your answer.
What weâre …
đ Craving: Some of the airiest potato gnocchi Craig LaBan has eaten all year.
đ¨ Admiring: A shrine to the Wyeths that opened at the Brandywine Museum of Art.
đşď¸ Revisiting: Gettysburg, which offers loads of Civil War history, of course, but is not a one-trick pony.
𧊠Unscramble the anagram
Hint: This broadcaster announced her retirement.
ANY CYNIC LET
Email us if you know the answer. Weâll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to David Laderman, who correctly guessed Saturdayâs answer: SHERMAN BROTHERS. Philadelphia shoe retailer Sherman Brothers is moving to the Main Line after 73 years in Center City.
Photo of the day
Photographer Tom Gralish focuses his Scene Through the Lens photo essay on the beauty of walkable Philadelphia. âCenter City is compact and easy to explore on foot,â Gralish writes, âwith many stores, restaurants, museums, attractions, and parks all within a short walk.â
Gralish is familiar with walks around Philly. In his early days at The Inquirer, Gralish spent weeks walking our streets, leading to this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo essay about how unhoused men survive.
đś Todayâs song: Weâre enjoying âHere They Comeâ (because of course we are). We like this old-school video someone made years ago for a class.
đđ˝ Enjoy your Sunday basking in the sun, the glow of the LeBron news, or whatever makes you happy.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirerâs Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.