Is Center City back? Mostly. | Morning Newsletter

It’s Kerith, I’m filling in this Sunday for my colleague Ashley Hoffman, and personally, it’s a welcomed return to getting your day started each morning.

As far as today’s weather is concerned, it’s going to be on the steamy side and feel like it’s 90 again, and all I can think of is DJ Khaled professing: “ANOTHER ONE.”

In today’s newsletter:

🏠 Perplexing: Finding a place for rent in the Philly burbs is harder than almost anywhere in the city.

🌽 Frustrating: Another South Jersey farm calls it quits as low prices, outside competition, and increased wages continue to cripple.

🦅 Predicting: With the Eagles set to release the 53-man roster on Tuesday, we take a look at who Birds brass will keep – and cut.

If you see this 🔒 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Or depending on how look at it, Center City is not very different at all if you’re a newcomer to the area who never witnessed just how desolate the height of the COVID-19 pandemic made Philly’s epicenter.

Our reporter Peter Dobrin, who spent 10 months walking Center City for this latest piece wrote:

If I had just landed, Rip Van Winkle-like and ignorant of the pandemic pause, Center City today might not seem all that different than it was in the before times. Pedestrian density downtown often is at a level that would be the envy of many an American downtown or Main Street. Not far from my old home off South Street, an old-school tailor’s shop has turned over into a place that sells skateboards. Near my new home, in the shadow of the emerging towers of UCity Square, bubble tea shops and a dumpling “automat” are popping up. The urban fabric always evolves.

It’s a relief. Several nights this past spring, I found myself standing at Third and Market Streets just after dark suddenly realizing I was the only person in sight, like an extra on a Hollywood set after the cast and crew were done filming for the day. As recently as a month ago, I feared the change was permanent. But in the last few weeks, the city has suddenly rebounded. Chestnut around Ninth and 10th, 29th and Market, Third and Arch have looked to me in recent days like old times.

Considering I still carry a child-like sense of excitement every time I bound up the escalators at Suburban Station, this was an enjoyable piece.

The Philadelphia Orchestra created a pre-recorded performance of “America the Beautiful” that will be used for what upcoming event?

a. A tribute to Betsy Ross on Independence Mall

b. A rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center

c. Kevin Hart’s upcoming stand-up special

d. As part of the Made in America festival

Think you know? Take a guess and find the answer here.

You can find the flagship home of this very special brew in Fishtown. ☕

MELLO BOCA

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer.

🎶 I’m using today to catch up on some much-needed cleaning, so as motivation, I’m going to “step into a world, where hip-hop is real.” 🎶

This was fun. Thanks for starting your Sunday with The Inquirer. Have a good one.👋🏽