😊 Philly’s happy places | Morning Newsletter

This is Sunday.

Do you have a happy place in Philly? How can a place be happy? Our main read is about a Drexel professor who sought to answer these questions — for science.

And for an estimated 47,000 undocumented residents in Philadelphia, being in a sanctuary city still means living in fear. As President Donald Trump moves against sanctuary cities, one undocumented mother in South Philly worries what the future holds for her.

— Paola Pérez (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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As head of Drexel University’s “Happiness Lab,” professor Eric Zillmer studies the meaning and science behind joy.

So he asked his students to map their “happy places” — public places within city limits where they feel that joie de vivre.

The result: A map of the 28 happiest places in Philly. It’s a greatest hits list of sorts, nominating everything from public parks to cultural institutions and whimsical dessert cafés. Their list has been viewed online over 40,000 times since it was uploaded on June 18.

🏛️ A few hot spots were immediate front-runners, like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rittenhouse Square.

🌳 At James G. Kaskey Memorial Park at the University of Pennsylvania, one research assistant said she finds peace watching koi fish and turtles swim around a tree-covered pond.

🐈 And at an unofficial cat park in Mantua, neighborhood strays have long gathered to sunbathe among potted plants and rusted lawn chairs.

This work is particularly important for an age group that is reportedly the unhappiest in the United States, a situation that is exacerbated by factors like a loneliness epidemic, financial uncertainty, and a thankless job market.

In Zillmer’s own words: “As a psychologist, I’m trying to help my students focus on what’s good about Philadelphia and what’s good about their lives, instead of what’s negative in their city in their lives.”

Check out the map and learn more in Beatrice Forman’s story.

P.S. The Inquirer wants to know about your happiest locales. Be sure to stick around to fill out our form at the end.

🎤 I’m passing the mic to reporters Michelle Myers and Jeff Gammage.

Guzman and her companions were moving through the northern Mexico desert, nearing the U.S. border, when they were ambushed by several armed men.

The bandits forced her to strip, then ordered the others to do the same.

Guzman, 23 at the time, feared she was going to be raped or killed.

Instead, the gunmen searched the group’s clothes for money, took their food, and left. She soon crossed into Arizona, evading U.S. border authorities and making her way to family in Philadelphia.

Twenty years later, said Guzman, who agreed to be interviewed if identified only by her surname, the terror of that moment at gunpoint still feels recent. She is now engulfed by a similar sense of dread, she said, as President Donald Trump takes aim at so-called sanctuary cities like Philadelphia, which limit their cooperation with ICE.

“The sanctuary city is like my clothes,” Guzman said, growing tearful. “The last thing that is protecting my dignity as a human being.” — Jeff Gammage and Michelle Myers

Read on to hear this single mother explain what it’s like to live in the shadows.

In other immigration news: Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee in this year’s New Jersey governor’s race, opposes the plan to detain immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, showing a rare disagreement with the Trump administration.

The late state budget is already costing Pennsylvania’s public schools.

The School District of Philadelphia will not receive approximately $311 million in state funds for July and August. Still, it’s due to pay approximately ___ million to charter schools, meaning the district will likely need to borrow at high interest rates to make these payments and payroll.

A) $525

B) $300

C) $289

D) $100

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: West Philly filmmaker

ALE JOEY WIDE

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Gerry Dinon who correctly guessed Saturday’s answer: Cole Hamels. The 2008 World Series MVP was in the NBC Sports Philadelphia booth Saturday as part of the team’s alumni weekend celebrations.

Welcome to Philly, “Durantula.” Anyone else still reliving that theatric entrance? The hype vibes were electric. Also spotted at the Bank on Friday: Superman.

🎶 Today’s song goes like this: “I’m gettin’ sick / It’s the feelin’ I got when I saw the train that I missed.” That line hits different with the latest SEPTA cuts news in mind.

👋🏽 That’s it for now. I hope you get to enjoy what’s left of the weekend.

P.S. In yesterday’s newsletter, there was a typo about the Semiquincentennial. It will mark America’s 250th birthday, not the 205th. Shout-out to reader Vincent Cotter for catching that.

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