🌊 Your guide to the Shore | Morning Newsletter
And Society Hill Hotel’s new-old look.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Wednesday, y’all. Today’s cool, rainy forecast has me looking forward to summer.
Luckily, The Inquirer’s Shore guide just dropped. These stories have recommendations and intel to help us all prepare for sunnier days, from newly legal weed parties to newly illegal boardwalk backpacks.
And the Society Hill Hotel will reopen this month as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and whiskey bar. Find details on that news and much more, below.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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It’s Shore szn, Philly.
Well, almost. Mid-May is part of the “shoulder season” — just before and after the summer months when the glut of vacationers take over New Jersey’s beaches. But that’s all the more reason to plan your getaways now.
Whether your family has been renting the same Brigantine bungalow for three decades, or you’re a day tripper just looking for what’s new on the Sea Isle boardwalk, The Inquirer’s 2024 Shore guide has you covered.
🎒 Teen rules: Some Shore towns have implemented measures such as teen curfews, earlier beach closures, and backpack bans in response to rowdy incidents in the past few years.
🦪 Food: Restaurant reporter Michael Klein rounded up 12 must-try sandwich spots from Long Beach Island to Cape May, while critic Craig LaBan found the best places to stop for a bite on the way to Ocean City.
🏨 Lodging: If you’re looking for amenities like pools or spas but still want a short walk to the ocean, stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast. If you want a more rustic vibe, pitch a tent or snuggle up in a cabin at these Jersey campgrounds. (Sorry, no camping on the beach.)
🌿 Weed culture: Aficionados say Jersey Shore cannabis culture has been around a lot longer than legalization. But its future is being shaped now, civics reporter Henry Savage writes — especially in Atlantic City — as weed tasting menus, lounges, and themed events bloom.
🎥 Pop culture: We also have roundups of the best movies set at the Jersey Shore and all the big concerts coming this summer, as well as the reminiscences of the one and only Danny DeVito, who grew up in Asbury Park.
P.S. The Inquirer’s beloved Down the Shore newsletter returns soon. Sign up for free to get the latest news, tips, and hacks for your summer travels.
A nearly 200-year-old property has been transformed into a boutique hotel, restaurant, and whiskey bar.
When they bought the property at Third and Chestnut Streets last year, Society Hill Hotel owners Mike Cangi and Brian Linton aimed to maintain its character through extensive renovations. The building has lived many lives — including as an oyster cellar, a Civil War recruiting station, and a funky flophouse for longshoremen. (It also might be haunted?)
“The concept was always to capture and restore as much of the history of the building as we could and then add our own design influence,” Cangi said.
The Art Deco-inspired hotel reopens at the end of May. The Inquirer’s Mike Newall has the full story.
What you should know today
The Philly drag community is mourning 23-year-old David Manley, who performed as Daelicious O’hare Mizani. The cause of his death remains unclear.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators with Jewish Voices for Peace staged a rush-hour demonstration in Center City Tuesday to protest the investment of taxpayer dollars in Israel.
A jury in the civil trial against Wasim Muhammad has rejected the claim that the former middle school teacher sexually abused his student three decades ago, but did find that both he and the Camden City School District were negligent, awarding the woman $1.6 million.
A tense encounter between police and advocates for the homeless precipitated the dismantling of a Kensington encampment last week, according to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration. The advocates dispute that story.
The former head of one of Philadelphia’s largest labor unions stole more than $150,000 from his members to illegally support candidates in the city’s May 2019 Democratic primary election, state and federal authorities said.
Malvern’s Vanguard has picked a former BlackRock executive as its next CEO — and the first to come from outside company ranks — while Chestnut Hill College’s first lay and first male leader in its century-long history will step down after less than two years on the job.
In bankrupt Chester, the state receiver and the mayor are demanding that the stormwater authority release details on how it is spending the “rain tax” fees it is collecting from residents and businesses, which rank among the highest in the country.
The Eagles already know who their 2024 opponents will be, but the full NFL schedule will be released at 8 p.m. Here’s everything we know right now. Details about the schedule will likely drop throughout the day, so watch Inquirer.com for the latest.
🧠Trivia time
A local institution has honored retired Eagles captain — and brand-new ESPN personality — Jason Kelce with a mural. Where is it?
A) Lincoln Financial Field’s West Gate
B) The La Colombe near City Hall
C) Drexel Station at 30th Street
D) A Havertown Dunkin’ Donuts
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🌶️ Sweating over: The tiny Filipino pepper that’s taking root in Philly.
âšľ Applauding: Efforts to clean up a historic baseball field in Brewerytown.
🎟️ Marking: Our calendars ahead of this year’s Wawa Welcome America concert and Making Time “electronic music-plus” festival.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The U.S. Department of Transportation is making short documentary-style videos about a half dozen Reconnecting Communities projects. This Vine Street Expressway-adjacent neighborhood stars in one of the first.
Hint: 🇨🇳
ANON WITCH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Deborah Harris, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Chase Bank. The financial institution will take over the former Wawa location at Broad and Walnut streets, as the chain continues its aggressive expansion.
Photo of the day
After a $10 million makeover, Battleship New Jersey is expected to return to Camden this summer. The preventative maintenance project, which includes repainting and repairing the hull, has attracted lots of visitors and social media followers.
Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday! Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.
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