🌳 Go outside | Morning Newsletter

Welcome to Friday, Philly. The weekend kicks off with sun and high temps near 85.

With that forecast, it’s a great day to think about spending time outside. Meet the local outdoor clubs offering safe ways to hike, cycle, or kayak.

And the Main Line has bet on walkable, transit-oriented development. What happens if the train stops running?

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

P.S. Friday means trivia. Our latest news quiz includes questions on Philly shop cats, “Steakquon’s,” and more.

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Summer is around the corner, perhaps bringing renewed inspiration to get outside to the region’s lush parks, trails, and waterways.

🌳 But say you want to explore with a buddy. Or would feel safer with a guide. Or need the motivation of a scheduled activity. Or want to give back while enjoying the outdoors.

🪵 In the Philly area, there’s a group for that — several, in fact. Many cost just a few dollars to join, or may ask for volunteers to, say, haul lumber while building a pedestrian bridge.

🪨 “Our philosophy is to get outside for the health benefits, the camaraderie,” said one member of the Philadelphia Trail Club, which coordinates hikes of various difficulty levels. “With the club, you get outside, you get the physical activity. You’re enjoying nature. It’s great for your mental health.”

Environment reporter Frank Kummer rounds up some of the most active outdoor clubs in Philadelphia and South Jersey to get you started.

Plus: Want even more recommendations for outdoor activities? The Inquirer’s weekly Outdoorsy newsletter is back for the season. Subscribe for free here.

Did you choose where you live based on proximity to public transportation?

Many Main Line residents rely on SEPTA’s Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail line, or the buses that go through Lower Merion and Narberth. Those routes are now at risk as the agency threatens to cut service by 40% in the face of a massive budget shortfall.

These suburban communities in recent years have prioritized transit-oriented development, a model that encourages building amenities in a walkable environment, close to accessible transportation. The loss of the train line and buses would be a blow to the progress advocates say the areas have made by revitalizing otherwise car-dependent areas.

Suburban reporter Denali Sagner has the story.

In other transit news: A large fire engulfing multiple SEPTA buses at a lot in Nicetown Thursday was contained by late morning.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wants to learn more about what types of things our readers do on the weekend, how you read or access news, and what types of Inquirer articles you’re reading. Fill out our quick survey to share your input and be entered to win a gift card.

Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.

This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer from 2019 on a long-gone tourist attraction. Put this in the TIL category: Arch Street near Fourth was once home to a towering bust of Benjamin Franklin, made of fiberglass and 80,000 pennies.

But people kept stealing the pennies — and hey, now that they’ll no longer be produced, maybe they’ll be worth something someday. The giant Ben Franklin sculpture is still in Old City, but in a new form. Here’s the full explanation.

(Psst, still have Ben on the brain? Check out Pig Iron Theatre Company’s Franklin’s Key, a clue-finding, puzzle-solving uncovering of the “truth” about the Philly inventor’s legacy.)

Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.

Which famous Villanova University alumnus caused a stir this week by briefly wearing a hat with the school’s logo?

A) Pope Leo XIV

B) Jill Biden

C) Howie Long

D) Jalen Brunson

Think you know? Check your answer.

🗞️ Squinting to read: The Inquirer’s first edition, published 196 years ago on this week in Philly history.

🎓 Impressed by: This former NFL star’s pivot to nursing via a Jefferson University degree.

🔎 Reading: Wildwood Exit, which its Havertown author describes as “Jersey Shore Noir.”

🍓 Hoping: South Jersey’s strawberry season can recover after May’s wet weather.

🗣️ Considering: How to confront what divides Americans.

Hint: A main stretch in Port Richmond

AGAVE NEURINOMA

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

Cheers to Micael Navarro Lopez, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Philadelphia Museum of Art. The institution canceled its “premier show for American antiques and American decorative arts” for next year. The Philadelphia Show’s future is unclear.

Stay safe out there, and enjoy your weekend. Paola will bring you the news tomorrow morning.

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