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The quietest places in Philadelphia | Morning Newsletter

And suburban women’s electoral sway.

Views from a meadow in Bartram's Gardens in Southwest Philadelphia in late July.
Views from a meadow in Bartram's Gardens in Southwest Philadelphia in late July.Read moreJason Nark

    The Morning Newsletter

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Good morning, Philly. It’s expected to be a hot one — so hot, dozens of city schools will dismiss early today and tomorrow.

Quiet can be tough to come by in the city. Our lead story today travels to a handful of Pennsylvania locations that have been recognized for their serenity, from Fairmount Park to vast forests out west.

And as women in Philly’s suburbs are key to determining the 2024 election, Democrats have an advantage in their consistent messaging on reproductive rights. Here’s what to know today.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Philly is loud, whether the cause is traffic, sirens, neighbors heard through a rowhouse wall, the Mister Softee truck, or a 10-jet flyover performance.

🌳 Yet quiet can do the body good, both mentally and physically. Pennsylvania has a number of offerings for those seeking a respite from city noise.

🪷 Two sites within Philadelphia have been nominated as “urban quiet parks” by the nonprofit Quiet Parks International: Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philly and the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center in West Fairmount Park.

🍃 They might not be totally silent, as The Inquirer’s Jason Nark reports, but what you experience there could affect you powerfully all the same.

Nark takes us searching for peace and quiet, near and far, in Pennsylvania.

P.S. Where do you go to escape the sounds of the city? Reply to this email to share.

With just 10 weeks until the election, women in Philadelphia’s suburbs are once again poised to play a major role in determining who becomes the country’s next leader.

In the first presidential election since the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, reproductive issues are among the most important for this group.

“Women are revved and ready to go this election season and they have been since their rights were taken away,” a Democratic official in Delaware County told The Inquirer.

Vice President Kamala Harris made abortion access a cornerstone of her campaign even before she was the nominee. Meanwhile, Republicans have struggled to find a consistent message.

Politics reporter Katie Bernard has the story.

✉️ Plus, The Inquirer’s editorial board asked suburban women to share their thoughts on former President Donald Trump after he said at a rally, “I think they like me a lot.” Here’s what they had to say.

🗳️ In other election news: Trump suggested in a Truth Social post that he could back out of the Sept. 10 debate with Harris in Philadelphia. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suspended his presidential campaign Friday, will not be on Pennsylvania’s ballot in November. And Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned Monday in Bucks County, “the swingiest of all swing counties.”

What you should know today

  1. Police have recovered the burned car that could be linked to the killing of the rapper YBC Dul, who they say was the ringleader of a violent West Philly gang.

  2. Notorious Philadelphia landlord Phil Pulley is being brought to justice after years of lawsuits, building code violations, and complaints from tenants — but for voting fraud.

  3. Seniors living at the long-beleaguered Brith Sholom House in Wynnefield will get a new landlord in the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

  4. Chester’s state-appointed bankruptcy receiver on Monday proposed selling its water authorities to help save the city from bankruptcy.

  5. Inspira Health is expanding its busy Mullica Hill hospital in Gloucester County. But it’s also facing challenges in how to best provide services in other South Jersey locations.

  6. SEPTA will begin running more Regional Rail trains for weekends and off-peak hours to meet demand and shorten gaps, while NJ Transit is offering a week of free rides as an apology for this summer’s service disruptions.

  7. A New Jersey woman caught on camera enticing a 500-pound Bengal tiger at a zoo in Cumberland County has been charged with trespassing.

🧠 Trivia time

Which cultural institution is selling $11 tickets for any show, date, and seat this season?

A) Opera Philadelphia

B) The Mann Center

C) The Philadelphia Orchestra

D) Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re...

🙏 Watching: This queer retelling of a 19th-century doomsday movement.

🎨 Visiting: The Germantown museum honoring the art and activism of formerly incarcerated people.

Sharing: Our best hacks for attending games at the South Philly Sports Complex.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

South Philadelphia neighborhood and commercial district known for its outdoor food vendors.

AKITA TERMINAL

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jody Allen, who solved Monday’s anagram: LeSean McCoy. The Eagles’ all-time rushing yards leader, now headed to the team’s Hall of Fame.

Photo of the day

More news to come tomorrow. Until then, stay cool and enjoy your Tuesday.

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