Letters to the Editor | July 25, 2023

That we would even consider a Sixers arena precisely located over Jefferson Station over the opposition of Chinatown residents while simultaneously having a crisis over where to site a bus terminal is incomprehensible. First, doesn’t the city have protected transportation zones reserved to make Philly a world-class destination? Second, shouldn’t it be obvious that a better place to put such a bus terminal is at one of our transportation hubs, ideally 30th Street or Jefferson Station? A bus terminal used daily around the clock would be a much better use of public space than an arena used only 40% of the time.

Walter Tsou, Philadelphia

In my mind, Philadelphia’s 1928 art deco jewel, the Drake Towers, whose magical exterior was captured in Chris Hytha’s drone footage of vintage skyscrapers, is woven with memories of singer Tony Bennett, whose extraordinary life and talent The Inquirer celebrated after his recent passing. My husband and I lived at the Drake from 2007 to 2013, where we showered two tired, shabby floors with love and care, and my husband created a wonderland of flowers and trees on 1,700 feet of terrace. Still, we never felt this space was ours; we saw it instead as a treasure on loan, to be enjoyed by others, including any nonprofit who asked to use it for fundraising. To thank us for its use, leadership at the Mann Center invited us to attend Bennett’s Aug. 28, 2010, performance, and to meet him afterward. At 84, Bennett enchanted a full house with two hours of timeless classics. Backstage, though noticeably tired, he greeted each of us with his wondrous smile and a private word.

SaraKay Smullen, Philadelphia

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor made front-page news recently for alleged unethical conduct in relation to marketing books she has written. The examples of misconduct cited to support this allegation, however, are far from compelling. It’s reported that her staff prodded public institutions, where Sotomayor appeared as a guest lecturer, to purchase her books in quantities sufficient for book signing sessions that coincided with her lectures. Common sense suggests that attendees at a book signing should have a book in hand. Thus, the so-called prodding of host institutions may reasonably be viewed as a basic courtesy to avoid embarrassment for the attendees, should they arrive empty-handed.

Also criticized was the use of SCOTUS staff to carry a large quantity of books (11,000) to her chambers for signature. Would it have been preferable for Sotomayor to tote all the books by herself, or sign them in the cargo bed of the delivery truck? In any case, her purported transgressions are relatively small potatoes in comparison with the behaviors of some of her SCOTUS brethren, who have been gifted with lavish vacations and other valuable perks by their personal benefactors.

Patrick J. Hagan, Ardmore

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