🌈 Under the same rainbow | Morning Newsletter

Wake up, Philly. It’s a warm and sunny Saturday with a high near 87.

Today, I’m highlighting the double rainbow that stunned Philadelphia. Plus, TV viewership ratings are in for Tuesday’s presidential debate, an embattled Camden school official steps down, and a West African restaurant reopens in a long-awaited comeback.

Let’s dive in.

— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Every Saturday, I’ll share a Philly story that’s stuck in my mind. This week, I still can’t stop thinking about that spectacular double rainbow.

The sky was gray. The afternoon couldn’t decide between rain or sunshine (my Dominican ancestors would tell you that this means a witch is getting married). I got to my neighborhood Acme when I noticed several people in the parking lot craning their necks up to the sky, almost in disbelief.

Then I saw it. You couldn’t miss the stunning display. Two rainbows — technically it’s just one, plus its reflection — painting the dull clouds.

Sure, it’s just an optical phenomena. There’s no pot of gold. But we all collectively stopped in our tracks, almost forced to witness Mother Nature do her thing regardless of the day you were having. It felt utterly wholesome. I keep going back to that moment for a mental pick-me-up.

I took a few photos while grocery shoppers around me made excited video calls and stared at the colorful show with a smile. And as you probably saw your social media feeds flooded with pictures of the striking view, this was one of my favorites, snapped toward the Ben Franklin Bridge: “I live in a pretty magical city.” Ain’t that the truth.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker hosted a town hall this week to hear arguments for and against a plan to build a Sixers arena downtown. The meeting followed a weekend march by critics of the proposal through Center City.

The $1.55 billion arena would live on East Market Street between 10th and 11th Streets. The team says the project could usher in a renaissance to the center of commerce, while critics fear it could hurt Chinatown. And in late August, the city finally released a series of impact studies on the plan.

But we should consider broadening the discussion to think about Market Street as a whole, Harris M. Steinberg, executive director of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University, writes in a guest opinion column for us.

“We haven’t asked ourselves what we want East Market Street to be,” Steinberg says in a guest column. “Without a clearly articulated vision for the street, we’re shooting in the dark.” Read on for his perspective on what’s at stake for this historic corridor.

A West Philly football star introduced water ice to Texas. His business offers what as a topping? (No, seriously, what?!)

A) tomato

B) cheese

C) pickles

D) onions

Think you know? Check your answer.

Hint: Local breweries release their own German-style and fall-flavored beers this time of year to celebrate this event, the largest beer festival in the world

BOOKS FETTER

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jack Walker who correctly guessed Friday’s answer: New York Mets. The team faces our Phillies in a three-game series this weekend — the first of which the Fightins lost in a blowout. Since they’re just seven games behind in the National League standings, these games are a big deal.

Missed Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter World Tour stop? At least we can live vicariously through pop critic Dan DeLuca and staff photographer Elizabeth Robertson, who captured some moving moments from the concert.

Eddie Vedder dedicated “Given to Fly” to Johnny and Matty Gaudreau, the two South Jersey-raised hockey players who were killed by a suspected drunk driver while biking in Salem County last month.

“I’ve never said this any other place,” Vedder said. “But if you heard this show on Pearl Jam Radio, you’d say to yourself, ‘Now that was a f— show I wish I was at!’”

See more photos and read DeLuca’s review of the memorable performance.

It was one of those “you had to be there” moments. And thanks to social media, we can all be there for 40 seconds.

An Instagram video by Katie Colfer captured Phillies catcher and known clubhouse DJ Garrett Stubbs joining fans for karaoke at McGillin’s Olde Ale House. I’ll let you take a wild guess what they were singing.

Go Phils.

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