đ The Olympics edition | Things to Do
Plus, a new movie from Sheryl Lee Ralph, a Philly history exhibit, and the best concerts.
![Photo collage of Ashley Sessa, Boyd Martin, Joel Embiid, and Sunny Choi â Philadelphia area athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/ynrrSqarW2DCiXWIOucqSm-lhvc=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/RMIQYQW2EFAXHPEVFLM5TX5EKA.png)
Welcome to Olympics season. The global games begin this week, and I canât wait to root for awesome athletes like Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, ShaâCarri Richardson, Joel Embiid, and the U.S. womenâs soccer team. Plus: The menâs national soccer team is back at the Olympics for the first time in 16 years, and the roster includes the Unionâs Jack McGlynn and Nathan Harriel. Iâll be tuning in this weekend because (fun fact) Iâm an ex-professional fencer and I canât wait to see the fencing competition, especially in womenâs saber. Whatâs your favorite Olympics sport to watch? Who are you rooting for? Let me know!
This weekend, watch the Olympics, try the flavor of the summer (ube), see Sheryl Lee Ralphâs new movie, and explore Philadelphia history.
â Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)
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Itâs finally time to light the torch and kick off the Olympics! Technically, the competition started yesterday with menâs soccer and rugby, but the official opening ceremony is on Friday with tennis star Coco Gauff as the U.S. flag-bearer.
Here at The Inquirer weâre all over the international event so stay tuned for more! Catch up with all our Olympics coverage and find where you can watch all the action.
The best things to do this week
đ„ Barbara would never: Sheryl Lee Ralph â the thrice Emmy-nominated actor who plays veteran schoolteacher Barbara Howard in Abbott Elementary â plays a weed-growing granny in her new movie, Fabulous Four (out July 26).
đŠ Pretty in purple: The Filipino purple yam Ube is popping up all over Phillyâs dining scene, from martinis to ice cream. Hereâs where you can try it.
đȘŽ Burpee Open: For one day, guests can explore Fordhook Farmsâ secluded garden paths, admire its historic seedhouse and glean home-gardening tips from horticultural experts.
đ© Historical sights: Lincolnâs hat and Franklinâs music stand are just a few of the incredible historic treasures from the Atwater Kent Collection (formerly known as the Philadelphia History Museum) on view at PAFA as part of the new exhibit, âPhiladelphia Revealed: Unpacking the Attic.â Among some 650 objects on display, here are the five most fascinating.
đŒïž Rarely seen: A precious drawing from George Washingtonâs collection â a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, whom he loved like a son â will be on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in August before going up for auction. This may be the last time the drawing, titled The Destruction of the Bastille, is ever on public view.
đ Donât wait for it: If you want to see George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette singing onstage, the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton returns to Philadelphia this fall. Itâs perfectly timed for the presidential election (Oct. 29-Nov. 23). Tickets go on sale today.
đ My calendar picks this week: Shakespeareâs As You Like It in Clark Park, Culture Fest 2024, Frankford Day and Night Market
The thing of the week
If youâre walking on Market Street at night, you might see the Declaration House â where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence â alight in a new way. Large, 5-foot-tall eyes now peer out of the windows as part of Monument Labâs art installation The Descendants of Monticello. Screens show animated eyes, most belonging to descendants of Robert Hemmings, the enslaved valet who lived with Jefferson at the house. He was the brother of Sally Hemings, who mothered six of Jeffersonâs children. (Hemmings, who taught himself to read and write, used two mâs to spell his last name, the rest of the family used one.) Robert Hemmings watched Jefferson sign the Declaration of Independence that supposedly claimed all men were equal. The installation is an effort to center the stories of the people Jefferson enslaved and examine his painful legacy. Take a look yourself.
Summer fun this week and beyond
đČ Donât get lost: No fear, thereâs no Jersey Devil here. The beautiful, mythical Pine Barrens can be a bit of a bear to navigate, so weâve got a helpful guide to exploring the Pine Barrens.
đŁââïž Get on the water: Find a family-friendly summertime kayak or canoe tour that works for you, whether in Philadelphia, Chester and Burlington Counties, or the Pine Barrens. Here are 12 great tours.
đź The wow factor: The dazzling light displays at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square are one of the canât-miss events of the summer. From food offerings to live music and dance performances, hereâs everything you need to know.
đ Take a dip: The heat wonât quit Philly for quite a few weeks now. If you canât get to the shore, hereâs a list of Philly public pools where you can cool down.
đż Not like us: Apparently everyoneâs ratcheting up rap beef these days. Eagles safety and part-time rapper C.J. Gardner-Johnson is entering the ring, too â he just dropped a new album that includes a diss track about former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.
Our criticsâ picks
Inquirer pop music critic Dan DeLuca and classical music critic Peter Dobrin break down the best shows coming up.
đ€ Thursday: Beck plays the Mann Center. The musically omnivorous L.A. songwriter still best known for â90s hits âLoserâ and âWhere Itâs Atâ is being backed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
đ€ Friday: This week in Philly music features the first Blink 182 tour to stop in Philadelphia since singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge rejoined the band. Last year, the original Blink lineup of DeLonge, bass player Mark Hoppus, and drummer and Kourtney Kardashianâs husband Travis Barker reunited for One More Time âŠ, their first album together since 2011. The tour for that album brought the pop-punk band to the Atlantic City beach for the Adjacent Music Festival but there was no Philly date. That gets rectified on Friday when Blink plays the Wells Fargo Center with Pierce the Veil opening.
â±ïž Also Friday: So much culture at the Jersey Shore this weekend. On Friday, Hank Williams Jr., whoâs a formidable live performer â thereâs a lot more to Bocephus than that old Monday Night Football song â is at the Etess Arena at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
đ€ Also also Friday: Faye Webster â an Atlantan who once wrote a song in praise of Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (but weâll forgive her for that) â plays the Dell Music Center on Friday, in support of her excellent, understated Underdressed At the Symphony.
â±ïž Saturday: Rapper and Fast & Furious movie star Ludacris plays the Etess Arena too, and his fellow Atlantans, 1990s R&B group Xscape are at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
đ€ Also Saturday: Regina Spektor, the Russian American classically trained pianist and canny singer-songwriter, makes a stop on an eight show mini-tour at the Met Philly.
đč Starting Saturday: From July 27-Aug. 4, see the Philadelphia Young Pianistsâ Academyâs Piano Festival. Rising competition winners (Huiping Cai and Junwen Liang) and established artists (Jerome Lowenthal and the Westhuizen Duo) pull into Philadelphia for this yearâs mix of concerts and master classes. Charlotte Hu opens the festival with an all-Liszt recital on Saturday.
â±ïž Sunday: Country rap chart topper Shaboozey plays the HQ2 Nightclub at Ocean Resort, and the great British songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson is at Cape May Convention Hall.
đ€ Tuesday: Reyna Tropical, which is the project of guitarist and She Shreds magazine founder Fabiola Reyna that mixes Peruvian, Congolese, and Colombian rhythms, plays the Lounge at the World Cafe Live. She did indeed shred when she played the Non-Comm convention earlier this year.
The take: Kamala Harris and the memes
What a wild few days in national politics, huh? Shoutout to my colleagues on the politics desk and across the newsroom who are abringing you essential updates on the entire hullabaloo. If youâve touched a phone in the past few days, youâve probably seen at least three Kamala Harris memes, whether itâs brat or the wheels on the bus. My colleague Elizabeth Wellington cautions against getting too wrapped up on the meme train in her latest: âIâm not interested in your Kamala Harris memes. I just want you to vote.â
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This week, Iâm catching up on House of the Dragon after seeing way too many spoilers online over the past month. Oh well. Whoâs your favorite character (if you remember their names)? Let me know!