The Local (East Falls, PA)

How the bicycle set women free against a tide of petty outrage. What if I told you that women riders outnumbered men at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic this summer? No lie — they made up more than half of the entire professional starting grid! And yet, at one time in our not-too-distant history, serious people debated whether or not the fair sex should even ride bicycles.

As our daylight fades, Philly’s owls are clocking in. Here in Philadelphia, the change of seasons is gradual. We can feel autumn coming with the first crisp evenings in August, but it’ll still feel like summer until the light turns. One week you’re dining in sunshine, the next you’re in the shadows. But just because you can’t see out your windows doesn’t mean there’s nothing to peep. Or, rather, hoot.

The Battleship New Jersey sets course for a multimillion-dollar overhaul in 2027. It’s one of those Philly experiences that is simply a must. It belongs on the list with tossing a penny on Ben Franklin’s grave, having a cheesesteak at the corner of Pat’s and Geno’s, or running up the Art Museum steps — hopefully not right after the cheesesteak. I still remember my first visit to the Battleship New Jersey like it was yesterday. That imposing steel-gray facade against the Delaware River.

She was already exploring the city. Then she started bringing everybody else along. I’ve known Melissa for a long time. She’s always the friend finding something interesting to do in the city, and she’s usually excited to bring you along. Earlier this summer, she turned that part of herself into @MelissaFindsPhilly. Her page hit 10,000 followers in a little over a month, then 12,000 a few days later.

Make a wish. Then lower your expectations. DR KARL’s KALL-OUTS FOR AUGUST 2026 @SwampoodleGOAT: Your mother did not “violate your brand guidelines” by choosing her to wear her Garfield sweater instead of your logo tee in your Tiktok skit where she is at best a hesitant participant. Read the room. Samir near Carpenter’s Woods: I believe you when you say the raccoon started it. I’m still unclear why you felt compelled to finish it. Do you want rabies? Because this is how you get rabies.

A historic handoff at Germantown’s Upsala Mansion. While most kids my age were heading to Disney World with their parents, I was eight years old and visiting Cliveden with my father. Each trip to the annual Battle of Germantown reenactment became a walk through Philadelphia’s Revolutionary history.

A voice from the past takes flight. Sheryl Ann Padre is a lifelong singer, songwriter and creative spirit based in Stockton, California. A teenage YouTuber turned acoustic R&B artist, she built her audience with heartfelt covers, original songs and raw vocals that make people stop and listen. Now enjoying a new wave of attention through Wale’s “Fly Away,” Sheryl continues to follow where her gifts lead — as a mother, runner, fitness creator, woman of faith and competitive hula dancer, too.

A full life takes shared effort, from the public square to the dinner table. As another big election season bears down on us, a lot of decent people are already battening down emotionally. We’re turning off the alerts, avoiding the arguments and keeping politics out of polite conversation. With so much negativity in the world, it only makes sense to keep your head down and look out for Number One. Stepping away from the chaos in our headlines can seem like a logical act of self-preservation.

How being outside brings us back to ourselves. It’s already been a long, hot summer, and it isn’t even halfway over. The war in Iran still rages. The ghosts of senators, both living and dead, haunt our fragile democracy in the wake of the country’s 250th anniversary, which had half the country celebrating while the other half questioned whether that democracy could be sustained. The city was both elated and compromised while hosting World Cup teams and fans.

Her art made people stop and stare. She made a career of finding out why. Most people walk into a hospital expecting medicine. Lyn Godley hopes they encounter something gentler first. For years, the artist has been studying whether art can help people feel better by easing the body’s response to stress. Picture a waiting room where soft light moves slowly across the walls and a projected landscape shifts at the edge of your vision.