Happy Sunday! It looks like the start of another beautiful day in Philly.<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s newsletter, now that we\u2019ve caught our breath from the news that LeBron James would be joining the Sixers, we\u2019re looking at 76ers president Mike Gansey\u2019s first offseason as a whole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also, Franklin Square is celebrating 20 years since its refurbishment from a dusty and dim outpost to a destination for family-friendly fun.<\/p>\n \u2014 Ellen Dunkel (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 76ers became the talk of the sports world Friday, when LeBron James announced he would sign with the team to finish out his illustrious NBA career.<\/p>\n Some final roster tinkering still must occur before training camp begins in late September. But James\u2019 addition means the bulk of business is finished. In short, it has been a heck of a first offseason for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey.<\/p>\n How does it all grade out, player-by-player? Reporter Gina Mizell breaks it down<\/a>.<\/p>\n Franklin Square, the once-forgotten green space at Sixth and Race Streets, celebrated a milestone on Saturday: This July marks 20 years since the square\u2019s dramatic revitalization, which transformed it from a dusty and dim outpost to a destination for family-friendly fun.<\/p>\n Franklin Square (originally North East Publick Square and later renamed in honor of Benjamin Franklin) dates back to 1682, when William Penn designed Philadelphia. Penn anchored the city around a quintet of parks.<\/p>\n Reporter Maggie Prosser explains its history and more recent status<\/a>.<\/p>\n What you should know today<\/p>\n This week in history<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4 Now I\u2019m passing the mic to Tommy Rowan with a look back at the first episodes of \u201cSesame Street,\u2019 which were tested on Philly preschoolers in the 1960s.<\/p>\n Sesame Street may be set in New York, but the iconic children\u2019s show started in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Over five days in July 1969, producers of Sesame Street broadcast five hour-long test-pilot episodes on WHYY-TV\u2019S UHF Channel 35 on televisions spread across 70 homes throughout Philly.<\/p>\n The program, which can trace its roots to the mid-20th-century Civil Rights Movement, would go on to delight, instruct, and entertain, thanks to the worldview and genius of Jim Henson.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t a complete home run.<\/p>\n Read on for the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2753Pop quiz<\/p>\n Which of the following is not one of the cities where LeBron James played in the NBA on his path to Philadelphia?<\/p>\n A) Los Angeles<\/p>\n B) New York<\/p>\n C) Miami<\/p>\n D) Cleveland<\/p>\n Think you know? Check your answer<\/a>.<\/p>\n What we\u2019re …<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude0b Craving: Some of the airiest potato gnocchi Craig LaBan has eaten all year<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa8 Admiring: A shrine to the Wyeths that opened at the Brandywine Museum of Art<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f Revisiting: Gettysburg, which offers loads of Civil War history, of course, but is not a one-trick pony<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udde9 Unscramble the anagram<\/p>\n Hint: This broadcaster announced her retirement.<\/p>\n ANY CYNIC LET <\/p>\n Email us if you know the answer<\/a>. We\u2019ll select a reader at random to shout out here.<\/p>\n Cheers to David Laderman, who correctly guessed Saturday\u2019s answer: SHERMAN BROTHERS. Philadelphia shoe retailer Sherman Brothers is moving to the Main Line after 73 years in Center City<\/a>.<\/p>\n Photo of the day<\/p>\n Photographer Tom Gralish focuses his Scene Through the Lens photo essay on the beauty of walkable Philadelphia. \u201cCenter City is compact and easy to explore on foot,\u201d Gralish writes, \u201cwith many stores, restaurants, museums, attractions, and parks all within a short walk.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Gralish is familiar with walks around Philly. In his early days at The Inquirer, Gralish spent weeks walking our streets, leading to this Pulitzer Prize-winning photo essay about how unhoused men survive<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb6 Today\u2019s song: We\u2019re enjoying \u201cHere They Come\u201d (because of course we are). We like this old-school video someone made years ago for a class<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc4b\ud83c\udffd Enjoy your Sunday basking in the sun, the glow of the LeBron news, or whatever makes you happy.<\/p>\n