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  • You don’t need a ticket to experience the World Cup in Philly

    You don’t need a ticket to experience the World Cup in Philly

    So you can’t afford an astronomically priced ticket when the World Cup arrives in Philly this summer?

    Not to worry.

    While the six World Cup games at Lincoln Financial Field from June 14 to July 4 will certainly get top billing, the city will be humming with soccer-related programming, offering numerous ways for residents and visitors to feel connected to the action.

    “Not everyone in our city, unfortunately, is going to get to go to the games,” said Elizabeth Clinton, development manager at Safe-Hub, a Kensington-based youth soccer organization and a board member for the CASA Soccer Leagues. “But there are going to be so many ways we as a community can enjoy the World Cup.”

    From watch parties to soccer camps to a LEGO World Cup trophy replica, here’s how to feel the energy when the world’s largest sporting event comes to town.

    The city’s biggest gathering spaces

    Lemon Hill will no doubt be the beating heart of the city’s soccer action this summer, with a high-profile fan fest running from June 11 to July 19 in East Fairmount Park. But there are plenty of places that are likely to see fan gatherings throughout the city.

    At Union Yards and Reaney Street, outside of Subaru Park, the Philadelphia Union will host what the team is calling “Soccer Celebration.” There, you’ll find dedicated viewing areas for select World Cup matches, interactive fan activities, giveaways, and live music — while food offerings will rotate to include menu items specific to competing nations. Entry is free with advanced registration.

    Additionally, the Union will offer a pair of chances to watch the Côte d’Ivoire men’s national team up-close during its preparations for the World Cup tournament — first in a friendly match against Union II on June 8 at 7 p.m., and again during a community training session on June 12 at 6:30 p.m. Both events are free but require advance tickets, which can be secured at the Union website.

    For the theatrically inclined, select AMC Theatres locations — including Cherry Hill and Bensalem — will be showing Telemundo’s live Spanish-language broadcasts of certain games, with advance tickets available through the AMC website.

    Officials are also expecting various neighborhoods across the city to be hubs of action depending on the matchups. When Brazil plays on June 19, for instance, there figures to be a good amount of energy along Castor Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, home to a sizable Brazilian population.

    Where to play, not just watch

    If you feel like pulling on a pair of boots and hitting the pitch yourself, you’ll find no shortage of options.

    CASA Soccer Leagues — the region’s largest independent amateur soccer league — will host a World Cup-style adult soccer tournament from May through July at various sites across the city, from South Philadelphia to the campuses of Temple University and Drexel University.

    The group also hosts regular pickup games, as well as beginner programs for those hoping to learn the sport.

    “Adults who want to try a new sport and get involved and learn a little bit,” said Clinton. “Every week, you’ll come, a coach will kind of teach the group the basics of soccer, [and] you can just come in your sneakers.”

    (For those looking to socialize without all the running, the organization is also planning a slew of watch parties.)

    Down the road in Chester, the WSFS Bank Sportsplex boasts a number of playing fields and is a regular hive of activity.

    “There’s soccer there almost every day of the week,” said Mike Blankemeyer, travel director for Sons of Ben, an independent supporters group for the Philadelphia Union. “I go over the bridge a lot for work, and there’s always somebody out there on the pitches.”

    World Cup for kids

    What Lemon Hill is for adults, Safe-Hub Philadelphia hopes to be for kids.

    The Kensington-based organization, which uses soccer to create safe spaces to the community, is planning a number of youth-focused events throughout the course of the World Cup festivities — among them, the Grassroots Cup on June 13-14, a youth tournament featuring more than 300 kids.

    “We really want to use the World Cup as a way to get kids in the door,” said Clinton. “To experience a love of the game and be in a safe space that’s really soccer-centered.”

    In addition to being a mecca of soccer gear and merchandise — including a LEGO replica of the World Cup trophy — Soccer Post Cherry Hill has seven TVs that will be tuned to the World Cup.

    The site will also host a four-day soccer camp for kids ages 8-11, running from Aug. 24-27, that will include various forms of training and conclude with a mock-World Cup tournament.

    The wall of cleats at Soccer Post Cherry Hill, which will be hosting a World Cup-themed youth soccer camp this summer.Photo courtesy of Soccer Post Cherry Hill

    And for the more bookish young fan, the Free Library of Philadelphia is slated to offer soccer-themed programming throughout the spring and summer.

    Choose your own adventure

    If being on the fringes of the action isn’t quite enough, there’s always the option of simply wading into the eye of the storm.

    “Even if I don’t get tickets, I’ll probably head down to the [Lincoln Financial Field], just to experience what it’s about,” said Chris Turk, 54, of Fairmount, a contributor to the Philly Soccer Page, a website devoted to the city’s soccer scene.

    “I think Philadelphia is really gonna put on an awesome showing,” he added. “[And] I think people who come here this summer for soccer are going to be amazed by how cool Philadelphia is.”

  • ‘Big Rube’ Harley made throwback jerseys popular. He says Mitchell & Ness didn’t pay him his share.

    ‘Big Rube’ Harley made throwback jerseys popular. He says Mitchell & Ness didn’t pay him his share.

    Days after Mitchell & Ness opened its new three-level flagship store on Walnut Street, Reuben “Big Rube” Harley stood across the street to announce his lawsuit against the sportswear company.

    Big Rube was an influencer before influencer was a job description. And in the early 2000s, he influenced athletes and hip-hop artists to wear Mitchell & Ness’ vintage jerseys, which can cost more than $300 a pop. Celebrities started wearing throwbacks and business was booming.

    But Mitchell & Ness didn’t fulfill their side of the deal, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

    The brand, which Fanatics bought in 2022, is obligated to pay Harley an unspecified commission for sales attributed to his marketing efforts, the lawsuit says. But it has refused to even calculate how much that commission might be, the suit says.

    “They’re not in this location for nothing,” Harley said Friday across from the new Mitchell & Ness store. “I created that and I want what’s mine.”

    A spokesperson for Fanatics said the company hadn’t been served the lawsuit and was unable to comment.

    Reuben “Big Rube” Harley standing outside the new Mitchell & Ness flagship store on Walnut Street. June 5, 2026.Abraham Gutman

    Harley became a Mitchell & Ness customer in the early 1990s, purchasing throwback Negro League baseball jerseys and caps, the complaint says. A decade later, in 2001, he approached then-Mitchell & Ness owner, Peter Capolino, with a vision of marketing the throwbacks to hip-hop artists and athletes.

    The brand was “tailored to old conservative white men,” Harley said of the Philadelphia-based company that was founded in 1904, “and I gave it to my culture.”

    Harley and Capolino entered into a “partly written and partly oral” agreement, the suit says, in which Mitchell & Ness would pay Harley commission based on sales attributable to his promotional efforts. The suit does not include a copy of the written part, say whether the commission was in perpetuity, or specify the percent of sales Harley claims he is owed.

    Mitchell & Ness also made Harley the company’s marketing director with a salary.

    “I got paid, but the agreement was a piece of the pie,” he said.

    As the new marketing director, Harley contacted athletes, celebrities, and artists in his network, the suit says. The throwbacks trend caught fire. Just a few months later, now-disgraced musician Sean “Diddy” Combs co-hosted the 2002 American Music Awards wearing a rotation of vintage jerseys.

    Mitchell & Ness’ annual sales rose from $2.2 million in 1999 to roughly $25 million in 2002, the suit says.

    “I consider it a miracle that Reuben fell into my lap,” Capolino told Time Magazine in 2003. “He deserves all the credit.”

    Fanatics’ owner Michael Rubin bought Mitchell & Ness in 2022 for $250 million as part of an ownership group that includes Meek Mill and Jay-Z.

    The new owners must respect the agreement with Harley, the suits says, and pay him his share of the sales that he is owed. The complaint does not specify a percent or amount.

    “Big Rube did his part,” said attorney Emeka Igwe. “Mitchell & Ness’ part was to give him a percentage of the sales from all the revenues that they were getting. And that was never done.”

    After parting ways with Mitchell & Ness in the mid-2000s, Harley continued to reinvent himself. He launched an apparel line, wrote a Philadelphia Daily News column, and became a chef.

    He decided to bring the lawsuit now because he is battling stage-four prostate cancer. Harley said he has been assessing his life and wants to leave a legacy for his 22-year-old daughter.

    Standing across the street from the new flagship store in Center City, about a dozen friends expressed their support.

    “We ain’t gonna stop until they build you a statue out here,” Simon Carr said. “You deserve it.”

  • She bought a new construction townhouse near City Avenue. Her inspector still found 100 things to fix. | How I Bought This House

    She bought a new construction townhouse near City Avenue. Her inspector still found 100 things to fix. | How I Bought This House

    The buyer: Heather Ong, 38, accountant

    The house: a 2,219-square-foot townhouse with three bedrooms and three bathrooms in Wynnefield.

    The price: listed for $499,000; purchased for $499,000.

    The agent: Nora DeCristofano, Compass

    The exterior of Heather Ong’s home in Wynnefield.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The ask: Heather Ong did not move back to Philadelphia expecting to live with her parents for two years. The plan was to stay with them temporarily — six months at most — just long enough to save money and buy a house.

    “What started as a six-month search turned into a two-year search,” she said.

    Ong wanted to be in the city but not downtown. She was open to any place that was quiet and had outdoor space for her dog. She also wanted something move-in ready with three bedrooms and at least two bathrooms, and she wanted it for less than $600,000. That combination turned out to be hard to find.

    Ong liked the house’s modern, open-concept kitchen. Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The search: Ong started looking seriously in October 2023. She looked everywhere except Center City. In Point Breeze and Brewerytown, she kept running into the same problem. The houses were expensive, and many still needed work. “I refused to spend $600,000 on a home that I’d have to fix up,” she said.

    Housing inventory was low at the time. Very few of the listings she saw on Zillow met her criteria, so eventually she stopped checking the site. She did deep dives on local Reddit real estate threads instead. That’s where she saw a link to an Inquirer article about a new development near City Avenue.

    The living area in Heather Ong’s home.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The location was close to where she wanted to be, and the price was close to what she wanted to spend, so she e-mailed the developer. She visited the site, but the townhouses were still under construction. She walked through a few model homes that were almost done to get a feel for the space.

    The appeal: The house she saw was a “typical Philly townhome,” Ong said. It had 10-foot ceilings and a roof deck. She liked that it had three full bathrooms and that it was close to I-76 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. “Location-wise, it’s very convenient,” Ong said.

    And while she didn’t think the neighborhood was very exciting, she saw potential.

    “I feel like there are a lot of changes coming to the area,” she said.

    Plus, the house offered her more space than she could find elsewhere for the price.

    The house is a “typical Philly townhome,” Ong said. Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    ”I got a bigger bang for my buck out here,” she said.

    The deal: The home was listed for $499,000, which is what Ong offered. There wasn’t much to negotiate. The builder was firm on price and told her she couldn’t customize any part of the house. “They said, ‘What you see is what you get,’” Ong recalled.

    She did, however, get the builder to agree to a mortgage contingency so that if they didn’t finish the house as promised, she could back out.

    Ong hired an independent inspector, who she said was incredibly thorough. “He came back with 100 things that needed to be fixed,” Ong said. The builder addressed all of them. He also installed larger vanities in the bathrooms per her request. The original ones were “barely larger than airplane bathroom sinks,” Ong said.

    The money: Ong put 10% down. Between the down payment and closing costs, she spent about $70,000. That included $4,000 to buy down her interest rate from 7% to 6%.

    The house has three bedrooms and three full bathrooms, plenty of space for Ong to host family and friends. Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The $70,000 came from her personal savings. She was able to put away a lot of money when she lived with her parents. She also had stock from her job at Zoom Info Technologies, which had vested by the time she was buying. It was worth about $25,000. Without it, she would not have been able to buy.

    “If that didn’t happen, I would still be stuck,” Ong said.

    The primary bedroom in Heather Ong’s home in Wynnefield. Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

    The move: Ong closed on May 1, 2025, and moved in on May 22, a rainy, thunderous day. The move itself was quick — most of her things were in storage. But settling in took months. The development was so new that Google Maps didn’t recognize her address yet, so her deliveries kept getting lost.

    “That was a nightmare,” she said.

    She also didn’t have internet for the first month.

    Life after close: After a year in the house, Ong has learned that new construction can still come with plenty of repairs.

    There have been nail pops, cracks, leaks, electricity issues, a microwave that keeps breaking, and a brand-new dryer that did not work. The constant repairs have made it harder for Ong to enjoy the house. Still, she does not regret buying it.

    “These are first-world problems that I’m dealing with,” she said.

    Did you recently buy a home in the Philadelphia area or South Jersey? Share the story of how you did it. Email Inquirer real estate reporters at properties@inquirer.com.

    Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the name of Ong’s employer and the specifics of her down payment.

    Lilly, age 13, sits on the couch.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer
  • Bryce Harper’s toothpaste, Philly’s ‘Love Island’ takeover, and another Sánchez masterpiece | Weekly Report Card

    Bryce Harper’s toothpaste, Philly’s ‘Love Island’ takeover, and another Sánchez masterpiece | Weekly Report Card

    Bryce Harper’s toothpaste technique: C

    Bryce Harper spent last week defending his toothbrushing technique after the internet discovered that he squeezes toothpaste directly into his mouth.

    The revelation was so unsettling that the Padres put it on the videoboard, dentists weighed in, and millions of people suddenly found themselves evaluating the oral hygiene habits of the Phillies’ first baseman.

    The funniest part is that Harper seemed genuinely confused by the backlash. “I’ve done it forever,” he said, which somehow makes it worse.

    What elevates this from ordinary internet nonsense to a true Philly sports story is that Harper is currently one of the best players in baseball, and yet this became a legitimate multiday discussion.

    For the record, dentists do not recommend the technique. But Harper has two MVPs, hundreds of home runs, and apparently very clean teeth, so hard to argue with the results.

    Sean Reifel (left), Melanie Moreno (middle), Sincere Rhea (right) are contestants of Love Island USA 2026.Ben Symons/PEACOCK

    Three Philly-area contestants on ‘Love Island’? The Eagles agenda is spreading: B+

    Three contestants with Philadelphia-region ties entered the villa on this season of Love Island USA. They are a North Philly native, a Cape May track star, and a former Lehigh Valley police officer.

    And within one episode, Philadelphia had already established diplomatic relations.

    North Philly’s Melanie Moreno and Cape May’s Sincere Rhea immediately bonded over the Eagles, with Moreno declaring, “Literally cut me and I’ll bleed green.”

    The funniest part about Philly representation on reality TV is that contestants from here almost never ease people into it. Within minutes, viewers knew Moreno was from Philadelphia because she announced it the same way most Philadelphians do: loudly and with complete confidence.

    Meanwhile, Rhea seems genuinely wholesome enough that the producers will almost certainly try to create problems for him by Episode 3.

    The real winner, though, may be Philadelphia itself. The city somehow landed three contestants on one of the biggest reality shows, ensuring that for at least the next few weeks, viewers will get Eagles fandom and blunt honesty on their screens.

    Winners at the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants announcement.50 Best

    Philly restaurants keep collecting national awards like it’s normal now: A

    Two Philadelphia restaurants landed on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list this week, with Kalaya and Friday Saturday Sunday once again earning spots among the continent’s culinary heavyweights.

    The funny thing is that Philly food fans have become almost spoiled by this stuff.

    A few years ago, getting one restaurant on a list like this would have triggered a citywide victory lap. Now the reaction is more along the lines of: “Only two? What happened to Royal Sushi?”

    To be fair, both restaurants dropped in the rankings this year. But they also remained on a list featuring just 50 restaurants across the United States and Canada, which is a pretty good reminder of how much Philly’s dining scene has changed.

    Not that long ago, national restaurant conversations about Philadelphia basically began and ended with cheesesteaks.

    Now we’re arguing about Michelin recommendations, international rankings, tasting menus, and whether a restaurant fell from 7th to 11th … that’s a good problem to have.

    Local drag royalty Martha Graham Cracker sings during the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Pride Concert on June 4, 2025, at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Philadelphia gave Martha Graham Cracker a fitting farewell: A+

    The death of Martha Graham Cracker creator Dito van Reigersberg this week felt less like the loss of a performer and more like the loss of a piece of Philadelphia itself.

    The tributes poured in from every corner of the city — theater, music, drag, dance, politics — which says a lot about the rare place he occupied in Philadelphia culture.

    But one detail from the obituary stood out. David Devan, the former head of Opera Philadelphia, was at the hospital when van Reigersberg died June 1, the first day of Pride Month. Leaving afterward, he watched the city’s Pride rainbow lights come on across Philadelphia.

    “It was the first day of Pride Month, and our greatest queer Philadelphian died,” Devan said.

    For a performer who spent decades making people laugh, feel welcome, and feel seen, it’s difficult to imagine a more fitting image than Philadelphia lighting up in rainbows on the night he died.

    San Diego Padres’ Nick Castellanos looks on during the third inning against the Washington Nationals, on May 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)Nick Wass

    The Nick Castellanos reunion tour lasted about as long as expected: C

    When Nick Castellanos returned to Citizens Bank Park this week, the Phillies played a scoreboard tribute featuring some of his memorable moments from the 2022 postseason. Twenty-four hours later, the Padres designated him for assignment. The timing was brutal.

    Castellanos hit .191 in a part-time role with San Diego after the Phillies released him in spring training. Still, there’s something oddly fitting about the whole thing happening in Philadelphia.

    For all the frustration that came with the final year of the Castellanos era, he was also part of some genuinely great Phillies moments: The standing ovations, the postseason homers, the absolute certainty that if something weird happened in a game, Castellanos would somehow be involved.

    Now, he’s looking for another opportunity at age 34. And if this is the end of the road, at least Philadelphia got one last chance to tip its cap before the baseball gods immediately delivered one final, extremely Nick Castellanos plot twist.

    Apple Cinemas has scrapped plans to reopen the former Riverview Plaza theater in South Philly, closed since 2020. Photo taken May 6, 2019.STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

    Philly movie fans lose again: F

    Philadelphia moviegoers got some bad news this week when Apple Cinemas scrapped plans to reopen the former Riverview Plaza theater in South Philly, ending hopes for the return of one of the city’s most beloved moviegoing spots, reported PhillyVoice.

    And what makes it sting is that people were genuinely excited about this one.

    The plan included bringing movies back to a theater that’s been dark since 2020, adding an IMAX screen, and giving Philly something it currently doesn’t have: a true IMAX theater. Instead, the project collapsed amid a dispute between Apple Cinemas and property owner Bart Blatstein over the condition of the building and lease obligations.

    The result is that the giant empty theater remains a giant empty theater.

    Cristopher Sánchez is running out of Phillies records to break: A+

    A week after setting the Phillies franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings, Cristopher Sánchez added another one: the longest scoreless streak ever by a left-handed pitcher.

    That’s not just a Phillies record. That’s an MLB record.

    By reaching 45⅔ scoreless innings, Sánchez passed Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell and moved into sixth place on the all-time list, regardless of handedness.

    What’s remarkable is how quickly this has gone from surprising to expected.

    Bryce Harper probably summed it up best when he said it feels normal now. A pitcher is doing things that haven’t been done in generations, and the reaction has become, “Yep, that’s Sánchez.” A few nervous moments, a bunch of awkward swings at changeups, seven scoreless innings, and another historic number attached to his name.

    The streak will end eventually, but right now, Philadelphia is watching one of the best stretches of pitching in baseball history unfold every fifth day.

  • Mystic, Conn., is much more than pizza and a movie title | Field Trip

    Mystic, Conn., is much more than pizza and a movie title | Field Trip

    Consider yourself warned: This weekend itinerary in Mystic, Conn., contains no pizza. Not that you can’t find a great slice in this New England seaport town, but Mystic offers so much more than nostalgia from the 1980s cult movie classic. Eccentric boutiques, hearty breakfasts, and stylish inns pile onto the nautical charm of the village, which is divided between Groton and Stonington by the Mystic River.

    It’s pretty much a straight shot up 95, clocking a little over four hours from Center City. Start the car.

    Fuel: Kitchen Little

    Start the trip with a Mystic tradition: breakfast at Kitchen Little, the second-floor cafe at the Mystic River Marina on Mason’s Island. The huge menu features blueberry-jeweled buttermilk pancakes, omelets stuffed with corned beef hash, and nine different types of eggs Benedict, including one piled with hunks of fresh lobster. Ask for a table on the deck for views of the boats drifting through the harbor.

    📍 36 Quarry Rd., Mystic, Conn. 06355

    Stay: The Whaler’s Inn

    Composed of a series of historic buildings constructed between 1865 and 1920, the Whaler’s Inn sits at the end of Mystic’s famous Main Street Bridge, an ideal location for exploring the town. The property fits the weekend’s nautical theme with its whitewashed facade, navy shutters, slate woodwork, and two seafood restaurants. Room categories are spread across multiple buildings, from adults-only luxury suites with buttercream sofas and sleek integrated kitchenettes to family rooms with built-in bunks and a children’s library. The experience is super customizable depending whether you’re traveling solo or with children.

    📍 20 E. Main St., Mystic, Conn. 06355

    Shop: Olde Mistick Village

    More than 40 boutiques comprise Olde Mistick Village, a model colonial-era New England town originally opened in 1973. The shops, arranged around a meetinghouse, run the gamut, from Salt Life-type souvenirs to rare manga volumes (Arisu), Murano glass jewelry (Gineva), and eerie Victorian oddities (Alice’s Little Haunted Book Shop). And if the weather isn’t cooperating during your visit, the village also hosts Mystic Luxury Cinemas, where the recliners are heated and the popcorn comes topped with real butter.

    📍 27 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, Conn. 06355

    Sun: Bluff Point Beach

    Just west of Mystic, the Poquonnock River meanders down into Long Island Sound, shimmying around the tip of Bluff Point Beach. This tranquil, undeveloped stretch of sand at the end of Bluff Point State Park arcs into the water like a slingshot, making it a relaxing place to sunbathe, stroll, and plane-spot the occasional jet taking off at Groton-New London Airport just across the river. Park in the state park lot; the beach is the end of the marked trial, a little over a mile south.

    📍 55 Depot Rd., Groton, Conn. 06340

    See: Mystic Museum of Art

    Lobster is not Southern Connecticut’s only historic industry. The region was also a leading producer of velvet in the 1800s. That craft takes center stage this summer in “Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways,” opening June 26 at Mystic Museum of Art. If painting is more your medium, the museum’s white farmhouse-style building houses a stunning collection of American impressionist and tonalist works from the early 1900s to the early 2000s, including Henry Ward Ranger’s Connecticut landscapes.

    📍 9 Water St., Mystic, Conn. 06355

    Learn: Mystic Seaport Museum

    Also on the weekend of June 26, the Mystic Seaport Museum’s 34th annual WoodenBoat Show goes down with more than a hundred styles of wooden vessels on display at the riverfront institution’s wharf. Besides the show, this is the place to learn about Mystic’s maritime culture, home to four national historic landmark vessels you can board and explore, as well as the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard, the nation’s first preservation yard dedicated to wooden ships. If you love boats, or better yet, have kids that love boats, you should not miss it.

    📍 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, Conn. 06355

    Dine: Red 36

    Perched along the river, Red 36 glows as bright as a lantern once the sun goes down in Mystic. Heading here for dinner means shorts and a T-shirt and a table on the wide waterfront deck or under the barnlike wood-beam ceiling inside — extremely chill. Order a spicy marg made with jalapeño-infused tequila and mezcal or an ice-cold Allagash, along with one of two types of clam chowder; we say the creamy over the clear. Entrees include fish and chips splashed with malt vinegar, seafood paella, and the mac-daddy whole steamed lobster served with Mexican street corn, coleslaw, and Old Bay fries.

    📍 2 Washington St., Mystic, Conn. 06355