🎃 Happy Thursday and welcome to October.

🌤️ Clouds give way to mostly sunny skies with a high near of 81, low 66.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Jim Tallia!

📍Situational awareness: The city will close MLK Jr. Drive between Sweet Briar Drive and Eakins Oval to vehicles from 6:30-9 a.m. for a 5K event.

Today’s newsletter is 905 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Center City hotels saw a notable spike in revenue during Philly's run of splashy summer events.

Why it matters: The economic impact that the World Cup, America's 250th celebrations and other festivities had on the city are coming into sharper focus.

Driving the news: Hotels saw year-over-year revenue ($335.6 million) jump nearly 21% between May 1 and Aug. 31, according to a new analysis from Tourism Economics for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Zoom in: The revenue bump didn't appear from a massive increase in occupancy.

• The occupancy rates for Center City hotels maxed out at 73% — up 2.8% compared with the same period last year.
• Rather, tourists were spending more on rooms, with the average daily rate hitting $257 during that period — up nearly 19%.

What else: The median Airbnb host in Philadelphia earned $2,800 from June and July stays during the World Cup, a company spokesperson tells Axios.

• The World Cup was the biggest hosting event in Airbnb's history, a company spokesperson said.

And Airbnb hosts in Philly welcomed travelers from more than 110 countries during the tourney, with the top being:

• 🇪🇨 Ecuador
• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England

Between the lines: The uptick in hotel revenue during the summer could signal that concerns about federal immigration enforcement didn't extinguish demand around the city's global events.

• Meanwhile, the hotel industry was coming off a year that saw a steep decline in international travelers in 2025, particularly from Canada.

What they're saying: "A strong summer like this creates greater stability for our hotel community while reinforcing the value of continuing to attract events that bring overnight visitors to Philadelphia," Ed Grose, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, said in a news release.

What's next: The full accounting of the economic impact on Philly and the region is still TBD.

• Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration is financing a report to do just that, and it will also examine visitor and tourism activity.
• Worth noting: Projected estimates for the economic impact on the region from Philly's six World Cup matches alone was $770 million.

Tick, tick, tick. The clock was seemingly winding down on the Phillies' season — until Alec Bohm stepped to the plate.

Why it matters: Bohm's clutch, extra-innings home run extended the Phillies' wild card series against the Braves, lifting them to a 4-3 win.

Driving the news: The divisional foes — already responsible for some memorable playoff battles — will face off once more in a do-or-die Game 3 tonight at 8pm in Atlanta.

• At stake for the Phils: A potential second-round matchup against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Catch up quick: The Dodgers ended the Phillies' playoff run last year, beating them 3-1 in the National League Division Series.

The bottom line: The Phillies' path to the World Series ran through Atlanta in 2022 — and once again, they'll have to survive Atlanta to keep October alive.

🤝 Philly is a welcoming city — even to Knicks-loving New Yorkers.

• Flocks of our Big Apple brothers and sisters are relocating to America's best city as NYC home prices skyrocket. The New York metro had its second-largest outflow of residents in the second quarter, losing more than 27,000 movers. (NY Post)

🥃 Almanac, one of Philly's buzziest bars, is working on a second location at 112 S. 18th St. in Rittenhouse. The name and opening date are TBD. (Inquirer)

A deadly fire at a Manayunk row home claimed the life of a woman and injured three others, including two firefighters.

• The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (6ABC)

🗣️ Quote du jour:

"While the court's 'referral' is virtually unprecedented and doesn't compel the DOJ to do anything, there is reason to believe the DOJ probably will. These are fraught, authoritarian times at the formerly independent DOJ."

Hey, Mike here! As a big Olympics fan, I saw the Games' organizing committee revealed this week that the torch relay will pass through all 50 states before ending in Los Angeles in 2028.

• My first thought: Philly better be on that route.

Reality check: The organizing committee won't reveal the route until 2027.

The intrigue: Comcast, one of Philly's biggest employers, is a founding partner of the Games.

• Plus: The Games' organizing committee said in a news release that the torch relay will pass through "iconic and internationally renowned landmarks."

💭 Mike's thought bubble: All the signs point to the the Olympic torch making a stop in Philly, IMO.

• And that route better include a run up the Rocky Steps.

🙏 Isaac is grateful to be back home, but he misses his N.M. friends and fam, plus the connections he made in the ATL. One love.

📦 Mike is getting his Halloween decorations out of storage. It's time.

Today's newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.