Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My "knowledge" is suspect because you have a difference in opinion. That's fine. Washington's an upscale, white-collar city with a highly educated, highly affluent demographic. Philadelphia's a gritty blue-collar city with a much more defined culture/civic pride, more family oriented. In Philly, you're black/italian/irish, swear at the old ladies in the street but, are devout catholics/muslims, love Cheesesteaks/Soft Pretzels/Water Ice, will kill anyone who speaks ill of the Phillies/Eagles/Flyers, absolutely hate the Redskins/Cowboys, enjoy neighborhood bars/pubs rather than clubs and generally won't take yourself too seriously. Washington is more of a "what do you do/how much do you make/where did you go to school/who do you know/what family you're in" kind of town. The Manhattan/Brooklyn cultural comparison was a very easy comparison to understand.
I think you're relying too much on gross generalizations and stereotypes. Any reasonable assessment would come to the conclusion that Center City certainly does not fit the description you're describing as compared to downtown DC. Of course, this is not to say that, generally speaking, Philadelphia is not a largely blue-collar city. However, since we're focusing on downtowns here, Center City and its environs are a totally different beast. Residents of the downtown area tend to be far more affluent and educated than your average Philadelphian. The restaurant, retail and cultural establishments in Center City largely cater to this demographic, as well as the tens or thousands of white-collar suburbanites that commute to the city each day. I will certainly agree that the city is not as polished as DC, and if you're not accustomed to/do not appreciate gritiness, then a much newer downtown like DC will understandably seem "nicer" on the surface. Nevertheless, my overall point here is: we all value different things in a downtown/city; personally I think there should be much more to a city than the number of establishments in which to purchase a 5,000-dollar designer purse.
You're clearly entitled to your opinion, but I just wanted to respond to this inaccurate perception that Philly is just a tired, downscale blue-collar city, when in reality the city has moved dramatically towards a much more white-collar employment base and is now home to a very diverse workforce. While I have worked in and very much enjoyed downtown DC, Center City to me is definitely more organic, interesting, complex and not only meant for the affluent office worker or congressional staffer. It is one of the most unique urban environments (outside of Manhattan) in this country that meshes all walks of life into a very dense, truly mixed-use and incredibly historic environment.
I think you're relying too much on gross generalizations and stereotypes. Any reasonable assessment would come to the conclusion that Center City certainly does not fit the description you're describing as compared to downtown DC. Of course, this is not to say that, generally speaking, Philadelphia is not a largely blue-collar city. However, since we're focusing on downtowns here, Center City and its environs are a totally different beast. Residents of the downtown area tend to be far more affluent and educated than your average Philadelphian. The restaurant, retail and cultural establishments in Center City largely cater to this demographic, as well as the tens or thousands of white-collar suburbanites that commute to the city each day. I will certainly agree that the city is not as polished as DC, and if you're not accustomed to/do not appreciate gritiness, then a much newer downtown like DC will understandably seem "nicer" on the surface. Nevertheless, my overall point here is: we all value different things in a downtown/city; personally I think there should be much more to a city than the number of establishments in which to purchase a 5,000-dollar designer purse.
You're clearly entitled to your opinion, but I just wanted to respond to this inaccurate perception that Philly is just a tired, downscale blue-collar city, when in reality the city has moved dramatically towards a much more white-collar employment base and is now home to a very diverse workforce. While I have worked in and very much enjoyed downtown DC, Center City to me is definitely more organic, interesting, complex and not only meant for the affluent office worker or congressional staffer. It is one of the most unique urban environments (outside of Manhattan) in this country that meshes all walks of life into a very dense, truly mixed-use and incredibly historic environment.
Then what are we debating here? Nothing. Basically, you acknowledged that what I'm saying has some merit, you're just ticked off by my choice of words and wish to argue pointless semantics. I'm not partial to either city. I'm just being objective. D.C. is more upscale. Philadelphia is more gritty. To get upset with that statement is akin to an Detroit native being upset that I said Chicago seemed nicer. Before I even engage in anything with you, how long have you lived in Philadelphia? Were you born there? What part of Philadelphia were you born in? Or are you just a yuppie who moved to Rittenhouse Sq for a few years and think you have an accurate understanding of life in the city.
Last edited by siliconvalleyboss; 06-25-2011 at 12:35 PM..
The ridiculous thing about this thread is that most of the people on here aren't from Philadelphia or D.C., haven't spent considerable amounts of time in Philadelphia or D.C. and are most likely getting their information from Google/Wiki/Census/Web. I can tell when I read comments like "DT DC is nothing but, drab Government Buildings" or "CC Philadelphia is as stimulating as Manhattan".
I live here. Less than 20 minutes ago, I got in the door from the Phillies-A's game and a late night dinner at Giovannis and I most definitely can tell the difference. Philadelphia, as nice as it is, is Brooklyn and D.C., while not as large and congested, is Manhattan. One is noticeably more upscale and cosmopolitan and the other is a tad more grungy and gritty. That's not a dig at Philly because Philly is filled with residents who have more civic pride and culture than the soulless, waspy, capitol hill, A-Types that are the majority in Washington. Similar to the dynamic between Manhattan and BK. 20+ years in Philly, going to school in D.C currently. No one's gonna tell me they've been to both and don't notice a difference.
I have lived in DC and Philly (SF and NYC too) I do believe overall the DT of Philly is better on many accounts but DC continues to get better. Are there areas in DC that are as good/better maybe but overall to me not as good.
BTW - liked the walkoff and which Giovannis because there are more than one and some are not in CC
Also Phildelphia has the third most educated DT population in the country and the highest percentage with Grad/Post Grad degrees among any DT in america - blows DC away on both these metrics but overall would agree on the cities DC has a higher educated percentage than does Philly - on the DTs absolutely not
I have lived in DC and Philly (SF and NYC too) I do believe overall the DT of Philly is better on many accounts but DC continues to get better. Are there areas in DC that are as good/better maybe but overall to me not as good.
BTW - liked the walkoff and which Giovannis because there are more than one and some are not in CC
Also Phildelphia has the third most educated DT population in the country and the highest percentage with Grad/Post Grad degrees among any DT in america - blows DC away on both these metrics but overall would agree on the cities DC has a higher educated percentage than does Philly - on the DTs absolutely not
Then what are we debating here? Nothing. Basically, you acknowledged that what I'm saying has some merit, you're just ticked off by my choice of words and wish to argue pointless semantics. I'm not partial to either city. I'm just being objective. D.C. is more upscale. Philadelphia is more gritty. To get upset with that statement is akin to an Detroit native being upset that I said Chicago seemed nicer. Before I even engage in anything with you, how long have you lived in Philadelphia? Were you born there? What part of Philadelphia were you born in? Or are you just a yuppie who moved to Rittenhouse Sq for a few years and think you have an accurate understanding of life in the city.
Not trying to start a debate or discredit your opinion; I apologize if my last post came off too strong. I'm certainly not ticked off by anyone's opinion (it is an opinion, after all), but I just wanted to point out that a broad characterization of Philadelphia really does not apply to Center City. While it is a relatively recent phenomenon, CC Philly has really become not just the city's downtown but region's downtown, which is fanning out to surrounding neighborhoods. In turn, all I -- and what I presume other posters -- are trying to say is the city is increasingly home to more than Rocky Balboa.
Also, for the record, I grew up in the Philly area (not the city), but frequent the city often. I've also lived in/around DC for a few years.
Stop being stupid. Anyone with half a brain understands where I'm getting at. Philadelphia is a city for the everyday man. You go to work, come home to dinner with family, take the kids out to a Phillies game, head out for a quick drink with your buddies later on, etc. The city is full of working class, blue collar neighborhoods. That's reminiscent of Brooklyn, that's why I made that comparison.
D.C. is full of senators, representatives, high ranking officials, diplomats, lobbyists, contractors, c-level executives, mbas and jds. The culture there is "where'd you go to law school/who do you know". That's reminiscent of Manhattan, that's why I made that comparison.
Yeaah but if you actually have been to Manhattan it definitely has it's place for everyday practical people the very fact that you would say D.C. dt feels more like Manhattan because of it's Senators & high ranking officials is laughable I really hope you aren't basing your opinion on local Gov't alone because Manhattan has way more character & PULSE than that WHOLE BIG BROTHER THING GOING ON DOWN THERE....HAHAHAHA.
Yeaah but if you actually have been to Manhattan it definitely has it's place for everyday practical people the very fact that you would say D.C. dt feels more like Manhattan because of it's Senators & high ranking officials is laughable I really hope you aren't basing your opinion on local Gov't alone because Manhattan has way more character & PULSE than that WHOLE BIG BROTHER THING GOING ON DOWN THERE....HAHAHAHA.
Not trying to start a debate or discredit your opinion; I apologize if my last post came off too strong. I'm certainly not ticked off by anyone's opinion (it is an opinion, after all), but I just wanted to point out that a broad characterization of Philadelphia really does not apply to Center City. While it is a relatively recent phenomenon, CC Philly has really become not just the city's downtown but region's downtown, which is fanning out to surrounding neighborhoods. In turn, all I -- and what I presume other posters -- are trying to say is the city is increasingly home to more than Rocky Balboa.
Also, for the record, I grew up in the Philly area (not the city), but frequent the city often. I've also lived in/around DC for a few years.
I agree. I love Philly. I love DC. I love NYC. I didn't want to tick anyone off. It's like you can't say one thing without some group of people feeling like you're attacking them. I'm from the area, why would I put it down? I just feel each city has different strengths. I probably did come off a tad too strong. I've been defending my original statement for 20+ pages. You can understand that right
I'm from the area, why would I put it down? I just feel each city has different strengths. I probably did come off a tad too strong. I've been defending my original statement for 20+ pages. You can understand that right
I can definitely understand that. I think an important lesson that everyone on this board needs to continuously be reminded of (myself included) is this is just a board of sharing thoughts and opinions. No one should feel wronged by simple disagreement.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
