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I agree, I've been to Philadelphia several times and have never felt threatened by crime. Center City, South, Philly, and Manyunk all felt perfectly safe to me. There is the occasional random block or two here in there that may raise a few eyebrows around CC, but that's not much different than most cities.
Trust me when I state that you have a false sense of security about Philly. When serious crime gets you here, you won't see it coming, generally. Therefore, not feeling threatened isn't necessarily a good indicator of its relative safety. With the exception of Manayunk, there are particularly dangerous areas in the neighborhoods that you listed. Perhaps, in center city, its a random block or two. Except that crime often travels in Philly into "safe" areas due to the relatively small size of the "safe" areas people not being on guard enough. In South Philly, the unsafe areas spans a heck of a lot more than an occassional block or two. Although, South Philly is very large and as a tourist you won't likely go further than what is generally deemed as the edge of South Philly. Last, I don't know if I'd call any area in South Philly safe after that kid was killed for his ipod in the Italian Market a few years back. Just don't walk around at night.
Tourists likely won't have much to worry about unless they go ghetto touring. Just be mindful about who you interact with and where you are walking and at what time of day. A lot of the section 8 housing is now built to blend in to its surrounding s in center city, and so you might not know that you aren't walking through a very low income neighborhood all of a sudden. But these neighborhoods are usually at least a few blocks removed from tourist areas.
Trust me when I state that you have a false sense of security about Philly. When serious crime gets you here, you won't see it coming, generally. Therefore, not feeling threatened isn't necessarily a good indicator of its relative safety. With the exception of Manayunk, there are particularly dangerous areas in the neighborhoods that you listed. Perhaps, in center city, its a random block or two. Except that crime often travels in Philly into "safe" areas due to the relatively small size of the "safe" areas people not being on guard enough. In South Philly, the unsafe areas spans a heck of a lot more than an occassional block or two. Although, South Philly is very large and as a tourist you won't likely go further than what is generally deemed as the edge of South Philly. Last, I don't know if I'd call any area in South Philly safe after that kid was killed for his ipod in the Italian Market a few years back. Just don't walk around at night.
Tourists likely won't have much to worry about unless they go ghetto touring. Just be mindful about who you interact with and where you are walking and at what time of day. A lot of the section 8 housing is now built to blend in to its surrounding s in center city, and so you might not know that you aren't walking through a very low income neighborhood all of a sudden. But these neighborhoods are usually at least a few blocks removed from tourist areas.
I have a completely different experience. I've lived in cities in 7 different states. I haven't conducted myself any differently in Philly than I have anywhere else. Like every city I've live in (and nearly every city I've visited, actually), there are board swaths of economic prosperity coupled with brad swaths of poverty. Whether as a resident or a visitor, I haven't been drawn to those parts of town more associated with crime.
I must say, I got a chuckle out of this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by golgi1
A lot of the section 8 housing is now built to blend in to its surrounding s in center city, and so you might not know that you aren't walking through a very low income neighborhood all of a sudden.
Not only must I have a heightened set of "street smarts", I'm amused at the thought of somehow "labeling" Section 8 housing or constructing it in such a way that it "signals" itself to wary passers-by.
Yes, Burlington, VT is a nice place, although I haven't lived there for about 25 years..
Still have some nostalgia for Madison, WI, although I do try to vist once a year..
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