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Since I don't spend enough time in either 3 I can only go by looks and Philly and Baltimore although very diff vibes strike an amazing similarity from row homes aspect
Sure Philly has some similar traits to Baltimore, less so to NYC, and probably more paralells with Boston. But at the end of the day Philly is an original and I don't see it as a bigger or smaller version of anywhere else.
Philly originals....
-an amazing city hall, can't think of a better looking one in the US
-phenominal art mueseum, particularly in architectural design
-Society Hill, you won't find a neighborhood like this in B'more or NYC
-Independence Hall
-Rittenhouse Square
-Ben Franklin Parkway - European like boulevard with ornate fountains
-Cheesesteaks
-Quaker inspired architecture, a lot in the suburbs that is exclusive to PA
-the painted murals in the gay neighborhood
-and the skyline is a gem, very different than any other.
I'm sure some locals could chime in and add to this. Philly is one of my favorite cities, and as a Bostonian I feel at home there.
I'd say the closest neighborhoods in New York City and Baltimore that look similar to Society Hill are probably Brooklyn Heights and Fells Point respectively.
Philly is Philly. Like Baltimore, there are certain things about it that suck balls (poor and dirty neighborhoods with a lot of crime, ghetto-acting and rude people, very provincial, etc). But also like Baltimore, it's improving and has potential--and Philly has a lot to do, and is pretty affordable. I'd say it's like NYC in some ways--it's the second-biggest city in the East Coast and the 6th biggest in the USA, has a lot of history, a thriving downtown, good food, and many NYers are moving down here since it's much cheaper than the Big Apple. But, Philly is less transient, and as a result, has its own feel.
Philly imo is a bigger,beefier,grittier Boston at least in its center core. The outer neighborhoods resemble a myriad of other US cities.Perhaps we should say other urban US cities resemble Philadelphia given its historic significance.
I was going to say Philly is more Bmore than NYC. That probably is true to an extent, but I am going to go the other way and say it is closer to NYC for the simple reason that the stuff that comes out of Philadelphia, like NYC, ends up being larger than life and have an influence greater than their own metro. I don't know if there is 3 bigger names in the African American community in 2014 than Kevin Hart, Bill Cosby, and Will Smith all native sons of North and West Philly. Sports stars such as Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain (Don't worry I am not forgetting about Carmelo, is he more B'more or NY these days anyway). NYC and Philadelphia both started the tradition of having thanksgiving day parades downtown. Both Philly and NYC have held the position of having the tallest building in the world at the time. World's Fairs, Pope Visits, Political Conventions, Mobsters trying to reinvent themselves, nationally known regional food, all 4 sports teams, famous movies set in them, tv shows set them, events that shaped America, etc. A lot of people don't know that the first time a piece of the statue of liberty was ever shown it was in Fairmount Park
Reasons why Philly is more B'more: Economy, rowhouses, relative affordability
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