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Urban Feel
People
Better life
Entertainment
Architectures
Economy
Downtown
Suburbs
Future possibilities
Public transportation
Shopping
Open mindness
Schools
Urban Feel - Philly
People - subjective
Better life - subjective and may depend on carreer choice
Entertainment - close but to me Philly
Architectures - really like both, toss up
Economy - DC
Downtown - Philly
Suburbs - draw both have their pluses and minuses
Future possibilities - DC probably
Public transportation - DC
Shopping - draw
Open mindness - hmm tough one not sure
Schools - both good colleges Philly probably give the light advantage on the whole (Philly city schoold are bad, burbs in either are very good)
Having lived in both I pefer Philly but enjoy and could easily live in either
Having grew up in the inner beltway part of Suburban DC, I can see myself living in the City. Too bad it's becoming so expensive, I would love to live in Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, Logan Circle, or Shaw.
I haven't visited Philly yet, but hopefully I'll come to love it. It looks like a really interesting city as well. My kind actually. I'll definitely consider the place if I'm interested in grad school and/or want a change of scenery from the DMV after I'm done with school.
Urban Feel- DC
People - Completely subjective, both people are nice
Better life - I prefer DC because of the open space
Entertainment - DC easily
Architectures - DC easily
Economy - DC easily
Downtown -Downtown DC is huge, but it lacks density which results in a lack in vibrancy. Penn Quarter is the only vibrant part of DTDC. But DT Philly isn't great either. I call it a draw.
Suburbs - DC has many more satellite cities so I would say DC
Future possibilities - DC is developing very rapidly and has a ton of potential
Public transportation - DC easily
Shopping - Both aren't great. Georgetown is nice though. I say it is a tie for now, but DC in the future
Open mindedness - DC is the most liberal minded area of the country
Schools - If we are talking public schools, they both suck. If we are talking colleges, they are both great
I've only been to Philadelphia twice for a total of like 5 days, but I'm weirdly attracted to it. I'd love to live there one day. DC never really did it for me.
I prefer Washington DC for a few reasons, which is no slight on Philadelphia, while I realize not the optimal place for me, is for many millions of people who do live there. A historically significant city in it's own right.
I'm a Singaporean passport holder, only person in my family that is not an American citizen, but instead a permanent residency card holder. Unfortunately unlike my father (New York), and brothers (various locations in United States) I wasn't born in the United States and unlike my mother, I've always refused to naturalize. For me to travel outside of the country, I have to do paper work with the consulates (yes, the consulates actually serve real functions for people) of the countries I'm going to. I have to pay extra fees. I have to get extra permission. These all have to be done in person, so the consulates being there is urgent for me. So on.
Washington, like all the cities I've lived in before (except Austin and Ann Arbor) has been a delight from an immigrants perspective. Often the consulates are there, the airline options and packages are there, the amenities are there, the social connections and cuisine is there. In this aspect, I really love the place, with some convenient amenities, it's kept my life easy and worry-free in regards to international options, in nearly each aspect.
Beyond that, I'm also a big fan of the city's institutions and it's architectural style, which is nicely unique to the rest of the country, although at times sterile. I've grown quite fond of the place and I have no qualms in regards to nightlife or anything else, aside from a few things.
Biggest issue I have with it and the reason I'm not going to stick around is that it's brutally cold, just far out of my element, which is heat. I'm not satisfied with the size of the city, the interest is there, and there, and then, a moment later you realize it ended. As does the city. It's small, very small, 6 million people is still small, when it's expanse not vertically built. I'm looking for a hyper dense, hyper diverse, towering gothic like, cold, edgy, individualized, monstrously active sort of city. Washington does not fit the quota. Also, I say the food in the DMV is average at best, the ethnic variety does soften the blow left from stagnant top quality cuisine, but just barely. However the point remains, Washington is a highly cosmopolitan city only matched or exceeded by New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bay Area, Houston, Miami, and Dallas, in my personal opinion.
Not bad, actually one of my favorite places in all of North America (top/only 9), but could be better.
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 02-18-2014 at 10:30 PM..
General feel of the city & Urbanity & Downtown: Philly
DC is more transient and government oriented, thus people are less community driven and more business minded. On the other hand, Philly is composed mostly of people that grew up there, and is well known for being more laid back and down to earth. Also, DC has broader streets, whereas Philly is more dense and urban feeling throughout most of the core. Since Philly is older than DC, there is a definite feeling of being surrounded by history that just can't compare to DC.
People: Toss up - too subjective
Entertainment & Architecture: Philly
They are really quite equal on these two fronts, but Philly is more historic = better architecture. Philly also has better entertainment options than DC.
Open spaces: Toss up
Philly also has the largest landscaped park in America. Both cities have lots of public art, like monuments, statues, fountains, etc. Slight edge to Philly, but we'll say a toss up.
Future Possibilities: Philly
Philly is adding several new skyscrapers this year ...
Economy: Toss up - lean DC
On the other hand, the job market is certainly better in DC due to our Federal government's location. Cost-wise, Philly is still livable, whereas many people that work in DC are forced to commute from suburbs due to cost of living in DC. If you're in a well-paid field, DC is better for you in terms of economy. If you're not, Philly is better.
Open-mindedness: toss up
Both cities are accepting of different cultures and life styles.
Urban Feel Philly quite easily IMO
People about the same
Better life Probably DC
Entertainment Philly
Architectures Philly
Economy DC quite easily
Downtown Philly
Suburbs Tie
Future possibilities DC shows no sign of stopping.
Public transportation DC quite easily
Shopping no clue
Open mindness probably DC
Schools probably DC
General feel of the city & Urbanity & Downtown: Philly
DC is more transient and government oriented, thus people are less community driven and more business minded. On the other hand, Philly is composed mostly of people that grew up there, and is well known for being more laid back and down to earth. Also, DC has broader streets, whereas Philly is more dense and urban feeling throughout most of the core. Since Philly is older than DC, there is a definite feeling of being surrounded by history that just can't compare to DC.
People: Toss up - too subjective
Entertainment & Architecture: Philly
They are really quite equal on these two fronts, but Philly is more historic = better architecture. Philly also has better entertainment options than DC.
Open spaces: Toss up
Philly also has the largest landscaped park in America. Both cities have lots of public art, like monuments, statues, fountains, etc. Slight edge to Philly, but we'll say a toss up.
Future Possibilities: Philly Philly is adding several new skyscrapers this year ...
Economy: Toss up - lean DC
On the other hand, the job market is certainly better in DC due to our Federal government's location. Cost-wise, Philly is still livable, whereas many people that work in DC are forced to commute from suburbs due to cost of living in DC. If you're in a well-paid field, DC is better for you in terms of economy. If you're not, Philly is better.
Open-mindedness: toss up
Both cities are accepting of different cultures and life styles.
Overall: Philly is best
Okay.....Didn't know that was the sole qualification for "future possibilities".
By way of introduction, I lived in Philadelphia for 10 years. I lived in a close-in suburb of Washington for 12 years, and in the general region (closer to Baltimore) for 20 years. In other words, except for 6 years in Florida, I've spent my whole life in these two places.
For what it's worth, when people from out of state ask me where I'm from, I'll say "Baltimore" (closest major city to where I live now). But when people who live in my area ask me where I'm from (i.e. where did I come from before I lived here) I'll always answer "Philadelphia."
What that, I'll toss in my two cents on the OP's question:
Urban Feel: Philadelphia. Depending on how you define "urban feel," this could be good or bad; but IMO Philadelphia wins no matter how you define it.
People: hard to say; I prefer where I am now (suburban Maryland, closer to Baltimore) to either of them, but in terms of the two cities in question, I'd say it's pretty much a draw. I might give the nod to Philadelphia, just because it doesn't have the self-importance/pomposity that attaches to some of those in the government's employ.
Better life: I liked living in both areas, but I prefer my life now, in Maryland. That said, I think that one can have a happy, fulfilling life in either place. FWIW, I don't see myself ever moving back to Philadelphia; but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for it.
Entertainment: probably D.C., because I classify museums as part of entertainment, and the Smithsonian can't be beat. For more run-of-the-mill stuff (ball games, movie theaters, bowling alleys, etc.), either place is fine.
Architecture: Philadelphia's downtown looks much, much more like a "real" major city than D.C. can ever hope to. Their skyline is very attractive to me (ever since they broke the Penn Statue height limit), whereas D.C.'s just looks plain and squat (again, due to the height limit). I also like the looks of Philadelphia's residential areas better. So I'll give them the nod. That said, I do like D.C.'s monumental architecture quite a bit.
Economy: unless Independence Hall ever resumes its tenure as the seat of the Federal Government, then D.C. wins this one hands-down.
Downtown: as a tourist, I'd say D.C. It has more unique things to see (Smithsonian, government buildings, etc.) and feels much, much more open/less claustrophobic than Philadelphia. As a resident, I would answer Philadelphia, just because it has more "regular" things (places of employment, casual restaurants, services) that would appeal to people who live in a place, rather than those who are visiting it.
Suburbs: Washington. For some reason, Philadelphia's suburbs just feel past their prime to me; kind of old, a little bit rundown even. I prefer the housing stock in D.C.'s suburbs as well.
Future possibilities: as long as the Federal Government continues to grow (and when in our nation's history has it NOT grown?) then I'd say D.C.
Public transportation: For rail transit, it's Washington, period; no ifs, ands, or buts. (Philadelphia has a greater variety of rail modes, but D.C.'s system is light-years better.) For bus service, I'd give the edge to Philadephia, though both cities are pretty well served. For suburb-to-city transit, Philadelphia has a much superior commuter-rail system to D.C's., though the D.C. area has a more extensive commuter-bus network.
The OP didn't ask about other types of transportation, but I'll toss it in too. D.C. has a better highway system (despite the perpetually traffic-clogged Beltway). If you like big bridges, the Philadelphia area is much better. Both cities are on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line, though Philadelphia has more frequent service (by virtue of it being closer to New York). The Washington area has three airports to chose from (Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI), whereas Philadelphia has only one. Oh, and here's a little-known fact: the two parallel runways at PHL were built too close together to be used simultaneously in bad weather, so if you get fog or too much snow, your delays will suddenly expand greatly. Also, the D.C. area serves as a hub for Southwest (BWI) and United (IAD), both of which are better airlines (IMO) than Philadelphia's dominant carrier, US Airways.
Shopping: a mall is a mall is a mall, and both places have 'em. Call it a draw.
Open mindness: Washington. The D.C. region draws people from around the world, with all of the diversity of thought that this entails; whereas Philadelphia is much more insular.
Schools: public schools are horrible in both places. In the suburbs, they're both good, though I'd give the nod to Washington. Philadelphia feels like more of a college town than D.C. does, given University City and the colleges strung out along the Main Line. Also, Philadelphia has more nationally known, prestigious colleges, e.g. Penn, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Temple, Drexel, etc., etc.
I'm going to add one more category, which I'll call "Self-Confidence." It's how people feel about their city, and about their city's place in the world. Here, Washington is the clear favorite. After all, it's pretty heady stuff, living in the Nation's Capital, the place that calls the shots for the country that's the Leader of the Free World. The advertisements for one of D.C.'s banks goes so far as to proclaim it as "the world's most important city."
Whereas, Philadelphia always feels like it's in the shadows of someplace else. It isn't a national or even a state capital; it's not as big and cosmopolitan as New York; it's neighborhoods don't feel as distinctly "neighborhood-y" as those of Baltimore; and so on. There was an old tourism campaign from years ago that summed it up perfectly: "Philadelphia isn't as bad as Philadelphians say it is." Even the more upbeat "get to know us" slogan still revealed the city's sense of being a place that people may have heard of, but don't feel they know, in the way that people know (or at least think they know) New York, or Washington, or San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Maybe if Philadelphia weren't stuck between the nation's political capital and its financial capital, it might be more self-confident.
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