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.
You might be right, but by including Greater CC in the discussion, you now include Passyunk Square (East Passyunk Ave with all the food and shops, singing fountain), Bella Vista (Italian Market), Queen Village (maybe my favorite hood in Philly), Graduate Hospital, South Broad Street below South St. (Boot and Saddle, diners, and a bright bright future), Fairmount (more of the park, Eastern State Pen, great architecture), Northern Liberties (quickly expanding restaurant scene, truly unique feel, music venues) and the southern portion of Fishtown.
TBH, including those hoods swings me even more toward Philly.
There's basically an overlap where it shifts from one to the other for me. Keeping it restricted to Center City and its SF equivalent is solidly for Philadelphia in my opinion and my current stay in downtown SF has me keeping that opinion. For me, it remains in Philadelphia's favor for a bit as you extend out from Center City (people are specifically citing University City, but I'm personally not that into it and think going south is more interesting and a bit north) until you start getting closer to the more run down parts of the city at which point the same area in SF continues to take in some really interesting neighborhoods and even ridiculously beautiful scenery. However, it takes a pretty expansive view of what downtown is for SF to be put ahead of Philadelphia.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 04-12-2016 at 07:30 PM..
I would consider UC to be sort of a "Secondary downtown" area. It's not downtown in the way a full functioning CBD would be, but it is right adjacent to it and has office space, dense residential units, and other uses.
Still, the CBD of Philly definitely has a feeling that no other neighborhood in Philly has.
It makes sense to me that U/C is a natural extension of C.C. . C.C. being the central Business district and U/C with nearly 90k jobs . With a commuter rail , subway and trolley lines connecting the two very close districts that the two would merge into one business district . Five years ago things were very different and there was a pretty large chasm between them but not today it's almost seamless .
Skyline: Both coming on strong, but SF has a lot more skyscrapers and prettier setting
Cohesiveness: Tie, although I like the tie in to the bay and the fact its separated from the suburbs
Museums: I think SFs are better but further out to GGpark
Restaurants: No loser here, although SF has the better reputation
Shopping: San Francisco, not close
Green Space: Phil, SF's parks are a bit further
Growth and Development: SF is growing faster
Transportation: SF, compact and has lots of choices
Vibrancy: San Francisco
Skyline: Philadelphia - although San Francisco has more tall buildings, I feel as if Philly's are better looking
Cohesiveness: San Francisco - Philadelphia still has more surface lots and under-utilized lots Downtown
Museums: Philadelphia - both are great but I feel like Philadelphia edges out here
Restaurants: Tie - both are great though
Shopping: San Francisco - SF crushes Philly here
Green Space: Philadelphia - at least Downtown Philadelphia seems to have better plazas/parks
Growth and Development: San Francisco - SF is usually building more but Philly CC/UC is booming
Transportation: Philly - just a better system I feel
Vibrancy: San Francisco - overall San Francisco is busier Downtown but Philly is not far behind
Agreed, for the most part. Personally I think SF's skyline is slightly more impressive just because it has a larger area of densely packed towers, and is a little bit more expansive. With the new batch of towers that are going up though, SF will finally have some high profile towers on the skyline that have some nice modern architecture. It won't be as dominated by boring concrete boxes anymore. It's already changed quite a bit with all the new condo towers on Rincon Hill, though those don't have the most innovative architecture...a couple of them are downright ugly. SF also has the advantage of a more beautiful natural setting to complement the skyline, along with the towers of multiple suspension bridges (and the Bay Bridge has an awesome light show on it too, every night...nothing like that in Philly).
Also, i feel downtown SF at least matches center city when it comes to public transportation. BART, Muni Metro, dozens of bus lines, streetcars, cable cars. There's quite a large concentration of high-frequency transit options in downtown SF.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
it takes a pretty expansive view of what downtown is for SF to be put ahead of Philadelphia.
Skyline: Both coming on strong, but SF has a lot more skyscrapers and prettier setting
Cohesiveness: Tie, although I like the tie in to the bay and the fact its separated from the suburbs
Museums: I think SFs are better but further out to GGpark
Restaurants: No loser here, although SF has the better reputation
Shopping: San Francisco, not close
Green Space: Phil, SF's parks are a bit further
Growth and Development: SF is growing faster
Transportation: SF, compact and has lots of choices
Vibrancy: San Francisco
On a 1-10 scale, Id say:
SF = 8-9
Phi = 6-7
Of course you would say that. For skyline, there is not any building that stands out in San Francisco besides the transamerica pyramid so Philadelphia has the edge here. Also for transportation it's clearly Philadelphia. Philadelphia is more compact than San Francisco due to Center City having narrower streets and more rapid transit options than Downtown San Francisco. Downtown San Francisco trains all go the same exact direction and is very lacking in coverage compared to Philadelphia.
It's really sad we don't create outstanding and magnificent highrises like the one in your 2nd photo anymore. I pray 3D printing allows us to ornate our buildings again. We really need another renaissance when it comes to urban architecture.
It's really sad we don't create outstanding and magnificent highrises like the one in your 2nd photo anymore. I pray 3D printing allows us to ornate our buildings again. We really need another renaissance when it comes to urban architecture.
Ahh Yes the Past. When construction workers and government took pride in city building, painstaking design and uniformity. Great days indeed.
Nowadays the only thing construction workers and government are worried about is themselves, their wages,their $75,000 Dodge Ram with the hemi engine, their $500 K mcmansion in the suburbs, and their pensions.The result is cheap ,mass produced butt ugly glass boxes.
The only decent throw back era gem in Philadlephia lately is the Mormon Temple and accompanying 32 story Apartment Tower. Its currently up to the 3rd floor with a planned 2016 opening.
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.
