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Fair point re: scenery/things to do, but even on the topic of PT, it's worth noting that Philadelphia and Chicago have nearly identical "transit scores," with a very slight edge to Philadelphia: https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/
Many automatically might assume that Metra/CTA's larger scale than SEPTA = better, but the accessibility and usefulness of each city's PT is highly dependent on situational factors like available/affordable living options, work location, etc.
Well, I'm definitely talking from my experience, not assumption.
You can always find a website to support your own stance (and if you look at that particular website for the "30 mini transit window" for Chicago, its laughable, and not even centered about the Loop). There are several others placing Chicago above Philadelphia in comprehensive PT systems.
In my personal experience, under New York, the only city coming close to a public transit network as comprehensive as Chicago's is DC, and those two are in a different tier than Philly. I'd argue that if you search the aggregate experiences and polls of City-Data, they would reflect this general consensus as well. Thankfully, though, in terms of PT (and using American standards) Chicago and Philly are both good. Pburgh is obviously much worse by comparison to those two cities.
Last edited by Maintainschaos; 12-16-2019 at 06:18 AM..
Well, I'm definitely talking from my experience, not assumption.
You can always find a website to support your own stance (and if you look at that particular website for the "30 mini transit window" for Chicago, its laughable, and not even centered about the Loop). There are several others placing Chicago above Philadelphia in comprehensive PT systems.
In my personal experience, under New York, the only city coming close to a public transit network as comprehensive as Chicago's is DC, and those two are in a different tier than Philly. I'd argue that if you search the aggregate experiences and polls of City-Data, they would reflect this general consensus as well. Thankfully, though, in terms of PT (and using American standards) Chicago and Philly are both good. Pburgh is obviously much worse by comparison to those two cities.
YM "a rapid transit network as comprehensive as Chicago's is."
I'm a big traingeek, but I find myself increasingly at pains to point out that the buses matter too, even in New York City, where 2.2 million people ride buses on average every weekday in the city and its suburbs. Granted, this figure is dwarfed by the 8 million who ride the subways in that city, and more people ride the subways than the buses in Washington and Boston too, but in both Chicago and Philadelphia, more people ride the buses than the trains (the smaller margin in Chicago is no doubt a direct function of that city's more extensive rapid transit network).
And the buses remain the workhorses of public transit in most of the country - including here, thanks to the fact that the city built only one-sixth of the subways it authorized back in 1913.
But what that means is here, you need to learn the buses to really get around town. As long as most of them travel on narrow streets with parking on both sides, they will be rather slow, but what's the alternative?
YM "a rapid transit network as comprehensive as Chicago's is."
I'm a big traingeek, but I find myself increasingly at pains to point out that the buses matter too, even in New York City, where 2.2 million people ride buses on average every weekday in the city and its suburbs. Granted, this figure is dwarfed by the 8 million who ride the subways in that city, and more people ride the subways than the buses in Washington and Boston too, but in both Chicago and Philadelphia, more people ride the buses than the trains (the smaller margin in Chicago is no doubt a direct function of that city's more extensive rapid transit network).
And the buses remain the workhorses of public transit in most of the country - including here, thanks to the fact that the city built only one-sixth of the subways it authorized back in 1913.
But what that means is here, you need to learn the buses to really get around town. As long as most of them travel on narrow streets with parking on both sides, they will be rather slow, but what's the alternative?
In bus ridership, Pittsburgh beats out San Diego, OC, Phoenix, Dallas. Of the three, Pittsburgh is the only one punching above its weight class in buses.
L.A. is the top light rail city in the nation, but bus ridership there is nearly 5X that of light rail. I don't think I"ve ever heard anyone mention bus service in the typical "L.A. needs to do X, Y, and Z to really have usable transit" rants.
I'm not voting yet because I don't think OP has mentioned their plans for grad school. OP's OP mentioned considering grad school later. I think that should be a major factor. Look into what city offers the better grad programs you're interested in. Living in Chicago may provide you with the most "big city" living vibe of the three, though Philadelphia is literally right behind Chicago in this category. However, it may be that the best grad school for you is in Pittsburgh, the smallest of the three options.
OP also mentioned working in the hotel industry. Anyone know whether Chicago or Philly are building more hotels? Both are great for working in the hospitality industry as they receive millions of tourists per year. But everyone knows Chicago is one of the top cities for visitors in the world, considering its a tourist and business destination hub. Philly gets tons too, and I'd assume Pittsburgh receives the least.
In bus ridership, Pittsburgh beats out San Diego, OC, Phoenix, Dallas. Of the three, Pittsburgh is the only one punching above its weight class in buses.
L.A. is the top light rail city in the nation, but bus ridership there is nearly 5X that of light rail. I don't think I"ve ever heard anyone mention bus service in the typical "L.A. needs to do X, Y, and Z to really have usable transit" rants.
A left-leaning community organizing group in Los Angeles, the Labor-Community Strategy Center, formed an advocacy group called the Bus Riders Union there to press for better bus service in the city.
The BRU was very critical of the LACMTA's emphasis on building new rail lines at the expense of the bus riders that made up the majority of passengers.
They sued the LACMTA in court and won. For a while in the 1990s, LA Metro lowered bus fares and implemented things like signal priority on city streets where many buses ran.
Bus ridership soared in response.
Most of what the LACMTA did in response to the BRU lawsuit has been quietly abandoned, and the program of rail expansion has resumed. I suspect bus ridership has fallen in response.
In Chicago, there is basically only Chicago. In Philadelphia, there is New York, Washington, Boston, and even Baltimore. All can be easily accessed by trains, planes, and buses. No cars required.
Philly, if you want the most superior walkable dense pre automobile urban European streetwall like experience along with ocean beaches inside the greater Philly area.
Chicago, if you want the most expansive rapid rail transit system, immediate city access to nice lake shores, and biggest and most spacious city.
Pittsburgh if you want the smallest and most manageable city but with solid urban bones.
Philly, if you want the most superior walkable dense pre automobile urban European streetwall like experience along with ocean beaches inside the greater Philly area.
Chicago, if you want the most expansive rapid rail transit system, immediate city access to nice lake shores, and biggest and most spacious city.
Pittsburgh if you want the smallest and most manageable city but with solid urban bones.
I think that's a fair synopsis of each city. Philly's massive footprint of human-scaled buildings and narrow streets is one of its biggest assets.
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