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Great article. The New York Times has released some very good articles showcasing Philadelphia over the last few years. Unlike the Washington Post which always seems to give backhanded compliments to the city.
I am glad the writer addressed that silly "6th borough" comment from a while back.
A correction though, Philadelphia lost the capital to DC not NYC.
There was also nonsense inferring that Phila. was not a first destination point of immigrants coming from Europe during the late 19th/early 20th centuries. They disembarked at a pier immigration station at Washington Ave. Some of these people were quarantined first at the Larretto Station which is near I-95 and PHL. The building is still there. Not everyone entered through the Ellis Island complex. Lots came here directly. Also Boston. And probably Baltimore. Some went South.
Not sure I'd say this article is so flattering to our city. I know the story focus is on immigrants leaving NYC for greener pastures, but the pictures and narrative imply to me that Philadelphia is a "cheap" and slightly "run down" city that is a haven for ethnic groups who run basic mom and pops, are small time landlords, or otherwise involved in non-profit type businesses. There is no mention of immigrants coming here and starting tech businesses (many have and do) or opening high-end restaurants in center city, or opening a successful law firm, etc... I'm actually a little disappointed in what I would call lazy journalism. Looks like the journalist spent an evening at the Bok bar, took some pics from there, and then interviewed a handful of people who were probably provided to her...
Except for the Native Americans, we can all trace our presence in this country to immigration (voluntary or forced). Any success we have has been built upon the work our forebears invested, even in instances where those ancestors were slaves. In this article, Philadelphia is being touted as a place where it is possible for another wave of immigrants to afford to reach their American Dream, in a city willing to accept them. Seems a very positive article to me.
Except for the Native Americans, we can all trace our presence in this country to immigration (voluntary or forced). Any success we have has been built upon the work our forebears invested, even in instances where those ancestors were slaves. In this article, Philadelphia is being touted as a place where it is possible for another wave of immigrants to afford to reach their American Dream, in a city willing to accept them. Seems a very positive article to me.
Right, except times change and now our most important human resources do not revolve around hands for labor and menial level jobs, but rather minds for technological advances, finance expertise, engineering excellence. In my opinion, what our city needs now are more educated millennials and 30-somethings who are enamored by a very exciting, dynamic, growing city, etc... (insert all the pros we about Philly we already know), to take us to the next level of sustained population and tax base.
Look, I'm not saying this isn't a feel-good inspiring story; and I'm personally very happy that thousands of NYC immigrants were able to move here have much better lives. What I'm suggesting is that if the author had highlighted a few "very successful" transplants from a few years back AS WELL as these recent ones who are just starting out, it would show a more realistic side and balanced side to our city and the advancements we've made, as well as our continued open door policy to immigrant migration. It wouldn't hurt to show those neighborhoods that have already made it also... just my opinion of course.
Right, except times change and now our most important human resources do not revolve around hands for labor and menial level jobs, but rather minds for technological advances, finance expertise, engineering excellence. In my opinion, what our city needs now are more educated millennials and 30-somethings who are enamored by a very exciting, dynamic, growing city, etc... (insert all the pros we about Philly we already know), to take us to the next level of sustained population and tax base.
Look, I'm not saying this isn't a feel-good inspiring story; and I'm personally very happy that thousands of NYC immigrants were able to move here have much better lives. What I'm suggesting is that if the author had highlighted a few "very successful" transplants from a few years back AS WELL as these recent ones who are just starting out, it would show a more realistic side and balanced side to our city and the advancements we've made, as well as our continued open door policy to immigrant migration. It wouldn't hurt to show those neighborhoods that have already made it also... just my opinion of course.
Personally, I’m kind of tired of all the stories about the multitudes of “millennials and 30-somethings who are enamored by a very exciting, dynamic, growing city, etc...” This was a story of first-generation immigrants to the US who made their way to Philly via NYC. Haven’t heard that tale anywhere else.
Both are good stories about our city, but this one is fresh.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,666,340 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
I joke about "Rocky" sometimes but, in my view, people seem to have forgotten that " Rocky" was part of a bunch of terrific films created in the late 60's/1970s that are now considered classics. Short list includes: Easy Rider, They Shoot Horses Don't They, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over The Coocoo's Nest. Rocky was an " underdog" film and it deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar for 1976.
Well, no, using a real city as a real location for exteriors happened years before Rocky. Film Noir great, The Naked City, probably holds that honor. However the steady cam, I think, was first used in Rocky.
I meant using Philadelphia for something other than cameo stills. I think it was shortly before Rocky that they did a movie that was supposed to be set in Philadelphia, but did most of the outdoors shooting in Toronto.
After Rocky, there was a miniseries set in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War with outdoor shots in Society Hill. They coated the sidewalks & streets with mud.
Great article. The New York Times has released some very good articles showcasing Philadelphia over the last few years. Unlike the Washington Post which always seems to give backhanded compliments to the city.
I am glad the writer addressed that silly "6th borough" comment from a while back.
A correction though, Philadelphia lost the capital to DC not NYC.
I'm also glad that the author of that article revisited it here and revised her assessments. I was one of those who found that "sixth borough" stuff highly misleading and insulting.
But Philadelphia lost the national capital to both cities, though New Yorkers would naturally forget the other part.
Philadelphia was the national capital from the time America declared independence in 1776 until 1789, save for the period when the British controlled the city and the capital was in Lancaster.
But the first President to take office under the Constitution, George Washington, was sworn in on the steps of Federal Hall in New York in 1789. The capital moved back to Philadelphia the following year and remained there until it moved permanently to the district set up in that same Constitution in 1800.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hannah5555
Interesting history. I remember reading somewhere (not reliable, I know), that PA liked to consider itself part of New England, I find Philadelphia to be more like the south (New Orleans comes to mind, where I lived for 2 years) and the history you describe supports that.
Pace "Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia," this is the first I've heard anyone say that Pennsylvania considered itself part of New England. New York State never did that, and it sits in between the two. Both share with New England (Maine excepted) the division of territory such that there's no such thing as unincorporated land within the state, but the Congregationalist influence that defines most of New England (Rhode Island the notable exception) is absent from this state's culture.
I do agree with you that the Southern influence is stronger here than in any other city north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Even though New York State got rid of slavery later than Pennsylvania did, and even though the first written protest against slavery in the US was written by German settlers in Germantown in 1688, the cause of abolition was controversial here right up to the Civil War - the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall in 1850, just months after abolitionists completed it as a hub for their activites, remains one of the more notable local skirmishes over slavery, and no other Northern city's leaders felt it necessary to form a "Union League" to support the Union cause (which was the purpose for which it was founded in 1862) that I'm aware of. And let's not forget that the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine trained most of the South's doctors.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295
Different parts of Pennsylvania could lean towards other geographic sections. Philadelphia & South Jersey are MidAtlantic, without a doubt.
Indeed - and Ben Franklin famously referred to New Jersey as "a keg tapped at both ends." But see above.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pennsport
Not sure I'd say this article is so flattering to our city. I know the story focus is on immigrants leaving NYC for greener pastures, but the pictures and narrative imply to me that Philadelphia is a "cheap" and slightly "run down" city that is a haven for ethnic groups who run basic mom and pops, are small time landlords, or otherwise involved in non-profit type businesses. There is no mention of immigrants coming here and starting tech businesses (many have and do) or opening high-end restaurants in center city, or opening a successful law firm, etc... I'm actually a little disappointed in what I would call lazy journalism. Looks like the journalist spent an evening at the Bok bar, took some pics from there, and then interviewed a handful of people who were probably provided to her...
Him. Do people read bylines?
Most immigrants to this country don't come to start tech firms - they come for the sort of "lower-level" opportunities described in this article. I think that's worth celebrating - we need to sing the praises of the ordinary people who keep the gears turning for all those above. But I think you do have a point - but maybe not the one you had in mind: it would be more interesting IMO to talk with some of the immigrants who have been here for a while and see how they are doing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hannah5555
I have discovered during my 6 months here, that it's a fine line between reality and negadelphian attitudes and as with most things, in the eye of the beholder. City Center may be the primary tourist attraction draw (as well it should be), but it is not representative of Philadelphia as a whole. Although I think the article does reflect accurately the neighborhoods it portrays, it could have been more thorough which I think would have shown the city in a more positive light.
The thing is, the article does focus on the immigrant-magnet neighborhoods of the kind New York has been celebrated for for decades. We've forgotten we had lots of them because for so many years, immigrants weren't coming here in significant numbers, but think of the neighborhoods whose immigrant heritage we now honor more as historical memory: Bella Vista (Moyamensing), Queen Village (Southwark), Society Hill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpomp
I don't think that was the journalists intent when writing the article.
I can't find the link at the moment, but the NYT put out an article showcasing the culinary scene in Philadelphia, and it had all the glitz and glam you were looking for.
I don't think this article was intended to be a glitz and glam article, but more of a real life view into the "forgotten" class (working class, which makes up a majority of the nation and Philadelphia).
My only irritation was the mention of Rocky, when will that ever die
It doesn't need to. It's a film full of heart and spunk, kinda like the city it's set and shot in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
There was also nonsense inferring that Phila. was not a first destination point of immigrants coming from Europe during the late 19th/early 20th centuries. They disembarked at a pier immigration station at Washington Ave. Some of these people were quarantined first at the Larretto Station which is near I-95 and PHL. The building is still there. Not everyone entered through the Ellis Island complex. Lots came here directly. Also Boston. And probably Baltimore. Some went South.
The Lazaretto, America's first immigration station, predates the Washington Avenue station, but yes, I think it was still in use when the Washington Avenue facility opened.
But I wouldn't bristle so much at the phrasing: during the great wave of migration from Southern and Eastern Europe in the late 19th century, Ellis Island was the point of first arrival for the overwhelming majority of emigrants to the U.S. (Or was this New York arrogance, as you posit?)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pennsport
Right, except times change and now our most important human resources do not revolve around hands for labor and menial level jobs, but rather minds for technological advances, finance expertise, engineering excellence. In my opinion, what our city needs now are more educated millennials and 30-somethings who are enamored by a very exciting, dynamic, growing city, etc... (insert all the pros we about Philly we already know), to take us to the next level of sustained population and tax base.
Look, I'm not saying this isn't a feel-good inspiring story; and I'm personally very happy that thousands of NYC immigrants were able to move here have much better lives. What I'm suggesting is that if the author had highlighted a few "very successful" transplants from a few years back AS WELL as these recent ones who are just starting out, it would show a more realistic side and balanced side to our city and the advancements we've made, as well as our continued open door policy to immigrant migration. It wouldn't hurt to show those neighborhoods that have already made it also... just my opinion of course.
But what are the "immigrant neighborhoods that have made it"? Are they different from the ones the reporter highlighted?
A lot of the East and Southeast Asians who landed in East Passyunk went to Southern New Jersey and Delaware once they climbed the ladder. They come back to do business on Washington Avenue because it has the largest concentration of shops catering to their needs.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,666,340 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Philadelphia was the national capital from the time America declared independence in 1776 until 1789, save for the period when the British controlled the city and the capital was in Lancaster.
But the first President to take office under the Constitution, George Washington, was sworn in on the steps of Federal Hall in New York in 1789. The capital moved back to Philadelphia the following year and remained there until it moved permanently to the district set up in that same Constitution in 1800.
Pace "Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia," this is the first I've heard anyone say that Pennsylvania considered itself part of New England. New York State never did that, and it sits in between the two. Both share with New England (Maine excepted) the division of territory such that there's no such thing as unincorporated land within the state, but the Congregationalist influence that defines most of New England (Rhode Island the notable exception) is absent from this state's culture.
I do agree with you that the Southern influence is stronger here than in any other city north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Even though New York State got rid of slavery later than Pennsylvania did, and even though the first written protest against slavery in the US was written by German settlers in Germantown in 1688, the cause of abolition was controversial here right up to the Civil War - the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall in 1850, just months after abolitionists completed it as a hub for their activites, remains one of the more notable local skirmishes over slavery, and no other Northern city's leaders felt it necessary to form a "Union League" to support the Union cause (which was the purpose for which it was founded in 1862) that I'm aware of. And let's not forget that the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine trained most of the South's doctors.
Indeed - and Ben Franklin famously referred to New Jersey as "a keg tapped at both ends." But see above.
Him. Do people read bylines?
Most immigrants to this country don't come to start tech firms - they come for the sort of "lower-level" opportunities described in this article. I think that's worth celebrating - we need to sing the praises of the ordinary people who keep the gears turning for all those above. But I think you do have a point - but maybe not the one you had in mind: it would be more interesting IMO to talk with some of the immigrants who have been here for a while and see how they are doing.
The thing is, the article does focus on the immigrant-magnet neighborhoods of the kind New York has been celebrated for for decades. We've forgotten we had lots of them because for so many years, immigrants weren't coming here in significant numbers, but think of the neighborhoods whose immigrant heritage we now honor more as historical memory: Bella Vista (Moyamensing), Queen Village (Southwark), Society Hill.
It doesn't need to. It's a film full of heart and spunk, kinda like the city it's set and shot in.
The Lazaretto, America's first immigration station, predates the Washington Avenue station, but yes, I think it was still in use when the Washington Avenue facility opened.
But I wouldn't bristle so much at the phrasing: during the great wave of migration from Southern and Eastern Europe in the late 19th century, Ellis Island was the point of first arrival for the overwhelming majority of emigrants to the U.S. (Or was this New York arrogance, as you posit?)
But what are the "immigrant neighborhoods that have made it"? Are they different from the ones the reporter highlighted?
A lot of the East and Southeast Asians who landed in East Passyunk went to Southern New Jersey and Delaware once they climbed the ladder. They come back to do business on Washington Avenue because it has the largest concentration of shops catering to their needs.
In the colonial period the most used immigration route was Antwerp, Liverpool, Philadelphia.
During the Civil War, many people in Philadelphia were conflicted. It was the largest concentration of cotton mills & there was the cotton embargo. However, NJ still had a handful of slaves, who had been renamed "apprentice for life". Mid-war the legislature tried to recognize the Confederacy & withdraw from the war. That's why NJ is the only "northern" state to apologize for slavery.
Those are the two that are in full development mode. West Chester would be amazing, but that is a stretch at this point.
King of Prussia isn't Regional Rail, it's light metro: a spur of the Norristown High-Speed Line (Route 100), a line that combines rapid-transit-style operations with light-rail-style vehicles (though the cars currently working the line are heavier than they were supposed to be).
They'd love to see Regional Rail service restored to Phoenixville, which like West Chester is ideally suited for it. It's on the same railroad line that once provided service to Reading and Valley Forge, so it's doable at least in principle. But the line's not electrified, and SEPTA has shown little interest in doing things that could bring service back to non-electrified territory. A solution exists and is already in service on some other railroads that operate both under wire and away from it: dual-mode locomotives hauling unpowered passenger coaches.
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