What do you like about Philadelphia more than Chicago or Boston? (Washington: best city, crime)

[PhillyViaBoston]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

-Philadelphia has more colleges and more college students both within in the city and surrounding area.
America's Leading College Towns - Arts & Lifestyle - The Atlantic Cities

Actually, this article talks about the number of students in a metro area (not just the city itself) but then, strangely, it never defines that area. For example, did they include West Chester University or Swarthmore or Bryn Mawr or Lehigh? Because, though they may be colleges in the Philly metro area, it's hard to imagine they have much of a bearing on the vibe of Philadelphia itself. (On the other hand, neither MIT or Harvard are actually in Boston, but they've got big sway on the culture & economy.)

Boston is more of a college town than Philly. (I'm not sure that makes it better or worse. Just sayin'.)

[bryson662001]

The big difference is that Philadelphia has a lower cost of living so you can live better for less. That is pretty much the secret of Philadelphia's success. This applies to the city itself although not the suburbs.

[john_starks]

boston is easy, i'm not white

[Tiger Beer]

Regarding Boston and Philadelphia.

One thing I've noticed reading the Boston threads, is there is this occassional reference to local Bostonites who are rude, not friendly on the surface, etc. But, it seems like Philadelphia gets the same references.

Additionally, both have their own accents. I've never found the Boston accent particularly interesting. Do others find it enduring? What do Philadelphians think of the Boston accent, or even their own Philadelphia accent?

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

Boston vs Philly, off the top of my head...

Boston is cleaner and safer, and it's harder to accidentally wander into the badlands in Boston. Boston has a better subway system. Boston doesn't suffer or have an inferiority complex from comparisons of nearby large cities (NY, DC, Baltimore, etc) since there aren't any. The Boston Public Garden is larger & nicer than Rittenhouse Square. The Charles River is a better place to hang out than the Schuylkill or Delaware River. Boston sports teams and their fans are better and less obnoxious than Philly's (really). Cape Cod beaches are a lot nicer than New Jersey beaches (really). Shopping along Newbury St is better than along Walnut Street. Faneuil Hall is better than Reading Terminal Market, though annoyingly more touristy. There is no city income tax in Boston. Perhaps because of the huge number of colleges, Boston seems more transient than Philly, and doesn't view "outsiders" with as much skepticism. The Boston dialect doesn't add the word "at" unnecessarily to the end of sentences. The summer weather in Boston is better than in Philly.

Philly has a better regional rail system. Philly is far more diverse, both racially & economically. Philly isn't always trying to be "intellectual." Growing up in Philly puts you in a club that is impossible to enter otherwise. Center City has better restaurants than Boston proper. Philly has bars suitable for various age groups, whereas Boston caters to "young/college" and then "after work" with little else. The Please Touch Museum is better than the Boston Children's Museum. Philly's historic sites are centralized (Independence Mall area) for easy viewing, and Boston's Freedom Trail takes a more effort. You can get more direct flights from PHL than BOS, but there is less chance you'll be on time. Philadelphia has Wawa and Swiss Farms, nothing like either in Boston. Philly is easier to navigate in a car if you don't know exactly where you're going. Philadelphians pronounce Rs in words. The winter weather in Philly is better than Boston.

Mostly fair (even if a little bit of the Boston roots show through) with regards to the comparison but to me one glaring exception. Faneuil may be cleaner but the Market aspect of RTM to me is far superior. This one was the only one I personally could not rationalize when trying as best I can to be objective


On the adding "at", think Philly is king for adding prepositions where they are not needed (at)

Where are you (at)?
That is where I am (at)

etc. and I even catch myself doing it (at)

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Regarding Boston and Philadelphia.

One thing I've noticed reading the Boston threads, is there is this occassional reference to local Bostonites who are rude, not friendly on the surface, etc. But, it seems like Philadelphia gets the same references.

Additionally, both have their own accents. I've never found the Boston accent particularly interesting. Do others find it enduring? What do Philadelphians think of the Boston accent, or even their own Philadelphia accent?

Accents are odd in that you become accustomed to them. The thing that surprises me is that many people from outside this region think the Philly accent sounds like or can be misstaken for NYC - I just dont personally see that - to me they are as different as Boston is in this sense

[drive carephilly]

I have to disagree that Boston's subway system is better. It's exactly the same as the one in Philly. The only real differences are that they connect differently and that the green line in Boston has much higher ridership than our green line (which is mostly to do with the fact that our green line uses lower capacity streetcars, doesn't have exclusive right of way for most of the route, and serves lower income areas).

Seriously though, if you swap colors, red line for blue line the lines serve the same functions, go to comparable areas of the city and have similar ridership.

It's really a shame for Boston, with all of the money spent on the Big Dig, that the one component to get axed was the rail tunnel that would've connected North and South Stations.

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

Because, though they may be colleges in the Philly metro area, it's hard to imagine they have much of a bearing on the vibe of Philadelphia itself. (On the other hand, neither MIT or Harvard are actually in Boston, but they've got big sway on the culture & economy.)

Boston is more of a college town than Philly. (I'm not sure that makes it better or worse. Just sayin'.)

It's kind of hard to compare the two places in that regard. If you took Philadelphia and broke it up into 5 or 6 different cities with the Center City/University City core as "Boston" I think the comparisons would be a lot easier.

Still, Temple, Penn, Jefferson, etc. have a huge influence on the city. Penn is Philly's largest employer.

Being in South Philly I don't feel the influence of Penn as much and I get the same feeling when I'm in Boston proper (as opposed to hanging out in Cambridge).

[soug]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

Accents are odd in that you become accustomed to them. The thing that surprises me is that many people from outside this region think the Philly accent sounds like or can be misstaken for NYC - I just dont personally see that - to me they are as different as Boston is in this sense

It's because of Rocky.

[mancat100]

Boston = Philadelphia if it were scrubbed top to bottom and had curvier streets.

[Toure]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Boston = Philadelphia if it were scrubbed top to bottom and had curvier streets.

And a little more history.