Do you take advantage of Philly? (live, parking, free)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I think that is a dying trend of negative thinking on the city...hopefully. I do know a lot of people who are perfectly fine staying in Media or West Chester though, no negative views on the city, they just prefer the suburban lifestyle.

Media and West Chester have urban-like qualities. They're very attractive that way.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by MB1562

I went to college in DelCo (maybe about 20 minutes from Center City) and I used to come in quite often. I grew up in a rural area, so being close to a city was a new experience for me, and I wanted to soak up everything the city had to offer. When I turned 21, my trips to the city became more about going to the bars and clubs.

On a side note, I had several friends who grew up in some of the surrounding suburbs of the city and had barely spent any time at all in the city. It was often me, the country kid from 350 miles away who'd never even been to Philly before college, showing them around and telling them about all the stuff in the city. They were surprised to find out that Philadelphia wasn't one giant ghetto and that it was actually a pretty nice and exciting place to be.

The emboldened statement is exactly why I love giving tours to people who have either never been to the city, or have only been to the tourist areas. Just about everyone knows to go to East South Street for fun, but do they know about the excitement on North Columbus Boulevard? They may know about walking through Society Hill to take in history, but do they know about Fitler Square? Rittenhouse Square is known, but what about Franklin Square? When I give tours of Philadelphia, I take people to areas that locals know about, and that tourists stay away from.

Since I'm an RA at my college, I have to do resident programming. Right now, I'm planning out a walking/transit tour of Philadelphia lead by me. I'm still working out the details, but I will definitely hit University City, Schuylkill Boardwalk, Franklin Square, and more. I will also take them places north of Center City, such as NoLibs and Fishtown. I hope the perception that "Philly is a large ghetto" is subsiding, but I do whatever I can to further rid people of that view of Philadelphia. The last time I gave a tour of Philly to a group, I had a friend from NYC who was told to stay away from the city by his dad (he was mugged somewhere in Philly in the 80s and never returned), and he always told me about how Philly sucked. After giving him a tour, he now wants to live here haha!

[MrDarkKnight]

I'm glad to know that it doesn't seem like a chore to go into the city. If I move to the area, I am hoping to be able to visit Philly on a regular basis to take part in many of the cultural events as well as just hang out. Philly seems like it's a great city to enjoy. I have heard many disparaging things about Philly in the past, but I have been following the transformation of Philly pretty closely over the last few years. I think if the city continues on this path, Philly is going to get some second looks from people looking to relocate to a dynamic city.

[cpomp]

I have a new friend from DC who just arrived here. We were out last night throughout CC and he was impressed with the amount of activity basically everywhere. Wednesday seems like a popular night to go out.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I have a new friend from DC who just arrived here. We were out last night throughout CC and he was impressed with the amount of activity basically everywhere. Wednesday seems like a popular night to go out.

It's every night now. Hey, my neighborhood bar has people out till closing. Didn't used to be that way especially on weekdays. I remember how upset bar owners were about the smoking ban a few years ago... How it would hurt business. If anything business is better because of it.

[BajanYankee]

I would never take advantage of Philly. I'm a gentleman.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

As a college student and a resident of Delaware County, my answer is whenever I have money to travel into the city. I don't necessarily go to Philly for shopping (since I'm a broke college kid), but rather the urban experience. From taking in the immense beauty of the 2000 block of Delancey Street to walking down the crowded thoroughfare known as Market Street, I take advantage of this awesome city whenever possible. I come to Philly because it is a place in which I grew up, a place that I love coming to now, and the place that I will call home after I graduate from college.

Philly is the perfect city for me, in my opinion. Manhattan is too expansive (and EXPENSIVE) with too many people. Other comparable urban destinations, including Boston, San Francisco, and D.C. (since they often get compared to Philly in terms of urbanity), don't even have a downtown area the size of Center City. The downtown experience of Philadelphia is a top 5 in the US. Philly has awesome green spaces, some unmatched by any other city. The rowhome is synonymous with Philly, and no other city has them like Philly does. Finally, I can live a car-optional lifestyle here. I LOVE SEPTA, and I love public transportation. When I'm not up for transit, I could walk the streets since Philly is (truthfully) the fourth most walkable US city.

The only other city I could see myself living in is Chicago, but I don't want its extreme winters!

For the rowhome part, I believe Bmore most likely go toe-to-toe with Philly in that department.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by tcave360

For the rowhome part, I believe Bmore most likely go toe-to-toe with Philly in that department.

I very much doubt that. Geograhically Phila. is bigger and there are something like 300K rowhouses in the city.
There are row houses in the suburbs too which would add to the total in the metro area.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I very much doubt that. Geograhically Phila. is bigger and there are something like 300K rowhouses in the city.
There are row houses in the suburbs too which would add to the total in the metro area.

1 unit, attached

Baltimore - 156,370 (52.8%)
Philadelphia - 389,175 (58.3%)

1 unit, detached

Baltimore - 41,978 (14.2%)
Philadelphia - 53,601 (8.0%)

[rotodome]

I really don't get what the big deal about rowhouses is. And yes I'm from Philly.