Center City Observations (Halloween weekend 2022) (Philadelphia: 2015, crime, hotel)

[Duderino]

Just wanted to share that I've finally made it back to visit Philly after a pandemic-driven hiatus (in town for a family wedding), and I wanted to share some observations from an out-of-town perspective. I recognize I often have a "booster" bias, but I think it's always good to have a realistic and objective perspective.

First the good--the vibrancy is as great as I remembered it, perhaps even better. I recognize that it's a particularly busy weekend with a confluence of Halloween, the Phils in the World Series, and the Film Festival, but it's really quite something. I sorely missed the "all walks of life" feeling in Philly that is truly very difficult to find in so many cities these days, and it felt great to be around that again. It's never been a "boutique" city, but that's what I love about it so much. But more to the point, Saturday night was a fantastic vibe with the Midtown Village Festival and all of the 20-somethings bar-hopping in entertaining costumes, and everything that's open all seems to be doing well. But the "people vibes," fantastic food options and "safety vibes" have been top notch, which is something I was concerned about with such an onslaught of negative news for months and months. Overall, I love fast-paced but generally jovial atmosphere with no hostility witnessed at all. That's a huge win in my book.

The "okay, but"--keptness. It's Philly, we know. And don't get me wrong, I really didn't see as much litter/trash from a big night of partying as I expected (and maybe I've just gotten too used to primped Boston). And it's really not worse than I remember. But the sidewalk grime elimination game just really needs to be upped (and SEPTA stench, while they're at it). It's not the end of the world to me, but I can definitely see how it can be off-putting to someone visiting from, say, San Diego. Small potatoes in the scheme of things, but more regular powerwashing can really go a long way on impressions, especially if the city is trying to rebuild its tourism scene.

Now the not so amazing--store vacancy. It definitely feels like the Center City has taken a bit of a step back in terms of retail presence; at least on Chestnut Street in particular (I know that's always been Center City's lagging corridor, and it comes as no shock, but it's just unfortunate that a lot of the momentum that I remember it gaining now seems to been lost). I really hope it gets much more attention in the near future, because it still has so much potential. Some of the stores, like Target or Macy's, also seem understocked in some ways--but I imagine some of that is supply chain related as well. Overall, retail/store presence and management definitely is something that the city should be focusing on for Center City’s continued recovery.

Also should mention that the W/Elements has great accommodations (first time here) with amazing views, and we lucked out with an upgrade.

That's all for the moment, but just wanted to share some thoughts for those interested, since it's always good to keep an outside perspectives in mind. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

[Muinteoir]

You came on a great weekend. Things have felt particularly jovial in the city lately with all of the victories we've had in sports. I agree that it would be fantastic if the BSL/MFL tunnels smelled less like urine.

Yeah, I think retail will take the longest to rebuild. The USA was undergoing a slow shift to online shopping before the pandemic, and obviously now it is much more pronounced.

I've been thinking of treating my partner to a staycation in the W. I just can't figure out if the price would be worth it just to stay in my own city, lol. Half of it is out of pure curiosity. I'd only take him on a weeknight for a discounted price. Thoughts on if it's worth it? The rooms, views, and rooftop pool all look so nice.

[Redddog]

Yeah, the retail scene is in rough shape at the moment.

The crime thing HAS to abate a little - at least optically - for that momentum to come back. If I had plans to expand into Philly and saw that Starbucks and Wawa are pulling out because they can't keep their people safe, I'd think twice about opening up.

[cpomp]

Glad you had a great time. I am in Philadelphia often and the general buzz is largely back to where it was pre-pandemic (maybe more).

Agree with the sidewalk / SEPTA grim. I wish the city would push an effort to repave sidewalks, at least on the main corridors of Center City. They are generally awful, dirty, crumbling, bubble gum, etc. Not the end of the world, but a stark contrast to the sidewalk conditions in Boston, DC, Chicago, even Manhattan.

And yea, brick and mortar retail is struggling (as you know). Walnut / Chestnut have taken a hit for many reasons... There are quite a few retailers lined up to open on Walnut/Chestnut, so hopefully the worst is behind us? I still don't think Walnut will "fully" recover until that burned out hole is redeveloped.

What I miss most about Philadelphia (compared to living in NYC) is the more intimate compact feeling when walking around Center City, and the food. I still think Philadelphia is a better food town than Manhattan (Brooklyn and Queens are great).

* And per the W comments. I've stayed there a few times now, beautiful hotel. The lobby bar (Living Room) is chic and great drinks. The pool area is very nice, but has a loud party-like atmosphere, probably not bad during the week or this time of year. The rooms are very nice, they have a dark kind of masculine vibe, and the views are awesome, especially facing South. I recommend a stay when visiting the city or for a stay-cation.

Also, I explored Fishtown / Northern Liberties a month ago. The area has totally transformed into a complete independent neighborhood which is amazing to see. If Fishtown could land a Whole Foods, Trader Joes or full Giant, it would be complete.

[personone]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Now the not so amazing--store vacancy. It definitely feels like the Center City has taken a bit of a step back in terms of retail presence; at least on Chestnut Street in particular (I know that's always been Center City's lagging corridor, and it comes as no shock, but it's just unfortunate that a lot of the momentum that I remember it gaining now seems to been lost). I really hope it gets much more attention in the near future, because it still has so much potential. Some of the stores, like Target or Macy's, also seem understocked in some ways--but I imagine some of that is supply chain related as well. Overall, retail/store presence and management definitely is something that the city should be focusing on for Center City’s continued recovery.

Just out of curiosity, how is Boston's retail/store vacancy in terms of recovery from the 2020 incidents/ pandemic? In Chicago, it's been a slow recovery too, and there are still stretches in parts of the Loop and Near North Side that were once bustling that still have vacancies sprinkled it. I ask because I think this may be an unfortunate and lasting consequence of the pandemic. Although, I'm curious what it's like in other cities like Boston.

[Angus215]

The crime/homeless/panhandling/Septa stench/open-air marijuana issues need to be corrected first and foremost. Until then, the city will be limited in its ability to recover from the covid era lockdowns/riots. I would note, however, that all of these issues pre-dated covid, going back to the election of Kenney and Krasner. So, while covid and the riots accelerated the issues, particularly retail vacancy (and the building on Walnut that was burned down by the mob), it wasn't the root cause. Until you fix the root cause, you cannot fix the problems. That being said, it's hardly unique to Philly. I've been in NYC and DC recently, and saw a lot of the same problems (with homeless encampments being a major problem in DC). The "root cause" in all of these cities is the same, and it has to do with the type of people being elected into office.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Angus215

The crime/homeless/panhandling/Septa stench/open-air marijuana issues need to be corrected first and foremost. Until then, the city will be limited in its ability to recover from the covid era lockdowns/riots. I would note, however, that all of these issues pre-dated covid, going back to the election of Kenney and Krasner. So, while covid and the riots accelerated the issues, particularly retail vacancy (and the building on Walnut that was burned down by the mob), it wasn't the root cause. Until you fix the root cause, you cannot fix the problems. That being said, it's hardly unique to Philly. I've been in NYC and DC recently, and saw a lot of the same problems (with homeless encampments being a major problem in DC). The "root cause" in all of these cities is the same, and it has to do with the type of people being elected into office.

We all have different ideas of what the "root cause" is. Not sure what yours are.

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by Redddog

We all have different ideas of what the "root cause" is. Not sure what yours are.

The root cause, in my opinion, is progressive liberal politicians. Namely, in the case of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney and Larry Krasner (who is in the process of being impeached by the state legislature). It's no coincidence that the 40 year trend of declining crime in Philly sharply reversed after they were elected.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Angus215

It's no coincidence that the 40 year trend of declining crime in Philly sharply reversed after they were elected.

As a matter of fact, it is a coincidence.

You don't think that the pandemic had anything to do with the rise of Urban crime across the country (not just Philly)?

Red Blue (and otherwise) cities are experiencing this. I think Krasner makes things more difficult than they need to be. But these two aren't the cause of any spike in crime. Just like trump wasn't responsible for any decline.

Please.

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by Redddog

As a matter of fact, it is a coincidence.

You don't think that the pandemic had anything to do with the rise of Urban crime across the country (not just Philly)?

Red Blue (and otherwise) cities are experiencing this. I think Krasner makes things more difficult than they need to be. But these two aren't the cause of any spike in crime. Just like trump wasn't responsible for any decline.

Please.

Crime was increasing in Philly well before the pandemic. In fact, homicides have increased every year since Kenney became mayor in 2016 (after declining consistently for decades from their peak in 1990). There were 280 homicides in 2015, the year before Kenney took office (and Krasner a year later) vs. 562 last year, over a 100% increase and an all-time high. To state the obvious, Kenney, Krasner, and their progressive liberal agenda have been an absolute disaster for the city, and have completely undone all of the progress that was made towards reducing crime over the past several decades by leaders such as Ed Rendell and Michael Nutter.