Does Anybody Out There Actually LOVE Philadelphia? (Reading, York: best city, university)

[rickford]

Although the initial post is almost two years old now... I still think Philadelphia has a bad reputation, and therefore would like to offer a brief defense of my new city.

Do I love Philadelphia? Damn right I do!
I could go on and on about it; but I think a brief list will be more effective than a long-winded pontification:

Here are some things, in my opinion, that make Philly great:


1.) The Ben Franklin Parkway (the view from the steps of the art gallery will take your breath away! What a grand avenue!)
2.) The view of City Hall, looking north, from South Broad Street.
3.) The Academy of Music
4.) The farmers market in Society Hill in the summer
5.) Paying only $100 for a meal for two w/ wine at the XIX. (such a view!)
6.) Wondering around all of the allys and mini-parks in Sociey Hill (there are dozens of them!)

7.) The narrow (really narrow!) cobble-stone streets that sub-divide each Center City block even further. (Quince Street, Elfriths Alley, there are hundreds and hundreds of them!)

8.) The gaudy, yet spunky glass- mosaic art plastered to the exterior walls of so many buildings in South Philly

9.) People watching at Rittenhouse Square in the summer.
10.) Taking a romantic walk through Independence Park and then through Washington Square on my way back to my apartment after dinner.
11.) Seeing so many other young people- many of them young professionals filling the streets of Old City after the bars close.

12.) jogging down Penn’s Landing.
13.) Steven Star Restaurants. I've been to all of them! The roof-patio at the Mid-town Continental is my favorite. The giant archive quality, back lit photos on the third floor of Alma de Cuba will captivate you.

14.) The South Philadelphia accent. Make somebody say the word "Molasses"!
15.) Reading Terminal Market
16.) Yards Beer
17.) The lobby of 30th station
18.) Manayunk
19.) South Street between Front and 7th Street

20.) Yes, Cheese steaks really are awesome- and yes we eat them w/Cheese Wiz!
21.) The light display on the Cira Center
22.) Tasty Cakes
23.) Boat House Row
24.) China Town
25.) Brunch in South Philly
26.) The Macy’s Pipe organ (not to mention the interior architecture!)
27.) My one bedroom apartment in the middle of the city- complete with a great view and hardwood floors, for less than a thousand dollars a month. (Beat that Manhattan, Georgetown, and San Fran!)


These just happen to be the things bouncing around in my head at the moment. These are all things that I like about Philly right now! I am even more excited about this city's future. The old, industrial, gritty, Rocky-days are behind us. Let’s keep looking forward (while not forgetting our rich history)!
It's up to us to make it happen.

[boyjerseyboy]

Originally Posted by michelef1l

Let me start out by saying that most of the cities you have on this list shouldn't be compared with Philadelphia, simply because of the population size. I found the list that you looked at, and that is overall.

If you look below that list, there is a section comparing cities with a population of 500,000 or more, where Philadelphia is ranked #5, only under Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, and DC.
Here's the site if anyone wants to see:
City Crime Rankings by Population Group

I want to continue my argument about your list by telling you that I lived in Richmond, VA for 4 years (in a couple different places) and learned the area quite well. Although it had its really bad places that everyone knew to stay away from, there were still places you could go and feel safe. It has absolutely NO comparison to Philadelphia WHATSOEVER. Richmond is also much more suburban, as I imagine many other cities on your list are. That means they are small, and have sections where crime is large.

I currently live in Philadelphia (and hate me if you must) I hate it here. I live in Rittenhouse Square, after doing countless amounts of research on finding the safest place to live, while being close to shopping and entertainment. First few days it was exciting, seeing all the people, being in a city again. [Background--I was born in NY, all my family is in NY and I have always loved NYC, and if rent had been cheaper, would be living there now. Richmond feels more like a suburb than anything, so I actually laugh when people even try to compare it to major cities.] But my excitement soon wore off. As soon as I step outside it smells like pee, vomit, or worse. There are homeless people sleeping in front of some of the most expensive apartment buildings in the city, which I think the people paying for those places would be outraged. I get harrassed every time I go to CVS or even want to sit in the park, and no one does anything. There is no enforcement to keep these homeless people from being aggressive--They follow you, scream at you when you won't give them money, and these are in the richest neighborhoods. What exactly are these people paying for?!?

The sad thing about this city is that I do love the architecture and some of the sites. I thoroughly enjoyed the art museum, and Old City is quite nice. Except for the people. It is clear that the corruption in this city outweighs the possibility of change. I feel like this city is falling apart, and everyone here is so defensive, they just quickly compare other cities and say, hey, at least we're not like them. But why don't you stop looking at other cities and look at your own. This city needs some major help. It is a wasteland lacking in opportunity unless you are already rich.

Sorry to those who disagree, but this is just what I've seen over the past few months. I have lived in a lot of places, and by far this is the worst and most depressing place I have ever lived.

ok i live in newark and i can tell you that it deserves to be up there in population its area is seperated inother urban municapalities such as jersey city elizabeth irvington eastorange it makes it about 750k people

[boyjerseyboy]

Originally Posted by Travel'r

A Hoagie is a deli sandwich. On an awesome torpedo steak roll. Other regions call their versions Sub sandwiches or "Hero" sandwich.

tehehehe hoagie its a sub there no hoagieway chain store

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by boyjerseyboy

tehehehe hoagie its a sub there no hoagieway chain store

Welcome to Philly where we call it a hoagie. Lee's Hoagie House - a local chain - was a favorite of mine growing up!

[akorosdc]

Originally Posted by boyjerseyboy

tehehehe hoagie its a sub there no hoagieway chain store

Subway is based out of Connecticut, don't know where you're trying to go here...

[gfspeople]

I love Philadelphia more than any other city, and I think that Philadelphia is rising up and becoming a newer, better, younger city than ever!

[john_starks]

its ok , i aint NYC

[frankgn87]

ya know.. I have been following this thread since the beginning. In the beginning of this thread I was upset that so many disliked my beloved city.. BUT in the 2 years time since, I have have completely made a 180 and now we are moving out. had enough. Had enough of the..
*city wage tax
*high car insurance
*HORRIBLE schools
*trashy neighborhoods.
*trashy non caring people
*unsafe conditions

Im a Philly born person and so is my wife.. We loved this city.. Once upon a time. Its changed so much in the last 20 years. For the worst. We are so sad to bail, but we want safety, a nice quiet neighborhood, fair taxes and happiness. Philly aint got it... We are moving in 3 weeks..

Sad,,,,

BUT we are moving to South Jersey(like so many from the city have) so that now we can still visit but can go home to a nice neighborhood.. every night..

[frankgn87]

we are so happy we left. Life is 100 times better. Don't know why we did not leave sooner. If anyone is on the fence, do it.. you won't regret it.

[Sassygirl18]

Where did you move to in South Jersey?