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I'd think it would be DC because of the extensiveness of the Metro compared to Philly's system which isn't quite as extensive. I've experienced the "fast-pacedness" of DC but not really Philly; last I visited was a weekend in the summer last year, which wouldn't give me an idea of how fast-paced Philly is.
DC is more hectic and frantic than Philly. People will curse at you, if you are blocking the leftside of the escalator on the train. A few years ago, a man threatened to jump off the Wilson Bridge and held up traffic for like 4 hours during evening rush hour. People got out of their cars and was screaming at the guy to jump so they could go home. That's DC in a nutshell.
Downtown DC has a lot more foot traffic than Center City during working hours. There's far more traffic and congestion in DC than in Philly in general. In that sense, yes, DC is a faster-paced city.
Away from downtown, I think Philly is faster-paced than DC...by a good margin. Much of DC has a very sleepy feel to it. In some parts, it is downright southern. Washington, DC (and I don't mean Dupont Circle and Georgetown...I'm talking about Ivy City, Deanwood, Kingman Park, Rosedale, Hillcrest, etc) has a genteel quality about it. Old ladies sweeping their porches will wave. The people are quite cordial, actually. You also see many more idle men...just check out the corner of Florida Avenue and North Capitol Street.
Philly is, for the most part, a city on the go. People are always moving. Germantown and Chelten is always littered with vendors selling knockoff bags, incense, or mixtapes. Same with 52nd and Market. Same with Broad and Erie. There's not anything that's really "chill" about Philly. So in that sense, Philly is faster than DC.
Having lived in DC and currently living in the Philly area, I'd say they're about even keel -- so I didn't vote for either city.
Both are major metropolitan areas in the Northeast Corridor with millions of people moving from place to place every day. I will certainly attest to the ridiculous traffic congestion in the DC area. However, in my mind, that really inhibits the pace of a city -- as opposed to increasing it. Both areas have their more fast-paced elements and more laid-back elements.
I'd think it would be DC because of the extensiveness of the Metro compared to Philly's system which isn't quite as extensive.
That's debatable. DC's Metro is without a doubt more efficient/modern and more utilized. However, as far as extensiveness, they're actually fairly comparable. DC covers more of the city core, while Philadelphia's regional rail definitely covers its suburbs far more extensively:
Hmmmmmm! Same can be said about how slow Millbrook and Winchester Park is compared to Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan. DC is faster overall.
The proper comparison would be something like Brightwood to Overbrook. Or Anacostia to Nicetown. Or Germantown/Mount Airy to Brookland. The areas I listed--Rosedale, Kingman Park, Ivy City--are neighborhoods smack in the middle of Washington, DC, not far flung residential areas on the city line. When you look at both cities on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, there's more pedestrian traffic in Philadelphia by a good measure. Not only that, Philadelphians are just more high strung than Washingtonians. The higher up north you go, the faster the pace of life is.
That's debatable. DC's Metro is without a doubt more efficient/modern and more utilized. However, as far as extensiveness, they're actually fairly comparable. DC covers more of the city core, while Philadelphia's regional rail definitely covers its suburbs far more extensively:
SEPTA includes commuter rail as well though, METRO is a subway system, a hybrid subway system that goes pretty far and what not, but still its classified as a subway system.
SEPTA includes commuter rail as well though, METRO is a subway system, a hybrid subway system that goes pretty far and what not, but still its classified as a subway system.
MARC and VRE covers commuter rail
Yea but the Metro still acts much like a Commuter Rail. MARC & VRE definitely help, but MARC also acts as a dual-system between Baltimore and DC. Also, if you look at the maps of MARC (http://mta.maryland.gov/images//Marc_Map_and_Legend_UPDATED_2.JPG - broken link) and VRE, I think you can argue Philadelphia has better coverage. They have basically equal rail miles (SEPTA: 289, VRE/MARC: 277..though again, MARC is a dual-system), but if you look at the coverage of SEPTA versus the Metro, you could give the nod to Philadelphia in this regard.
Overall, I think the Metro is extremely efficient and it's the cleanest system I've ever ridden. However in terms of maps/coverage, I think DC's system takes a backseat to cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston.
On topic, I think these cities are fairly equal with maybe a slight nod to DC.
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