Best downtown in the U.S.A (living, state, better)
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Still kinda crazy how even with all the new developments, Brickell still looks so dull and dead pedestrian wise. It's also an urban planning horror as well with those tiny sidewalks and lack of ground-level amenities. Even with all the changes, it functions the same as when I was living there.
I know this will be filed under "homer posts" by a lot of you, but if after-work vitality is a major factor in your rankings, a lot of you are now selling Philadelphia short.
Maybe you haven't visited the city in the last decade or so, for there was a time when the sidewalks did roll up at 6 pm and native W.C. Fields' one-liner, "I went to Philadelphia on a Sunday, but it was closed," was true.
Those days are now very much past. Thanks to the state-mandated closing time of 2 a.m., Center City Philly may never be a 24-hour downtown, but it's certainly an 18-hour one at the very least now. I'm even beginning to see signs of life on Market Street east of Broad at night thanks to some recent developments there, not to mention the office canyon on Market west of Broad. (Walnut positively hums with life, and Chestnut has come back from the undead too.)
I know this will be filed under "homer posts" by a lot of you, but if after-work vitality is a major factor in your rankings, a lot of you are now selling Philadelphia short.
Maybe you haven't visited the city in the last decade or so, for there was a time when the sidewalks did roll up at 6 pm and native W.C. Fields' one-liner, "I went to Philadelphia on a Sunday, but it was closed," was true.
Those days are now very much past. Thanks to the state-mandated closing time of 2 a.m., Center City Philly may never be a 24-hour downtown, but it's certainly an 18-hour one at the very least now. I'm even beginning to see signs of life on Market Street east of Broad at night thanks to some recent developments there, not to mention the office canyon on Market west of Broad. (Walnut positively hums with life, and Chestnut has come back from the undead too.)
There was also the false rumor/joke that WC had on his tombstone: "I'd rather be here than in Philadelphia."
I agree with you... call me an adopted Philly homer, but I love Center City and I rate it in my top 5 American downtowns: 1. New York, 2. San Fran, 3. Chicago, 4. Philly and 5. D.C./Boston (tie) ... and actually Chicago's Loop and Center City are verrrry close in my mind. Philly doesn't have the sheer bulk of sleek high rises and nearby north lakeshore of the Loop (and adjacent North Side which is now considered the extended Loop), but Chicago downtown lacks Philly's classic Colonial/mixed-Colonial housing, Rittenhouse Square, City Hall (whatever one thinks of it inside -- where it's kind of a dump thanks to poor upkeep; yet it is majestic from the outside and the largest municipal building in the world), and overall sheer walkable quaintness that comes with people living downtown for nearly 350 years.
I know this will be filed under "homer posts" by a lot of you, but if after-work vitality is a major factor in your rankings, a lot of you are now selling Philadelphia short.
Maybe you haven't visited the city in the last decade or so, for there was a time when the sidewalks did roll up at 6 pm and native W.C. Fields' one-liner, "I went to Philadelphia on a Sunday, but it was closed," was true.
Those days are now very much past. Thanks to the state-mandated closing time of 2 a.m., Center City Philly may never be a 24-hour downtown, but it's certainly an 18-hour one at the very least now. I'm even beginning to see signs of life on Market Street east of Broad at night thanks to some recent developments there, not to mention the office canyon on Market west of Broad. (Walnut positively hums with life, and Chestnut has come back from the undead too.)
I think a lot of this is how people are interpreting downtown...I don’t find the loop or even downtown Manhattan particularly vibrant off hours...neither Boston’s financial district, dc federal buildings etc etc
I think a lot of this is how people are interpreting downtown...I don’t find the loop or even downtown Manhattan particularly vibrant off hours...neither Boston’s financial district, dc federal buildings etc etc
Define "Downtown Manhattan."
A quick look at Googlemaps marks Lower Manhattan as "downtown," but I've always considered midtown to be downtown... You know... Times Square, Grand Central, Penn Station, 5th Ave, museums, theaters, pretty much everything... That place definitely doesn't lack vibrancy after work hours. I don't think anything in the country comes remotely close to it.
A quick look at Googlemaps marks Lower Manhattan as "downtown," but I've always considered midtown to be downtown... You know... Times Square, Grand Central, Penn Station, 5th Ave, museums, theaters, pretty much everything... That place definitely doesn't lack vibrancy after work hours. I don't think anything in the country comes remotely close to it.
I was referring to lower Manhattan or traditionally defined downtown..for me personally all of Manhattan is downtown and no does not lack vibrancy
Love the vibe and proximity to water of Battery Park.
What "vibe?"
Aside from the ferry, what's there? (serious question... Maybe I'm missing something)
Lower Manhattan is, to me, one of those areas where if one doesn't work there, there is little to no reason to go there. Hence why, as Ne999 said, it isn't particularly vibrant off hours.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Brookfield Place (love Le District), Occulus, Grand Banks (great spot for drinks �� on a boat, seasonal) nice jog and bike path on the water, walkable to Tribeca, good transit access to other parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and NJ...friend lives in a newer building (built about 12-15 years ago). Like the area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcenal352
What "vibe?"
Aside from the ferry, what's there? (serious question... Maybe I'm missing something)
Lower Manhattan is, to me, one of those areas where if one doesn't work there, there is little to no reason to go there. Hence why, as Ne999 said, it isn't particularly vibrant off hours.
Last edited by elchevere; 01-02-2019 at 10:42 AM..
Those days are now very much past. Thanks to the state-mandated closing time of 2 a.m., Center City Philly may never be a 24-hour downtown, but it's certainly an 18-hour one at the very least now. I'm even beginning to see signs of life on Market Street east of Broad at night thanks to some recent developments there, not to mention the office canyon on Market west of Broad. (Walnut positively hums with life, and Chestnut has come back from the undead too.)
Unashamed "homer" here, too. Regardless of recognition, Philly is obviously among the top 5 US downtowns in terms of objective numbers. Residential population, number of storefronts/density of businesses, walkability, finely-grained and highly engaging architecture, and transit connectivity all place it in a supreme class that only New York, Boston, SF and Chicago could offer on a similar scale (DC is the only other city that has a similarly-scaled, walkable and transit-oriented downtown, but definitely falls short on residential vibrancy and finely-grained architecture).
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