Montréal vs Philadelphia - 2020s (Chicago, skyline, food, live)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by AshbyQuin

Do the suburbs in montreal extend into the city? The term suburban is different in other countries where some cities' suburbs are within the city itself. Outside of Darby and Yeadon , majority of Delco is white until you hit Chester, which is also counted as a suburb? I don't know too much about ChestCo, so I will hold off on talking about its diversity other than the city of Chester.

N.B.: Chester City was the original Chester County seat — the old 1724 county courthouse in the downtown is still owned by the city government and considered the oldest government building still in use in the country — but it has no connection to Chester County at all, as Chester city is in Delaware County, which was split off from Chester County in 1853.

Chester County built a satellite courthouse in the county's western reaches in 1701 because back then, it took a day to reach the courthouse at the county's east end from its west end. The settlement around it became known as West Chester as a result, and that town is today's Chester County seat.

Yes, Chester City is considered a "suburb" of Philadelphia, but it's actually a "core city" with its own suburbs as well. Those are neighboring Chester Township as well as the townships of Brookhaven and to a degree Aston and the surrounding boroughs of Upland, Trainer, Parkside and to a degree Eddystone. The people who lived in those communities worked in Chester's shipyards and factories, all but one of which are now gone.

Generally speaking, Canadians use the noun "suburb" the way Americans do, which is to say to describe a political jurisdiction lying outside the limits of the central city. But both Canadians and Americans use the adjective "suburban" to describe not only these political entities but also neighborhoods built in a certain manner, whether or not they were located outside the central city. Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill neighborhood, for instance, is suburban in character, as is just about all of Northeast Philadelphia.

Modcut: North America only

[ccm123]

It’s close, but I’d choose Montreal.

[kimumingyu]

Let's see....

• Economy: Philly
• Urbanity: Definitely Philly
• Colleges and universities: Philly wins here
• Infrastructure: Montreal by a hair
• "High culture" (theater, museums, opera, etc.): Philly for sure
• Housing (supply, quality, affordability, and variety): Philly has way more interesting housing stock
• Cost of living: Tie
• Neighborhoods: Philly
• Diversity: Montreal
• History: Philly, obviously
• Distinction of local culture: Montreal
• Nightlife: Philly
• Cuisine: Philly by a mile
• Tourism: Philly without question
• Suburbs: Philly wins this too
• Climate: Philly by far
• Scenery and outdoor recreation: Montreal definitely
• Geographic position (proximity/accessibility to opportunities and recreation outside of metro): Philly and that's on periodt.

So overall, it's Philly with 14 pts compared to Montreal with just 5.

[GeoffD]

Philly cuisine “by a mile”? Really? You can’t possibly have done much dining in Montreal.

Philly is like Boston in the sense that the food scene was abysmal 50 years ago and has improved significantly. Montreal has always been a foodie place. I’ve had dozens of expense report meals that were superb.

Poutine >>> soft pretzel. I think Montreal bagels are superior to NYC bagels. They’re smaller so better texture. A St Viateur sesame bagel right out of the oven is a sublime food experience.

Pat’s and Geno’s cheese steaks are inedible blobs of greasy gristle. Montreal smoked meat is the equivalent of the best NYC Jewish deli pastrami.

I speak French so I probably have a different Montreal experience than an American tourist.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Philly cuisine “by a mile”? Really? You can’t possibly have done much dining in Montreal.

Philly is like Boston in the sense that the food scene was abysmal 50 years ago and has improved significantly. Montreal has always been a foodie place. I’ve had dozens of expense report meals that were superb.

Poutine >>> soft pretzel. I think Montreal bagels are superior to NYC bagels. They’re smaller so better texture. A St Viateur sesame bagel right out of the oven is a sublime food experience.

Pat’s and Geno’s cheese steaks are inedible blobs of greasy gristle. Montreal smoked meat is the equivalent of the best NYC Jewish deli pastrami.

I speak French so I probably have a different Montreal experience than an American tourist.

He says he recently lived in Montreal. Based on posting history, I often wonder about this. Urbanity “definitely Philly?” Most would say they are tied. They are practically built literally the same, with Montreal having vastly superior transit.

[kimumingyu]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Philly cuisine “by a mile”? Really? You can’t possibly have done much dining in Montreal.

Philly is like Boston in the sense that the food scene was abysmal 50 years ago and has improved significantly. Montreal has always been a foodie place. I’ve had dozens of expense report meals that were superb.

Poutine >>> soft pretzel. I think Montreal bagels are superior to NYC bagels. They’re smaller so better texture. A St Viateur sesame bagel right out of the oven is a sublime food experience.

Pat’s and Geno’s cheese steaks are inedible blobs of greasy gristle. Montreal smoked meat is the equivalent of the best NYC Jewish deli pastrami.

I speak French so I probably have a different Montreal experience than an American tourist.

I've lived in Montreal and am quite familiar with the food. On the positive side, living there did help me lose quite a bit of weight

Anyway, yes, Philadelphia wins by a mile. Love all their great cuisines, and really I don't think any true foodie would say Montreal has a food scene that stands up to Philly.

[CXT2000]

Originally Posted by kimumingyu

Let's see....

• Economy: Philly
• Urbanity: Definitely Philly
• Colleges and universities: Philly wins here
• Infrastructure: Montreal by a hair
• "High culture" (theater, museums, opera, etc.): Philly for sure
• Housing (supply, quality, affordability, and variety): Philly has way more interesting housing stock
• Cost of living: Tie
• Neighborhoods: Philly
• Diversity: Montreal
• History: Philly, obviously
• Distinction of local culture: Montreal
• Nightlife: Philly
• Cuisine: Philly by a mile
• Tourism: Philly without question
• Suburbs: Philly wins this too
• Climate: Philly by far
• Scenery and outdoor recreation: Montreal definitely
• Geographic position (proximity/accessibility to opportunities and recreation outside of metro): Philly and that's on periodt.

So overall, it's Philly with 14 pts compared to Montreal with just 5.

Ah yes, the person who "lived" in Montreal strikes again with a very odd and skewed list (and also keeps bumping up old threads with MTL in it). Just admit you never lived nor like Montreal and that it contributes to a bias, nothing wrong with being truthful.

[kimumingyu]

Originally Posted by djesus007

Ah yes, the person who "lived" in Montreal strikes again with a very odd and skewed list (and also keeps bumping up old threads with MTL in it). Just admit you never lived nor like Montreal and that it contributes to a bias, nothing wrong with being truthful.

I was not the one who bumped this (or any) thread, please feel free to check again. And who on Earth has heard of an anti-Montreal bias?

Anyway, rather than questioning the many, many years I spent in Montreal (lovely place but not for me, especially the food!), I'd love to hear your take on the categories listed. Please share!

[CXT2000]

Originally Posted by kimumingyu

I was not the one who bumped this (or any) thread, please feel free to check again. And who on Earth has heard of an anti-Montreal bias?

Anyway, rather than questioning the many, many years I spent in Montreal (lovely place but not for me, especially the food!), I'd love to hear your take on the categories listed. Please share!

Sure! I'll compare it to yours here

[Kimumingyu's list]

Economy: Philly
Urbanity: Definitely Philly
Colleges and universities: Philly wins here
Infrastructure: Montreal by a hair
"High culture" (theater, museums, opera, etc.): Philly for sure
Housing (supply, quality, affordability, and variety): Philly has way more interesting housing stock
Cost of living: Tie
Neighborhoods: Philly
Diversity: Montreal
History: Philly, obviously
Distinction of local culture: Montreal
Nightlife: Philly
Cuisine: Philly by a mile
Tourism: Philly without question
Suburbs: Philly wins this too
Climate: Philly by far
Scenery and outdoor recreation: Montreal definitely
Geographic position (proximity/accessibility to opportunities and recreation outside of metro): Philly and that's on periodt.

[My list]
1. Economy: I agree that Philly has a better economy, but Montreal is no slouch either.
2. Urbanity: You say definitely Philly, but both cities have a similar build. I also question your choice since in another thread, you mentioned that "downtown Miami is more urban than downtown Montreal". For me, slight lead for Montreal
3. Colleges/Universities: Philly has a lot of great schools, so does Montreal (McGill, UdeM, HEC, John Molson School of Business is top, etc.) I'd put a slight edge to Philly
4. Infrastructure: Montreal has a lead here
5. High Culture: You say Philly for sure, I say slight lead for Philly (Montreal has a stronger local culture that flies under the radar + Place des Arts, which has 30+ performance halls within a square kilometre downtown)
6. Housing: 4 categories are present here, yet you only say "Philly has a more interesting housing stock". So what about supply, affordability, variety? Once you factor those in, Montreal has the lead here.
7. Cost of Living: Tie? Montreal is considered one of the most affordable major cities on the continent. Cheap hydro rates, rent is controlled and you can get a 2-3 bedroom close to the core and subway lines for under $1K a month. MTL lead
8. Neighbourhoods: Montreal has more interesting neighbourhoods/districts in the city. Le Plateau/Mile-End, Rosemont, Villeray, Downtown, Old Montreal, Parc-Ex, NDG/CDN, Sud Ouest, etc... List goes on and on. MTL here
9. Diversity: Montreal yes, but Philly is very diverse as well and we have to acknowledge that.
10. History: Philly has a more interesting history in a political frame, MTL has a more interesting history when it comes to French/British issues, mystery, local, etc.. So this one is a tie for me.
11. Local Culture: MTL easily
12. Nightlife: Montreal is regarded as a top 10-15 nightlife destination.... worldwide. Philly has a solid nightlife don't get me wrong, but you never hear it as a party city. Montreal tho? you hear stories about that, MTL lead.
13. Cuisine: Montreal by a long shot due to unique local flavours and more robust scene. Philly is awesome for comfort foods, but the fact that you disregard Montreal and the food scene shows again, you know nothing.
14. Tourism: Tie for me as both present awesome and different opportunities
15. Suburbs: I hate suburbs so... I'm taking this one off
16. Climate: Slight edge to Philly
17. Scenery and outdoor recreation: Montreal
18. Geographic position: I think both are great and both are close to major cities and awesome scenery, so tie.

Overall: MTL 10, Philly 4, Tie 3 (and 1 left off cause suburbs suck so). The ties can go either way, so this can be 10-7 MTL lead or anything in between. Also slight leads can also make for a tossup/change in overall scores, so it is closer than it seems. And before you say I'm a "homer" or anything, I am not from Montreal so...

Regardless, both cities are awesome, but you do have a negative bias towards Montreal for some reason and it definitely sounds like you never lived here or visited in the 1990s.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kimumingyu

I've lived in Montreal and am quite familiar with the food. On the positive side, living there did help me lose quite a bit of weight

Anyway, yes, Philadelphia wins by a mile. Love all their great cuisines, and really I don't think any true foodie would say Montreal has a food scene that stands up to Philly.

I really wish this thread stayed dead, there must be some bored people out there....(not referring to you).

But, that poster Geoff does not care for Philadelphia and often downplays the city in anyway he/she can, the fact the he/she used Pats and Genos as a measurement for the Philadelphia food scene sums up their attitude...

I do agree that Philadelphia has a superior food scene to Montreal. Its bigger and more varied. However, that doesn't mean Montreal lacks, its a wonderful food city, but Philadelphia still outshines.

I have family in Montreal, we've all been back and forth between both cities dozens of times over the years.