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Ok, before I say anything, I have been to BOTH cities. I currently live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and decided to go on a day trip to Washington DC back in August.
I must admit, I was very impressed with DC. Many people who have never been to DC can easily dismiss the city's vibrancy and urban footprint on the basis of the absence a legitimate skyline. However, downtown DC is a MONSTER. It is HUGE. Mid-rise buildings spanning many blocks in all directions and construction cranes are very common. I was very impressed with how clean and modern it was. The pedestrian traffic during the day time was very impressive. I think DC has a higher pedestrian foot traffic than Center City, but it is pretty close. Being in Washington DC felt like being in some German city or something. I was really impressed with the size and girth of downtown DC.
It's hard for me not to be biased, but I do think Philadelphia has a bigger city feel than DC, despite DC's monster downtown. Not only that, but I also feel that Philadelphia is more authentic in terms of its local culture and people. Philly has a very clear and distinct identity, where in DC I felt that was lacking due to its large transplant population.
To sum it up, Philly has a bigger city feel, but downtown DC is bigger and perhaps more crowded during the day time than Center City. Philly is old and edgy, DC is far more gentrified. Philly is more authentic in terms of its local culture and people, while DC felt more cosmopolitan. All in all, both cities are great. I am not even going to try bashing DC, no matter how much I love Philly. DC is a great city, certainly unique, but it may lack authenticity due to its large transplant population and that may bother some (not a big deal to me personally).
I lived in DC for almost a year. I'm sorry, but again Philly falls short. Just in transit alone DC wipes up that incompetent SEPTA. The amount of transit lines and the coverage is amazing. DC is cleaner, more lively, more white collar, etc.
And if you want to go by foreign travel blogs, DC kills Philly. Most European tourists don't even bother with Philly, but they almost all hit Boston, NY, and DC. Most are really impressed with DC and enjoy their time there. The few blogs I've read about Philly give a so so rating. Many claim there just isn't enough for a tourist to do in Philly. I think that is true.
And if you want to go by foreign travel blogs, DC kills Philly. Most European tourists don't even bother with Philly, but they almost all hit Boston, NY, and DC. Most are really impressed with DC and enjoy their time there. The few blogs I've read about Philly give a so so rating. Many claim there just isn't enough for a tourist to do in Philly. I think that is true.
And if you want to go by foreign travel blogs, DC kills Philly. Most European tourists don't even bother with Philly, but they almost all hit Boston, NY, and DC. Most are really impressed with DC and enjoy their time there. The few blogs I've read about Philly give a so so rating. Many claim there just isn't enough for a tourist to do in Philly. I think that is true.
Links to the foreign blogs please? Not that I dont doubt you
Tom, you're not sorry. You're a notorious Negadelphian on this board. I've read plenty of travel blogs about Philly, but never seen any that you constantly refer to where people call Philly so-so or poor. Please share with the class.
And if you want to go by foreign travel blogs, DC kills Philly. Most European tourists don't even bother with Philly, but they almost all hit Boston, NY, and DC. Most are really impressed with DC and enjoy their time there. The few blogs I've read about Philly give a so so rating. Many claim there just isn't enough for a tourist to do in Philly. I think that is true.
Well, NYC and DC are excellent for tourists - among the best cities in the U.S. In that sense, Philly falls short, comparatively. But Philly still has a lot of nice things to see and do.
Here is just one recent example. I'm not saying foreign tourists hate Philly, many just don't even bother with it. Some like it, others aren't that impressed.
And here are the number of blogs per city:
Boston - 1,925
NYC - 8,131
DC - 2,427
Miami - 2,023
Atlanta - 1291
Philly - 1,033
Philly has fewer blogs than Atlanta. Really, foreigners are just not as interested in visiting Philly. It is not a global nor cosmopolitan enough city.
A quote from this one: "Unfortunately Philadelphia doesn't have much to do. There is enough in this city as far as sight seeing goes for those that find history and old stuff interesting. But i'm more for; glamerous sights, unique atmospheres, and distinct cultural/architectual characteristics that make up a place which it only offered in the slightest. Sure it was nice walking down the cobble stone streets that tend to overwhelm most of the cities surface as well as see the stairs Sylvester Stallone ran up in Rocky
Tom, you're not sorry. You're a notorious Negadelphian on this board. I've read plenty of travel blogs about Philly, but never seen any that you constantly refer to where people call Philly so-so or poor. Please share with the class.
The problem with Philly is that it never fulfills its potential. And the reason is the apologists that live here and go on and on about how great it is. If people could see the problems, maybe solutions could be worked out. Why does the city have such an atrocious tax structure that is never dealt with? Why is such a crappy transit system with two small subways acceptable? Why was a brand new baseball stadium plonked in a no mans land miles from downtown?
All one need to do is take a trip to Boston or DC to see cities which grow and learn and make difficult decisions. Where did DC put its new baseball stadium? Where is just about every new baseball stadium in this country put? Philadelphia always takes the path of least resistance. A very mediocre city.
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