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Im honestly not sure why Philly isnt seen as cool like the others ones. I think for me, it comes down to perception. Also, I wasnt exactly wow'd with Philly on my last visits. Its not a city I go out of my way to visit. I fly through PHL a lot, but other than that, thats my only true connection to the city.
My perception of it is there were less upscale attractions/restaurants, higher poverty and an overall grittier feel even in the core.
According to my family, Philly feels like Boston in the 1980s-90s. Post Liquor Shut Down. Like 1988-1996. Can anyone confirm? I was not born yet lol
Sucks that most of your experiences came from PHL. I probably would have an un favorable view of the city too lol. PHL and O'hare are the worst I've been to.
No matter what anyone says, Philly is one of our crown jewel cities. It has been a top 5 populated city for hundreds of years, a state capital, and is the home of an Ivy League university. Impeccable in it's history, grand in it's contributions to culture, and deep into it's journey in reinventing it's self for the 21st century, Philadelphia is going to shock those who've written it off. Also, this is the place that gave birth to The Roots. What's not cool about Philly?
So I just visited Philly 2 weeks ago and I thought it was a really cool city. I could actually see myself living there if I was single and in my 20s. I think the comparison to Brooklyn is spot on. Me and my Wife stayed in Rittenhouse square and pretty much walked to most of our destinations. People were friendlier than I thought they would be and even with it's highly dense area and fast paced living it never seemed too fast like Manhattan.
But I get why some people would be turn off from Philly. It's so gritty. Gritter than NYC. Possibly the dirtiest streets I've ever walked on in a major city. Not as many homeless as LA but definitely felt like I saw more junkies than what I saw in LA. If the city clean that sh*t up and decrease the crime than Philly can really shine as the comeback kid in America. It's definitely not all gloom and doom cause I really enjoyed Philly but the cracks need to be patched up. A city with that much history and character deserve better from it's government.
So I just visited Philly 2 weeks ago and I thought it was a really cool city. I could actually see myself living there if I was single and in my 20s. I think the comparison to Brooklyn is spot on. Me and my Wife stayed in Rittenhouse square and pretty much walked to most of our destinations. People were friendlier than I thought they would be and even with it's highly dense area and fast paced living it never seemed too fast like Manhattan.
But I get why some people would be turn off from Philly. It's so gritty. Gritter than NYC. Possibly the dirtiest streets I've ever walked on in a major city. Not as many homeless as LA but definitely felt like I saw more junkies than what I saw in LA. If the city clean that sh*t up and decrease the crime than Philly can really shine as the comeback kid in America. It's definitely not all gloom and doom cause I really enjoyed Philly but the cracks need to be patched up. A city with that much history and character deserve better from it's government.
Visit during Labor Day weekend and catch Made in America or Independence day and catch the Welcome America concert and firework show afterwards.
Philly has a unique soul to it, that is definitely “cool.” It is not cookie-cutter, which I like and has a “coolness” factor.
Doens't every city have a unique "soul " to it?
Unless you mean soul "soul"? but that kind of soul is long dead thanks to the new generation and their disregard for anything older than the 2010's. Was once was a time you could host a block party and hear the O'Jays and Jill Scott being played, while everyone was rocking either FUBU, Rocawear, or ENCYE. I miss those days.
Sucks that most of your experiences came from PHL. I probably would have an un favorable view of the city too lol. PHL and O'hare are the worst I've been to.
When i said phl is my only connection, its after my visits. I usually dont step outside that realm now because i have no desire
I lifted this post off another thread I wrote in many years ago. I think these observations still hold.
Philadelphia citizens will be forever mired in the fact that when it comes to the Northeast, they are the most nondescript of the four major cities, inclusive NYC, Boston, and D.C. Philadelphia is right in the middle geographically, and the 50-watt bulb is overshadowed by two 100 watt bulbs in NYC and DC. Although almost three times larger in population than either D.C. or Boston, Philadelphia has a small reputation comparatively. I always think of Boston as a smaller town that plays 'big' and Philadelphia as a bigger town that plays small. This inferiority complex permeates down to the residents in the town, as well as the suburbs, where, incidentally, real estate is substantially cheaper than DC, NYC, or Boston. It comes back to the economy. Philadelphia is a blue collar shipping town, NYC has finance, Boston has information technology, DC has government, all white-collar professions. These economies resonate obviously down to the citizenry. Of course, there are bad apples in the stands of all stadiums, there is just a higher percentage of them in Philadelphia. And it goes beyond the teams they support. The only way they think their metropolitan area can get visibility and comparative fame to its more established neighbors is by having their sports teams win on the field. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at that either. And when they lose, they wear it on their sleeves. There is more of a personal sense of loss when their teams lose, as well as win.
I lifted this post off another thread I wrote in many years ago. I think these observations still hold.
Philadelphia citizens will be forever mired in the fact that when it comes to the Northeast, they are the most nondescript of the four major cities, inclusive NYC, Boston, and D.C. Philadelphia is right in the middle geographically, and the 50-watt bulb is overshadowed by two 100 watt bulbs in NYC and DC. Although almost three times larger in population than either D.C. or Boston, Philadelphia has a small reputation comparatively. I always think of Boston as a smaller town that plays 'big' and Philadelphia as a bigger town that plays small. This inferiority complex permeates down to the residents in the town, as well as the suburbs, where, incidentally, real estate is substantially cheaper than DC, NYC, or Boston. It comes back to the economy. Philadelphia is a blue collar shipping town, NYC has finance, Boston has information technology, DC has government, all white-collar professions. These economies resonate obviously down to the citizenry. Of course, there are bad apples in the stands of all stadiums, there is just a higher percentage of them in Philadelphia. And it goes beyond the teams they support. The only way they think their metropolitan area can get visibility and comparative fame to its more established neighbors is by having their sports teams win on the field. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at that either. And when they lose, they wear it on their sleeves. There is more of a personal sense of loss when their teams lose, as well as win.
Written like someone who hasn't visited since 198'-whenever. I think it's time for you to visit again
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