Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lol why do you feel the need to take those shots at Miami, Vegas, and Orlando?
These are not potshots! They actually suck.
Seriously, do you deny that the broader appeal of Miami isn't its location, weather and proximity to the ocean? If not, please explain why-- and what attractions make Miami a more appealing tourist destination. Jai alai? Dog racing? I don't dislike Miami (I really like South Beach, the art deco, the beaches) but it needs to fall in line in the list. It's not NYC, LA Chicago or DC.
Also, I was not making shots at Orlando and Las Vegas. I was merely pointing out they are one hit wonders with theme parks and gambling (and its trappings), respectively. And that's the reason WHY they are popular tourist destinations. Do you disagree? If you disagree, show your work.
Seriously, do you deny that the broader appeal of Miami isn't it's location, weather and proximity to the ocean? If not, please explain why-- and what attractions make Miami a more appealing tourist destination. Jai alai? Dog racing? I don't dislike Miami (I really like South Beach) but it needs to fall in line in the list.
Also, I was not making shots at Orlando and Las Vegas. I was merely pointing out they are one hit wonders with theme parks and gambling (and its trappings), respectively. And that's the reason WHY they are popular tourist destinations. Do you disagree? If you disagree, show your work.
He complains and cries when anyone says anything negative about Florida. I dont think its a shot at all.
He calls Sf and La cesspools and he called yours "shots".
Hilarious. But that's what he is.
I wouldn't expect anything .
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,568,606 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by bus man
Philadelphia and Boston are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to Colonial history. Philadelphia has Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell; Boston has Faneuil Hall and the Old North Church. Metro Philadelphia has Valley Forge; metro Boston has Lexington and Concord. And so on. Both cities also have some outstanding cultural amenities. They both have Ivy League universities. And they're both very walkable. But Boston feels more vibrant, more interesting, more of a "let's hang out and enjoy people watching" kind of place.
Where Washington excels is its museums. Sure, Boston and Philadelphia both have some great ones. (The Philadelphia Museum of Art is famous for Rocky running up the steps, but any art lover would be in heaven perusing its collections.) But the Smithsonian truly is in a class by itself. Even people who generally aren't interested in museums can find ones that are of interest to them in Washington. And for anyone interested in history or art or aviation or culture or pretty much anything else that can be housed in a museum, the Smithsonian is truly a must-do bucket list item.
And on another note . . . all three of these cities have subway systems. But the one in Washington absolutely blows the other two out of the water. There is no other system in America that is anywhere near as grand as Washington's. Boston's system is tolerable. Philadelphia's is pretty dumpy. About the only good I can say for it is that it's convenient for getting from the main Amtrak train station to Independence Hall. Otherwise, forget it.
And since we're comparing these cities based on appeal to tourists, I'll say that Washington is the easiest to get to. It is served by three commercial airports, whereas the other two are served by one each. (Unless you want to make the case that the greater Boston area is served by the Providence and Manchester airports.) All three of these cities are served by Interstate 95 plus one interstate from the west; and all three of them are served by Amtrak.
All that said, when you visit Philadelphia, stand at the top of the Art Museum steps and look down the Ben Franklin Parkway. It's one of the best urban views in America. And be sure to have a cheesesteak; they're delicious.
What's up with you and this intense defending of Philly? As a metro region it is not on the same tier for tourism as DC/SF/Chicago and probably after Boston as well. The others are closer to each other in terms of what they offer to tourists. Philly being just after that bunch is not a knock on the area. Sorry if that pinches a nerve for you. You're extremely quick in your responses to "bump DC down where it belongs", without even soaking up the knowledge of what the National Capital region offers, and why it's risen to the stature it has. You seem to be much more of a DC naysayer that maybe needs to do a bit more research, than I am of any favorite of anywhere.
This is about what places offer the most for tourists.
NY/LA tier
DC/SF/Chicago and possibly Boston tier a couple of those you have to expand to the metro area. I'd say Chicago and DC easily offer the most in the city.
Then Philly is not too far behind both city in metro for tourism attractions, along with a number of other cities.
The 1-10 order not super important here, the below video of Watch Mojo listing of 10 must see cities in the US.
Philadelphia is not even mentioned the entire video, even honorable mentions went to Seattle, Denver, Orlando, and Nashville.
I will list my points to keep it organized.
1. You are extremely quick to defend DC in almost every thread I see. I only comment on Philadelphia when I see someone (like you) short changing the city or region, for whatever reasons.
I also do not place Philadelphia in an unrealistic position, I place it where it belongs with DC, Boston and San Fran...
You often put DC on a pedestal basically as a peer to NYC or LA. I knock DC down to its realistic group with San Fran, Boston and Philadelphia. All three cities/metros are nearly equal in terms of offerings to residents and tourists. There is no reason why Philadelphia should be ranked lower, they are all very strong peer cities/regions with individual strong points.
(I will give DC a bump for the Smithsonian though). (And Chicago is a tier above these 4 when measuring just the city).
2. You still did not answer my question as to why Philadelphia Metro is not on par with Chicago, San Fran, DC, or Boston. Metro Philadelphia includes Valley Forge Park, Longwood Gardens, dozens of walk-able historic towns, museums, vineyards, shopping, notable institutions, beach access, and Amish country just outside of the metro. I am struggling to see how any of the other metros (except maybe San Fran) offer more.... I love Chicago as a city, but the metro region probably ranks last in this group as far as offerings go.
I don't expect a thoughtful response, but I will say, don't let your personal favoritism get in the way of reality. Yes, I favor Philadelphia (my old home), but it 100% belongs in the tier with San Fran, DC and Boston. That is a very fair and realistic view and it doesn't knock DC in any way... (I place Chicago city above the others, but not metro).
3. One ranking from Mojo holds limited merit... National Geographic featured Philadelphia as one of the best cities to visit in 2020... pretty good press. (pre-Covid of course).
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderFella7
In fairness though, they "intensely" defend Philadelphia like you "intensely" defend Washington DC... Most people are going to defend "their city" if they feel like someone isn't giving it the credit they feel it deserves or if they feel their city is being degraded.
I honestly love Washington DC and you're not going to hear me knock it. It absolutely has an abundance of sights and monuments and tourist areas - it's one of my favorite cities and regions. I do feel like Philadelphia is being short changed in this conversation though. I understand that your opinion is yours and rightly so, but their opinion of Philadelphia and it being on the same playing field is valid in my book.
The WatchMojo video, while interesting is subjective. I could make my own list that may look totally different from theirs. Doesn't make my list correct and theirs wrong or vice-versa.
Philadelphia is a city at the top of my to visit list (and I acknowledge I am only one person). I personally find the history and amenities catering to that history to be quite fascinating whereas other cities mentioned may not be my cup of tea, so to speak. I can understand that all the historical sights may not be everybody's "thing", but activities in other cities mentioned wouldn't score points with me personally. I would say Philadelphia is on par with the Chicago/San Francisco/Washington DC/Boston group.
Outside Philadelphia city limits there is Valley Forge, Wilmington, DE, Trenton, NJ, The Amish Village and Atlantic City, NJ (both just a little over an hour drive away) and just over an hour away is a train trip to both New York City among other things. It's not any worse for amenities than these other cities being mentioned.
Very good post and thank you for answering in objective manner
Your post was pretty much my original point but stated in a more concise manner.
Last edited by cpomp; 07-23-2020 at 08:23 AM..
Reason: edit
The top sights according to TripAdvisor is the Billy Graham Library. #2 is a park. #3 is NASCAR Hall of Fame, and #4/5 are stadiums.
Really underwhelming to say the least.
If you're using TripAdvisor (and I use trip advisor a lot. I even have their app) to exclusively gage what to do in any area, then I don't know what to say. That's a poor way to judge what there is to do anywhere. I travel extensively and know this. It bases its "ranking" on Tripadvisor-only reviews. That's just too narrow to be either objective or accurate.
*Just the museums uptown, 3/4 of a day (a full day easily if you have kids).
*U.S. National Whitewater Center, 2 days to relaxingly enjoy everything. It's a one-of-a-kind property.
*Carowinds Theme Park & Water Park, a day/day and a half.
*2 state parks in the metro, NASCAR speedway, Splash Planet Indoor Waterpark, NFL/NBA/MLS teams, Latta Nature Preserve & Raptor Center, 3 state parks in the area (Lake Norman SP, Crowder's Mountain SP, Kings Mountain SP), are some of the other things off the top of my head. The Billy Graham Center is actually a very interesting place to visit and it's free. It's a stunningly gorgeous property. Even non-religious people find it interesting and relaxing.
So I really can't take this list seriously when Charlotte ranks on par with Fresno, CA in the number of things to do, lol. In reality, for its size, there is a lot to do.
If you're using TripAdvisor (and I use trip advisor a lot. I even have their app) to exclusively gage what to do in any area, then I don't know what to say. That's a poor way to judge what there is to do anywhere. I travel extensively and know this. It bases its "ranking" on Tripadvisor-only reviews. That's just too narrow to be either objective or accurate.
*Just the museums uptown, 3/4 of a day (a full day easily if you have kids).
*U.S. National Whitewater Center, 2 days to relaxingly enjoy everything. It's a one-of-a-kind property.
*Carowinds Theme Park & Water Park, a day/day and a half.
*2 state parks in the metro, NASCAR speedway, Splash Planet Indoor Waterpark, NFL/NBA/MLS teams, Latta Nature Preserve & Raptor Center, 3 state parks in the area (Lake Norman SP, Crowder's Mountain SP, Kings Mountain SP), are some of the other things off the top of my head. The Billy Graham Center is actually a very interesting place to visit and it's free. It's a stunningly gorgeous property. Even non-religious people find it interesting and relaxing.
So I really can't take this list seriously when Charlotte ranks on par with Fresno, CA in the number of things to do, lol. In reality, for its size, there is a lot to do.
Philadelphia and Boston are pretty much neck and neck when it comes to Colonial history. Philadelphia has Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell; Boston has Faneuil Hall and the Old North Church. Metro Philadelphia has Valley Forge; metro Boston has Lexington and Concord. And so on. Both cities also have some outstanding cultural amenities. They both have Ivy League universities. And they're both very walkable. But Boston feels more vibrant, more interesting, more of a "let's hang out and enjoy people watching" kind of place.
Where Washington excels is its museums. Sure, Boston and Philadelphia both have some great ones. (The Philadelphia Museum of Art is famous for Rocky running up the steps, but any art lover would be in heaven perusing its collections.) But the Smithsonian truly is in a class by itself. Even people who generally aren't interested in museums can find ones that are of interest to them in Washington. And for anyone interested in history or art or aviation or culture or pretty much anything else that can be housed in a museum, the Smithsonian is truly a must-do bucket list item.
And on another note . . . all three of these cities have subway systems. But the one in Washington absolutely blows the other two out of the water. There is no other system in America that is anywhere near as grand as Washington's. Boston's system is tolerable. Philadelphia's is pretty dumpy. About the only good I can say for it is that it's convenient for getting from the main Amtrak train station to Independence Hall. Otherwise, forget it.
And since we're comparing these cities based on appeal to tourists, I'll say that Washington is the easiest to get to. It is served by three commercial airports, whereas the other two are served by one each. (Unless you want to make the case that the greater Boston area is served by the Providence and Manchester airports.) All three of these cities are served by Interstate 95 plus one interstate from the west; and all three of them are served by Amtrak.
All that said, when you visit Philadelphia, stand at the top of the Art Museum steps and look down the Ben Franklin Parkway. It's one of the best urban views in America. And be sure to have a cheesesteak; they're delicious.
While I agree with your assessment regarding Philadelphia's Colonial history and strong arts and some other tourist charms, you give Philly transit a very unfair jab.
The subway, elevated and LRT (subway-surface lines) take visitors many places in the city other than just from the Amtrak station to Independence Hall. The Broad Street subway takes visitors to the sports complex in South Philly, as well as to many vibrant, row-house/retail neighborhoods, esp along Passyunk Ave (Tasker-Morris Station), the vibrant revitalized "Met" concert hall and gentrified neighborhood (Girard), the Temple U campus/town (Temple) and the South Broad Arts District (Lombard-South).
The Market Street El takes you to bustling Olde City/Penn's Landing waterfront (2nd Street), the new sprawling, diverse Fashion District shopping/entertainment complex (11th Street), and the red hot, vibrant neighborhoods of Northern Liberties (Spring Garden St) and Fishtown (Girard).
The LRT lines, in tandem with the el, blanket West Philly, esp vibrant University City, Powellton Village and the near West/S.W area around the Univ of the Sciences...
The fast 24/7 PATCO subway/commuter rail line to NJ takes you to Camden's revitalized downtown and waterfront, Philly's vibrant "Gayborhood" along Locust near 13th St. and upscale/vibrant Rittenhouse Square.
And then Philly's electrified, 13-line comprehensive/connected Regional Rail system (the only Euro S-Bahn-type system in the US), brings you in from the airport and covers such interesting neighborhoods as Chestnut Hill, Manayunk, Mt. Airy and others (as well as University City), along with a slew of interesting/charming suburban areas, like the Ardmore shops, historic Doylestown, Jenkintown, Glenside, Media, Norristown, and many, many other similar spots....
I'd say, transit-wise, Philly is as good or better than Boston... OK, nobody has the fancy, extensive DC Metro, but that doesn't make Philly transit bad... quite the contrary. The high-speed rail network covers the metro area comprehensively, including those old charming London-like neighborhoods for which Philly is justly noted.
Navy Pier, the Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park and Brookfield Zoos, Field Museum of Natural History, the Planetarium, 6 Flags, Willis and Hancock observatories, Michigan Avenue Shopping, the Architectural Riverboat tour, Double Decker City Tours, Cubs and Sox (pre-covid), beaches ( again pre-covid) the Bean and Milennium Park, Maggie Daley Park, Buckingham fountain, tons of great restaurants, and many interesting neighborhoods that can take days to explore, and I could go on. Come on...............
yeah, and now you can get murdered/shot/robbed in almost of this attractions in that once great city!
you forgot to mention THOSE "selling" points..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
