Is Boston Anything Like Philly? I hope not . . . (Cambridge, Brookline: real estate, 2014)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by pandas&presents

I prefer Philadelphia to Boston tremendously. I guess it depends on what part of Philly you are trapped in. My experience is from the Far Northeast corner up near the Bucks County line and then also the area of Roxborough bordering the Wissahickon. They are both decent spots although family oriented and not yuppie like, say, Queen Village.
I would agree the things you do not like about Philly are all things that you would find in Boston. I don't find people here all that liberal. I come to Boston via New York though, so I guess it's all relative. People here absolutely act like Philadelphians when it comes to sports and like New Yorkers when it comes to driving. Bostonians are not extraordinarily friendly - typical big city IMO. A coworker got drunk once and started blathering about how the Irish in Boston take care of their own. I mean, I guess you can say this about any racial group but I don't know if it takes on new meaning with Boston's Irish or not. Social class in Boston is more defined than in Philly. There are places here where I would just not feel welcome, especially as a minority. Unless you are lucky enough to have ties to one of the big universities, culture is difficult to access here and is more reserved for the elite IMO. High culture events pass through town only occasionally. Ticket prices for dance and classical music concerts here are generally astronomical. Lectures by good speakers often require nutty admission fees or are not announced to the general public. It costs over $25 for admission to the MFA, and they do not have a free first Sunday every month like the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Barnes. There is a "suggested donation" Wednesday, but the suggested donation is $25.
When I told my boss at my last job that I wasn't crazy about the idea of moving to Boston, he compared it to Philly (LIES!) It's not at all like Portland or Seattle. Boston is about the water in good weather - boats, beaches (not that nice), and seafood. Also, sports and beer. Generally, the same kind of people as in Philly. Boston's a bit nicer in appearance if you do not like the blight in North or West Philly. Trade off is traffic here is HORRENDOUS.
HTH

I second all this. Boston Irish people ha e certain lay let me j own how they take care of their own or whatever. The class divides are so stark here, its like england. If you did get stuck in lower middle class Boston is its not as much fun and lively as lower middle class Philadelphia in terms of how much access to entertainment your dollar will give you but the people are just as miserable and have the same propensity for litter and vulgarity. Although there less loud and in your face, also a little more say urban in built environment. But the upper classes of Bostonia live in very very small urban areas in terms of square mileage and then they live in a decent swath of quite spread out suburbia to the north and west minus the southern coast which is downright aquatic semi rural suburbia.

In Philly people are more open minded and the rich live a little nicer but are a smaller crown. People in Philly may be even more clannish than boston which is hard to imagine. But if guess its because they get fewer transplants.

But to be short no Boston is not like Seattle or Portland. Its east coast with a big contingent of those type of people in

Cambridge, Arlington, lexington, sommerville, allston, watertown, brookline, Jamaica plain, Charlestown, and malden. The thing is that 10 towns and neighborhoods..not even 10 full towns in The 150 town or so greater boston area. In the city there isareo many astronomically rich people an then a glut of section 8 housing, housing projects, affordable housing and multigeneratiinally owned housing that the Seattle Portland hipster types are barely thought of in municipal governments and functions ...on top of that most don't actually live in the city proper to vote and then when they do they dont vote because theyre 23 years old. The colleges and the hipsters make their voices heard all on their own. Colleges buy up land for their own developments or come to the city with ideas on how to make boston more student friendly and they have success because city councilors hear money talking. Then the students graduate they get involved with their gentrified neighorhoods for 5 to 10 years and realize they've got actual important life goals to get done and move.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by scratchie

Bite your tongue. They're "steak and cheese" and they're awesome.

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Steak & cheese and cheese steak are two different things IMO.

Sidetrack alert: Cheesesteak is the one Philadelphia is famous for.

Steak and Cheese is a slice of cheese melted on top of the cooked meat. In a Cheesesteak, the cheese is chopped and mixed into the meat and the mix is grilled together. Same as a chopped salad vs a regular salad.

Willy's Phillys in Maynard Center does a pretty good one.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

But the upper classes of Bostonia live in very very small urban areas in terms of square mileage and then they live in a decent swath of quite spread out suburbia to the north and west minus the southern coast which is downright aquatic semi rural suburbia.

The upper classes in Boston can be blissfully ignorant of the lower classes because of the local geography. Boston proper is pretty much all affluent and forms the apex of a wide wedge of continuous affluent settlement to the west, northwest and southwest. In other words, you can go from Beacon Hill through Back Bay through Coolidge Corner, Chestnut Hill, Newton, and Wellesley without coming anywhere near a working class district. Or out from Boston through Harvard Sq and Belmont, Lincoln, and Concord. Or southwest along the Jamaicaway to Needham or Dedham and Dover, Sherborn, etc. All without sight of or contact with any poor people. They are all safely tucked away to the south and north. In Phila the wealthy live in Center City, on the Main Line, and in Chestnut Hill. Center City is surrounded by some pretty terrible areas, especially North and West Philadelphia and Camden. I'm sure it's gotten better in West and North Philly than I remember it but even today, if you look out the window of the sleek electric trains from Suburban Station or 30th Street on your trip to Rosemont or Chestnut Hill you see miles of gritty landscapes, dilapidated rowhouses, etc.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by sparklingforest

Philadelphia is less gentrified than Boston. The Boston metro is segregated by income and class. Salem is the dirtiest place I've lived. Go to places like Revere and Everett. It may feel exactly like Philadelphia.

I am in Philly constantly on business. This captures the main difference. In metro-Boston, all the affluent areas are white and professional-Asian. Real estate is so expensive that neighborhoods that were sketchy or downright frightening 30 years ago are now completely gentrified. Metro-Philly is a much larger city and a lot less affluent. The Philly metro-area median income is about 30% less than metro-Boston. Philly is 44% African American. There are enclave suburbs but within the city proper, you have sketchy neighborhoods and Section 8 housing walking distance from any of the desirable housing. Most affluent people live in the enclave suburbs. Camden, NJ across the river is downright frightening and metro-Boston has nothing like that. Metro-Boston has mostly pushed their poorest people out to the decaying mill cities as the privately owned Section 8 housing inside 128 went away.

Boston has all the cultural drawbacks of any of the dense-pack eastern cities. Everybody is in a hurry. Everybody is pissed off because they're late because of traffic jams or problems with public transportation. If you're looking for slow pace friendly rural American culture, it ain't to be found in Boston.

[Urban Peasant]

You'll find dirty, aggressive, and irate people everywhere in the nation, Boston included. You don't even have to look hard to find them, just walk or drive on the streets or ride the T often enough and you'll see there everywhere. I live in Dorchester and we have many streets that are covered in litter with the occasional loudmouth spewing abrasive rhetoric out in open public. What's the difference between that and say Kingsessing, Philly? You'll find clean, friendly, and responsible people everywhere too. I don't think the O.P.'s reasons for considering Boston are the best reasons to leave Philly. Better comparisons are flat city to hilly city, job prospects, cost of living, etc.

[bostonguy1960]

OP -- there's likeky more over-educated people here than in the Philly area (grew up there during adolescence). So, depending on whether you have an advanced degree (I sure don't) or professional pursuits, Boston could be more competitive than Philly, leaving some frustrated.

Yes, I realize Philly has University of Pennsylvania, the renowned Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, along with a cool skykine now, arts and a great restaurant scene....

It's also hotter and muggier than Boston in the summer.

[dravogadro]

I would check out Minneapolis over Boston. Two downsides to Minneapolis for me was that it is hard to find a job with a decent commute and it is in the middle of nowhere (which you may experience being from Philly where you can drive to most major cities within 8 hours/1-2 hr flight).

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

I would check out Minneapolis over Boston. Two downsides to Minneapolis for me was that it is hard to find a job with a decent commute and it is in the middle of nowhere (which you may experience being from Philly where you can drive to most major cities within 8 hours/1-2 hr flight).

Might as well check out Cleveland and Pittsburgh then, if the OP is willing to leave the East Coast.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Might as well check out Cleveland and Pittsburgh then, if the OP is willing to leave the East Coast.

I just read that Cleveland ranked 10th this year in startups while Boston only ranked 26th. Ohio had it so hard economically for a long time. Is there some kind of Midwest renaissance happening that we aren't aware of.

[bolehboleh]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

I just read that Cleveland ranked 10th this year in startups while Boston only ranked 26th. Ohio had it so hard economically for a long time. Is there some kind of Midwest renaissance happening that we aren't aware of.

Maybe so, but Cleveland is still a pretty boring city. Pittsburgh is a nice alternative, though