NY is not comparable to Philadelphia (York: credit, homes, neighborhoods)

[sheila.e]

Hey everyone my username is Shelia E and i am a new member on this forum. I hope i will get along and develop great conversations on here.

I was reading the NY vs Philly thread and i could not help but respond to this thread.

I am from Philly and i love it here but i have been to NY more then one occasions and NY does not compare to PhillyI am not being bias but in terms of residence, architecture and culture Philadelphia is much more unique. Philadelphia to me is underrated because of the fact that it does not try to be NYC. Phialdelphia has it's own history, culture and it is the place where innovation starts. Philadelphia is still the cultural center of America. NYC is the mecca of an American city.
Philadelphis is much more liveable and there are bad parts just like any other city. Philadelphia has the most unique architecture in the east coast.

Philadelphia downtown is a collage of different European cities the The Parkway reminds me of Champs Elyses in Paris. The Museums and Library is Greek influenced. Olde City reminds me of Kesington in London.

[NJPhilliesPhan]

I agree, excellent post.

[rotodome]

I agree that they're not very comparable. So it's strange that people seem to always try to compare them, but I guess that's what happens when the two largest cities on the east coast are practically right next to each other. I don't see why it has to be a competition, though.

Philly is a unique and great city in lots of ways. NYC is just on another order of magnitude - literally, not figuratively. I mean, just Brooklyn alone is larger than the populations of Philly and DC combined. Of course they are going to be very different, since NYC is more than 5x the size of Philly. You wouldn't try compare Philly to a city 5x smaller than it in an apples-to-apples type way either.

I lived in Philly (not the burbs) for over 30 years, and in NYC for 6. I love Philly, and believe me I fully relate to the chest-pounding, but without taking anything away from the greatness of Philadelphia, I don't really agree with your assessments.
I would NOT understate the history, architecture, cultural importance or innovation of NYC, nor it's diversity. And when I say diversity I don't mean that in terms of types of people so much as in the different types of places and experiences one can have within the city (all 5 boroughs). It's taken me years of living in NY, and discovering things, because there is a lot to discover that you don't pick up on just visiting, but I have grudgingly come to respect these things about NYC. "Livability" is very subjective, but in some ways I think NYC can actually be much more livable then Philly (and in other ways, much less).

One thing that Philly has in spades that I largely miss in NYC is a more intimate sense of neighborhoods, where people and things are less anonymous, and less transient. A friend of mine, also from Philly but currently living in NY, put it this way when he said "No one OWNS New York". And that rang true for me as the difference in the way Philadelphians tend to feel about Philly.
There's also this unique brand of laid back, relaxed kind of crazy creativity in Philly that I love. I think a lot of the Type 'A' creative types in Philly have tended to do their thing in NYC anyway, and often just move here (resulting in NYC unfairly getting some of the originator credit, which I think is one beef Philly has with NYC).

I do agree that parts of London feel a lot like Philly. But truthfully it's no more than they feel like parts of NYC. All three of those cities have a LOT of shared history. I was a grad student in London, and I found those similarities fascinating.
Taking into account the fire of London in 1666 (which prompted the rebuilding of most of London, and is also right around the time NYC and Philly were being founded as English cities), the three cities all have their physical/architectural roots as 17th-18th century English cities. When it was still part of the British Empire Philly was the second largest English speaking city in the world, after London. The vernacular architecture of Philly and NYC and post-fire London were all influenced by post-fire London building codes, which gives them a distinctive look.

Which city do I like better? Tough call. But I'm looking forward to moving back to Philly in a couple of years with my family.

[john_starks]

sheila.e - great name lol

hell of a drummer!

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by john_starks

sheila.e - great name lol

hell of a drummer!

So says the Hoops player

[cpomp]

i agree completely. i grew up in the suburbs of philadelphia, which are much different than the city. people also forget that philadelphia has some of the most beautiful and glamorous suburbs in the country. The entirety of philly is great. The city has such a mix, that is why I love it. You get a true city feel when your in philly. There are rich areas, there are poor areas, there is a lot culture, a great history, philly in one of the oldest cities in the country, and there is a story behind every building and every site. It also feels more real to me. New york is full of tourists, and manhattan especially lacks culture, because it is all high rises and big business. The food in philly is also some of the best in the world.

[rsrobbins]

I've been exploring both New York City and Philadelphia as a tourist and the biggest difference between the two cities from my perspective is that NYC is far richer in cultural associations than Philly. There are thousands of movies and novels set in NYC which elevates the city in my imagination. It is inspiring just to be in NYC. Philly has far fewer movies or novels to contribute to its mystique.

After watching many episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Parking Wars, Philadelphia is gaining some mystique for me. And there are a few obscure novels by writers like Duane Swierczynski which tell exciting stories set in the city. I recently read Amish Snow by Roger Rheinheimer which gets into the relationship between Philly and rural PA.

[john_starks]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

So says the Hoops player

i wish i was john starks

i would've dunked on mj

[sindey]

AWWW you guys are making me homesick. I live in Phoenix,AZ now & you can take the girl outta Philly but, you can never take the Philly outta the girl.........

Philly is a wonderful old city with some of the greatest neighborhoods that I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.

[Davante]

The girl above explained my point. I'm speechless though. WOW! Tell me more about Philia, or Philadelphia because I planned on moving there.