"Germantown's obvious, yet elusive, potential"

[AJNEOA]

Thanks for the information. I was wondering what that huge area of dirt and construction was going to be. I see it daily on my ride to work. What I can't tell is whether the neighborhoods around Wayne Junction and even Wister are good or bad. Or maybe something in between. I saw a pack of young white guys walking down one of the streets from the train the other day and they looked like they were up to no good.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

Thanks for the information. I was wondering what that huge area of dirt and construction was going to be. I see it daily on my ride to work. What I can't tell is whether the neighborhoods around Wayne Junction and even Wister are good or bad. Or maybe something in between. I saw a pack of young white guys walking down one of the streets from the train the other day and they looked like they were up to no good.

Lol-my dad has joked for several years now that Germantown is going downhill because "all he sees is white people" there now. He also would always tells us to lock the doors and be careful when we would arrive in Boston suburbia to visit family lol.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Lol-my dad has joked for several years now that Germantown is going downhill because "all he sees is white people" there now. He also would always tells us to lock the doors and be careful when we would arrive in Boston suburbia to visit family lol.

I posted a photo I took from my front porch to Facebook a couple of months ago.

I gave it a channeling-The-Sixth-Sense headline:

"I see white people."

I've even run into them at the laundromat, and getting on and off the 18 bus on occasion.

Guess it's time for me to move.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I posted a photo I took from my front porch to Facebook a couple of months ago.

I gave it a channeling-The-Sixth-Sense headline:

"I see white people."

I've even run into them at the laundromat, and getting on and off the 18 bus on occasion.

Guess it's time for me to move.

I'd say so

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Lol-my dad has joked for several years now that Germantown is going downhill because "all he sees is white people" there now. He also would always tells us to lock the doors and be careful when we would arrive in Boston suburbia to visit family lol.

I get the joke, but these guys were up to no good, seriously. They reminded me of the guys that Will Hunting and his crew beat up at the playground in GWH.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

I get the joke, but these guys were up to no good, seriously. They reminded me of the guys that Will Hunting and his crew beat up at the playground in GWH.

I often see "rough" looking white guys/girls in Germantown because they are here for the methadone clinics--I think many take the K/J/26 from Frankford/Bridesburg/Lawncrest etc. and they tend to congregate in groups (especially at MickeyDs lol) So it's definitely possible.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

Thanks for the information. I was wondering what that huge area of dirt and construction was going to be. I see it daily on my ride to work. What I can't tell is whether the neighborhoods around Wayne Junction and even Wister are good or bad. Or maybe something in between. I saw a pack of young white guys walking down one of the streets from the train the other day and they looked like they were up to no good.

It's hard for people who live only in or around Center City to come to terms with how actual big of a city it is. And not just being downtown around tall buildings - but actually going into the vast majority of the geographic area of the city that typically doesn't get publicized and visited. And much of it falls into this "is this bad or something in between" question.

Since you live at a farther end of the city, you ought to take the 23 joyride all the way downtown for fun one time. It's quite the tour. I actually do it once a week now, ever since the weekend Chestnut Hill East schedule was changed so that I can either get downtown 25 minutes before work (not enough time) or 1:25 before work (too much time). It's a good tour of the city.

Not a whole lot of white people around the lower depths of Germantown, although the few that are there do tend to have a rough exterior.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

It's hard for people who live only in or around Center City to come to terms with how actual big of a city it is. And not just being downtown around tall buildings - but actually going into the vast majority of the geographic area of the city that typically doesn't get publicized and visited. And much of it falls into this "is this bad or something in between" question.

Since you live at a farther end of the city, you ought to take the 23 joyride all the way downtown for fun one time. It's quite the tour. I actually do it once a week now, ever since the weekend Chestnut Hill East schedule was changed so that I can either get downtown 25 minutes before work (not enough time) or 1:25 before work (too much time). It's a good tour of the city.

Not a whole lot of white people around the lower depths of Germantown, although the few that are there do tend to have a rough exterior.

I was at a workshop today where the subject was improving the quality of local news reporting in Germantown and better engaging the community in shaping the news.

One of the attendees, who managed the Johnson House historic site, complained that the Visit Philly folks do not mention Germantown at all when they advise visitors of historic attractions to see in and around the city and that they either don't put out or bury the materials promoting Germantown historic sites. She stated that they believe the area is "too dangerous" for tourists to visit.

I didn't go off over this, but needless to say, I agreed with her sentiment. I think you've seen me post here about the likelihood of someone being a victim of crime even in a "rough neighborhood."

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

It's hard for people who live only in or around Center City to come to terms with how actual big of a city it is. And not just being downtown around tall buildings - but actually going into the vast majority of the geographic area of the city that typically doesn't get publicized and visited. And much of it falls into this "is this bad or something in between" question.

Since you live at a farther end of the city, you ought to take the 23 joyride all the way downtown for fun one time. It's quite the tour. I actually do it once a week now, ever since the weekend Chestnut Hill East schedule was changed so that I can either get downtown 25 minutes before work (not enough time) or 1:25 before work (too much time). It's a good tour of the city.

Not a whole lot of white people around the lower depths of Germantown, although the few that are there do tend to have a rough exterior.

Very good point. The size of Philly is hard to grasp. When I lived in South Philly, I would try to go to other areas to take advantage of what the city offered, but I'd often go months without leaving SP and CC. My running ground was remarkably small in size, and that's partly because those two parts of the city offer so much.

But, I did always value the NW part of the city. Having visited Mt. Airy and CH once each, I remember thinking that the beauty and urbanism was excellent.

And speaking to MSL's note on Germantown historic sites not getting proper publicity, I agree. I visited once last year when they had their annual reenactments, etc. and it wasn't heavily advertised. Also, not knowing the area well, there wasn't the typical tourism feel and there were some dead spots that struck me as underwhelming. That's largely because of my ignorance, but aside from reading something online, how else was I supposed to carve up realistic expectations?

The reality is that the Germantown Historic Sites are mixed in with Germantown's weaker commercial corridor south of Mt. Airy and it really needs a boost. Plus, the city should advertise the wonders of the city tied into public transportation. Philly seems to be stuck with this "we'll advertise if you can walk to it from Center City", and that kind of sucks. Even Passyunk Square is under-sold for what it has to offer. People take uber while our subways and RR don't tie in well enough with getting tourists to places like these. Both should enable tourists and residents alike to getting to other places in the city. Even many residents don't use the subway (crazy to me).