This City is So Under-rated (Philadelphia, York: renting, insurance, university)

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by rainrock

One thing Philadelphia must do is improve its appearance. We all know the city is poor, and fixing the overall city is impossible, that will take 100- 200 years.

What the city has to do is prioritize,pick it spots to help it market itself. I ride up 95 and 26th st/76 heading toward Center City and it has a grimy unkempt feel to it. Oozes post industrial toxic wasteland. It leaves a Why the eff am I here sentiment.

They need to invest a couple hundred million dollars just on improving the look of the city between the airport and Center City. Currently its the same bad look it has been for the past 75 years. They did paint the Schuylkill bridges but other than that its just a bad scene. Like I never ever have to come back here again. A few years ago I was so excited when I heard Sunoco was closing down their Schuylkill refineries , long term hope was finally possible. Not surprisingly I was equally disappointed when they ended up saving the refineries.

Agreed. As petty as it seems, people definitely still do judge books by their cover. If someone's first introduction to the Philly area is coming up I-95 through Chester and sees the grittiest most industrialized parts of the metro, I can't say I blame them for not being enticed to explore the city further. Focusing on beautifying these types of corridors is something that would not necessarily be easy (lots of remediation would be requires in some areas), and it would definitely require some inter-municipal cooperation -- but I think it would really work wonders for improving the city/region's image.

It can also start with some relatively low-cost steps like tree-planting and much better litter control (the roadside litter is pretty obscene on some major roads).

[pman]

Originally Posted by Duderino

...

It can also start with some relatively low-cost steps like tree-planting and much better litter control (the roadside litter is pretty obscene on some major roads).

if you replace the word can with the phrase "has to" you're going to be on track. the "mural" on the airport's garage is part of the gateway project I mentioned. not everyone enters the city from the south and the city has bigger problems than working refineries being next to the highway. it's hard to imagine the city taking anyone seriously that doesn't see that.

[UL885]

Originally Posted by CarbonCountyLiving

I've been officially living in Philly proper for just over two months now. I've lived in the burbs before, and in other cities, but I just have to rave about how underrated this city is.

On Friday, a friend and I wandered around Center City in the gorgeous weather, chilled out in Washington Square West, and had an amazing lunch at Strangelove's with a cute bartender and waiter (and I defy anyone to find a restaurant around here without a hot bartender/waiter!)

Saturday we went to the South Street Festival with friends, hung out at Penn's Landing, then to The Good King for some amazing beer and their Chocolate Pot de Creme.

I've yet to have a bad meal in this city, and I've met more nice people around here than I did in the four years I lived in Carbon County.

I'm not saying that Philly doesn't have its issues. The garbage thing is a bit annoying. Obviously there are crime issues in some sections of the city. But I gotta say--I'm loving it here!

Our daughter lives in Philly and has begged us not to tell others how great it is - she doesn't want it to become another gentrified, hipster town de jour

[UL885]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

I love Philly more than my own city.

So do I - and have my NY home on the market so I can move to Philly asap!

[*Sweetkisses*]

Lets try to keep this thread positive. There are countless other threads to complain about Phillys woes ...

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

I don't really think Germantown is "discovered" though. The westside has kind of been doing it's own thing for a long time, and not much has really changed-both in good and bad ways. My sister and I sometimes think of West Germantown as the "true Mount Airy" that has even more of the broad socio-economic diversity that Mount Airy is more known for. Sometimes Germantown can feel even more "crunchy and granola" than Mount Airy, although that is certainly debatable having grown up in EMA. Much of East Germantown is in rough shape with entrenched poverty.

Me either - that's what I like about it now, and would really, really love about it in a city where the avenues responded to the needs of the neighborhoods more.

But on the topic of things being under-rated, Germantown is seriously underrated. Proximity to Center City and lack of a thriving local-oriented business district aside, the basics are all here in Central Germantown (3 supermarkets, 3 pharmacies, and a few decent dollar stores) in a more or less walkable area, and good transit. Having been around Philadelphia, I think if people can get out of the mindset of needing walking distance to Center City, Germantown offers a much better urban experience than the developing neighborhoods closer to downtown (Brewerytown, Point Breeze, Francisville, and what have you).

Feel free to PM me if you wanted to carry on, as I agree with sentiment of keeping the thread on topic

[pman]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

Me either - that's what I like about it now, and would really, really love about it in a city where the avenues responded to the needs of the neighborhoods more.

But on the topic of things being under-rated, Germantown is seriously underrated. Proximity to Center City and lack of a thriving local-oriented business district aside, the basics are all here in Central Germantown (3 supermarkets, 3 pharmacies, and a few decent dollar stores) in a more or less walkable area, and good transit. Having been around Philadelphia, I think if people can get out of the mindset of needing walking distance to Center City, Germantown offers a much better urban experience than the developing neighborhoods closer to downtown (Brewerytown, Point Breeze, Francisville, and what have you).

Feel free to PM me if you wanted to carry on, as I agree with sentiment of keeping the thread on topic

how is germantown a better urban experience than francisville? in francisville you often have roofdeck overlooking the city, subway service, walking distance to the art museum, center city, and trolley service to fishtown and northern liberties...if you're a biker it's a short ride to a lot of places. parking is tight but not unreasonable. germantown is very nice in parts and is certainly underrated but I'm not sure I'd say "better urban experience." francisville seems more on its way to realizing its potential than germantown (vernon park should be a gem)

[Larry Bowa]

My neighborhood is better than your neighborhood ... lol

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by pman

how is germantown a better urban experience than francisville? in francisville you often have roofdeck overlooking the city, subway service, walking distance to the art museum, center city, and trolley service to fishtown and northern liberties...if you're a biker it's a short ride to a lot of places. parking is tight but not unreasonable. germantown is very nice in parts and is certainly underrated but I'm not sure I'd say "better urban experience." francisville seems more on its way to realizing its potential than germantown (vernon park should be a gem)

Look, there are all kinds of different things one looks at when picking a neighborhood in the city. It's got nothing to do with a neighborhood being better than another one - which is always going to be a matter of opinion

If you want to walk to the art museum (how many times per week can you really do that, by the way? I like art and all but needing to be within walking distance to a major art museum takes a pretty specific kind of person), sit on a roofdeck looking at Comcast and feeling good about yourself, or have extremely close proximity to Center City (like I said) you look for one thing. Heck, if you're looking for return on investment, a lot of these neighborhoods are a better option - and I imagine that's actually a larger part of what you're seeing as these neighborhoods get rebuilt, folks with relatively modest means seeing a chance to make some good money over time.

What I'm saying - I'm a person who has never lived in a city neighborhood without multiple real grocery stores within walking distance selling real food stuffs like meat, produce, and grains, or near multiple basic services. For the vast, vast majority of people who are cooking dinner, doing laundry, taking care of their kids, and cleaning bathrooms more often than they are going to the art museum, a neighborhood that provides easy, immediate access to the mundane everyday needs allows our pathetic lives to be a whole lot more convenient and enjoyable - a big part of why the city is superior in my opinion. Center City is GREAT for this - but I don't know that the cost analysis really adds up for the vast majority of people. There are a BUNCH of places that also do it very well - but aren't really scaled to the pedestrian. And yes, I would continue to argue that there are a few neighborhoods, Germantown included (but there are certainly others that have been pointed out here), that do a better job of this than the neighborhoods on the fringes of Greater Center City that are currently in rebuilding mode. In 10, 20, 30 years, maybe it's a different story (and I would hope that it is).

[Larry Bowa]

"Walkability" is overused and overrated ... Some people need a car and neighborhoods like Bridesburg, Port Richmond and Fishtown (the River Wards) are great for people who have a car and like being able to make the short drive to South Jersey, Center City or NE Philadelphia.
As much as I would like living in Center City (not that I can afford it), I'd want a car so I'd be able to enjoy the entire city. I don't like public transportation and I'd feel very limited about where I could go on foot, I need the freedom of a car.
I'm tired of hearing about "walkability" ... and I'm a walker. Big deal, you can walk to your favorite coffee shop or restaurant every day ... sounds boring to me. I think it's difficult getting the true Philadelphia experience without a car.