How different is Brooklyn from Philly? (Philadelphia, York: transplants, neighborhood, movie theater)

[MB1562]

I've never heard a single person refer to any place in Philadelphia as "Uptown". That's a Manhattan thing that I think many Philly people are conscious to avoid.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by kyb01

No, we don't call those "Uptown" we call them by their actual names.

I don't know who "we" is but Germantown has always been considered Uptown, or at least among Black Philadelphians. There used to be a Facebook group called "Uptown Philly" that was mostly Germantown people. There was even a group for Brickyard kids, which may be defunct now.

It doesn't surprise me that a lot of forumers don't know what it is even if they've lived in Philly for a long time. I'm sure a lot of lifelong Eagles' fans didn't know what "Dreams and Nightmares" was either until it became the unofficial anthem of the 2018 Super Bowl-winning team.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-4UCHr6XIE

[Lenses & Lights.]

Originally Posted by kyb01

No, we don't call those "Uptown" we call them by their actual names.

Nah.. Lots of people from up there call it " Uptown" these days. They even have Facebook Groups using the name. When came back to the city, it kinda surprised me to hear that being used. I would remind them that the area around Broad & York was the original " Uptown."

Well now they'll remind anyone who questions it, that the area in North Philly is has seen it's day and that they're truly the people residing in " Uptown " Philadelphia. 😜

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by Lenses & Lights.

Nah.. Lots of people from up there call it " Uptown" these days. They even have Facebook Groups using the name. When came back to the city, it kinda surprised me to hear that being used. I would remind them that the area around Broad & York was the original " Uptown."

Well now they'll remind anyone who questions it, that the area in North Philly is has seen it's day and that they're truly the people residing in " Uptown " Philadelphia. ��

When I was growing up, Germantown and Oak Lane were known as "Uptown." North Philly was simply referred to as "Norf."

But you're talking to someone who grew up listening to R.A.M. Squad, Three Times Dope, Murda Mill, Peedi, Freeway, Beans, Charli Baltimore, etc.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

When I was growing up, Germantown and Oak Lane were known as "Uptown." North Philly was simply referred to as "Norf."

But you're talking to someone who grew up listening to R.A.M. Squad, Three Times Dope, Murda Mill, Freeway, Beans, Charli Baltimore, etc.

So maybe like "Northwest Philly" it's a neologism?

After all, we grew up listening to Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the O'Jays and folks like that.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

So maybe like "Northwest Philly" it's a neologism?

After all, we grew up listening to Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the O'Jays and folks like that.

Perhaps. It's something I've always known and thought was common knowledge among most residents. Molefi Asante is 77 years old and wrote this in his "memoir."

Germantown is still Uptown Philly, it's like a ten-minute ride from Olney.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2...lly%22&f=false

That doesn't necessarily answer the question of whether he referred to it that way when he was growing up, but it certainly shows that even some septuagenarians are aware of the reference.

[BajanYankee]

I think the short answer is that it can be either very similar or very different depending upon your perspective. Someone coming from Tennessee may say they are very similar while someone coming from North Jersey might say they have nothing in common.

In historical broadstrokes, they are pretty similar with sizable White Ethnic populations and large Black populations, as well as a general reputation for toughness and grit. In the present day, the two are somewhat dissimilar with Brooklyn having received a heavy infusion of immigration from the Caribbean, the Middle East and Eastern Europe that makes your grandfather's Brooklyn nearly unrecognizable.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

Perhaps. It's something I've always known and thought was common knowledge among most residents. Molefi Asante is 77 years old and wrote this in his "memoir."



https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2...lly%22&f=false

That doesn't necessarily answer the question of whether he referred to it that way when he was growing up, but it certainly shows that even some septuagenarians are aware of the reference.

So he grew up somewhere around where I live now: my bus ride to Olney subway station takes 8 minutes.

Learn something new every day.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

So he grew up somewhere around where I live now: my bus ride to Olney subway station takes 8 minutes.

Learn something new every day.

There was a spirited debate on the NYC forum years ago in which several posters insisted that Harlem was not "Uptown." They even posted Time Out NY articles and Billy Joel videos in support of their position. That came as a surprise to many residents of Harlem and the Bronx, which are considered by many to be the only "Uptown."

My point, I guess, is that we all live in bubbles to some degree.

Side Note: All of the Uptown/Downtown debate reminds me of a scene in Game of Thrones. Osha calls Bran a southerner and he bristles at the label, saying he was raised in the North. Osha responds, "You're from south of the Wall, and in my book, that makes you a southerner."

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

There was a spirited debate on the NYC forum years ago in which several posters insisted that Harlem was not "Uptown." They even posted Time Out NY articles and Billy Joel videos in support of their position. That came as a surprise to many residents of Harlem and the Bronx, which are considered by many to be the only "Uptown."

My point, I guess, is that we all live in bubbles to some degree.

Side Note: All of the Uptown/Downtown debate reminds me of a scene in Game of Thrones. Osha calls Bran a southerner and he bristles at the label, saying he was raised in the North. Osha responds, "You're from south of the Wall, and in my book, that makes you a southerner."

Being a native of Missouri and of Kansas City, that "Game of Thrones" snippet hits home.

Missouri is not classed as a Southern state, but because it did have slavery and because it is culturally Southern in its southeast quarter, some class it as one.