Do people find Philly to be boring? (Philadelphia, Washington: price, title)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Hmmm, 20something gay people talking about how Phila.'s Gayborhood isn't what is used to be. Well, you don't know what it used to be because you weren't even born. I'm talking about in the 80s when there were 3 women's bars( one funnily was in Fishtown) a private member's only women's bar/club, monthly women's parties. All of that pretty much disappeared as AIDs really gripped the community and it didn't seem right to ignore it and go on partying even for women who were unaffected. MarketEl moved to Phila. during that time so, dunno, what he would say.

I think that even though MB1562 hasn't been around as long as you or I have, their assessment of the changes in the Gayborhood jibe with my own - and in my case, I had little exposure to the women's bar scene, though I was aware of the existence of three of them (Sneakers, Sisters - the once and again Frank(ie/y) Bradley's - and Hepburn's, which occupied what had been Equus, became the 12th Air Command after it closed, then was followed by iCandy and now Tabu) and have occasionally popped into the women-owned and -run Toasted Walnut since it opened.

The rest of Center City was much quieter back then, but I'd say the Gayborhood jumped more back then than it does now, at least if you were an LGBT person looking for fun and excitement. Woody's has indeed become a huge bachelorette party upstairs and a campus pub downstairs; the place Woody runs now, Knock, is mostly a restaurant and hangout for haute-bougie older men.

In hindsight, AIDS did do a number on gay nightlife here, but I think the damage occurred in slow motion. The circuit parties didn't die out until the early 2000s, for instance (MB1562: my one exposure to a circuit-party afterparty pretty much turned me off to the idea of ever really attending one, and I knew that the organizers always had trouble finding venues for them because the party-goers had this unfortunate habit of trashing them; there being only so many fabulous large floors in this town, the office building where I now work being one of them, I suspect the parties also died because they ran out of spaces willing to host them).

Since my idea of a good time runs more towards "Cheers" than The Saint, I don't have much of a problem with the bar-oriented nature of today's Gayborhood scene here. But I will allow that the arrival of the heterosexuals in force in what was once gay space has changed the nature of even that. The streets may be livelier now, but the clubs aren't.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by cpomp

The gayborhood in 2020 is more or a less a collection of bars and dance venues with rainbow flags out front.

I have remarked in passing about the arrival of what I might call the "post-gay bar."

It seems to me that Millennial LGBTQs have fewer hangups about going out and carousing in not-necessarily-gay spaces, and conversely, str8 Millennials aren't as squeamish about going where their LGBTQ friends go.

In the long run, I'd say this is good for the society as a whole, but I do think something will be lost as a result.

[MB1562]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

I think it's just symptomatic of a change in style. Millennials now dictate what kind of venues thrive. I've never met one that is actively looking for a house music rave club. Just because we're a little older and have fond memories of those times doesn't mean they are sustainable, nor does it define the "fun level" of a city. Just like certain club drugs (i.e. ecstasy and MDMA) have fallen out of favor, so have the environments in which those were common-place.

I don't know where you hang out, but that scene is most certainly still alive and thriving. Some would even argue it's making a comeback. Also, MDMA (of which ecstasy is a type of pill of) has not died out of fashion. It's still very much popular.

I'm also not fondly remembering anything, as I'm in my late 20s.

[blueherons]

I think Philly is a pretty amazing town.

[moneymkt]

Originally Posted by DavePa

Not sure what your short comment was to mean? Just taking it as Chicago's isn't a Part-scene place?
Being Chicago's Boystown ? It is still a Gay bar and club scene. Still plenty of bars. But got much more pricey as more LGBT neighborhood as fully as it was. More moved North like the Andersenville neighborhood.

Last time I was there already 3or4-years ago.... staying at a Hostel just south. Halsted St in Boysytown was full of life and bars and shops as it was for decades. A piano bar I liked was gone though.

But also Social media has replaced more using bars and clubs for meeting people. That s the biggest reason some have lost more of their scene and becoming a much more mixed Straight also neighborhood over merely the LGBT Mecca. Large Jewish population too.

Boystown (a sub neighborhood of Greater Lakeview as Wriglyville is a sub-neighborhood of it too)
Still is billed by - ChooseChicago for tourism. As a party-scene night-long hot-spot.

https://www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods/boystown/

From link:
- The oldest officially recognized gay neighborhood in the United States. It’s known for its welcoming vibe, nonstop nightlife, LGBTQ-owned businesses, and excellent dining options.
- Nightlife scene, where you’ll find karaoke parties, drag shows, dance floors, dive bars, and more.

Perhaps Philly's Gayborhood predates it? But Chicago's did get the officially recognized title. Philly's is in CC. But Chicago's is a 3 or 4 so miles North of its CBD.

Both cities areas are top neighborhoods of the cities that are very pricey.

Chicago beats NYC in other categories

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I get your point, but change happens in the 21st century too - 2010-2020.

I don't see how its any different than comparing the Gayborhood from 1980-1990 or 1990-2000.

The gayborhood in 2020 is more or a less a collection of bars and dance venues with rainbow flags out front.

AIDs in the 80s/90s( when HIV infection was a death sentence) is what makes it different. Ten of my friends died from it.

[DavePa]

This was posted in the CvC thread on --- Does Philly have the worst perception problem.

Originally Posted by newdixiegirl

I grew up in Toronto and Montréal, both world class cities, and I agree that Chicago probably evokes more immediately positive perceptions than Philadelphia. For a number of reasons, it might be better "known" internationally. A couple of years ago, though, two different people within the span of a month raved about Philly to me. That piqued my interest.

I visited Philly for the first time last year (almost exactly a year ago), and I loved it so much, I returned 6 weeks later. I hope to be able to go again and again. Fwiw, on both occasions I was there (December and February), it was jam-packed with tourists, mostly from Europe.

As great as Chicago is, and it is, I think I prefer Philly. In many ways, Chicago reminds me of Toronto, being situated on a Great Lake and with all the same kind of ethnic neighborhoods I love. But it lacks something intangible that Philly seems to possess effortlessly. Can't quite put my finger on what it is. History, perhaps? A certain romance?

Though Philadelphia's historical significance makes it a very American city, it also has a very subtle European-like feel unique to cities and towns in eastern North America (Boston, NYC, Toronto, Montréal have it, too). Maybe that's what it is. You can see it in the architecture and in places like the Philly Museum of Art, Reading Terminal Market, the 30th Street Train Station, etc.

Plus, Philly's better located, imo. Close to other major cities on the East Coast and the ocean. Chicago's more isolated.

I love Chicago, but I don't think I'd want to live there. Philly I'd live in.

Positive post on Philly BY A OUTSIDER. Too bad - Pine to Vine or kyb01 won't see my post here ..... unless they visit the other thread the quoted one came from......

But Dixiegirl said she loved Philly. So she did NOT find it boring. You can all go and rep her .....

[KoNgFooCj]

Originally Posted by Wordsmith12

I certainly didn't when my wife and I visited in summer 2018. So far, Philadelphia has been our favorite city hands down, and we can't wait to go back.

But I get the sense that many people don't second that sentiment.

I live in Florida. I don't know that many people who have ever visited Philly, and it's a shame given the myriad of things to do there.

We stayed in Old City, and it felt like all the key historic sites we wanted to visit (Ben Franklin Museum, Liberty Bell, etc.) were a short walk away.

I realize that not everyone is a big history buff like I am, so they may have little to no interest in, say, Independence Hall.

And although I loved the fact that Old City had a quiet, relaxing vibe (compared to the hustle and bustle of NYC, which I came to dislike), I imagine that many people would get bored of that atmosphere quickly.

I recognize that Philly is sandwiched between D.C. and New York, which doesn't help its cause. Beyond that, though, does Philly get overlooked in part because their biggest selling point (history) isn't necessarily something many people are drawn to?

Philly reminds me of Boston in a way (another city we liked, just not as much as Philly). I haven't come across anyone who has expressed interest in (or even knows of) the Freedom Trail. Boston, like Philly, has tons of colleges and museums. To be sure, they both seem like highly intellectual cities, but is this enough to get people to visit?

We visited the busier part of Center City one night (where the Rocky statue/art museum is) and it seemed like the statue was a bigger draw than many of the city's museums.

If Philly's biggest selling point is it's history, that is utterly sad. Philly is a progressive, and I'd like to say a modern city. Philly's huge selling points should be it's cultural diversity, it's museums, it's architecture, it's African American culture, and it's music culture, along with its history.

I think when people refer to Philly being the most historic city in the country, they're usually referring only to its prominence in the birth of the United States. However, Philly has played a large part in the history of many cultures.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by MB1562

I don't know where you hang out, but that scene is most certainly still alive and thriving. Some would even argue it's making a comeback. Also, MDMA (of which ecstasy is a type of pill of) has not died out of fashion. It's still very much popular.

I'm also not fondly remembering anything, as I'm in my late 20s.

I completely disagree. Conversely, I don't know where you hang out, but having been intimately involved in the Philly and NY social scene for decades I can tell you with certainty that the trend toward chill bars with craft beers, bars with games (Barcade) and others with Jenga, checkers, and the such has exploded at the expense of clubs (i.e. Delaware Ave in the 90s). Additionally, the food scene as grown immensely to the point that many 20-somethings consider a "night out" to be dinner at a cool/new spot followed by some beers at a bar with friends. Not that there are no clubs left and the rave scene doesn't exist, as it most certainly does, but the trend has undeniably changed... for now at least.

EDIT: Re-reading this thread I see a lot of conversation around the gay nightlife scene. If that's what you are referring to MB1562, then you could very well be correct in saying clubbing, etc... is currently a strong trend. I'm only speaking to the straight scene.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj

If Philly's biggest selling point is it's history, that is utterly sad. Philly is a progressive, and I'd like to say a modern city. Philly's huge selling points should be it's cultural diversity, it's museums, it's architecture, it's African American culture, and it's music culture, along with its history.

I think when people refer to Philly being the most historic city in the country, they're usually referring only to its prominence in the birth of the United States. However, Philly has played a large part in the history of many cultures.

Agreed, Philadelphia is a huge city and its amazing / diverse history is only one facet of what it offers.

Most of the generalizations, exaggerations, put-downs and falsehoods on this board come from people who have never been to Philadelphia, have not been in 20+ years, or they don't like the city, and definitely don't like that its image has been greatly improving as of late.