Many reasons why Philadelphia is better than Pittsburgh (York: low crime, house)

[JoeP]

Again, this is just another troll post.

[_Buster]

Philly happens to be one of the dirtiest cities on the planet. Just walking around you will get hit by trash flying around on a windy day. Also its poverty stricken and full of welfare cases and urban rednecks. Most of the neighborhoods are not even livable, even Camden is preferable to them. Their so called sports teams are a bad joke. And to top it off, they are the home of Comcast one of the worst companies in existence.

[cpomp]

I'll try to make a serious post for the thread...

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are both great cities (unfortunately far from eachother). However, they are very different, so the similarities are there, but Philadelphia is a huge city, so of course its going to show more in most categories, but it also comes down to preference. I prefer a huge, busy, "get out of my way" city attitude (partially why I moved to New York). I think only a few cities in the country offer that: New York, Chicago, San Fran, and Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh is wonderful for me to visit, but I get bored fast, that is why my preference goes to Philadelphia just because of the sheer amount of things to do.

I am also impressed with how drastically Philadelphia's downtown (Center City) has improved over the past decade, literally transforming by the day which makes me very happy to see. I don't think the positive changes are as drastic in Pittsburgh.

Lastly, not to bring metros into this, but the suburban communities of Philadelphia are my aboslute favorite in the nation, and that is no knock to Pittsburgh, I rank Philly burbs ahead of every city I have ever visited (even New York).


Finally, think people comparing Philadelphia to New York is not at all fair. There is no city in the world that competes with New York... more appropriate would be Chicago or San Fran for Philadelphia.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I'll try to make a serious post for the thread...


Pittsburgh is wonderful for me to visit, but I get bored fast, that is why my preference goes to Philadelphia just because of the sheer amount of things to do.

Just curious what types of things do you believe are available to do in Philadelphia that aren't in Pittsburgh?

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

Just curious what types of things do you believe are available to do in Philadelphia that aren't in Pittsburgh?

I meant the sheer volume... cafes, coffee shops, shopping, restuarants/ food options, musuems, bars, clubs, music venues, electic/ interesting sites as you walk thru the downtown/ Center City.

NOT saying these aren't available in Pittsburgh, but Philadelphia offers more, which is expected because its a very large city. Again, why I think they are hard to compare because of the size difference.

I feel the same when I walk thru Midtown Manhattan. Philadelphia has a ton of options, but Manhattan multiplies the options. If that makes any sense...

I don't think anyone would deny that there is more to do in Philadelphia then Pittsburgh, BUT, I could still see why someone would prefer to live in Pittsburgh over Philadelphia because it is still a great city.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

Just curious what types of things do you believe are available to do in Philadelphia that aren't in Pittsburgh?

Bigger cities usually have more options. You may be able to do A, B, and C in both Philly and Pittsburgh, but Philly may have 10 options in each category, where Pittsburgh might have 2 or 3. NYC on the other hand, might have 30. Say for example, you like a certain type of food from a non US culture. Pittsburgh might have one or two restaurants offering this food. Philly in turn, might have six or seven, and NYC might have 30. This is an example of where larger cities sometimes have an advantage over smaller ones. In other words, while you can do most of the things in Pittsburgh that you can do in Philly, Philly will usually have more options in those categories. NYC in turn, will have the same advantage over Philly. If you really love a certain "thing", you could quickly get bored, having only two places to do it in Pittsburgh. Hell, if you're really into this "thing", Philly's six or seven options might seem limited if you've done it in NYC.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I meant the sheer volume... cafes, coffee shops, shopping, restuarants/ food options, musuems, bars, clubs, music venues, electic/ interesting sites as you walk thru the downtown/ Center City.

NOT saying these aren't available in Pittsburgh, but Philadelphia offers more, which is expected because its a very large city. Again, why I think they are hard to compare because of the size difference.

I feel the same when I walk thru Midtown Manhattan. Philadelphia has a ton of options, but Manhattan multiplies the options. If that makes any sense...

I don't think anyone would deny that there is more to do in Philadelphia then Pittsburgh, BUT, I could still see why someone would prefer to live in Pittsburgh over Philadelphia because it is still a great city.

Good post. Smaller cities have different advantages than larger ones. A person who prefers a Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or Cleveland, may prefer a slower pace, less traffic, and more affordability than NYC, Philly, or Chicago offer, but still want a city that has most big city amenities, although with fewer options, and possibly lower quality. Philly is a good choice for someone who wants more options than a Pittsburgh level city has, but for whom, NYC is just a bit too much.

Keep in mind, that probably the majority of folks out there have little interest in the things that "urbanistas" cherish. These are the married with children folks, who shop at chain stores, and eat at chain restaurants, and live in cookie cutter suburbs. They would be happy in pretty much any metro over a million people.

[gladhands]

Philadelphia is a great city, and generally underrated on the national scene. I don't see what that has to do with Pittsburgh, a much smaller city.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I meant the sheer volume... cafes, coffee shops, shopping, restuarants/ food options, musuems, bars, clubs, music venues, electic/ interesting sites as you walk thru the downtown/ Center City.

NOT saying these aren't available in Pittsburgh, but Philadelphia offers more, which is expected because its a very large city. Again, why I think they are hard to compare because of the size difference.

I feel the same when I walk thru Midtown Manhattan. Philadelphia has a ton of options, but Manhattan multiplies the options. If that makes any sense...

I don't think anyone would deny that there is more to do in Philadelphia then Pittsburgh, BUT, I could still see why someone would prefer to live in Pittsburgh over Philadelphia because it is still a great city.

I get what you mean. I spend a lot of time in Philadelphia and have family there and I have lived in New York. For some reason I didn't realize you were talking volume. When you said bored I thought you meant bored of specific things.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

I get what you mean. I spend a lot of time in Philadelphia and have family there and I have lived in New York. For some reason I didn't realize you were talking volume. When you said bored I thought you meant bored of specific things.

Volume is good because you can enjoy your favorites many different ways. If you like a certain type of club, restaurant, etc., you don't have to go to the same one or two places all the time. The bigger the city, the more choices in each category (usually).