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@Tiger Beer- Thank you, for your replies. True, and i really do love sports. So I might look more closely at Philly, I've done a ton of research on Boston. If all the rude comments on all these types of sites is from outsiders, then I'll just ignore them because I don't consider people that are just being practical and honest rude. I can respect that, and I'm more of a realistic person myself. And that is kinda what turns me off of DC is that question "so what do you do". Because to me thats not how you greet someone. Whenever I get the chance I'll take a visit to New England because it is quite gorgeous up there.
Parts of Philly are fairly nice--South Street, Manayunk-- but most of the city is dingy little red brick row houses and has a (to me) slummy appearance. If they painted some of the houses maybe it would look a little better. Add a little color to a dreary looking cityscape. I know Philly pretty well too from having played in a band in some of the clubs and bars up there. I would drive around the city checking it out and just get depressed. Scope out the city using the google street view feature and you'll see what I mean.
And on the other hand, check out areas in Boston like Beacon Hill and Back Bay or Georgetown and Dupont Circle in D.C. Block after block of beautiful historic townhouses.
@R Small- Thanks for your information, thats true too. I am just trying to find a permanent place to live because I've moved around my whole life and I'm kinda sick of it. I did what you suggested and I know I haven't personally visited the city, but the city of Philly doesn't really speak to me and like you said it looks slummy. Theres not a lot of parks, or greenery, just rows of buildings or houses and very dirty. Then I did the same for Boston and its not as dark, more color and open spaces. I know, I should still visit Boston but I get a good feeling about Boston. I feel I could live there.
Yeah, I like Boston. I'm a D.C. area native and am used to the relatively mild winters around here so I think I would have a tough time with New England winters. But if weather isn't an issue Boston (and New England in general) would be a great place to live.
Boston has rabid sports fans from what I hear. It is somewhat less expensive than DC, but more expensive than Philly. It has a rich history going back to the early 1600s and a very intellectual atmosphere with Harvard, MIT and other very good universities if you're interested in that. It may be the choice you're looking for.
But it is by far the coldest of the 3 cities during the winter. You have to be prepared for that.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 05-28-2012 at 06:33 PM..
I agree with the previous take on Philadelphia as well. There are some good nabes like Manayunk and a few others though. But, by and large, it's run-down. I wasn't exactly enthralled with the people either. All that being said, they are huge sports fans. But, Boston is as well.
Boston and New England is probably just better for an Oregonian interested in the East Coast as well. Particularly one who is sports-obsessed. Boston has some great fans and some great teams to follow.
Another area for the OP to consider is the Midwest, which are absolutely filled with the sports-obsessed. It's also very inexpensive to live in those cities, much less than Oregon, and significantly less than the East Coast cities. Pittsburgh has the Penguins for hockey, and they are huge hockey fans...it's a strong second right after their extremely beloved Steelers. You could view an online Pittsburgh newspaper right now, and almost guaranteed that something Pittsburgh sports-related will be being discussed somewhere on the first page of their headline news.
That being said, Boston does have the Bruins for hockey. Plus they seem to have a huge fan base for all their teams.
Regarding 'rude' northeasterners. Well, the OP is in Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest is known for 'the Seattle Freeze'. Passive-aggressive, cold, introverted, on and on and on. I lived in Portland for a year, and I didn't think any of those things whatsoever when I lived there. In short, the negative stereotypes some might have about the East Coast, are probably relateable with what people say about Pacific Northwesterners. Or the negative stereotypes about Southerners or Californians or on and on. In short, don't analyze that stuff too much, as that really may or many not be a problem whatsoever.
When I lived in NYC, I found people to be able to 'get to the root of the question' fairly quickly, as they'd quickly analyze it and sort it out. More awareness and directness. Whereas when I was out in California, people seemed to 'miss the point' altogether and go off on any kind of tangent way too easily. In short, while some might focus on the negatives of a certain regions people, there are also plenty of positives about them as well.
The counter for most 'Bostoners/New Englanders' is they aren't friendly and superficial to absolutely everyone they meet, but if one warms up to you in particular, you have a solid friend for life, who'll always have your back. In short, there is always a flip-side to everything.
@R Small- Thanks for your information, thats true too. I am just trying to find a permanent place to live because I've moved around my whole life and I'm kinda sick of it. I did what you suggested and I know I haven't personally visited the city, but the city of Philly doesn't really speak to me and like you said it looks slummy. Theres not a lot of parks, or greenery, just rows of buildings or houses and very dirty. Then I did the same for Boston and its not as dark, more color and open spaces. I know, I should still visit Boston but I get a good feeling about Boston. I feel I could live there.
You might want to take another look at Philly. It's an easy place to make friends and grow some roots. It's a true sports town, and if you like hockey the Flyers fans won't let you down.
Frommers just released an article on the top 10 park cities in the world two days ago, and Philly was on the list. Aside from the standard smattering of parks that every city has, Philly has Fairmount Park which takes up 10% of the city's total area, and some beautiful squares for which the surrounding neighborhoods are named.
It's a colonial city which works for it and against it. There are some neighborhoods that show their age and there are some extraordinary old buildings and stately townhomes. Look at Center City, Rittenhouse Square, Old City, Society Hill and the Art Museum district for some great examples of the latter.
I wouldn't put much weight on anyone who says 'I'd rather be anywhere but (insert top US city)'; that's pretty much a dead end for objective advice.
"I'd rather be anywhere than Philadelphia" is an allusion to the famous quote by W.C. Fields (a native Philadelphian), "on the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." This was supposedly a proposed epitaph and considered a dig at Philly. Fields was well known for disliking his home town. I'm with W.C. on this one.
Last edited by hawkwnd; 05-29-2012 at 09:49 AM..
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