Are Washington DC, Philly and Boston popular with international tourists? (movies, camps)
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Those "few" historical areas that entrench the region are deeply significant to anyone interested in the history of The United States. It is arguable that no city or region is more prominent throughout American history.
As far as public transit, there is always room for improvement but from my home I am within walking distance to 3 Regional Rail lines that get me downtown in less than 20 Minutes and multiple buses that can potentially take me anywhere in the city. When I lived with my parents I could take the train from my street to Trenton through to NYC. That line is now a Mile walk from where I live now. I don't need to use the two "small" (actually 3 including PATCO and more if you include the underground trolleys-And small is a strange word considering the BSL and MFL stretch to the reaches of N-S, W-E in the city) subway lines.
Philly has large ghetto areas and blue collar folks like any city that was significant in manufacturing before deindustrialization changed our cities. You know, the whole "Workshop of the World" moniker? People ignore the large ghettos of NYC, Chicago, LA, etc but seem to only focus on those in Philly while ignoring one of the best downtowns in the country and many beautiful urban and semi-urban neighborhoods throughout the city.
Why cling to so many misconceptions on a city that is obviously going through a renaissance?
Besides, you haven't spent much time in Boston or New York if you think Philly is the only city that can be parochial.
I have my opinion, you have yours. I live downtown btw. Been to NYC and Boston quite a few times. No comparison as far as the closeness of the ghetto areas. Walk down the east half of Market Street any day of the week or weekend. It is as if the ghetto has transported itself there. It feels unsafe, like a dead zone, with pathetic retail and pretty much nothing going on but people betting on stupid dice games and loud music. Please point out to me a similar street or area in downtown Boston or Back Bay.
Why are there so many huge open surface parking lots in downtown Philly, when in NY or Boston they would be scarfed up in a minute and turned into condos, offices, or retail.
Why the pathetic tax structure, and nothing but increases in taxes and never cutting the bloated city government?
And as to the thread at hand, Philadelphia is by far a much smaller international tourist destination than the other cities.
When you see that the Boston Marathon is one of the oldest continuous marathons going on, you wonder why Philly never got its act together like Boston and did something annually the whole world would know about. This city just prefers to be a backwater never, ever does anything bold.
When you see that the Boston Marathon is one of the oldest continuous marathons going on, you wonder why Philly never got its act together like Boston and did something annually the whole world would know about. This city just prefers to be a backwater never, ever does anything bold.
Changing the topic are we?
I'll play along although I don't exactly know what's "bold" about having a Marathon.
Philadelphia hosts the largest collegiate regatta in The United States-The Dad Vail.
It has the countries' top International Cycling Championship and most prestigious one day bike race outside of Europe.
The Penn Relays are the oldest and largest Track and Field Competition in The United States.
The Army-Navy football game is held every year in Philadelphia.
The US Open is located 10 Minutes outside of Philadelphia this year at The Merion Golf Club. The 2010 and 2011 AT&T National was at Aronimink Golf Club.
There is no sense having a conversation with someone too jaded or bitter to see the truth. You just completely changed the conversation when I called out your inaccuracies.
New York and Boston have very prestigious Marathons. Philadelphia does not (althought it does have the largest 10 Mile Road Race in the country and a lesser known marathon and smaller races). I don't recall saying anything to the contrary.
DC absolutely has a ton of international visitors. Not to the level of New York, but then again DC is about 1/3 or 1/4 the size of New York. I lived in DC for several years and visit often and whenever I am in the touristy parts of town there are always lots of foreign visitors (especially Asians) around.
IMO DC should be in the top five (maybe top three) cities for a foreign person to visit in the US.
DC absolutely has a ton of international visitors. Not to the level of New York, but then again DC is about 1/3 or 1/4 the size of New York. I lived in DC for several years and visit often and whenever I am in the touristy parts of town there are always lots of foreign visitors (especially Asians) around.
IMO DC should be in the top five (maybe top three) cities for a foreign person to visit in the US.
Agreed. I was in DC and The Arlington Cemetery this past weekend and my family seemed to be in the minority being Americans (slight exaggeration but you get the point). I would say DC is a very important city for International tourists to see but it would be nice if more Americans cared.
Those "few" historical areas that entrench the region are deeply significant to anyone interested in the history of The United States. It is arguable that no city or region is more prominent throughout American history.
As far as public transit, there is always room for improvement but from my home I am within walking distance to 3 Regional Rail lines that get me downtown in less than 20 Minutes and multiple buses that can potentially take me anywhere in the city. When I lived with my parents I could take the train from my street to Trenton through to NYC. That line is now a Mile walk from where I live now. I don't need to use the two "small" (actually 3 including PATCO and more if you include the underground trolleys-And small is a strange word considering the BSL and MFL stretch to the reaches of N-S, W-E in the city) subway lines.
Philly has large ghetto areas and blue collar folks like any city that was significant in manufacturing before deindustrialization changed our cities. You know, the whole "Workshop of the World" moniker? People ignore the large ghettos of NYC, Chicago, LA, etc but seem to only focus on those in Philly while ignoring one of the best downtowns in the country and many beautiful urban and semi-urban neighborhoods throughout the city.
Why cling to so many misconceptions on a city that is obviously going through a renaissance?
Besides, you haven't spent much time in Boston or New York if you think Philly is the only city that can be parochial.
I find it curious that you complain of "so many inaccuracies" and "so many misconceptions" yet are not able to actually point out any (except for your weak and highly anecdotal attempt to dispute the poor transit claim).
Yes, Philly has a lot of ghettos (far more as a percentage of the city than Boston, NYC or even Washington).
Yes, Philly's population is notoriously parochial and provincial (as amply demonstrated by its relentless boosters on this site).
And yes, its public transit is quite poor (at least in comparison to its NE neighbors).
Does this mean Philly is a terrible city without some great qualities? No, and I happen to think that Philly is a great American city. But the tendency to see everything through rose colored glasses and challenge legitimate criticism with phony indignation is disingenuous.
I find it curious that you complain of "so many inaccuracies" and "so many misconceptions" yet are not able to actually point out any (except for your weak and highly anecdotal attempt to dispute the poor transit claim).
Yes, Philly has a lot of ghettos (far more as a percentage of the city than Boston, NYC or even Washington).
Yes, Philly's population is notoriously parochial and provincial (as amply demonstrated by its relentless boosters on this site).
And yes, its public transit is quite poor (at least in comparison to its NE neighbors).
Does this mean Philly is a terrible city without some great qualities? No, and I happen to think that Philly is a great American city. But the tendency to see everything through rose colored glasses and challenge legitimate criticism with phony indignation is disingenuous.
Philadelphians see nothing wrong with the city, and never push in any meaningful way to improve the city. They are fine with the way things are cause they just don't get out much and compare the city to other places. So many here have this attitude that can be summed up as "ah what do you expect it's Philadelphia, we're not NY".
I find it curious that you complain of "so many inaccuracies" and "so many misconceptions" yet are not able to actually point out any (except for your weak and highly anecdotal attempt to dispute the poor transit claim).
Yes, Philly has a lot of ghettos (far more as a percentage of the city than Boston, NYC or even Washington).
Yes, Philly's population is notoriously parochial and provincial (as amply demonstrated by its relentless boosters on this site).
And yes, its public transit is quite poor (at least in comparison to its NE neighbors).
Does this mean Philly is a terrible city without some great qualities? No, and I happen to think that Philly is a great American city. But the tendency to see everything through rose colored glasses and challenge legitimate criticism with phony indignation is disingenuous.
I would rather not get roped into a conversation on this thread any further than what I've stated but again you are incorrect and provide no facts. Have you spent a lot of time in Philadelphia? Why do you feel the need to post about it so frequently and incorrectly?
Boston and DC are tiny cities. They cannot be compared to any other city besides San Francisco which was also able to swiftly price out poverty, although there are still ghettos in all 3. New York probably has the same percentage of ghettos as Philadelphia. I would say 25-33% for both.
What does Philly transit lack in comparison to Boston? I might give Boston the edge but it's not exactly a blow-out. New York has the best mass transit in the country and DC's system is brand new. I don't get your point-that doesn't make Philly's transit "poor". That is a horrible description when we are speaking on American cities. Philly is a top 5 (maybe 3 or 4) system. Calling it "poor" is disingenuous.
You call Philly posters "boosters" yet ignore that usually we are defending or informing from previously stated inaccuracies. I would not have responded if Falcon77 wasn't a notorious Philly basher. You say my arguments are weak yet you merely state opinions backed with no facts.
You think Philly is provincial yet are forming an opinion of 1.5 Million people from a few anonymous posters on an internet message board.
LOL, irony.
I would rather not get roped into a conversation on this thread any further than what I've stated but again you are incorrect and provide no facts. Have you spent a lot of time in Philadelphia? Why do you feel the need to post about it so frequently and incorrectly?
Boston and DC are tiny cities. They cannot be compared to any other city besides San Francisco which was also able to swiftly price out poverty, although there are still ghettos in all 3. New York probably has the same percentage of ghettos as Philadelphia. I would say 25-33% for both.
What does Philly transit lack in comparison to Boston? I might give Boston the edge but it's not exactly a blow-out. New York has the best mass transit in the country and DC's system is brand new. I don't get your point-that doesn't make Philly's transit "poor". That is a horrible description when we are speaking on American cities. Philly is a top 5 (maybe 3 or 4) system. Calling it "poor" is disingenuous.
You call Philly posters "boosters" yet ignore that usually we are defending or informing from previously stated inaccuracies. I would not have responded if Falcon77 wasn't a notorious Philly basher. You say my arguments are weak yet you merely state opinions backed with no facts.
You think Philly is provincial yet are forming an opinion of 1.5 Million people from a few anonymous posters on an internet message board.
LOL, irony.
You accuse me of providing no facts, yet provide none of your own. You also accused tom77falcon of "many inaccuracies", so I am asking you to back up that statement. What are these "many inaccuracies"?
We know that you don't think Philly's public transit is poor (though you agree it's worse than NYC, DC and Boston). Fine. I suppose reasonable people can disagree on this, and you are entitled to your opinion.
What else you got?
You don't disagree that Philly has only a few historical areas; you just think they are "deeply significant" (I didn't see anyone claim otherwise).
You dont disagree that Philly has large ghetto areas; you just think other cities are equally as bad.
You dont even seem to challenge the assertion that Philly is highly parochial; your rebuttal is that its not the only one.
So what are these many inaccuracies and misconceptions that you speak of? If your argument in a nutshell is that Philly is bad but so is everyone else, then you should say so. But don't accuse people of inaccuracies and then shoot blanks.
You accuse me of providing no facts, yet provide none of your own. You also accused tom77falcon of "many inaccuracies", so I am asking you to back up that statement. What are these "many inaccuracies"?
We know that you don't think Philly's public transit is poor (though you agree it's worse than NYC, DC and Boston). Fine. I suppose reasonable people can disagree on this, and you are entitled to your opinion.
What else you got?
You don't disagree that Philly has only a few historical areas; you just think they are "deeply significant" (I didn't see anyone claim otherwise).
You dont disagree that Philly has large ghetto areas; you just think other cities are equally as bad.
You dont even seem to challenge the assertion that Philly is highly parochial; your rebuttal is that its not the only one.
So what are these many inaccuracies and misconceptions that you speak of? If your argument in a nutshell is that Philly is bad but so is everyone else, then you should say so. But don't accuse people of inaccuracies and then shoot blanks.
When I put something in quotations it means I don't agree with the choice of words of the poster, which is why I said "few" historical areas. I also used the word entrenched, which means the entire region is steeped in historical sites and American firsts. Reading comprehension 101.
I don't think other cities are equally as bad or equally as good. I think it doesn't make sense to compare the "ghetto areas" of Boston and DC to Philly when Boston and DC are physically tiny cities, that have fairly recently priced out their poor. Philadelphia is 3 times the size and yes has more ghetto areas...but it also has more nice areas and more middle class areas.
If you have spent anytime with people that actually grew up in Boston, New York or Philadelphia you would know that all three cities can at times be parochial. I never said it was "highly parochial" I was just being fair to a hint of truth. It is a fairly well known charecteristic of the major East Coast cities. People love their cities here.
Anything else?
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