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If I recall, lebleu did respond and asked to see overall crime statistics. Not just homicide figures from two years ago.
1. 2013 is not "two years ago". 2. In addition to Philadelphia having a lower homicide rate than cities like DC and Miami to name a few in 2013, the overall crime statistics in Philadelphia are lower than DC, Chicago or Miami (the other cities that were compared by homicide rate in the post by Summersm)
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With that said, crime certainly needs to continue to decrease in all of these cities.
Had it. Honestly, not remarkable. Though I'm not a big fan of the philly cheesesteak either and just the usual deli sandwiches (hoagies) were better. I did find the sort of new American dining scene in Philadelphia pretty good and found Canto food in Toronto to be very good, too. I was surprised that the west indian food in Toronto seemed oddly lacking because it seemed like there was a pretty massive west indian population there.
I personally like the Peameal Bacon sandwich at Paddington's pump in St. Lawrence better than Carousel. Even though I like Carousel's quite a bit as well. Either way, spending time in St. Lawrence is a good time, with tons of great things to eat. Nat Geo gave it the accolades it did for a reason.
There is some good West Indian food as in solid to good Roti places and great Jamaican bakeries. But otherwise I agree with you, the West Indian food, especially Jamaican cooked food is pretty terrible.
You mean a lot of people in the US would know what you're talking about (add in Rocky), but otherwise I think not. Abroad, it'd probably be UPenn that puts it on a map for some, but relatively little else. I'm not saying this as a snub to Philly, but simply that most of the world doesn't care to know that much about the US aside from a few things here and there. The same goes for Toronto--the CN Tower isn't going to be recognizable as specifically Toronto to the vast majority of people outside Canada. It's not really much of a thing.
Actually I largely agree with this. Having said that, when I was in Turkey I met a friend from Istanbul and he did know of the CN Tower and Rogers Centre prior to meeting me. I think the CN Tower is quite familiar to most Americans though... They don't call it the CN Tower - they call it the CNN tower. Regardless - as I mentioned the most 'iconic' aspects of a city are probably among their least interesting anyway. I also think that TIFF surely has International fame for those in that cultural circle.
Pretty sure any american who has visited TO and walked down Rogers or College for even 2 minutes could notice it, but I agree that it is a nice unique feature of Toronto. Most of the "unique" foods that cities claim, somehow ended up there because of certain immigrant groups, so having excellent and authentic Churrasqueiras is something Toronto can claim as their own. Plus I can only think of 3 other cities in North America that have it, along with authentic Portuguese food as widely available as Toronto.
Americans may notice it when they visit TO, but they won't get it. The thing is, people usually have to be told something is special and unique for it to be special and unique to them. If people weren't told Philly Cheesesteaks are the best thing in Philly, they would just skip it thinking its a sandwich like any other.
For many, Toronto is just the land of diversity, relative peace, the CN tower and Rob Ford. Why? Because thats all the media says about it.
Absolutely and I refuse to get on the trash Philly bandwagon. Toronto doesn't have the same deep history or historical importance of Philly. I also think the architecture prior to WWII is more impressive than T.O because Philly was a more rich and important city. On the flip, Toronto is underrated for many pieces of its own architecture and post WWII the city has developed more prolific POMO and International scrapers than Philly. It also has two outstanding Museums - the ROM and AGO and very active cultural arts/festival scene. As an International and Cosmopolitan city from my vantage point i'd say that T.O is ahead.. Its been growing at a faster clip and is more dynamic. I don't think this is controversial to say at all to be honest in a general way but Philly looks to be a very interesting and urban destination.
I think Toronto is starting to appear on the map for alot of people lately. Personally I find it to be discussed as a travel destination among Americans more often now than anytime I can remember in the past. Philly as you noted started off stronger, but has slowed compared to Toronto's rapid and massive growth. Of course with such a rapid growth comes some pains, but overall Toronto has cemented itself as the premier city in Canada and will not be letting up anytime soon.
With that said, the articles I have been reading lately have shown that Philly's downtown population has been growing in recent years. I am not sure how much of that is due to the fact that American cities in general are starting to see growth in urban living, but it is a good sign nonetheless.
1. 2013 is not "two years ago". 2. In addition to Philadelphia having a lower homicide rate than cities like DC and Miami to name a few in 2013, the overall crime statistics in Philadelphia are lower than DC, Chicago or Miami (the other cities that were compared by homicide rate in the post by Summersm)
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With that said, crime certainly needs to continue to decrease in all of these cities.
Crime needs to decrease in all these cities for sure. But I'm comparing Philly to Toronto only as the OP indicated.
I think Toronto is starting to appear on the map for alot of people lately. Personally I find it to be discussed as a travel destination among Americans more often now than anytime I can remember in the past. Philly as you noted started off stronger, but has slowed compared to Toronto's rapid and massive growth. Of course with such a rapid growth comes some pains, but overall Toronto has cemented itself as the premier city in Canada and will not be letting up anytime soon.
With that said, the articles I have been reading lately have shown that Philly's downtown population has been growing in recent years. I am not sure how much of that is due to the fact that American cities in general are starting to see growth in urban living, but it is a good sign nonetheless.
Totally agreed and I honestly hope that Philly rebounds very strongly! Unlike some other fast growing cities in the U.S - Philly has a strong foundation and character to begin with. I'm hoping for a Detroit bounce too! Btw I've only had Peameal Bacon Sandwich from Carousel.... need to give Paddington's pump a go and will let you know.
Well getting this thread back on a more informative topic, here are some videos for some great Philadelphia neighborhoods:
Northern Liberties- sort of the hipster mecca of Philadelphia but is quickly becoming gentrified and over priced for hipsters which is sending them into surrounding neighborhoods gentrifying those areas (Fishtown, Olde Kensington, Poplar, Spring Arts)- Northern Liberties is located in the North Philadelphia District
University City- quickly becoming an extension of Philadelphia's downtown or a second downtown. This neighborhood is located right across the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia and is home to not only some of the largest and most prestigious institutions in the city, but in the state of PA and in the entire country. Drexel University, University of the Sciences, University of Pennsylvania (an ivy league school and ranked 5th in the United States for Universities, Penn's business school Wharton is ranked number 1), Penn Medicine, ranked in the top 10 best medical facilities in the country, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, ranked the number 1 Children's hospital in the country. Also, this neighborhood is home to the 3rd busiest train station in the United States: 30th Street Station, which ranks after only Penn Center in New York City and Union Station in Washington D.C.
So the sandwich was voted best sandwich... in America... on a reality tv show? Oh... ok.
According to the previous link, the St. Lawrence Market on the other hand was rated the #1 food market... in the entire world... by one of the largest educational organizations in the world.
Between the two, I would take latter more serious than the former (the reality tv show). But that's just me though.
The most trusted sources in the US for casual food is Adam Richman (Man Vs. Food) and Anthony Bourdain (the Layover/No Reservations) for upscale eats. That's really just how it is.
Congrats on your Nat Geo ranking. I'm sure it's a great food market. I never denied that.
According to the previous link, the St. Lawrence Market on the other hand was rated the #1 food market... in the entire world... by one of the largest educational organizations in the world.
Between the two, I would take latter more serious than the former (the reality tv show). But that's just me though.
How about we all just agree that food is essentially subjective, eh? Even if something is the "best of," that doesn't mean it's guaranteed someone will like it.
Once again, let's all get over this hell bent mission of proving that a particular city's food is God's gift to the universe.
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