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I've never heard anyone have anything negative to say about Philly. I also never hear anyone raving about wanting to go there. It doesn't have the flashy perceptions like NYC, Las Vegas, Miami, and Los Angeles. It also doesn't have the perceived great natural beauty like Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, and Salt Lake City. Philly seems like a city to go to if your really into old American history.
Philly is like what Fort Worth is to Texas. Having to compete with nearby cities with much flashier perceptions.
Serious question. What is the big draw to bring people to Philly beyond old American history? Please don't bash me for asking that question. I really want to know what people not interested in history would get out of going to that city instead of going to NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Washington D.C.
Serious question. What is the big draw to bring people to Philly beyond old American history? Please don't bash me for asking that question. I really want to know what people not interested in history would get out of going to that city instead of going to NYC, Boston, Washington D.C.
I would say its at a very high level in regards to overall urban experience. Its a top 5 Walkable city. Top 10 bikable. Top 10 restaurant. Top 10 Museums. Juggernaut for live music I saw there were 67 different live shows this weekend in the region.
Ive seen it said that its the third best nightlife on the east cast after Manhattan and Miami Beach.
Tons of useless facts like the amazing and largely unknown Fairmount Park in Philly is about 12 x the size of NYC Central Park.
Hour from 100 mile stretch of clean beaches.
Its a city definitely worth being drawn to but there are a few warts. The city could do a better job of presenting itself/cleaning itself up/sprucing up areas outside of Center City. And of course the crime and poverty rate in the hoods is not acceptable.
Its image is certainly smaller than it deserves as one of the five or six greatest US cities.
There's also an issue with the quality of that image. Boston for example has the tech/university image, but Philly doesn't have an equivalent. Both are known for history of course. So what fills the gap? Maybe it's Rocky (mostly a negative) and rude spectators.
Philly should be known for having one of the most cohesive, walkable, fascinating cores in the country.
Maybe a couple Hanks/Ryan romantic comedies would do the trick, much as they did for Manhattan.
Philadelphia is like the middle sister to whom you never really paid much attention; then one day you find yourselves thrown together and after an afternoon of good company and conversation, you find yourself in love. At least that was my experience with the City of Brotherly Love.
Can't let a thread just happen without bringing up Baltimore, right? Especially one that, overall, has been complimentary towards Philadelphia, the bigger, has-much-more-to-offer in terms of colleges/universities, museums, history, public transit, walkable neighborhoods/etc. than B-More.
Don't hijack the thread just because it kills you that Philadelphia gets compared to Boston, Chicago, NYC, and D.C., while Baltimore doesn't. Start a similar thread about Baltimore.
I think for many people, Philadelphia does have a perception problem that goes back several decades. The 1980s and '90s were a bad time for the city. During those decades, the population continued its decline; the infamous MOVE bombing took place in West Philly; the city's severe financial problems worsened; the Chestnut Street transit mall failed; City Hall tower was wrapped in scaffolding for years due to lack of funds to finish restoration; the streets of Center City were strewn with trash (hence the sobriquet "Filthadelphia"), and on and on. Philadelphia seemed then to be the poster child for the decline and fall of the great American city. Philadelphia has improved greatly since then, but unfortunately old negative perceptions die hard especially amongst those who have not visited here in a while.
When I moved from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia, people down there looked at me like I was crazy. Why on earth would I retire from warm, sunny South Florida to cold, dreary "Filthadelphia"? I tried to explain my move--an auto-free life style, proximity to world class visual and performing arts, great medical facilities; beautiful neighborhoods; amazing history, comparatively low rents, etc.---but most weren't buying it and none believed I'd stay in Philly for more than a year. Well, I've lived in Center City for 15-years now and I love it more than ever. The improvements that are continuing to take place in the city are nothing short of amazing, and IMO there is nothing in urban America to compare with the grand vistas up and down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
I suspect many who visit Philadelphia today leave town with a much better perception of the city than what they had when they arrived.
Philadelphia might be the most underrated city in the country. Philly being underrated makes me like Philly even more. Most cities are overrated to me.
Thanks for the responses everyone. Philadelphia is the only city in which on this city data site I hear much more positive feedback than in real life.
I get it back in the 80s/90s, but now there are some wonderful neighborhoods and it is extremely walkable. If I were to live in an urban area in the Northeast, that would be it. NYC is just to big for me, Boston to far north, DC is nice, but would not want to live.
The day trips from Philly is what makes it a gem. Baltimore, NYC, D.C. an easy weekend trip.
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Can't let a thread just happen without bringing up Baltimore, right? Especially one that, overall, has been complimentary towards Philadelphia, the bigger, has-much-more-to-offer in terms of colleges/universities, museums, history, public transit, walkable neighborhoods/etc. than B-More.
