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I agree it is best not to reply to people you feel did not praise Philly enough. You post in the Philly forum daily ... and boast new happenings and projects in the city and links as a Philly original native loving his hometown still. You are at times critical too on a addition or new building etc.. But the story still îs there that a outside cannot be critical but, must praise Philly ... or you are labeled a hater. A local or home-boy and transplanted local a bit different.
God forbid you mention something of what Philly could do another city did or does there (a Philly forum thread).... unless it's NYC that Philly loves to be compared to. You yourself already got heat for boasting things NYC does and Philly should too. I even defended you when a Philadelphia accused you of a boastful New Yorker in a C v C thread as in fact .... a Philly booster.
I clearly got a scarlet letter once I said tight row-housing that create a wall on narrow streets especially if green is less ... as a hater. I also did/do boast for Chicago over Philly in threads they were pitted vs each other. So that alone is unforgivable as a Pennsylvanian especially. I also in threads said it was unfair to over-hype Philly over our smaller state sister city of Pittsburgh in a Philly vs Pittsburgh thread. I saw Pittsburgh needed some defense. As it is a much smaller city.
No need to reply as I understand why. In a nutshell it all boils down to accused of the words in bold above..... maybe NYC is the best city in the world? I surely would not say Chicago is. But I adopted it as my second hometown that I endeared to till this day. Years after I lived there.
I will respond since you are talking directly to me. Yes I agree that I can be hard on the city at times because there is still a lot of mediocrity and settling for average, and it doesn't seem to irritate other posters as much as me.
However the difference is your criticality comes as a overwhelmingly negative, or something is Philly is good but Chicago does everything better. And as of late it seems to be more noticeable than usual.
And yes I did see that your post defending me (I found it funny that someone claimed I do not know about Philly and that I am an NYC booster. I guess they don't read my daily posts on here).
Anyways my point is that 1) your posts are often difficult to follow.
2) Many of posts do not offer constructive criticism or praise where its due, they are generally negative toward Philadelphia and boost Chicago to another level.
3) Your comments about Philly row housing have been repeated dozens of times on all boards, people already know your feelings about the housing styles. Row housing isn't your preference, but that doesn't make it bad. And this coming from someone who is sick of prime land in CC turning into townhouse.
Final note, I love all three cities, they are my 3 US favs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TasteofSourCherry
I don't even view Philadelphia as all that bad. Yes, I view it as having high crime areas but also view it as a historic city, with good universities (both inside and nearby), affordable cost of living, walkable, and in a beautiful area.
When it comes to cities, my perceptions are almost entirely negative of places like Flint, Camden, Baltimore, Detroit, St Louis, etc. But Philadelphia, more like it has its problems but still a good place.
That is a good point. I think Philadelphia suffers from more of a forgotten/ looked over perception problem, and the root of that is being sandwiched in between NYC and DC. I know lots of people around the country who think Philadelphia is cool, but they don't know much about the city because they don't think to go there, and its not because they don't like it, it just gets overlooked more than it should.
I mentioned it towards the infancy of this thread, and I'll say it again: I have very rarely, if ever, heard negative responses towards Philadelphia. This Philly insecurity complex is annoying. And certainly, I've never heard anything even close to the level of approaching Philly as having "the worst" perception problem...
Most people who know me around Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia forum regulars posting to this discussion, know I'm a proud native of another city that has historically had a massive municipal inferiority complex, and it was rooted in many of the same things: a sense that people in the "more important" cities ignored or belittled it, embarrassment over the city's image in the popular (historical) imagination.
My hometown of Kansas City's completely shaken it now. I'd say that happened in part because the city decided to embrace its colorful past, from cowtown to Boss Tom, rather than try to bury it; once that happened, it didn't matter so much what the outsiders thought, for Kansas Citians (unlike Philadelphians historically) have long considered their city one of the finest in the country - if only they could get the rest of the country to notice. I'd say they have now.
I think the most important obstacle to Philadelphia's shedding its inferiority complex has been overcome: unlike in the late 1980s, when a former Penn graduate student wrote in the foreword to his history of lesbian and gay Philadelphia pre-Stonewall that he didn't care that much for this place until he read a news story that reported that 60 percent of Philadelphia residents said they'd rather be living somewhere else (take that, W.C. Fields!), at which point he decided he had actually become comfortable with it and even grew to like it at least a little, young adults who come to Philadelphia now seem taken by the place. Especially because it still has that grittiness the Negadelphians abhor still. But the place is light-years livelier than it was when I moved here in 1983, and even though I was dragged here kicking and screaming from Boston back then, even then I saw that it had charms - often of the light-hidden-under-a-bushel variety.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
Politically speaking 30something millennials have made zero moves wrt taking the reigns of power in Philly. I mean actually going beyond supporting various progressive candidates, they have to run for office. But, yes, I agree there is momentum coming from that generation which is great to see and I hope it improves and continues.
Some of then are getting involved by the old-fashioned method: They're running for party ward committees. Those people are in this for the long haul.
I will respond since you are talking directly to me. Yes I agree that I can be hard on the city at times because there is still a lot of mediocrity and settling for average, and it doesn't seem to irritate other posters as much as me.
However the difference is your criticality comes as a overwhelmingly negative, or something is Philly is good but Chicago does everything better. And as of late it seems to be more noticeable than usual.
And yes I did see that your post defending me (I found it funny that someone claimed I do not know about Philly and that I am an NYC booster. I guess they don't read my daily posts on here).
Anyways my point is that 1) your posts are often difficult to follow.
2) Many of posts do not offer constructive criticism or praise where its due, they are generally negative toward Philadelphia and boost Chicago to another level.
3) Your comments about Philly row housing have been repeated dozens of times on all boards, people already know your feelings about the housing styles. Row housing isn't your preference, but that doesn't make it bad. And this coming from someone who is sick of prime land in CC turning into townhouse.
Final note, I love all three cities, they are my 3 US favs.
That is a good point. I think Philadelphia suffers from more of a forgotten/ looked over perception problem, and the root of that is being sandwiched in between NYC and DC. I know lots of people around the country who think Philadelphia is cool, but they don't know much about the city because they don't think to go there, and its not because they don't like it, it just gets overlooked more than it should.
DavePA is, of course, a big Chicago fanboi and he wears it on his sleeve. He is well-intentioned and I don't think he particularly means to put down other cities to promote Chicago, but sometimes it comes off that way. He's just a bit of a bull in a China shop with his Chicago enthusiasm.
DavePA is, of course, a big Chicago fanboi and he wears it on his sleeve. He is well-intentioned and I don't think he particularly means to put down other cities to promote Chicago, but sometimes it comes off that way. He's just a bit of a bull in a China shop with his Chicago enthusiasm.
I never noticed that he was a fan of Chicago
but I think I just stopped reading his posts a long time ago
though like many others for their cities, its actually tough to read these over zealous descriptions and I think the fan bois for the various places may actually cause a disservice rather than appreciation
and this goes for all places
as far as Chi town will be there in two weeks and always enjoy my time, especially this time of year
Not as bad as the rust belt cities, but yes. You also rarely hear about it which is strange because the rest of the top 10 metros get a lot more attention.
I will say that I think its important to note some pretty big generational gaps when it comes to a city like Philadelphia. From experience, older (generally white) folks who are familiar with the city are MUCH more likely to have a completely negative outlook, whereas today there's an overwhelming embrace of the city among Millennials of all races (even though its warts are acknowledged).
True. I’ve noted older, native Philadelphians are surprised to learn we moved to the city with great enthusiasm 7+ years back. Because they have lived here all their lives, birthright Philadelphians don’t see all the city has to offer. It’s analogous to a fish being unaware of the water it swims in. Further adding to the picture is the fact that only other city many life long Philadelphians know is the behemoth 90 minutes up the road. Well, guess what: No American city can compare with Manahattan’s heft and sophistication.
In the meantime, more and more people like us are picking up stakes and moving here. It’s no longer the insular city it has been. In the meantime, more of those who study in the area are remaining here after graduation bringing a fresh energy to the city. I’ve noticed it in the 7 short years we’ve lived here. And now we’re seeing political change with the election of a progressive DA last fall and the defeat of many of the machine politicians in last week’s election.
Philadelphia’s reputation is in good hands with the rising generation.
In the past few years since my return from the West Coast, I've met plenty of people from other places. Usually in 22-35 range who've been in town for anywhere from 1-5 years and they've all said "They love the city." Whether they've stayed along after schooling or came to town for a new job, or just looking for a new start, and they've found the city to be a hidden treasure. Although we all agree collectively that the city needs to clean up a "lot more than Center City."
I’m a West Coast guy who’s rather ignorant of the East Coast. That said, Philly’s reputation somewhat makes me bitter as it’s one of the most historic US cities and arguably should’ve been our nation’s Capitol and up with NYC as one of our country’s most significant cities.
I’ve long had a negative perception of Philadelphia that’s only changed because of this site. Even still I can’t shake my long term bias that started when I visited for a school field trip to see the liberty bell. I thought that it was a very dirty and run down city. That was decades ago, but that and all the negative news stories have kept my opinion the same and likely outdated. I would almost never hear anything positive about Philly if I didn’t come here.
For me my experience with Philadelphia started by learning of its history and importance. I have always heard how run down, dirty, and crime ridden the place was, and still believe some of this is still true. On the trips I have taken to Philadelphia, I haven't experienced crime, but did notice the city is not a very friendly place like some other cities I have been. I can appreciate Philadelphia for what it does offer, and hope to explore more of the area. My favorite thing about Philadelphia is the abundance of soul music and ethnic offerings. Philly Soul is one of my favorite types of music. There are so many great artists that have been influenced by the sound.
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