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I love Philly, the punk/hardcore music scene, urban and walkable neighborhoods, blue collar vibe, tough attitudes, it's all perfect. Philadelphia natives should be extremely thankful for the city's bad reputation and Kensington zombieland for keeping people away, the last thing you want is for Philly's unique character and culture to be destroyed by transplants flooding in, making the COL skyrocket. Please never become a "cool" city, trust me, you don't want that.
I love Philly, the punk/hardcore music scene, urban and walkable neighborhoods, blue collar vibe, tough attitudes, it's all perfect. Philadelphia natives should be extremely thankful for the city's bad reputation and Kensington zombieland for keeping people away, the last thing you want is for Philly's unique character and culture to be destroyed by transplants flooding in, making the COL skyrocket. Please never become a "cool" city, trust me, you don't want that.
In the last two years 1061 people got killed in Philadelphia. I’m almost certain any one of those parents/brother/sisters would be willing to deal with a Starbucks on the corner of it meant they got their person back.
People aren’t sacrificing themselves for some guy who is sick of Brooklyn rents to have a lower cost of living in South Philly, nor are they doing so for your tough guy persona.
I love Philly, the punk/hardcore music scene, urban and walkable neighborhoods, blue collar vibe, tough attitudes, it's all perfect. Philadelphia natives should be extremely thankful for the city's bad reputation and Kensington zombieland for keeping people away, the last thing you want is for Philly's unique character and culture to be destroyed by transplants flooding in, making the COL skyrocket. Please never become a "cool" city, trust me, you don't want that.
Why would anyone be grateful to have the largest open-air drug market in the country?
The city could fix the opioid and crime issues plaguing the city while retaining its gritty blue collar vibe, walkable neighborhoods, and hc scene; just look at NYC.
Why would anyone be grateful to have the largest open-air drug market in the country?
The city could fix the opioid and crime issues plaguing the city while retaining its gritty blue collar vibe, walkable neighborhoods, and hc scene; just look at NYC.
To add, while Kensington is a crisis, it doesn't correlates to "keeping people away", and it's not like someone could accidently wander into it, (unlike Downtown LA). And the amount of construction permits and rebounding tourism stats in the city say otherwise.
But I agree, the city can improve major QOL issues AND, maintain character, and still become a destination for people to live and visit. NYC still has a nice balance of grit and coolness.
I also agree with the another poster that I think Philadelphia is viewed as cool these days.
Well .NYC is NYC. London or Paris will always have more cachet than Birmingham or Lyon. But, I would say Philly is pretty comparable to Chicago in the cool department. In someways it may even exceed Chicago given it's easy coast location and tight brick everywhere feel.
I like Philly and think it's a bit underrated. But it's not in the same league overall.
We have several friends from Philly who moved to Chicago for work and they are blown away by it. They say "people come into the city during the summer to have a good time...whereas in Philly they escape the city in the summer to have a good time".
This isn't me, but a direct quote from a Philly native. I have no idea how true it is.
I really liked the collegiate vibe in certain parts of the city, and the urbanity is pretty solid. Everything about the city felt "fine", like a lighter version of Chicago with narrower streets and older history. It's not a city I would make time to visit, but I liked it pretty well.
I like Philly and think it's a bit underrated. But it's not in the same league overall.
We have several friends from Philly who moved to Chicago for work and they are blown away by it. They say "people come into the city during the summer to have a good time...whereas in Philly they escape the city in the summer to have a good time".
This isn't me, but a direct quote from a Philly native. I have no idea how true it is.
Seems anecdotal at best.
I live in Indianapolis, and love visiting Chicago because there is nothing like it in the Midwest. Chicago is THE major Midwestern city, so of course we visit Chicago. No doubt, people who live in Chicago take vacations outside the city.
Philly isn't the capitol of the region in the same way Chicago is. If you live in Allentown, you can basically choose between anywhere on the eastern seaboard. It makes sense Philly might not capture the lion's share of visitors in the same way Chicago does.
My feelings are somewhat less than ambivalent on Philly... more like 'meh'. I have never been there and only know it by its reputation or sports teams or sports fans or news stories. It never occurred to me that Philadelphia is cool. I would not rank it near NYC or Chicago. It has always been a non-location, maybe because it is squashed into the Northeast megalopolis. It has an interesting early history which is why I might consider visiting. Looking at the conversations on this thread it seems like there might be something of interest going on there if I was in the vicinity but I'd rather visit Chicago or NYC as a destination. I went to a wedding in West Chester and didn't bother going into Philly, a few miles away.
My feelings are somewhat less than ambivalent on Philly... more like 'meh'. I have never been there and only know it by its reputation or sports teams or sports fans or news stories. It never occurred to me that Philadelphia is cool. I would not rank it near NYC or Chicago. It has always been a non-location, maybe because it is squashed into the Northeast megalopolis. It has an interesting early history which is why I might consider visiting. Looking at the conversations on this thread it seems like there might be something of interest going on there if I was in the vicinity but I'd rather visit Chicago or NYC as a destination. I went to a wedding in West Chester and didn't bother going into Philly, a few miles away.
Well I would recommend a visit based just on that. You will see the history and then appreciate all the city has to offer beyond that, including incredible food. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Side not, not directed at you, but I wish people would stop lumping Chicago/NYC. Chicago is a wonderful city, but NYC is in it's own league. I've encountered people from all over the country and world enamored by NYC, even people in the deep South per my recent work trip.
Chicago is a mixed bag of reactions, similar to Philadelphia. So I'd say Chicago and Philadelphia are closer on the "coolness" spectrum, and New York is way out on its own.
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