Philadelphia 2035 (Washington, Penn: apartments, hotel, cost)

[Redddog]

Like it or not, it seems like next week we're going there.

Sucks.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Well, it may not be the same thing as a citywide mandate, but I just heard that Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities have reinstated indoor mask mandates. Johns Hopkins is one of the nation's leading centers of biomedical research.

Yea, but that is different a citywide mandate in indoor settings (as you said), and it's ridiculous at this point. And I can't find any other major American city that is contemplating a return of the mask mandate.

The Mayor and Council can't say Philadelphia is open and push for people to return and reinstate a mask mandate, it's counterproductive at this point.

[mphilly]

Ugh, this would be a disaster for the city. People are already reluctant to come in because of the crime and then if they’re required to wear masks too, forget about it.

I have been fully supportive of these restrictions but now that we have vaccines and we now know the new variants aren’t that serious for the vast majority of people, I just don’t understand why we continue to have these restrictions.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by mphilly

Ugh, this would be a disaster for the city. People are already reluctant to come in because of the crime and then if they’re required to wear masks too, forget about it.

I have been fully supportive of these restrictions but now that we have vaccines and we now know the new variants aren’t that serious for the vast majority of people, I just don’t understand why we continue to have these restrictions.

Just +1'd you on this.

I think too many people are now wedded to the notion that COVID remains more dangerous and deadly than the flu. These new variants and sub-variants are IMO clearly not that, and therefore our response to them shouldn't be the same as though they were.

SARS-CoV-2 is behaving like any other coronavirus: as it becomes easier to catch, it also becomes less severe in its effects.

[ilovephilly79]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Just +1'd you on this.

I think too many people are now wedded to the notion that COVID remains more dangerous and deadly than the flu. These new variants and sub-variants are IMO clearly not that, and therefore our response to them shouldn't be the same as though they were.

SARS-CoV-2 is behaving like any other coronavirus: as it becomes easier to catch, it also becomes less severe in its effects.

Agreed. And the city will only be further hurting its businesses in doing so. I’m consistently annoyed that we have to wear masks on SEPTA…still. When will these folks use their heads.

[cpomp]

Some good tourism news (let's hope bogus health department mandates don't hinder this effort).

Visit Philadelphia's $2M spring marketing campaign targeting drive markets is largest spend since pre-pandemic

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...marketing.html

"Visit Philadelphia has launched a $2 million spring marketing campaign that emphasizes targeting travelers within the drive market in the largest advertising campaign from the destination marketing organization since the Covid-19 pandemic hit."

"The nonprofit is continuing its “Pack Light. Plan Big. For Philly.” messaging, tapping into industry trend research that indicates people are looking to take a big trip after more than two years of restricted travel, Chief Marketing Officer Neil Frauenglass told the Business Journal."

"The campaign will run locally in the five-country Greater Philadelphia region, plus Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, aiming to attract people who work in the the city during the week to come for a weekend getaway. It also will extend regionally to New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C."

"The destination marketing organization has a $14.4 million operating budget until its fiscal year concludes in October. Its standard pre-pandemic operating budget was $16 million. The nonprofit is largely funded by Philadelphia’s hotel tax, and with reduced traffic at local properties due to the pandemic Visit Philadelphia has tapped into other funding sources, including a $1.5 million grant from the city."

"The organization is also doubling down on marketing efforts in Canada, the city’s “largest international feeder destination,” Frauenglass said. It has ramped up public relations outreach in Canada in recent months and is noticing an increase in Canadian visitors as a result."

"Ultimately, Visit Philadelphia projects year-end Center City hotel room demand to be “in striking distance” of 2019 numbers, down 4% from the pre-pandemic heyday."

"From October 2021 through February, more than 521,000 leisure hotel room nights were booked at Center City properties, per Visit Philadelphia. Another 240,000 are anticipated from April to June."

[MPK21]

Originally Posted by cpomp

How a redesign of Washington Avenue got detoured by a clash of competing needs

https://www.inquirer.com/transportat...-20220228.html

Interesting read. I must say, it's always so refreshing to read Claudia Sherrod's statements... (sarcasm).

Claudia Sherrod, a longtime Point Breeze resident and activist, said police district data suggest that Washington Avenue has fewer traffic crashes than road diet advocates imply. The city says at least four people died and six were seriously injured on the roadway between 2012 and 2018."

“One is too many, but they’re making it seem 10 times worse than it is,” said Sherrod, president of Point Breeze Community Network Plus."

"Sherrod also wants more regulation of cyclists, who she believes often “put themselves in harm’s way” by not stopping at intersections and swerving around people in crosswalks. “That doesn’t mean they should be hurt or killed,” she said, but urban cycling “causes more problems than it’s worth. We need to make sure bicyclists have a license or permit and insurance.”"

Been out of town and catching up on this...i do recall a pic of a group of black protesters, one of which had a sign stating ''White Supremacy Wins Again''. So did white supremacy win again?

Considering that highways, railroads, transit systems are all racist, it's logical then that the list needs to be updated by adding ''bike paths'' to the mix.

Wonder if Ms. Claudia realizes though that Philly is now a large mix of asians and hispanics, especially along Washington Avenue...seems like Ms. Claudia needs to add a couple things to her mix...i guess, for starteres, asian and hispanic supremacy.

[Tweb66]

Mask mandate? Ughh, no thanks. I already don't do my grocery shopping in Philly, in 10-15 minutes in three directions I can be outside the city with plenty dining options...


I was nothing of a anti masker but this seems pointless to reinstate. If they are reinstating it now it probably means the mandate will go on and off indefinitely. That is a hard no for me.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

Agreed. And the city will only be further hurting its businesses in doing so. I’m consistently annoyed that we have to wear masks on SEPTA…still. When will these folks use their heads.

And agreed on that.

I have no problem with the notion that we will have to get periodic booster shots. That makes this (ahem) just like the flu, where we go in each year to get a shot that will give us defenses against that year's dominant strain.

Gawd, I really am astonished at how so many people just don't see the emerging parallels here.

[cpomp]

Some positive news. Philadelphia continues to post impressive VC numbers. There is more detail here... https://www.cbinsights.com/reports/C...t-Q1-2022.pdf?

"Quarterly funding is down across all major cities and tech hubs in the US, except for Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dallas. Among them, Philadelphia and Atlanta based startups saw the largest jumps in funding at 71% and 30%, respectively."

Venture Capital Q1 2022

United States top 10

City Deals Total Value

1. Silicon Valley 734 $28.9B
2. NY 499 $11.7B
3. Los Angeles 256 $5.2B
4. Boston 218 $4.4B
5. Dallas 54 $2.26B
6. Austin 105 $1.8B
7. Seattle 100 $1.5B
8. Philly 80 $1.495B
9. Chicago 64 $1.36B
10. D.C 116 $1.13B
11. Miami 81 $1.05B ("capital of capital")
12. Denver 89 $894M
13. Atlanta 55 $686M
14. Raleigh 41 $247M

Canada

1. Toronto 71 $1.7B (USD)
2. Vancouver 26 $237M (USD)