Philly Named "Next Great City" By Nat'l Geographic

[Ron S]

Shame on me is RIGHT!I thought you were referring to a location of the so-called "aggressive panhandlers" mentioned in ejp626's post.

[Johnny E]

Shame on you.

This part of 9th Street

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I love the Italian Market! I'm getting home sick....I WANT A REAL CHEESESTEAK!

So how Jerry's Corner in the Southwest doin'? Now that's a fine example of what Philadelphia has to offer.

[Free For All]

[Ron S]

So how Jerry's Corner in the Southwest doin'? Now that's a fine example of what Philadelphia has to offer.

Dude, you're hopeless.

[Johnny E]

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No cheesewiz on my please....provolone or white American only (with fried onions, peppers and mushrooms - some hot peppers would be nice ).

[Johnny E]

My brother used to live in Darby (still does actually) and I remember taking one of two routes to his house - either on 95 pasted the refineries and solid waste treatment plant near Penrose Ave. (the stinkest stretch of hiway I've ever known) ~or~ Packer Ave over to Passyunk past Jerry's Corner. Needless to say I used to take Passyunk more often than not with a pitstop now and again.

Edited October 2, 2005 by Johnny E

[Ron S]

My brother used to live in Darby (still does actually) and I remember taking one of two routes to his house - either on 95 pasted the refineries and solid waste treatment plant near Penrose Ave. (the stinkest stretch of hiway I've ever known) ~or~ Packer Ave over to Passyunk past Jerry's Corner.  Needless to say I used to take Passyunk more often than not with a pitstop now and again.

Either you have a very selective memory, or you didn't get around much when you lived here. Then again, if I'd only spent time in the shit-holes of Seattle--and every big city has 'em--I'm sure I'd feel the same way about it.

[Ron S]

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No cheesewiz on my please....provolone or white American only (with fried onions, peppers and mushrooms - some hot peppers would be nice ).

Here are a few quotes that might surprise you and other nonbelievers:

"As someone who eats out for a living in at least 25 U.S. cities each year, I can attest that Philadelphia has for a long time been one of the best dining-out towns in America,” - Esquire restaurant critic John Mariani

"A restaurant renaissance has put Philadelphia on the food map" - The New York Times

"Conde Nast Traveler magazine readers voted Philadelphia the "Best Restaurant City in America." Not only are the number 1 and number 2 restaurants in the nation located in Center City, but 10 of the top 100 restaurants in the country can be found within the city limits. Esquire magazine also recently named Philadelphia among the top restaurant cities in the country."

Then again, if all you're after is a cheesesteak . . . .

[Johnny E]

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No cheesewiz on my please....provolone or white American only (with fried onions, peppers and mushrooms - some hot peppers would be nice ).

Here are a few quotes that might surprise you and other nonbelievers:

"As someone who eats out for a living in at least 25 U.S. cities each year, I can attest that Philadelphia has for a long time been one of the best dining-out towns in America,” - Esquire restaurant critic John Mariani

"A restaurant renaissance has put Philadelphia on the food map" - The New York Times

"Conde Nast Traveler magazine readers voted Philadelphia the "Best Restaurant City in America." Not only are the number 1 and number 2 restaurants in the nation located in Center City, but 10 of the top 100 restaurants in the country can be found within the city limits. Esquire magazine also recently named Philadelphia among the top restaurant cities in the country."

Then again, if all you're after is a cheesesteak . . . .

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A soft pretzel and a Tastykake would be nice.

Edited October 3, 2005 by Johnny E

[md655321]

Ive been in Philly for a couple months now and i love it. Of course, anything is upgrade from detroit.

The downtown area is very nice with tons to do. Very beautiful.

And the cheesesteaks, my god the cheesesteaks.....

[Ron S]

A soft pretzel and a Tastykake would be nice.

I'd send you one of these . . .

. . . but then everyone here would expect one.

[Templejazz]

just found this topic but I gotta leave for work. I'll chime in about my love/hate relationship with Philly later today.

In the meantime howsabout some of the Philly Board members hit Ortlieb's or Zanzibar for a rowdy night sometime.

Just a thought

[Joe G]

I'd send you one of these . . .

. . . but then everyone here would expect one.

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You DO want us to play there, don't you?

[Ron S]

In the meantime howsabout some of the Philly Board members hit Ortlieb's or Zanzibar  for a rowdy night sometime.

Just a thought   

That would be great! We might even consider letting some of the Jersey members come, if they promise to behave.

I was hoping we could get something like that going at the Benny Golson show in February, but as far as I know only Alan Lankin, and I think maybe Chalupa (?), showed up in addition to myself.

[Ron S]

I'd send you one of these . . .

. . . but then everyone here would expect one.

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You DO want us to play there, don't you?

So THAT'S what Greg's been looking for--a little payola.

[rachel]

I'd send you one of these . . .

. . . but then everyone here would expect one.

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You DO want us to play there, don't you?

So THAT'S what Greg's been looking for--a little payola.

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If Joe doesn't want the Tastykakes, can I have 'em? Especially if they're peanut butter Kandy Kakes...

and maybe throw in a jar of sweet peppers. They don't quite get it that they're not the same as banana peppers around here.

[Ron S]

Rachel, just for you:

Do I sense a Philly connection here?

[7/4]

In the meantime howsabout some of the Philly Board members hit Ortlieb's or Zanzibar  for a rowdy night sometime.

Just a thought   

That would be great! We might even consider letting some of the Jersey members come, if they promise to behave.

I think I can behave, I have to drive.

I was hoping we could get something like that going at the Benny Golson show in February, but as far as I know only Alan Lankin, and I think maybe Chalupa (?), showed up in addition to myself.

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I think I'd make the journey to hear Marshall Alen lead the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Maybe I can even get off my ass for the Philly Guitar show, I never did get to the last one.

[rachel]

Rachel, just for you:

Do I sense a Philly connection here?

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I used to live in Delaware. (So naturally I went to the Delaware/MD *beaches* not the Jersey *shore*) but grew up on real cheesesteaks (w/o the whiz, thank you) and TastyKakes. There's just nothing like them!

The Colts' Marvin Harrison has TastyKakes shipped to him because he can't stand not having them in Indiana.

[Ron S]

Maybe I can even get off my ass for the Philly Guitar show, I never did get to the last one.

That's right--you were supposed to remind me about it when the time came.

[7/4]

Maybe I can even get off my ass for the Philly Guitar show, I never did get to the last one.

That's right--you were supposed to remind me about it when the time came.

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Sorry. I think there's a Fall show coming up...I may be in the market for a Tele.

[ejp626]

I was one block east of City Hall when two panhandlers tag-teamed me and followed me for two blocks. That is by far the most menaced I have ever been by panhandlers, and yes I have been all over the US and lived for five years in both New York and Chicago. Also, three blocks south of City Hall on a weekend, a panhandler/vendor swore at me and called me a racist when I didn't buy an umbrella from him for $5 when it was 90 degrees out. People's experiences are always subjective, but my experiences, particularly walking on the east side of the downtown, tell me that Philly is on a downward skid.

[Dr. Rat]

I was one block east of City Hall when two panhandlers tag-teamed me and followed me for two blocks.  That is by far the most menaced I have ever been by panhandlers, and yes I have been all over the US and lived for five years in both New York and Chicago.  Also, three blocks south of City Hall on a weekend, a panhandler/vendor swore at me and called me a racist when I didn't buy an umbrella from him for $5 when it was 90 degrees out.  People's experiences are always subjective, but my experiences, particularly walking on the east side of the downtown, tell me that Philly is on a downward skid.

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Well, panhandlers are no real measure of the health of a city. I was in SF ten years ago and hated every minute on the sidewalk downtown because of the constant barrage of panhandling (not physically aggressive, but really, really persistent). And of course we know that in the ten years since property values in SF went through the floor.

It just means that that's what they find they can get away with. Everything else in town might be fine.

The fact that there are panhandlers is endemic to cities in this country. What the city does with them is the only difference.

--eric

[Ron S]

ejp626, I'm sorry you had those 2 unpleasant experiences when you were in Philly, but I'd urge you not to judge an entire city, or whether it's headed up or down, based upon them. As the good Dr. points out immediately above, these kinds of incidents happen in any and every big city--and many not so big--and you just seem to have had some bad luck in Philly. As I mentioned earlier, one of the most aggressive street person I ever encountered was right outside the Drake Hotel in Chicago, and I've had similarly unpleasant encounters in the central business cores of NYC, DC, and Miami when I lived in those cities (including scams, thefts, threats, and an armed mugging), but I certainly didn't conclude from any of those expericences that those cities were "on a downward skid."

I've lived in Philly for 16 years now, spending several of those years working in and around the very neighborhood where you had your unpleasant experiences, and I have never had a similar experience. Furthermore, neither has anyone else I know. Additionally, there recently have been many, many articles in the local and national media--the National Geographic Traveler article being only the latest--about how Philly in general, and the Center City area in particular, are experiencing an amazing renaissance unparalleled in any other major city. For example, through numerous renovations and newly constructed buildings, Philly has added thousands of new residential condominium units to the Center City area. And there a lot of new condo renovation and construction projects--including several 40-50 story condo towers and thousands more units--underway or about to begin. In fact, with all this Center City population growth, Philly is now second only to New York City in the size of the residential population of its central business core. Further, the vast majority of these new condos are selling for prices in the range of $500,000-$1 million and up. I doubt very much that all these affluent people and developers, and all the shops, restaurants, and cultural institutions they frequent, would be coming to or staying in Center City Philly and garnering all the press they're getting, if the city truly were "on a downward skid."

Additionally, there are many other great neighborhoods in and around Philly to visit, including several restaurant/boutique/gallery districts that are miles from where your "incidents" occurred, which are similarly not "on a downward skid."

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that either you know something that hundreds of thousands of the rest of us don't, or else you need to give the city another chance.

[Jim Alfredson]

Alison here again...I have to use Jim's account since he won't let me have my own...

Anyhow, I lived in Philly for 2 1/2 years. At 18 I graduated high school in mid-Michigan and decided to live in Center City Philadelphia to attend art school. I had never been there in my life. I lived alone on 13th St between Pine and Spruce and walked everywhere! I worked downtown off Rittenhouse Sq., went to South St., The Reading Terminal, the Museum, movies, dinner, you name it.

I was also scared out of my mind the minute I was out alone after dark and walked around with a dagger-like safety pin in my hand at all times. Every college friend I had who lived in the City was mugged except me. But, I also have to say that I loved that town so much and think of it constantly. The food, the music, the architecture, the shopping, and events can keep a person perfectly happy.

The homeless population, back when I lived there (91-94), was out of control. I was aware when a certain person was missing off the street after a couple long hard winter weeks. The faces became so familiar...almost like store owners'. The panhandling then was take-it-or-leave-it. It never seemed to bother me. Until the day when I decided to give a person my leftovers from my dinner out with friends on the way home. The man, whose sign read that he was starving I might add, threw my food on the ground when I offered it. I've been scarred ever since.

I recommend everyone visit Philly at least once. It is beautiful and fun. I was there when they were making the movie Philadelphia and my neighbor was an actor in it and I still feel a deep connection to the town. I hope to return someday. If the trio plays there, I will go!

Thanks for letting me chime in when Jimmy's not around