I’m amazed (or is it incredulous?) of people who authoritatively write on destinations and subjects with which they are barely acquainted. I’ve spent the better part of forty years living in the Philadelphia area yet feel as though I barely understand the city. I see the city’s aspirations, its short-comings, its best and its worst. A city perpetually in the shadow of New York to the north and to a lesser extent, Washington, DC to the south. The population shifts and economic growth of Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, and San Francisco has further diminished the status of Philadelphia. Miami and Las Vegas have more appeal to international travelers. There’s a collective gasp—at least we aren’t Detroit. Yet.
I blame my struggles to understand Philadelphia on the city’s contradictory and divided nature. A population growth that came from immigration-tied spurts and absorption of nearby municipalities created an environment not of distinct neighborhoods but rather distinct towns falling under the collective banner of Philadelphia. Post World War Two, the Great Migration brought blacks from the South and economic growth lured whites to bigger homes in the suburbs. Well-intentioned local leaders manage Philadelphia without regard to policies across the county line. Over a fifty-year period, the metropolitan’s area economic heart shifted from Center City to King of Prussia, fifteen miles northwest.
Philadelphia struggles to find its way. It’s city with high aspirations that struggles with executing the basics. It advances despite itself. Philadelphia sits between two rivers with limited waterfront development. The city is simultaneously a top Lonely Planet destination and the poorest large city in America. It’s the most significant historical city in America and home to the current best chef in the country. With soda taxes and proposals for safe injection sites and plastic bag bans Philadelphia politics appears to be more liberal than San Francisco—yet these policies threaten to further divide a blue-collar union town where many lifelong Democrats have started to find Trump’s policies appealing.
A cursory glance and you may think you’ve solved Philadelphia. Sure. Go write with authority.
I blame my struggles to understand Philadelphia on the city’s contradictory and divided nature. A population growth that came from immigration-tied spurts and absorption of nearby municipalities created an environment not of distinct neighborhoods but rather distinct towns falling under the collective banner of Philadelphia. Post World War Two, the Great Migration brought blacks from the South and economic growth lured whites to bigger homes in the suburbs. Well-intentioned local leaders manage Philadelphia without regard to policies across the county line. Over a fifty-year period, the metropolitan’s area economic heart shifted from Center City to King of Prussia, fifteen miles northwest.
Philadelphia struggles to find its way. It’s city with high aspirations that struggles with executing the basics. It advances despite itself. Philadelphia sits between two rivers with limited waterfront development. The city is simultaneously a top Lonely Planet destination and the poorest large city in America. It’s the most significant historical city in America and home to the current best chef in the country. With soda taxes and proposals for safe injection sites and plastic bag bans Philadelphia politics appears to be more liberal than San Francisco—yet these policies threaten to further divide a blue-collar union town where many lifelong Democrats have started to find Trump’s policies appealing.
A cursory glance and you may think you’ve solved Philadelphia. Sure. Go write with authority.
QUINTESSENTIAL PHILLY
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AMERICA'S BIRTHPLACE
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NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKDOWN
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DINING
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BEER AND COFFEE PROJECT
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AND EVERYTHING ELSE
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Useful Philadelphia exploration links:
https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2017/02/philadelphia_film_locations.html
https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2017/02/philadelphia_film_locations.html
And the surrounding suburbs...
BUCKS
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CHESTER
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DELAWARE
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MONTGOMERY
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