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Posted Sep 1, 2021, 3:14 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC
I posted pictures in the W thread from my recent stay, but since you brought up the state of Center City, I pasted my "Philadelphia weekend summary" from City Data below. There were a lot of positives and I was happy to see more energy, and the food is always amazing, but there were a few negatives, vacancies being one of them (but that is worse in NYC), and lack of police presence or enforcement (which I didn't mention, but a general problem in CC. The recent window smash at Mac Mart is an example). I still see good things in in the future though! See my summary below.
Hey All,
So, I visited Philadelphia over the weekend. I’ve been in and out of the city for work once a month, but this was the first time I spent 3 days/nights wandering and enjoying the city since 2019!
My boyfriend and I stayed at the new W Hotel. The hotel is stunning, we had a suite on the 40th floor (not all rooms are open yet). The rooms are beautiful, very dark and chic. The Lobby Bar / Lounge was great, competes with any hotel in New York. The 7th Floor contains a Spa, Gym, and outdoor Pool, all beautiful.
The pool / bar area will be a great summer spot in the coming years.
We walked all over Center City and pockets of Northern Liberties and Fishtown. Center City overall was very lively, people out and about, and a lot of tourists by the historic sites. My boyfriend loves all the old architecture, he likes to wander the little alleyways in Society Hill and Gayborhood. Washington Square Park is his favorite big city park in the country (Rittenhouse is great, but the vibe of Washington is very chill, which he likes).
We were in the Reading Terminal on Friday, it was busy, and most vendors were open, great to see. While in line for a cheesesteak we chatted with 2 separate couples near us. Both leisure visitors from Seattle and Arizona. Both couples had great things to say about the city and the food, which was also great to hear.
Other good points: I noticed a lot of construction everywhere, parts of Sansom and 13th Streets closed for outdoor dining was awesome (make that permanent), Walnut did not look as dreary as I imagined, restaurants and bars everywhere were busy, and we unexpectedly saw the Naked Bike Ride in Rittenhouse Square! My boyfriend likes Philadelphia a lot, he enjoys the food, energy, tight streets, architecture, and he likes the more brash attitude (similar to New York) that you don’t see in Chicago.
Places we ate or drank at… Various spots in the Reading Terminal, Alpen Rose (amazing), Pizzeria Vetri, Trattoria Carina, AKA Rittenhouse, La Columbe (Fishtown), Suraya, Royal Boucherie, JG Sky Bar, and various coffee shops. We love to eat and drink.
Now some slight negatives that I noticed all 3 nights / days…
1. Our room was on 40th floor facing North & East (we could see Broad Street and City Hall), the dirt bike and ATV riders were LOUD all 3 nights. They sporadically start around 11pm, and packs of them every few minutes until 3am. I even got up to look one night and saw them zooming by the Ritz Carlton. Definitely a problem and not exaggerated by residents. I don’t know what the city should do, but this is not “kids looking for a place to ride” (according to the progressive leftists).
2. Chestnut Street from 12th Street to 17th was not enjoyable, notably the 1200 Block and 1500 Block. Saturday night we were walking East toward hotel around midnight, there were at least a dozen ghetto teens by Foot Locker screaming at the top of their lungs, pushing each other, throwing garbage, we jaywalked midblock to avoid. And it was not a one-off circumstance. There should cops stationed along Chestnut. Before 12th and after 17th were fine though, like different worlds on certain blocks of Chestnut. The Element and W definitely help the 1400 block.
In summary, we had a great weekend. It is good to see the city bouncing back, and looks like it will only get better!
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Great summary! Those are exactly my sentiments as well. There are indeed good things happening in the city and it’s encouraging to see more activity. However, while I’ve generally been optimistic, I’ve had an uneasy feeling for the last month or so. I’ve noticed more homeless around Center City and subsequently more trash everywhere. I overheard two young women while walking along Market East the other night who commented the area looks like the zombie apocalypse - to be fair there were quite few meth heads gathered on one particular corner.
Thank you for addressing the dirt bike/ATV situation. Those who don’t think it’s a big deal should try living on Broad, Market or South for a week and see how much they can tolerate it. I imagine it’s probably what hell sounds like. While living at Broad and Arch for a year in Alterra’s One City Apartments, which has “historically protected” 100 year old single paned windows - ie “no windows”, (Alterra likes to skimp on things it seems), I’m pretty sure I lost most of the cells in the part of my brain associated with patience. Also, I was living there during the spring and early summer when groups of 50+ would rampage down Broad at all hours of the night. However, I’ve seen less of the really large groups lately which is encouraging.
Noise pollution is a significant issue in the city that isn’t being addressed enough. I’ve also noticed incredibly loud music emanating from cars which echos off buildings for several blocks - seems like they’re all over lately. Perhaps, I’m now just more sensitive to it, but I lived in Manhattan for three years and it seemed like it was never nearly as noticeable as it is in Philly.
I moved out of One City a few months ago and we have since purchased a townhouse in Spring Garden that we are in the process of renovating, which has been fun. However, if things continue to slide in the wrong direction in terms of quality of life issues, we may end up moving out of the city in a few years. We recently had a conversation with our neighbors who said the same thing.
I hope this doesn’t come across as a rant; thats not my intention. Its just my honest perspective of things as they stand. I love Philly and want to see it succeed. While not everyone is openly discussing it, I do think people are watching to see which way the winds are blowing. If you have similar concerns, please get involved - write to your council member, join a neighborhood association etc. These issues will only get worse if we allow them to.
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