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

[Ron S]

Now, if only we could get Organissimo to play here.

Philly named 'Next Great City'

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Ask any Philadelphian what the city is known for and the response might be cheesesteak or that scene in "Rocky" when Sylvester Stallone runs up the art museum steps.

But the October issue of National Geographic Traveler says there are lots of other good things to eat in Philly -- and you should actually go inside the museum after goofing off outside.

The magazine delves beneath pop culture to reveal the historical, artistic and gastronomic layers of Philadelphia, a place it has christened America's "Next Great City."

"This is a city that has been greatly overlooked," said Keith Bellows, the magazine's editor-in-chief. "It's the last great opportunity for anyone who wants a terrific urban life in the Northeast."

Impressed by Philadelphia in recent visits, he had to convince his staff that the City of Brotherly Love would be the next hip metro area. "They kind of all looked at me like I had lost my marbles," Bellows said.

But he dispatched his contributing editor, Andrew Nelson, to find out for himself.

What the author said he discovered was a Philadelphia that's no longer the city of "gritty urban decay" portrayed in the Rocky Balboa saga, nor "D.C. on a bad hair day." Long in the shadow of New York City and the nation's capital, Philadelphia now can flick that supposed chip from its shoulder and stand tall on its own merits.

It's been a long time coming. While the city has plenty of history -- it's where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted, and it's home to the Liberty Bell -- urban decay had crept in as people fled to the suburbs in the 1970s.

That has turned around in a big way.

There's a condominium building boom downtown, where the number of restaurants -- highlighted by ventures from well-known restaurateurs Georges Perrier and Stephen Starr -- has tripled since 1992. And the magazine called the Old City area, with its vibrant arts and nightlife scene, the liveliest urban neighborhood between SoHo in New York and SoBe in Miami.

A walkable city that bridges the old and new, Philadelphia boasts stately 19th-century neighborhoods, the Champs Elysees-inspired Benjamin Franklin Parkway and, soon, wireless Internet access throughout its 135 square miles.

Such revitalization efforts, together with a marketing campaign and high-profile events such as the Live 8 concert, have put Philly back on the map, city officials said.

Since 2000, the number of visitors to the city has grown by 21 percent to 25.5 million, said Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.

But Bellows said the city's self-image still needs a little work: "Philly has a little bit of an underdog sense of itself and it doesn't even realize how great it is."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/09/28/philadelphia.great.ap 

[Ron S]

The actual National Geographic Traveler article, but without all the great photos that appear in the magazine, can be found here.

[Brad]

Ok, I looked at my calendar and it's not April 1 so what gives?

[Ron S]

[Ron S]

Ok, I looked at my calendar and it's not April 1 so what gives?

You know, you shore ask a lotta questions for someone from New Jersey.

[GA Russell]

I was thinking along the lines of...The National Geographic crew spend their lives in the jungle photographing primitive women who go around topless all day, and for something different they visit Philly and are impressed with the existence of a museum, so they write an article about how great Philly is.

[Ron S]

You guys are lucky I have such a great sense of humor.

But miss out on Philly, and the joke's on you.

[Ron S]

Up, because I don't think you guys believed it the first time.

[catesta]

I'm not surprised.

There was a story in the paper here a few weeks back about Philly. A lot of the younger folks are moving there for lower property costs.

If I wasn't here, I would be there.

[Ron S]

Chris, it's never too late. And you can always come down for a visit.

[GA Russell]

Ron, I used to live in York. In 1983 I was a charter season ticket holder of the Philadelphia Stars, with four on the fifty, second row of the upper deck. I have fond memories of that!

Of course, the new Philly stadium has a jail for the drunks, but let's consider that just planning ahead!

[Johnny E]

I didn't know Mayor Street had a PR man on the National Geographic payroll. Good for him.

[Ron S]

I didn't know Mayor Street had a PR man on the National Geographic payroll. Good for him.

See, now THAT'S the kind of shit I'm talkin' about. And I had such high hopes for you based on the politics forum.

[Johnny E]

I didn't know Mayor Street had a PR man on the National Geographic payroll. Good for him.

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Hey I'm from Philly, I got a right to rip on it.

[ejp626]

Actually, I was just in Philly in Aug. and left far more depressed about the state of the city than I have in a long time. Any city that leaves it central core deserted on the weekend and running over with agressive panhandlers (much worse than the ones in NYC and Chicago) is not a healthy city.

[Stefan Wood]

Has North Philly gotten any better? Always used to go by it on the train and it was a sad sight to see.

[Ron S]

I didn't know Mayor Street had a PR man on the National Geographic payroll. Good for him.

←

Hey I'm from Philly, I got a right to rip on it.

Well that explains it. From the above-quoted AP article:

But Bellows [Editor of National Geographic Traveler] said the city's self-image still needs a little work: "Philly has a little bit of an underdog sense of itself and it doesn't even realize how great it is."

I'm not originally from Philly, so I'm not afflicted with this congenital ailment.

[Ron S]

Actually, I was just in Philly in Aug. and left far more depressed about the state of the city than I have in a long time.  Any city that leaves it central core deserted on the weekend and running over with agressive panhandlers (much worse than the ones in NYC and Chicago) is not a healthy city.

I don't know where you were, but as recently as last weekend I was in Center City Philly on a Sunday afternoon, walking all around the area between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square. The streets were full of people enjoying the beautiful weather, the many open shops, galleries, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes, and bucolic Rittenhouse Square itself. And other areas of Philly's central core I've visited on recent weekends (e.g., Old City, Society Hill, Market Street East) have been equally as bustling. Not to mention other restaurant and shopping districts in other parts of the city (e.g., Manayunk, Chestnut Hill). So wherever you were is not representative of much of Philly. Ironically, the most aggresive "street person" I've ever encountered was in Chicago, right outside the Drake Hotel of all places. And having lived in NYC, DC, Miami, and Texas (Austin and Houston), I can assure you that the panhandlers in Philly's central core are no more aggressive or plentiful than in the central cores of those other cities.

[Ron S]

Has North Philly gotten any better?  Always used to go by it on the train and it was a sad sight to see.

There has been some improvement--the city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars towing abandoned cars, cleaning up vacant lots, etc. Also, Temple University has embarked on a program to enhance its North Philly neighborhood. But as the city's most economically depressed area, North Philly has a long way to go. Of course, every big city has comparable areas (and some even worse), but not all have the main train route out of the city running through those areas as Philly does.

[Chalupa]

Actually, I was just in Philly in Aug. and left far more depressed about the state of the city than I have in a long time.  Any city that leaves it central core deserted on the weekend and running over with agressive panhandlers (much worse than the ones in NYC and Chicago) is not a healthy city.

I don't know where you were, but as recently as last weekend I was in Center City Philly on a Sunday afternoon, walking all around the area between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square. The streets were full of people enjoying the beautiful weather, the many open shops, galleries, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes, and bucolic Rittenhouse Square itself. And other areas of Philly's central core I've visited on recent weekends (e.g., Old City, Society Hill, Market Street East) have been equally as bustling. Not to mention other restaurant and shopping districts in other parts of the city (e.g., Manayunk, Chestnut Hill). So wherever you were is not representative of much of Philly. Ironically, the most aggresive "street person" I've ever encountered was in Chicago, right outside the Drake Hotel of all places. And having lived in NYC, DC, Miami, and Texas (Austin and Houston), I can assure you that the panhandlers in Philly's central core are no more aggressive or plentiful than in the central cores of those other cities.

←

You also have to add in the Jersey Shore factor. It's only 90 minutes away and most of the Center City residents that can get away for the weekend in the summer, do so and leave the city to the tourists. Especially in August.

[catesta]

I think Cleveland holds the title for the most agressive panhandlers.

[Ron S]

Actually, I was just in Philly in Aug. and left far more depressed about the state of the city than I have in a long time.  Any city that leaves it central core deserted on the weekend and running over with agressive panhandlers (much worse than the ones in NYC and Chicago) is not a healthy city.

I don't know where you were, but as recently as last weekend I was in Center City Philly on a Sunday afternoon, walking all around the area between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square. The streets were full of people enjoying the beautiful weather, the many open shops, galleries, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes, and bucolic Rittenhouse Square itself. And other areas of Philly's central core I've visited on recent weekends (e.g., Old City, Society Hill, Market Street East) have been equally as bustling. Not to mention other restaurant and shopping districts in other parts of the city (e.g., Manayunk, Chestnut Hill). So wherever you were is not representative of much of Philly. Ironically, the most aggresive "street person" I've ever encountered was in Chicago, right outside the Drake Hotel of all places. And having lived in NYC, DC, Miami, and Texas (Austin and Houston), I can assure you that the panhandlers in Philly's central core are no more aggressive or plentiful than in the central cores of those other cities.

←

You also have to add in the Jersey Shore factor. It's only 90 minutes away and most of the Center City residents that can get away for the weekend in the summer, do so and leave the city to the tourists. Especially in August.

YO! It's about time you jumped in and helped me out on this.

[catesta]

Actually, I was just in Philly in Aug. and left far more depressed about the state of the city than I have in a long time.  Any city that leaves it central core deserted on the weekend and running over with agressive panhandlers (much worse than the ones in NYC and Chicago) is not a healthy city.

I don't know where you were, but as recently as last weekend I was in Center City Philly on a Sunday afternoon, walking all around the area between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square. The streets were full of people enjoying the beautiful weather, the many open shops, galleries, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes, and bucolic Rittenhouse Square itself. And other areas of Philly's central core I've visited on recent weekends (e.g., Old City, Society Hill, Market Street East) have been equally as bustling. Not to mention other restaurant and shopping districts in other parts of the city (e.g., Manayunk, Chestnut Hill). So wherever you were is not representative of much of Philly. Ironically, the most aggresive "street person" I've ever encountered was in Chicago, right outside the Drake Hotel of all places. And having lived in NYC, DC, Miami, and Texas (Austin and Houston), I can assure you that the panhandlers in Philly's central core are no more aggressive or plentiful than in the central cores of those other cities.

←

What about 9th Street?

[Ron S]

What about 9th Street? 

Can you be a bit more specific?

[catesta]

Shame on you.

This part of 9th Street