Hey everyone, I just finished my MArch and have relocated to Philadelphia and started working. I wondered if anyone else here is working in Philadelphia and if they like it.
So far I think its a good place to live and for a city is nice and accessible. It seems like a good place for architecture as well, a lot of new interesting things happening. aside from the casinos and all...
While visiting Philly as a college kid I ended up at a pub talking to some locals about the city, contemplating a move there. Never before have I heard people so blatant with their racism talking about how the city isn't what it used to be. Wouldn't call that intelligence or imagination.
Aren't there blatant racists in pubs in other cities? I wouldn't judge Philly or any city in fact from a conversation that took place in one pub. But thats just me.
Back to topic -
Gotta say, I hated Philly when I first came to this city, but now I can't live without it.
A lot of great places to work, eat, drink, see, you name it. People are much more friendly than most cities, also center city is extremely well maintained and clean. Some very interesting architectural moments, as well as a decent public transportation system. The key is to live outside of the city so that you avoid the city tax, and also notice that many of the salaries are a tad lower than you would get in other areas. Well worth it however.
Dec 29, 06 12:37 pm ·
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Over 50 years later, I found out this morning that I now live on "the hill crest of the divide between the Pennypack and the Tacony Creek waters," and where I'm sitting now was in 1763 "an immense peach-orchard, with cows feeding up to the very doors of the [quondam 1645 Swedish fort turned] house." No cows here right now, but I can go see grazing cows anytime at the farm just over the crest and down the in valley.
Pros: Cheap, great history, great arts and culture, northeast location, easy to get to ocean, mountains, as well as NYC and DC. Most of the places you'll most likely want to be fall in an easily navigable strip consisting of Old City-Center City-University City, which means that you're never more than a 20 minute cab ride from any other place you'd want to be in the city. Plus, Yeungling is always cheap.
Cons: Easily the laziest city in the US. The public services are totally screwed, and you'll never encounter more rude and lazy people working in retail, grocery stores, the University of Pennsylvania, and the like. Worst mayor in the country. City wage tax is bad. Unions suffocate the city, and can make your life a nightmare if you're in construction. Fortunately, they've economically retarded the city so much that housing and just about everything else is cheap.
I've lived in Philly (or a suburb thereof) my whole life. In practically every section at one point or another. Jerkstore pretty much nailed the pros and cons, allthough i would add to the list of pros a very vibrant art and music scene and great local cuisine. cons? our inferiority complex when compared to new york that has gotten so out of control that it has led the local papers to dubbing us the goddamned 6th borough. oh and also? casinos any day now that will destroy the city.
plus we got BENergy!
Dec 29, 06 5:26 pm ·
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I haven't seen them at arms-length yet myself, but I have it on good authority that deer often have late night snacks in my front garden. For example, about two months ago I noticed that the top leaves of Abigale Adams, one of the fledgling peach trees out front, had been eaten. Philadelphia deer can be so rude!
All I can say about Philly is January, February, March, April, MAY 14!
Honestly, it's just not a place where I've ever felt happy. Whenever I come into the city and see Liberty 1 on the horizon, my heart blackens and my soul dies a little. I agree it is probably the dumbest, laziest city on the face of the planet. It's pretty difficult to get anything done, from getting a cup of coffee to getting your landlord scrape the paint off the window they painted shut. Nothing about the place excites me or will keep me there after graduation.
But some people seem to love the place. To each his own.
well im glad to see my impression of philly is a pretty general one. i imagine there are other cities in the country that have murders and racists though, lets not be too extreme here. its definitely not the greatest place in the world, but it is far from the worst.
i imagine it is somewhat similar to boston, in that you have a large part of the population that has been there forever and gives it a culture of its own. just having seen the new rocky movie tonight kind of cemented that thought in my head. never actually lived in boston, but i hear its similar that way. thats kind of nice for a city, doesnt make it feel too big or anything
I hope to. Or Japan. I'm originally from PA, but have no longing to stay here. Also thinking NYC or Seattle. But top choices are Japan or Boston. Some people hate the cold of New England, but I loved it. The only thing to be missed will be the metal shows in the basement of the First Unitarian Church. That's just funny.
You know who I am. I know who you are. Perhaps your taste of the city may have been made more bitter by the shit-tastic environment of the University of Pennsylvania and studio life in general, and in fact you could go through that program in the Playboy mansion and hate it. I'm just saying. I would feel the same way if I hadn't grown close to the city, and known there is a lot of good stuff that a)they never show you, b)you don't have time to do, c)and actually exists withinin the city limits, as opposed to New York, which would assuredly astound anyone in that program.
Dec 30, 06 6:59 pm ·
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I actually enjoyed my time at Meyerson Hall, but then again they were paying me to be there rather than me paying them to be there. I even had one of the coveted balcony offices, Room 320 if memory serves correctly.
Gosh those new 1985 color Intergraph workstations were cool, as was the computer room itself. It was like sitting in a refrigerator all day. Maybe that's why I so well preserved.
I'm sad that you despise Philly so much, Hasselhoff, as it seems your time at Penn has been so frustrating anyway, it would be nice if at least you liked the city. Oh well - the more you talk it down, the less people will see how wonderful it is, and then the more likely I might be able to buy back my house there one day!!
I think that since Philly has actively taken on the brain-drain problem it is more likely that intelligent people will be staying there - the "creative class" phenomenon, of sorts. I think marmkid has it right: there are working class people there who are the basis of the city's culture - the kind of people who voted for the city slogan to be "I got yer Liberty Bell right here, pal." But then there is this whole new cultural vibe in the city via some high brow real estate/cultural investment - Stephen Starr, the Symphony Hall, Fabric Workshop, etc - combined with this very young and fresh arts and music scene - Space 1026 was cutting edge when I was there, though no doubt there are new spaces now.
There is also real history there that is quite moving when you think about it - my son's daycare was 200 feet away from Independence Hall - which is a nice little colonial building, no big deal, right? But when you think about the fact that the Declaration of Independence was signed there - there, in that little room you can walk right in to today - it can be pretty sublime and overwhelming.
God I miss Philly.
Dec 30, 06 8:48 pm ·
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And did you notice the King of Prussia marble fireplace surrounds in that Independence Hall room?
Looking for King of Prussia marble within Philadelphia's architecture is like an obscure treasure hunt. Start at Stenton it see the earliest example, 1728, I've found so far. Nice table tops at Clivden too.
i was in philly a couple of years ago for several days at new years. met up with my special lady friend who was there from cambridge for a modern language association convention. i enjoyed it but neither of us were bowled over by the city. ate at a couple of good restaurants etc. and of course saw one of my favorite paintings ever. but it aint chicago.
Yeah. It's strange. I know I rag on Philly a lot. I don't know what it is about the place that does not sit well with me. I'm sure a huge part of it is that it is tainted by school which totally sucks the life out of you. And maybe my first year when I lived with two punk rock, chain smoking lesbians in a shitty apartment where their three cats roamed around crapping in the kitchen and kicking tampons under my door. Maybe it's the giant gap between West Philly and Center City. I could imagine that if I had money and could isolate myself around Old City, it would be ok. Here's my interpretation. Mutilating a Patrick Bateman line, he says something like "And though you can see my cool gaze, and feel flesh gripping yours, I simply, am not, there." That's kind of how I feel about Philly. It's got all the parts of a city, but unless I was seeing some story on the news (we still get Philly news at my parents') I feel like the place just ceases to exist when I'm not there. I was talking about it with some friends, and it really seems as you have maybe 2 types of people, people that are FROM Philly, so it's home, and the temporary transplants (students). I know very few people that plan to stay after school, and those that do typically are just finishing up some real estate projects. I dunno. Oh well, I met someone that didn't like Boston and couldn't understand that, but I guess we each just get different vibes from cities. But what I'm trying to say is it's the actual energy or vibe of the city that I don't like. I moved in planning to like the place because it sounds good on paper, but it just didn't do it. I even spent May with no obligations in Philly (before Takenaka, no job, just free time), hanging out with friends, walking around, etc, and still no magic. But again, if you like it, that's cool. Wish I didn't get depressed the minute I get there. Also, those two gray-ish buildings with the Mickey Mouse ears really piss me off. I hate those things. Rant over.
Dec 31, 06 10:37 am ·
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I'd rather go to Arkansas to see The Gross Clinic.
And speaking of hunting, John James Audubon's first months in Pennsylvania were spent exactly where I'm at right now. The 18 year old new-comer to the United States spent his time here hunting and fishing, although he was supposed to be learning English. Wouldn't it be wild if the "theory" that Audubon was the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was actually true. That be like so Rita Novel!
You know Clivedin is the only place I've seen an actual reenactment (of the Battle of Germantown). I liked how, after the battle, they had to put electric fans in the mansion windows to get all the gunpowder smoke out. Maybe some day in the future they'll reenact that!
I do not see a lot of possibility for work after undergrad in philly. at least not what i am really interested in. if you are into campus, school, or medical campus design then the firms in the city look great but for me it is very un-inspiring to think about life after school in philadelphia.
are there firms that i am overlooking fellow philly dwellers?
As much as I rag on Philly, there are a number of fairly cool small and medium sized firms in Philly. Like Erdy McHenry and Interface. I don't know many, because I'm not staying. But there are some pretty cool guys around.
-bike riding as my main mode of transportation
-affordable cost of living
-active nightlife
-apartments with outdoor spaces, courtyards, yards or roof-top decks
-intimate music venues and the bands who play them
-historic and narrow streets that suv's can't drive down
my only gripe...
-trying to buy a bottle of wine on sunday
-semi-pricey restuarants offering just decent food
-i bought a house with a small outdoor space in the back and am still 2 blocks from the train and a 10 minute ride to city hall
- i never wanted to live in a city, mainly because i went to school near nyc and didnt really like the trouble of getting around and the high cost of everything. philly offers a nice alternative to that, although obviously without a lot of things that nyc offers.
its a give and take. if you like big city life, philly probably wont be for you.
Oh my god marmkid that last sentence makes me weep. I used to return home to Philly from trips to New York and feel like "Wow, New York is a city, Philly is just a town".
Now I live in Indianapolis, which calls itself a world-class city (who doesn't these days, really?) but is actually not even a town - not quite a village - maybe a hamlet...maybe.
if how you base it being a city is comparing it to new york, yes, both philadelphia and indianapolis are going to feel like a village. if all you want to do is live in new york so you can say you live in a big city, move to new york and be broke. you can move to brooklyn which from what i hear of people who live there, is very much like philadelphia.
no one ever said philadelphia is the biggest city in the world, and i doubt anyone ever said it about indianapolis. but that doesnt mean either of them are not world class cities. i was in london 2 years ago and it didnt feel like new york city, does that mean it is not a world class city?
anyone that thinks one place is a better "city" than another place, is not being very objective. just because you prefer something else doesnt make it any better or worse than anything else
i was in boston a couple months ago and my fiance and i walked basically around the entire city in one day. you cant do that in new york, but that doesnt make it better than boston
"World-class city" is such an overused and ambiguous phrase. I don't think a place has to be like New York to be "world-class". Based on personal experience, and admitting I don't quite know what world-class means: I think Rome, London, Berlin, and New York are. To a lesser degree, Philadelphia and Chicago are. Baltimore is a big city but not especially world class. San Francisco certainly is. Los Angeles, yes. Seattle and even Portland, somewhat. Indianapolis, definitely not. Lousiville is far closer to world-class than Indy. Hell, Austin, Texas is more "world-class" than Indy! Vienna probably not, Prague moreso.
My point re: your comment, marmkid, was that I don't understand how you can say big city life can't be found in Philly. Most important: you can live there without a car. You can also fulfill all your basic needs by walking within a ten block radius of your home, in a single block you can find expensive boutiques coexisting with dive bars, sports equipment stores, greengrocers, apartments and fetish shops. You can also partake in independent art shows or the ballet. There are blue collar jobs adjacent to $1,000/hour attorneys. And it's an ethnic smorgasbord.
My much-overwrought point, again, being: Philly is a big city, in a way that Phoenix, which just overtook it in population, is not.
According to my old boss, Boston is the best place to study Asia outside of Asia, the MFA is the third finest art museum in the world (behind Louvre and Met) and the Harvard Museum of Natural History has the third finest mineral collection in the world behind Museum of Natural History in London and the Smithsonian. Population of Boston proper <500,000.
Well hmm, I guess if you're comparing collections of a certain time period/type, you could rank the MFA like that... but the difference there is that the MFA doesn't/can't show much of its permanent holdings so although they exist, most people don't really get to see them, I believe.
marmkid's comment reminded me of my sketchbook observations of ny from a several-years-ago visit there. my wife and i had the impression of the life of the people there was that it had a strange provisional quality - as in: every meal, every errand to pick up sundries, etc, was like hunting and gathering. it became the day's occupation. everything was a problem to solve or a special effort.
i've complained about different aspects of living in the midwest before, but coming home to louisville and being able to walk 5 minutes from my house to the only drugstore, the only ice cream shop, one of two coffee shops or one of ten bars without feeling the need to discover new territory or search for a place with soap just seemed so much more humane and stable.
louisville talks a lot about being world-class, but i think it's in our best interest to always aspire and never get there. if we were truly world-class, we'd also probably lose our unique character of an agglomeration of neighborhoods, our high school rivalries known throughout the city, and our ability to make fun of ourselves.
mfa is #3 in mummies after the national museum in cairo and the british museum...
lb- hear hear! on the philly versus phoenix statement... population alone doesn't define a 'worldclass' city.
not to to overlook MGA partners- but be wary about that they have too many project managers/associates for a long-term future. they do some really nice projects in an old-school philadelphia grey tradition...
Myriam, I was in fact an associate curator of that mineral collection hehe. And yeah, it was really good. I held a piece of wire gold worth $20 mil. Actually...I carried it across Harvard Yard from the bank in a paper bag. Largest gold nugget ever found in France. Various stuff that is too valuable to put on exhibit. There is some AWESOME stuff that they can't exhibit. It was a pretty cool job.
I actually like that hunt and gather part of the city. It astounded me that as small as Boston is, everytime I'd go out walking, I'd find something new. And I used to put on the miles. I would walk literally 8+ miles on any given day just for fun, maybe read in the park, sketch or photo along the way. But I didn't get tired of exploring after 2 years.
I am Philly (and burbs) born and bred, complete with accent. I love Philly. I hate Philly. Would not want to live anywhere else. I live in the burbs, work in center city.
I know people that don't like it and compare it to prison they are trapped in. But they don't leave. But that's the nature of ole Philadelphia. When its shines yer just great, when it doesn't, yer a friggin bum. Like the Eagles. Perfect analogy of this city.
Every city has is showpieces and warts, and since Philadelphia is big, and small, some people see a whole lotta big city wart in what they also see as a charming town.
It would be nice if Philadelphia as a city and collective conscienceness loosened up. Lets get away from the red brick for a while.
But anyway Marmkid, glad you like it. We're a buncha schitzos, but thats just the way it is. And when ordering a cheesesteak (I had to reference that or soft pretzels) please order in english! thank you.
One last thing about Philadelphia is I wish the city and subburbs worked more as a whole, not completely consolidate, but just cooperate. I think alot of things others have mentioned above would get better it that happened.
like how everyone boo'd garcia for not leaving the first game he played because everyone for some reason loves koy detmer. and now garcia is a god because he wins.
it seems everyone here wants to be recognized as new york city II, but also want to be acknowledged as having the perks of a smaller city as well. if either one was ever universally accepted, there would be an uproar. they (now we i guess, since i live here) want it both ways
i dont know what would have happened if we tried to host the olympics, but i think it would have been somewhat of a controlled disaster, similar to live 8. it would have been fun to see them try though
Any archinecters from Philadelphia?
Hey everyone, I just finished my MArch and have relocated to Philadelphia and started working. I wondered if anyone else here is working in Philadelphia and if they like it.
So far I think its a good place to live and for a city is nice and accessible. It seems like a good place for architecture as well, a lot of new interesting things happening. aside from the casinos and all...
im currently in the Philly area... finishing up undergrad
I'm in Philly: M.Arch @ Penn.
I'm trying my very hardest to find time to get out and enjoy the city.
21 months later, I'm very sad that I'm not a Philadelphia archinecter anymore.
17 months later, I'm very sad that I'm not a Philadelphia archinecter anymore. It's hard to live without Pat's...
It's hard to live without culture, history, intelligence, and imagination, too.
While visiting Philly as a college kid I ended up at a pub talking to some locals about the city, contemplating a move there. Never before have I heard people so blatant with their racism talking about how the city isn't what it used to be. Wouldn't call that intelligence or imagination.
Aren't there blatant racists in pubs in other cities? I wouldn't judge Philly or any city in fact from a conversation that took place in one pub. But thats just me.
Back to topic -
Gotta say, I hated Philly when I first came to this city, but now I can't live without it.
A lot of great places to work, eat, drink, see, you name it. People are much more friendly than most cities, also center city is extremely well maintained and clean. Some very interesting architectural moments, as well as a decent public transportation system. The key is to live outside of the city so that you avoid the city tax, and also notice that many of the salaries are a tad lower than you would get in other areas. Well worth it however.
Over 50 years later, I found out this morning that I now live on "the hill crest of the divide between the Pennypack and the Tacony Creek waters," and where I'm sitting now was in 1763 "an immense peach-orchard, with cows feeding up to the very doors of the [quondam 1645 Swedish fort turned] house." No cows here right now, but I can go see grazing cows anytime at the farm just over the crest and down the in valley.
culture, history, imagination and intelligence aren't everything.
Philadelphia -
Pros: Cheap, great history, great arts and culture, northeast location, easy to get to ocean, mountains, as well as NYC and DC. Most of the places you'll most likely want to be fall in an easily navigable strip consisting of Old City-Center City-University City, which means that you're never more than a 20 minute cab ride from any other place you'd want to be in the city. Plus, Yeungling is always cheap.
Cons: Easily the laziest city in the US. The public services are totally screwed, and you'll never encounter more rude and lazy people working in retail, grocery stores, the University of Pennsylvania, and the like. Worst mayor in the country. City wage tax is bad. Unions suffocate the city, and can make your life a nightmare if you're in construction. Fortunately, they've economically retarded the city so much that housing and just about everything else is cheap.
I've lived in Philly (or a suburb thereof) my whole life. In practically every section at one point or another. Jerkstore pretty much nailed the pros and cons, allthough i would add to the list of pros a very vibrant art and music scene and great local cuisine. cons? our inferiority complex when compared to new york that has gotten so out of control that it has led the local papers to dubbing us the goddamned 6th borough. oh and also? casinos any day now that will destroy the city.
plus we got BENergy!
I haven't seen them at arms-length yet myself, but I have it on good authority that deer often have late night snacks in my front garden. For example, about two months ago I noticed that the top leaves of Abigale Adams, one of the fledgling peach trees out front, had been eaten. Philadelphia deer can be so rude!
All I can say about Philly is January, February, March, April, MAY 14!
Honestly, it's just not a place where I've ever felt happy. Whenever I come into the city and see Liberty 1 on the horizon, my heart blackens and my soul dies a little. I agree it is probably the dumbest, laziest city on the face of the planet. It's pretty difficult to get anything done, from getting a cup of coffee to getting your landlord scrape the paint off the window they painted shut. Nothing about the place excites me or will keep me there after graduation.
But some people seem to love the place. To each his own.
Here's a useful map for you.
http://inquirer.philly.com/graphics/murders_map/
well im glad to see my impression of philly is a pretty general one. i imagine there are other cities in the country that have murders and racists though, lets not be too extreme here. its definitely not the greatest place in the world, but it is far from the worst.
i imagine it is somewhat similar to boston, in that you have a large part of the population that has been there forever and gives it a culture of its own. just having seen the new rocky movie tonight kind of cemented that thought in my head. never actually lived in boston, but i hear its similar that way. thats kind of nice for a city, doesnt make it feel too big or anything
Actually I moved to Philly from Boston and absolutely loved Boston and hate Philly with a Jerry Bruckheimer-esque action vendetta.
so baywatch- are you heading back to boston after graduation?
I hope to. Or Japan. I'm originally from PA, but have no longing to stay here. Also thinking NYC or Seattle. But top choices are Japan or Boston. Some people hate the cold of New England, but I loved it. The only thing to be missed will be the metal shows in the basement of the First Unitarian Church. That's just funny.
Hasselhoff -
You know who I am. I know who you are. Perhaps your taste of the city may have been made more bitter by the shit-tastic environment of the University of Pennsylvania and studio life in general, and in fact you could go through that program in the Playboy mansion and hate it. I'm just saying. I would feel the same way if I hadn't grown close to the city, and known there is a lot of good stuff that a)they never show you, b)you don't have time to do, c)and actually exists withinin the city limits, as opposed to New York, which would assuredly astound anyone in that program.
I actually enjoyed my time at Meyerson Hall, but then again they were paying me to be there rather than me paying them to be there. I even had one of the coveted balcony offices, Room 320 if memory serves correctly.
Gosh those new 1985 color Intergraph workstations were cool, as was the computer room itself. It was like sitting in a refrigerator all day. Maybe that's why I so well preserved.
I'm sad that you despise Philly so much, Hasselhoff, as it seems your time at Penn has been so frustrating anyway, it would be nice if at least you liked the city. Oh well - the more you talk it down, the less people will see how wonderful it is, and then the more likely I might be able to buy back my house there one day!!
I think that since Philly has actively taken on the brain-drain problem it is more likely that intelligent people will be staying there - the "creative class" phenomenon, of sorts. I think marmkid has it right: there are working class people there who are the basis of the city's culture - the kind of people who voted for the city slogan to be "I got yer Liberty Bell right here, pal." But then there is this whole new cultural vibe in the city via some high brow real estate/cultural investment - Stephen Starr, the Symphony Hall, Fabric Workshop, etc - combined with this very young and fresh arts and music scene - Space 1026 was cutting edge when I was there, though no doubt there are new spaces now.
There is also real history there that is quite moving when you think about it - my son's daycare was 200 feet away from Independence Hall - which is a nice little colonial building, no big deal, right? But when you think about the fact that the Declaration of Independence was signed there - there, in that little room you can walk right in to today - it can be pretty sublime and overwhelming.
God I miss Philly.
And did you notice the King of Prussia marble fireplace surrounds in that Independence Hall room?
Looking for King of Prussia marble within Philadelphia's architecture is like an obscure treasure hunt. Start at Stenton it see the earliest example, 1728, I've found so far. Nice table tops at Clivden too.
i am prussian!
That's funny, singing, my old firm did work at Cliveden and I have no recollection of the tabletops. Good luck with your continued treasure hunt.
i was in philly a couple of years ago for several days at new years. met up with my special lady friend who was there from cambridge for a modern language association convention. i enjoyed it but neither of us were bowled over by the city. ate at a couple of good restaurants etc. and of course saw one of my favorite paintings ever. but it aint chicago.
Yeah. It's strange. I know I rag on Philly a lot. I don't know what it is about the place that does not sit well with me. I'm sure a huge part of it is that it is tainted by school which totally sucks the life out of you. And maybe my first year when I lived with two punk rock, chain smoking lesbians in a shitty apartment where their three cats roamed around crapping in the kitchen and kicking tampons under my door. Maybe it's the giant gap between West Philly and Center City. I could imagine that if I had money and could isolate myself around Old City, it would be ok. Here's my interpretation. Mutilating a Patrick Bateman line, he says something like "And though you can see my cool gaze, and feel flesh gripping yours, I simply, am not, there." That's kind of how I feel about Philly. It's got all the parts of a city, but unless I was seeing some story on the news (we still get Philly news at my parents') I feel like the place just ceases to exist when I'm not there. I was talking about it with some friends, and it really seems as you have maybe 2 types of people, people that are FROM Philly, so it's home, and the temporary transplants (students). I know very few people that plan to stay after school, and those that do typically are just finishing up some real estate projects. I dunno. Oh well, I met someone that didn't like Boston and couldn't understand that, but I guess we each just get different vibes from cities. But what I'm trying to say is it's the actual energy or vibe of the city that I don't like. I moved in planning to like the place because it sounds good on paper, but it just didn't do it. I even spent May with no obligations in Philly (before Takenaka, no job, just free time), hanging out with friends, walking around, etc, and still no magic. But again, if you like it, that's cool. Wish I didn't get depressed the minute I get there. Also, those two gray-ish buildings with the Mickey Mouse ears really piss me off. I hate those things. Rant over.
I'd rather go to Arkansas to see The Gross Clinic.
And speaking of hunting, John James Audubon's first months in Pennsylvania were spent exactly where I'm at right now. The 18 year old new-comer to the United States spent his time here hunting and fishing, although he was supposed to be learning English. Wouldn't it be wild if the "theory" that Audubon was the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette was actually true. That be like so Rita Novel!
You know Clivedin is the only place I've seen an actual reenactment (of the Battle of Germantown). I liked how, after the battle, they had to put electric fans in the mansion windows to get all the gunpowder smoke out. Maybe some day in the future they'll reenact that!
Of course vado - Philly isn't ("ain't") Chicago: because Philly isn't a midwestern city.
V....so it be told the women out number the men 8 to 1 in Philly....aka (nick name).
#1 Urban Legend
I do not see a lot of possibility for work after undergrad in philly. at least not what i am really interested in. if you are into campus, school, or medical campus design then the firms in the city look great but for me it is very un-inspiring to think about life after school in philadelphia.
are there firms that i am overlooking fellow philly dwellers?
jlaucks:
what type of work are you interested in doing?
As much as I rag on Philly, there are a number of fairly cool small and medium sized firms in Philly. Like Erdy McHenry and Interface. I don't know many, because I'm not staying. But there are some pretty cool guys around.
things that i love about philly...
-bike riding as my main mode of transportation
-affordable cost of living
-active nightlife
-apartments with outdoor spaces, courtyards, yards or roof-top decks
-intimate music venues and the bands who play them
-historic and narrow streets that suv's can't drive down
my only gripe...
-trying to buy a bottle of wine on sunday
-semi-pricey restuarants offering just decent food
i agree with landcake
-i bought a house with a small outdoor space in the back and am still 2 blocks from the train and a 10 minute ride to city hall
- i never wanted to live in a city, mainly because i went to school near nyc and didnt really like the trouble of getting around and the high cost of everything. philly offers a nice alternative to that, although obviously without a lot of things that nyc offers.
its a give and take. if you like big city life, philly probably wont be for you.
Oh my god marmkid that last sentence makes me weep. I used to return home to Philly from trips to New York and feel like "Wow, New York is a city, Philly is just a town".
Now I live in Indianapolis, which calls itself a world-class city (who doesn't these days, really?) but is actually not even a town - not quite a village - maybe a hamlet...maybe.
Sigh.
if how you base it being a city is comparing it to new york, yes, both philadelphia and indianapolis are going to feel like a village. if all you want to do is live in new york so you can say you live in a big city, move to new york and be broke. you can move to brooklyn which from what i hear of people who live there, is very much like philadelphia.
no one ever said philadelphia is the biggest city in the world, and i doubt anyone ever said it about indianapolis. but that doesnt mean either of them are not world class cities. i was in london 2 years ago and it didnt feel like new york city, does that mean it is not a world class city?
anyone that thinks one place is a better "city" than another place, is not being very objective. just because you prefer something else doesnt make it any better or worse than anything else
i was in boston a couple months ago and my fiance and i walked basically around the entire city in one day. you cant do that in new york, but that doesnt make it better than boston
landcake- buy your poison in NJ on sunday...
"World-class city" is such an overused and ambiguous phrase. I don't think a place has to be like New York to be "world-class". Based on personal experience, and admitting I don't quite know what world-class means: I think Rome, London, Berlin, and New York are. To a lesser degree, Philadelphia and Chicago are. Baltimore is a big city but not especially world class. San Francisco certainly is. Los Angeles, yes. Seattle and even Portland, somewhat. Indianapolis, definitely not. Lousiville is far closer to world-class than Indy. Hell, Austin, Texas is more "world-class" than Indy! Vienna probably not, Prague moreso.
My point re: your comment, marmkid, was that I don't understand how you can say big city life can't be found in Philly. Most important: you can live there without a car. You can also fulfill all your basic needs by walking within a ten block radius of your home, in a single block you can find expensive boutiques coexisting with dive bars, sports equipment stores, greengrocers, apartments and fetish shops. You can also partake in independent art shows or the ballet. There are blue collar jobs adjacent to $1,000/hour attorneys. And it's an ethnic smorgasbord.
My much-overwrought point, again, being: Philly is a big city, in a way that Phoenix, which just overtook it in population, is not.
According to my old boss, Boston is the best place to study Asia outside of Asia, the MFA is the third finest art museum in the world (behind Louvre and Met) and the Harvard Museum of Natural History has the third finest mineral collection in the world behind Museum of Natural History in London and the Smithsonian. Population of Boston proper <500,000.
The Harvard Museum has an incredible mineral collection. It is truly astounding. I do not at all agree with that assessment of the MFA however.
Well hmm, I guess if you're comparing collections of a certain time period/type, you could rank the MFA like that... but the difference there is that the MFA doesn't/can't show much of its permanent holdings so although they exist, most people don't really get to see them, I believe.
marmkid's comment reminded me of my sketchbook observations of ny from a several-years-ago visit there. my wife and i had the impression of the life of the people there was that it had a strange provisional quality - as in: every meal, every errand to pick up sundries, etc, was like hunting and gathering. it became the day's occupation. everything was a problem to solve or a special effort.
i've complained about different aspects of living in the midwest before, but coming home to louisville and being able to walk 5 minutes from my house to the only drugstore, the only ice cream shop, one of two coffee shops or one of ten bars without feeling the need to discover new territory or search for a place with soap just seemed so much more humane and stable.
louisville talks a lot about being world-class, but i think it's in our best interest to always aspire and never get there. if we were truly world-class, we'd also probably lose our unique character of an agglomeration of neighborhoods, our high school rivalries known throughout the city, and our ability to make fun of ourselves.
jlauks,
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they may not be up your alley but they definatly don't do hospitals.
mfa is #3 in mummies after the national museum in cairo and the british museum...
lb- hear hear! on the philly versus phoenix statement... population alone doesn't define a 'worldclass' city.
not to to overlook MGA partners- but be wary about that they have too many project managers/associates for a long-term future. they do some really nice projects in an old-school philadelphia grey tradition...
Myriam, I was in fact an associate curator of that mineral collection hehe. And yeah, it was really good. I held a piece of wire gold worth $20 mil. Actually...I carried it across Harvard Yard from the bank in a paper bag. Largest gold nugget ever found in France. Various stuff that is too valuable to put on exhibit. There is some AWESOME stuff that they can't exhibit. It was a pretty cool job.
I actually like that hunt and gather part of the city. It astounded me that as small as Boston is, everytime I'd go out walking, I'd find something new. And I used to put on the miles. I would walk literally 8+ miles on any given day just for fun, maybe read in the park, sketch or photo along the way. But I didn't get tired of exploring after 2 years.
I am Philly (and burbs) born and bred, complete with accent. I love Philly. I hate Philly. Would not want to live anywhere else. I live in the burbs, work in center city.
I know people that don't like it and compare it to prison they are trapped in. But they don't leave. But that's the nature of ole Philadelphia. When its shines yer just great, when it doesn't, yer a friggin bum. Like the Eagles. Perfect analogy of this city.
Every city has is showpieces and warts, and since Philadelphia is big, and small, some people see a whole lotta big city wart in what they also see as a charming town.
It would be nice if Philadelphia as a city and collective conscienceness loosened up. Lets get away from the red brick for a while.
But anyway Marmkid, glad you like it. We're a buncha schitzos, but thats just the way it is. And when ordering a cheesesteak (I had to reference that or soft pretzels) please order in english! thank you.
One last thing about Philadelphia is I wish the city and subburbs worked more as a whole, not completely consolidate, but just cooperate. I think alot of things others have mentioned above would get better it that happened.
And lastly: WE SHOULDVE HOSTED THE OLYMPICS!!!!
haha, the eagles analogy is so perfect.
like how everyone boo'd garcia for not leaving the first game he played because everyone for some reason loves koy detmer. and now garcia is a god because he wins.
it seems everyone here wants to be recognized as new york city II, but also want to be acknowledged as having the perks of a smaller city as well. if either one was ever universally accepted, there would be an uproar. they (now we i guess, since i live here) want it both ways
i dont know what would have happened if we tried to host the olympics, but i think it would have been somewhat of a controlled disaster, similar to live 8. it would have been fun to see them try though
sorry for all the misspelling and typos in my last post. sheesh.
all olympics are controlled disasters. its just too big an event.
but anyway, welcome. glad to have ya.
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