Speaking as someone who hits the Schuylkill trail or Valley Green on a daily basis, I think it's a cool acknowledgement. A few Saturdays ago, I passed Ajee Wilson as I was finishing up a long run and thought it was telling that she still uses Philly as her training base. Philly is a great city, especially for runners.
You can meet with Mike Rossi there! 2015s Biggest Philly Loser!
MikeRoss BAA wrote:
You can meet with Mike Rossi there! 2015s Biggest Philly Loser!
I love this award.
Strange list.
1. Philadelphia
2. Natchez, Miss.
3. Yellowstone National Park (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho)
4. Birmingham, Ala.
5. Alaska
6. Somerville, Mass.
7. Northwest Ark.
8. San Antonio, Texas
9. Southern N.M.
10. Milwaukee, Wisc.
Read more at
Philly, Sommerville MA, Birmingham, AL and Milwaukee WI all have some nice spots, but there is no way I am going to any of those cities on vacation (I would and have gone to Boston on vacation, but had no reason to see anything in Sommerville). I have family in Philly. I am always amazed at how fast the city can go from being beautiful and cultured to either depressingly drab lower middle class to all out no go zone urban warfare ghetto. The motto for Philly should be "Philly: A beautiful city that is always one wrong turn away from the pit of despair".
Precious Roy wrote:
Philly, Sommerville MA, Birmingham, AL and Milwaukee WI all have some nice spots, but there is no way I am going to any of those cities on vacation (I would and have gone to Boston on vacation, but had no reason to see anything in Sommerville). I have family in Philly. I am always amazed at how fast the city can go from being beautiful and cultured to either depressingly drab lower middle class to all out no go zone urban warfare ghetto. The motto for Philly should be "Philly: A beautiful city that is always one wrong turn away from the pit of despair".
As someone who is from the area I couldn't agree more. There's very little I like about Philly. I like the airport a bunch. I've spent almost 44 years of my life here. I like the way you think Roy, I have posted as someone other than JAKIR before and you've also ways given really good answers to me.
I think everyone, or every American at least, should visit Philadelphia once to see the main attractions (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, etc.), but in general it's one of the last big American cities that I would voluntarily spend time in. Most of it is seriously dysfunctional and decaying and not a place to spend a vacation.
I would say the same about Birmingham and Milwaukee. They are cities to visit once, check off your list, and not go back to for a vacation if you have other options. Out of the entire US, I can't see putting them in the top 10.
JAKIR wrote:
As someone who is from the area I couldn't agree more. There's very little I like about Philly.
Does "from the area" mean that you've lived in the suburbs your entire life and base your opinion of the city on what other suburbanites tell you about it?
I don't mean to be condescending. It took a long time for my parents to come to the realization that the Philadelphia they once knew (and fled from) has actually become a thriving cultural center, restaurant hub, and is as safe as any other large city.
0000atmeal wrote:
JAKIR wrote:As someone who is from the area I couldn't agree more. There's very little I like about Philly.
Does "from the area" mean that you've lived in the suburbs your entire life and base your opinion of the city on what other suburbanites tell you about it?
I don't mean to be condescending. It took a long time for my parents to come to the realization that the Philadelphia they once knew (and fled from) has actually become a thriving cultural center, restaurant hub, and is as safe as any other large city.
Yes I live outside of the city, however my experience inside the city is immense and my opinion is based solely on my own experiences. I'm not talking about crime or violence. Im talking about it being dirty, which it still is and not a very nice looking city. The police are in general awful and the city is overpriced and the city government is and has been a joke for a very long time. Trying to sell Kensington as the next fish town is pathetic( and yes, fishtown is still pathetic). I find the restaurants to be overrated and would hardly call philly a thriving cultural center. You still can't even get good Indian food there. There may be plenty of Indian restaurants but they all suck. There are some decent Ethio places in west philly but I'm not impressed by the whole Stephen Starr scene. Philadelphians (east coasters) in general are rude and the hipster "too cool for school" scene is out of control. I've been all over the country and the world and I have to say Philly is one of my least favorite cities. I like Boston even less but I don't care for philly.
I'm from the west coast but I visit Philly often and have come to love the city. It's got lots of problems but on the whole is very livable with a vibrant and interesting cultural scene. Great running nearby.
Milwaukee was doing pretty good and going through a bit of a renaissance before they elected that POS Scott Walker.