Scholarship table
Philadelphia is a great city. As a student of history, I’d visit all the historical sites
Profound.
Philly is a world class city: history, arts, food, sports, education, business, beauty, it’s own little culture and dialect, awesome neighborhoods, and, yes, crime. In the last couple weeks, several text alerts were sent to my son about assaults, robbery, a shooting, sexual assault all near him, within a few blocks. It is a real issue, but in a city of millions, it’s pretty small. Real, for sure. Do I feel unsafe, I do not. Am I aware and cautious, I am, pretty much anywhere I am really. Will that help me from getting in a pickle, maybe or maybe not. Would I go there tomorrow, 100%. Will my wife chastise me for walking around West Philly with my younger son…again…probably.I don’t think the issue is political or even big city really, it’s desperation. Help people become less desperate and the world changes. People are proud to be from Philly, I can’t even count the number of stories my grandfather told me about growing up in the row homes, playing stick ball with all kinds, hopping the coal trains to shovel it off to sell to the neighborhood, living above my great grandparents when my uncle and mom were born, taking my mother to the old Bookbinders, going to art school there, being part of a strong and thriving Polish community. My kids still make fun of me for the way I say water and order, and I was born in the Midwest. There is just something about Philly, what a city. Last time we were there a couple months ago, I took my kids into this cool hip hop, art shop with a radio studio upstairs. We ended up talking to the owner for 30 minutes about Philly, the value of education, music, stopping and chatting with people you may never stop for, listening, being curious. After a little dap, an bro hug, and some mutual respect, we made off for a walk around Old City. A place I used to buy spirits from back in my restauranteur days is there. It’s called Art in the Age, and their spirits were/are amazing. We could no longer get it due to PA/WI laws, but swing in the shop if you can. There is a little bar in the back. Love the city of brotherly love (which I learned on a tour of Drexel that Philos means love and Adelphos means brother. Also Delphi means center of the world, for sure some locals feel that way). I’m not as smart as most, so if I should have already known that, bad on me. What a city.
I should also mention, much like Austin, I’ve traveled to Philly for music. Check out The Fillmore and Union Transfer. Franklin Music Hall, and The Foundry are great. Some pretty killer jazz joints there, too.The mecca of college basketball is at UPenn and worth a look see.
I was just at MU wedding with 30 or Philly residents. Many of them were in law enforcement. All of them were implorring me to cme back and visit. Nary a mention of the violence a few have mentioned above. Interesting. Also, I'm spending next weekend in Chicago. If i make it out I'll report back. Hotel prices were pretty high. Marathon weekend and all. I guess people are still showing up.
I've been to a lot of places near and far, and I've yet to visit, or live in a bad place.
Tell me you've never been to Jackson, MS, without telling me you've never been to Jackson, MS.
Hey now. I've spent more time in Tupelo, Oxford, Starkville and all the small towns between Memphis and Tuscaloosa.
Brother Lens:Last year, I moved from Chicago's Northern Suburbs to Vero Beach, FL. My deal with Ms. Dgies is we come back to Chicago in the summer and I get to go to at least one home game at FiServ.We came back to Chicago in July and am here through this weekend. For the first time in our lives, we lived in the city itself. Yes, we heard the same crime reports you have and they stirred a healthy caution in us. But....The experience has been wonderful. Other than one petty crime incident, we have had no problems. No, I don't go roaming the west side at 3:00 a.m., but we live in a nice community (Broadway, Clark and Diversey) with lots of nearby restaurants, bars, wine cellars and a host of everything else. It is what I wanted Chicago to be. Only downside is there's an occasional Badger in the neighborhood.You'll live unless you troll the west or south side at 3:00 a.m., and if you, have your car fitted for armor plating and bullet proof glass.
You seem like you've been everywhere... you a carnie?
I can say fully that Springfield, OH is a bad place.
All quality towns. Well not Tuscaloosa. Maybe if they closed the community college there. Robinsonville, MS? Worth the drive from Memphis. Jackson? Still no redeeming quality. Although that was where I learned one should never place their hot tub display next to the petting zoo at the state fair.
I can say fully that Springfield, OH is a bad place. The smallish factory town I’ve visited outside Surat, India with total poverty, basically owned by a old school brutal tycoon types, so bad that even the meager paid factory workers chose to commute from 20 min away rather than live there…is a bad place.The meth haven in rural Southern PA near where my old roommate was from that felt like it was out of a movie when I visited…is a bad place.Now if we are talking major cities? Then I agree. Even the worst most mockable have redeeming qualities and areas. For example, Cleveland is often a punchline. I personally thought Joachim Noah’s joke about vacationing there was hilarious. But I actually adore Cleveland and was beyond surprised by how much I enjoyed it there at various stages of my life. But there are some truly bad places, even if they have some good people there. Might actually be an interesting thread
Born there. Haven't been back in 35 years.
I’ve been more of a “passing through”Dayton and Columbus. It’s super close to Dayton. What? Less than 30 miles? Not all that much farther to Columbus, a little bit. I’m sure I’d fine something good fun there. Oxford, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Mason, Toledo, Bowling Green, Sandusky.
]You have my sympathies. One of my closest friends in college, and his good friends who became part of my close circle, all went to Kenton Ridge which was the “nicer” of the HS there. They all fled and spent as little time as possible once they graduated. My friend lost both his parents in the last 3-4 years and with their passing he said he legitimately can’t see himself every stepping foot in Springfield again…and he lives in the Cbus suburbs, not like he moved to the coasts Yes you could find something good in Dayton or Columbus…But that’s leaving Springfield to go there. Toledo and Dayton are both pretty crappy for mid sized cities, but I know of a couple cool spots in each. Springfield is a decrepit rust belt city that got brutalized in the 90s and faded ever since. Sad but true. No need to stretch to sing it’s supposed praise opposing people who have actual experience there just to be contrarian