I’ve noticed several folks (Screech_Owl, most recently)waxing nostalgic about the City of Brotherly Love. Personally, I love the place for many reasons. What’re yours?
It’s the city I grew up in.
Philly sports fans ar knowledgeable and don’t applaud when someone “tries” only when they do.
All of my family is in the area.
Pat’s Steaks.
Geno’s Steaks.
Crab Houses.
Diners are really diners and lots of em are open 24 hours. (It is hard to find that in Santa Barbara)
Pizza is pizza and noone asks you if you want Broccoli on it.
It is a city with personality.
Ben Franklin lived there.
The Franklin Institute is fun, even though the heart smells like pee.
There is always something to do.
…
I am sure there are more. But, that is some of the reasons I like Philadelphia so much.
pat
But I have visited a couple of times. I really enjoyed them all, although my experiences did range from bad to Bourse.
I grew up just outside Phila., on the Main Line. Still miss it, but there’s no publishing jobs there, so I’m stuck in NY.
You can walk down whole blocks in Phila. that have not changed since the 1700s—I think Boston is the only other city where you get that.
Great restaurants, museums, old graveyards, bookshops, antiques (OK, you do get all that in NY, too). And the Main Line is what suburbs are SUPPOSED to be: beautiful, and convenient to the city.
One word: Cheesesteaks.
Pric—does the heart smell like pee? That thing was the terror of my childhood. Plus, I grew up thinking real hearts had graffiti in 'em.
Oh, oh—how could I forget the wonderfully creepy and twisted Mutter Museum? Even New York doesn’t have anything like this! We went there on an 8th grade science trip and I still have nightmares:
Yeah, it smells a bit uriney. Atleast, it did when I was a kindergartner. Someone was sure to remark on it everytime we went through.
My hypothesis has always been that more than a few kids are afraid to go through it, which leads to the urine smell.
I think the heart was tagged by bored bored planeterium workers who were bitter about the heart getting so much in funds. They go over and write cryptic things like HGHT, and PDUTS.
Argh! The Mutter Museuem. Always have plans to go there, and never get to. There is a couple of friends whom I tell I want to go there, and they reply, “Why do you want to go to the Mummer Museum? You can’t even stand to watch the parade for five minutes.” Next time that will be on the list of things to do.
-patDiametrically opposed to Pricciar, I’ll freeze my ass off on Broad Street watching the Mummers (Go Overbrook String Band!).
And to piggyback on Zenster’s thought:
Hoagie (just oil), Wise potato chips, peanut butter TandyTakes and Tahitian Treat.
The Phillies
The Flyers
The Iggles
Villanova
Temple
Penn
Billy Penn wearing a Flyers jersey in the Cup Finals, 1997.
My dad getting us season tickets to the Phils at the Vet back when they were studs, 1979-1981.
South Street
From my pre-vegetarian days: Jim’s Steaks at 4th and South, and DiNardo’s Crabs on Race.
Penn’s Landing
My grandma used to live near Fairmount Park
Bryn Mawr Hospital, where I started my quest to fight ignorance.
Did I mention the Phillies?
the heart has been rehabbed, and doesn’t smell anymore. sigh.
the mutter museum now charges to see it. it also had a reno about 5 years ago. new scary stuff.
i like independence hall. i like walking around old city and thinking about the founding of the nation. from what i read though it seemed the founders were in the pubs more than independence hall. maybe the liberty bell should be moved to the pub that started the marines.
I love:
Boathouse Row when the white lights are on after it’s dark.
The Art Museum–the Parthenon on the Parkway!
Basketball games at the Palestra (especially Big 5 games–go LaSalle!)
Strolling back the Wissahickon Creek, especially exploring the far side to find the stone statue of Chief Tedyuscung, and feeding the ducks at Valley Green.
Jogging along the River Drives, watching the crew teams.
The Christmas Light show downtown every year (in a department store–originally Wannamaker’s, and the big metal eagle is still there–that has changed ownership so many times I can’t remember the current name).
Cheesesteaks at D’Allesandro’s (on Henry Avenue, the best in the city).
Almost all the events on Penn’s Landing, in the summer (especially the “ethnic” festivals).
The Bike Race every June, which I watch from my brother’s house at the top of the “Manayunk Wall,” a cold beer in one hand, something barbecued in the other.
Movies at the Ritz.
I’ll close by saying the Franklin Institute Heart no longer scares children, at least if my son is any indication. The last time we were there he went through it about 30 times.
Forgot one:
Hearing people pronounce “Schylkyl” – both correctly and incorrectly. I love that name.
(It’s “SKOO-kull”)
Yes, and if you want to be taken for a local (at least a Manayunk local), you must also pronounce Creek as Crick. And remember, Acme (the supermarket chain) has 3, not 2, syllables (ACK-a-me). Center City has no t’s in it (Senner Siddy). And the proper pronunciation of the city’s name is Filuffya.
D’ya wanna g’downa shore?
I had a whole list of those Philly pronunciations…
“I tink dare’s sum wudda leaking through the ruff.”
Anyways, Philly has the best combination of blue collar/white collar in the nation. It’s such a diverse city. You can walk right by a synagogue into a Greek neighborhood and then go into the local Italian deli/hoagie shop.
It also has, by far, the best high school/college/professional sports in the nation. No contest. The nation’s best lacrosse, soccer, football, and basketball players regularly come from the city as well as the best rowers.
It also has preserved it’s history as well as any other city in the world. The amount of info one can gather from the city about the Revolutionary War is quite impressive.
What a great town!
If that city had absolutely nothing but cheesesteaks, it would still have more than justified its existance. Pat’s, American with… Mmmmmm…
Villanova
The Edgar Allen Poe Home/Museum (free!)
Wingers (a little chicken place just off campus at 'Nova… Be careful to sample the hot sauces before ordering)
Independence Hall, and associated trappings
30th street station
The Franklin Institute
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Cheesesteaks (again)
Hoagies (not subs!)
Real sports fans
Sunday brunch at the White Dog Cafe
The Japanese teahouse and Spanish monastery courtyard in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
I’ll cast another vote for the cheesesteaks at Pat’s but it’s got to have (cheese) Whiz on it!
Rittenhouse Square in the spring
Yes! I’ll cast my lot with Pat’s. That’ll be Whiz on my steak and Whiz on my fries. Here in Baltimore everybody wants their cheesesteaks (which they call subs–I thought subs were boats)with peppers. PEPPERS? WTF?
I’m originally from the Fishtown/Port Richmond area (just west of Aramingo Ave and south of Allegheny Ave). My entre extended family still lives there, and I stop in as often as possible.