As lucid, and informative, as you ALWAYS are, Sandy, the transformation is even
greater if you've spent, ah... close to 60 years living around here as I have.

In fact I even have some memories of the Chinese Wall and how things
looked before Penn Center and JFK(used to be PA) Blvd. were built.

I do love Austin, and it will be hard to leave. It's been a good place for me for the past few years. Everyone here seems to be from somewhere else, which makes it a very easy environment to make inroads socially. People are fiercely protective of their city's character and natural areas, and I appreciate that engagement. These are the two things I am most concerned about if I move to Philly--it seems like it can be pretty provincial and lacking in civic pride. I apologize if I've gotten the wrong impression here. And the crime is kind of frightening too. I am also pretty comfortable here in Austin--I have a decent job that pays the bills and have made some good friends.

However, I'm a wanderer by nature and three years in one place is a long time for me to be somewhere. Before I moved to TX I was a lifelong Northeasterner, and I miss the seasons and the cities. The intense heat and lack of snow and foliage and street life is pretty damaging to my soul. I also want to experience big city life without a car for once-- walking, using public transportation and going about my life as a part of something huge, surrounded by other people rather than the frame of my car. It would be a great learning experience for me. I can see myself spending days exploring the neighborhoods, with all the old alleyways and amazing architecture. Plus, I love photography and Philly is a really inspiring city for that. And I will be a 3 hour drive away from my aging parents, if I need to be there for anything that might happen.

Now if I could only save up a little money, get off my lazy, comfortable ass and give my life the shake-up it needs. I'm shooting for next summer, but if a good job opportunity comes up before then, I'm taking it.

no harm intended by that remark

I collected many links about greenhouse gas and especially pollution in this area and health risks that might make you rethink living around here, unless I am censored again or you smoke and you won't see or care about this message. You see our fiercely defensive people would rather talk about girls that wear flip flops rather then worry about the air quality for their families or many health conditions that are at least making many here unhealthy,,, and at most one of the most unhealthy places to be in the US. Why thousands of communities care about greener communities and this one does little is probably because the news media chooses what is important and the kids here follow their q. They rather get mad at me for warning them. . ( the part about a city that does little about getting the city greener,... are not only my words by the way, that was an experts opinion who was interviewed on kyw radio while I was listening). To ignore one of the worse areas of violent crime and especially pollution that I almost guarantee will take years off your health ( not necessarily your life) then knock yourself out and come live here. Trust me all the real estate here for sale will get you some beautiful homes. I only wish the citizens and newsmedia provoked the citized to care about the air quality , but hey the refineries and coal mines got to be somewhere and they pay good taxes..Ps I care and to put it bluntly I try every chance I get to provoke others to make this one of the biggest issues for sane families possible. I realize when I use the word sane thats asking for allot around here

Do you really want to know what kind of weed I smoke, or are you saying that I must be high to want to live in your city?

Thanks for your concern re: pollution by the way.

Note, however, that no links were provided despite statements to the effect that they were.

This is not to say that Philadelphia has great air -- it's just not that much worse than that you will find in most of our large cities on the coasts. (The interior of the country is another story; the air in many of the large cities of the Midwest and Central Plains is much better, as is the air in the cities of the Pacific Northwest.)

__________________
Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." --Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

The quality of air has been pretty decent lately in Philadelphia and I mean the past week but usually its not good quality But assuming nothing major has occurred we do have some things that make our air worse then average. It should be noted that being as bad as others should not be a reason to stay in air that is dangerous orcausing major increases in health problems. One can say the proof does or doesn't show the air causes the increase in asthma or respiratory disease or cancers depending on the wishes of the person interrpretting them! Presume the exact studies you and everyone ask for has limitations. The incentive to prove air is not good takes incentives and business often don't have any to publicize or factor those things as it might affect the markets in the area ( thus news departments ignoring the dangers here but pump asthma and copd meds instad) As with oil and global warming, your best interests are usually not safeguarded.
Market the only reason you try to rationalize the quality of air as ok sometimes, here is because you live here. You ask for studies? If I post them they are often removed so how are you going to fault me for not posting them? If I gave you studies, would you change your mind? I am betting not. You have rationalized your existence here, which is fine .
The problem with all our oil refineries and coal out west is that because our media refuses to acknowledge the dangers the people react as if I am unfairly portraying the area has harmful when its not.
The worse part of all this is Philly can get better air. Ironically enough if global warming keeps getting worse it might and I say that gingerly increase ocean air our way. If our oceans keep getting more polluted that might not be good. If we cut loose our oil refineries we would have much better air. If we mandated for cleaner coal we would have much healthier air. But ignoring why experts say hundreds of thousands in our area are in immediate dangers because of pollution ( leave me your email and I will send you the link) just shows that instead of trying to get elected officals to care we default to being poisoned and I really believe that . Ultimately the best way to prove damage is to compare health stress tests and respiratory tests between two populations based on age and same lifestyle. Thats the factor that would prove what I was saying was true. This was told to me by a envionmental expert .

1) Interesting architecture in the city: agreed...start with the gigantic phallic symbol in the very center, right across from the Masonic Temple...the symbolism and doctrines of Freemasonry are based on phallic worship, so this is a good combination...Independence and Carpenter's Hall are better...and, yes there are many beautiful house in the city in a state of disrepair, mostly because the economy here is depressed...the corollary is that housing prices are dirt cheap compared to other major urban areas.

2) SEPTA: very good backbone for an urban transit system, but it is poorly managed and financially embarrased...as far as expansion, there were a few billion on the table, Federal money, back in 2003 that the late Rep. Bob Borski was trying to bring to Philadelphia for an expansion of the Broad Street Line to NE Philadelphia, and an extension of the Blue Line from Frankford Terminal to Bustleton and the Roosevelt Blvd...this would have been a big stimulus for business creation and job growth in the NE...Borski's people had all the environmental and related studies prepared, and had the connections in Washington DC to get the money here...however, he died, and that was the end of that story...maybe talk to ex-mayor Street to find out what happened.

3) People: Philadelphia folks are for the most part hard-working, helpful and unassuming...the flip side is that they are satisfied with less, both in terms of information & achievement.

4) Parks: Wonderful parks.

5) Wawa: I'm glad you enjoyed Wawa...they are locally based, and do provide fairly good product for a convenience store...they have gone downhill a bit in the past 10 years, but so has everything.