Dankeschoen for Philly Info! - Page 2 - PhillyBlog

KByrd · #11 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 07:48 AM

Swiss Miss,

In addition what others have said you might want to look at

www.gophila.org

It's basically a tourist guide for people who visit the Philadelphia
area but it might give you a good sense of all the activities
that are available.

Also to get some flavor of a couple of our better neighborhoods look at

www.fitlersquare.org

and

www.wman.net

I was born in Philadelphia and I've lived in the area my whole life. My family
migrated to Philadelphia, from other parts of the United States, during
World War I, in 1916.

KByrd · #12 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 08:07 AM

Swiss Miss, to give you a sense of the age of Philadelphia( which isn't
comparable to most European cities, of course!) it was founded in 1682 by Englishman, William Penn.

However the Swedes tried to establish a colony here about 40 years
early in the 1640s. That colony failed I think because they stopped
getting financial support from Sweden. The area they settled is
a thriving section of the city today, Queen Village, which is
a part of a larger section of the city, South Philadelphia. Queen Village
also has the oldest structure still standing in Philadelphia, Gloria Dei
(Old Swedes Church).

http://www.colonialswedes.org/Churches/GloDei.html

http://www.old-swedes.org/

Before Europeans arrived, Native Americans, Lenni Lenape, were here
and are still here.

http://www.delawaretribeofindians.nsn.us/

Finally since I think you may have some German heritage you may be
interested to know that an entire neighborhood in Philadelphia was named
after German settlers, Germantown. We don't think of it as having
once been populated by Germans anymore. But once upon a time it was!

http://www.ushistory.org/germantown/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germant...,_Pennsylvania

brooklyncat · #13 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 09:27 AM

aw, I love this thread, even though I'm not sure SwissMiss is real.

SM, if you want to use New York as a barometer, ten years ago Brooklyn was considered a quiet, dorky, somewhat dangerous place to live. It was middle or working class, with pockets of intense poverty (which still exist). Tourists rarely made it there. Now parts of it are trendier than Manhattan.

I (and many others) believe that Philly is the next Brooklyn, only it will be better as it can remain an independent and middle class to working class city. Philly has a more diverse business base than NY and more colleges and universities than any other city in America. The real estate is seriously undervalued in comparison to other East Coast cities, and the arts are thriving. The city's importance to American history surpasses even Boston.

In the future I'd like to see Philly marketed to European tourists as one of the two must-see cities on the East Coast with New York -- as tourists to Japan will hit Tokyo for the crazy nightlife and bustle of a world capital, then head to Kyoto for a glimpse of a graceful past and a more peaceful present.

Swiss Miss · #14 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillyaggie

Foreigners coming to America want to hit the highlights and certainly I would recommend Philly for it being the birthplace of American republic and its first capital. But NYC has the glamor that is known worldwide...it is truly a global city. People might visit Orlando for Disneyworld and perhaps LA because of Hollywood. Philadelphia is a "second-tier" city as it were, so I can understand that you missed visiting it. Perhaps you should come there next time you're in America!

Philadelphians would probably value their city based on the neighborhood they live in; it is a city of small neighborhoods put together. I'm not sure how NYCers would value their city versus how Philly folks value theirs...they must like it where they live otherwise they would not live there, right?!

As for Philly being old and having cobble stone streets, yes, that is true. But Philly is also young and has modern architecture in its main business district (Market West). A new building being built there, Comcast Centre, is the tallest in the city and tallest on the U.S. East Coast, outside of NYC. The "twin towers" of Liberty Place are also quite tall and beautiful.

If you like Paris and Rome, I think you will like Philly very much. It is the second largest city on East Coast and while it is not as busy and glamorous as NYC, it still has all the big-city conveniences, best shopping, local food which is famous all over, and just its own special charm. It is indeed called Paris of America.

Take a look at the buildings and pictures at this web site...all modern skyscrapers, some old as well such as City Hall.
http://www.phillyskyline.com/

Thanks Phillyaggie. I liked the link you sent me. It really looks like Philadelphia has a lot to offer. It truly seems to project the charming qualities of an European city. It’s cute that the city is indeed called Paris of America. I like the fact also that it has so much history to it. What do you think will happen with Philadelphia in the future? The historic value is essential to this city. Are Philadelphians very protective of that fact or are they looking forward to build more modern skyscrapers that might change the “idea of Philadelphia”?

KByrd · #15 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 01:17 PM

To answer your question, we are more concerned today in protecting
what's left of our physical(buildings) surroundings than we were in the
recent past.

Phila.'s greatest period of building and growth was during the 19th and early 20th centuries
when the city became a HUGE manufacturing center. A lot of the structures
that were built then no longer remain.

What we have left are primarily of that time, which is generally
referred to as "Victorian". Today people see a crucial need in
saving as much of the housing built during that time as we can.
It's our heritage afterall and, once it "goes" it can never be replaced.

You might find this site interesting.

http://phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Home.aspx

guzzijason · #16 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 01:31 PM

Let me hop on the feel-good train...

I'm not a native, but one of my favorite features of Philadelphia is Fairmount Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the country. Having access to a park like this so close to Center City is a tremendous asset.

http://www.ushistory.org/districts/f...park/index.htm

__Jason

Winston · #17 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swiss Miss

Thanks Phillyaggie. I liked the link you sent me. It really looks like Philadelphia has a lot to offer. It truly seems to project the charming qualities of an European city. It’s cute that the city is indeed called Paris of America.

Take that with a grain of salt. I've never heard anyone refer to Philadelphia as "the Paris of America." We have a wide thoroughfare called the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that was inspired by the Champs-Elysees. But that's about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swiss Miss

What do you think will happen with Philadelphia in the future? The historic value is essential to this city. Are Philadelphians very protective of that fact or are they looking forward to build more modern skyscrapers that might change the “idea of Philadelphia”?

Philadelphia is emerging from several decades of decline in the second half of the 20th century, when manufacturing jobs moved overseas and the local economy suffered. Many longtime residents lived through that decline (or heard stories from their parents) so they feel that Philadelphia's best days are behind it. The city is at the tail end of a residential housing boom that brought many new people to the city, and the influx of new residents in the last decade has brought with it some optimism and enthusiasm for change, but it's still easy to find local residents who are disillusioned and discouraged.

Swiss Miss · #18 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KByrd

To answer your question, we are more concerned today in protecting
what's left of our physical(buildings) surroundings than we were in the
recent past.

Phila.'s greatest period of building and growth was during the 19th and early 20th centuries
when the city became a HUGE manufacturing center. A lot of the structures
that were built then no longer remain.

What we have left are primarily of that time, which is generally
referred to as "Victorian". Today people see a crucial need in
saving as much of the housing built during that time as we can.
It's our heritage afterall and, once it "goes" it can never be replaced.

You might find this site interesting.

http://phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Home.aspx

Thanks KByrd for all your comments. You gave me some very interesting facts and useful websites. It is very much appreciated. Am I correct saying that Philadelphians are proud of their heritage and they are trying to save and protect their city as much as possible? Where will this fact lead the city in the future?

Swiss Miss · #19 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 02:23 PM

everyone,
It is interesting to see how people respond to this thread. Thanks a lot for all your information. It seems that many Philadelphians are proud of the city's historic background but somewhat disappointed where it's economically going.
Let's try this: If you could summarize the city in one word, what would that be? Let’s say for Switzerland it would be Banks, Cheese, Chocolate, for a Swiss town such as Zermatt it would be Matterhorn, for Basel it would be Joggeli… However, I want to even take it a step further, the summarizing word for Switzerland would be Neutrality, for Olten maybe it would be the “passing by city”…… I believe some words associated with Philadelphia would be Rocky Steps or Cheese stake. If we could take that one step further, what would that one word be that people think of when they think of Philadelphia?

Winston · #20 (**permalink**) 08-21-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swiss Miss

I believe some words associated with Philadelphia would be Rocky Steps or Cheese stake. If we could take that one step further, what would that one word be that people think of when they think of Philadelphia?

E-A-G-L-E-S

Just kidding (sort of). Fans of our football team like to spell out the name, often spontaneously on the street. Someone will start the chant and others will chime in. I don't think you can really summarize Philadelphia in one word but a few obvious suggestions would be "liberty" or "history." Actually, now that I think about it, "Philadelphia is history" would be a slogan that appeals to tourism boosters and Negadelphians alike.