I have some more questions about Philadelphia.
September 18, 2015 4:28 PM Subscribe
For a while now one of my best friends has been talking about living in Philadelphia and for some reason it's only been recently that my interest has been piqued. I read this question about neighborhoods in Philly and it sounds really great, but I still have some questions.
For reference, I am a 26-year-old male currently living in Portland, OR (as I've posted about a million times :P) and my friends and I typically would be considered "hipsters", but that is such a terrible descriptor because it's so vague that idk how to really describe what I like doing, but within the questions below I'll try to explain some things about my current lifestyle!
1a. How expensive is it to live in Philadelphia, and I guess specifically the neighborhoods mentioned in that thread (Fishtown, West Philly, Francisville, South Kensington, etc.) I really liked ActionPopulated's answer, specifically the part about "Francisville-ish", as his cons about that neighborhood are completely fine with me.
1b. What's the job market like? Can someone who primarily works in restaurants/bars (line cook currently, a little bartending and barbacking experience, extensive experience as a meat clerk in an independent grocery store along with cashiering) get a job and afford to live there? I'm good at budgeting. The jobs I typically have worked in Portland have all been slightly hire than minimum wage, and with restaurant jobs there are tips involved so it ends up being anywhere between $13-$17/hr depending on what place you work at and how busy it is.
2. Is it really possible to live there without a car? I rely on public transport, walking and bicycling as a means of getting around here, and I guess there's Uber and Lyft as well.
3. How are the people? Are they nice? If I start a random conversation with someone at the neighborhood bar will they glare at me or will they go along? Are people going to yell at me while I walk down the street?
4a. Judging from Craigslist, rent in these neighborhoods in a house appears to be ranging between $350-$800. Is this normal for a shared house, or is Craigslist weird? For example, there are a lot of weird houses posted on Portland's craigslist that are like $700 for a tiny room and you live with 5 sketchy people. The room I'm subletting currently is with 3 roommates and is only $336/mo and only had a $300 refundable deposit, the people are really nice, and while it's a little bit out of the way from where my friends live and where I work I have absolutely no problem getting anywhere I need to go. This room wasn't available on craigslist, I found it after posting on a facebook group for people in Portland looking for housing/roommates.
4b. I guess my followup question is if there is anything like that for Philly that I just don't know about?
5. What's the music scene like? I know some of the emo revival bands have come out of there, and I really like Hop Along. Who else is from there? Are there house shows, and if so, how do I find them? What are some underground venues?
6. How should I dress/what should I buy for the weather? From what I've read the weather is somewhat similar to Portland's, which I have no problem dealing with.
That's about it for now! Thanks 8)
For reference, I am a 26-year-old male currently living in Portland, OR (as I've posted about a million times :P) and my friends and I typically would be considered "hipsters", but that is such a terrible descriptor because it's so vague that idk how to really describe what I like doing, but within the questions below I'll try to explain some things about my current lifestyle!
1a. How expensive is it to live in Philadelphia, and I guess specifically the neighborhoods mentioned in that thread (Fishtown, West Philly, Francisville, South Kensington, etc.) I really liked ActionPopulated's answer, specifically the part about "Francisville-ish", as his cons about that neighborhood are completely fine with me.
1b. What's the job market like? Can someone who primarily works in restaurants/bars (line cook currently, a little bartending and barbacking experience, extensive experience as a meat clerk in an independent grocery store along with cashiering) get a job and afford to live there? I'm good at budgeting. The jobs I typically have worked in Portland have all been slightly hire than minimum wage, and with restaurant jobs there are tips involved so it ends up being anywhere between $13-$17/hr depending on what place you work at and how busy it is.
2. Is it really possible to live there without a car? I rely on public transport, walking and bicycling as a means of getting around here, and I guess there's Uber and Lyft as well.
3. How are the people? Are they nice? If I start a random conversation with someone at the neighborhood bar will they glare at me or will they go along? Are people going to yell at me while I walk down the street?
4a. Judging from Craigslist, rent in these neighborhoods in a house appears to be ranging between $350-$800. Is this normal for a shared house, or is Craigslist weird? For example, there are a lot of weird houses posted on Portland's craigslist that are like $700 for a tiny room and you live with 5 sketchy people. The room I'm subletting currently is with 3 roommates and is only $336/mo and only had a $300 refundable deposit, the people are really nice, and while it's a little bit out of the way from where my friends live and where I work I have absolutely no problem getting anywhere I need to go. This room wasn't available on craigslist, I found it after posting on a facebook group for people in Portland looking for housing/roommates.
4b. I guess my followup question is if there is anything like that for Philly that I just don't know about?
5. What's the music scene like? I know some of the emo revival bands have come out of there, and I really like Hop Along. Who else is from there? Are there house shows, and if so, how do I find them? What are some underground venues?
6. How should I dress/what should I buy for the weather? From what I've read the weather is somewhat similar to Portland's, which I have no problem dealing with.
That's about it for now! Thanks 8)
Best answer: 2. Yeah, it's entirely workable if you live in the neighborhoods you mention, particularly if you have a bike and are used to riding in urban environments. I've never used Uber or Lyft in Philly (and have heard vague anecdotal horror stories about Uber stings or something???), but for those times when you gotta make a run to the giant big-box stores on Columbus Ave or go out into the burbs for some god-help-us-all reason, Enterprise Car Share is in Philly.
3. I'm told Portland has a reputation for people being passive-aggressive fakey-nice. That ain't Philly. One of the most Philadelphian things I've ever seen was the time I was at an intersection in Center City during rush hour, where a pedestrian was standing a little too close to the curb, and the car taking a left turn honked to move them back. The pedestrian took offense and yelled, "LEARN TO DRIVE, ASSHOLE."
The driver had his window rolled down, and yelled right back, "LEARN TO WALK, MOTHERFUCKER."
About four feet separated everyone.
On the other hand, I kinda appreciated/enjoyed the fact that people were rubbing up against each other, and there was no kinda awkward shuffling and pretending? And that was one morning out of eight years of commuting with very few problems. So I actually like Philly a lot, and I find Philadelphians pretty warm and friendly when you approach them in the context where mingling is expected (like a bar where people go to socialize, as opposed to a bar where people go to get morosely drunk), or when there is an existing bond of neighborhood-ly we're-in-this-together, especially in some of the older, more traditionally-Philly parts of the city. I've had roofers working on my neighbor's house scare off some dude who was trying to lift packages from my driveway. We knock on our neighbors doors to borrow stuff or for help. They knock on ours. I have had people be extraordinarily kind to me when I fell down the stairs while going into mass transit and was in obvious pain.
4b. This will be less of an issue for non-drivers, but if somebody has marked out a parking space with lawn chairs, do not fucking move the lawn chairs and park there unless the chairs have been set out for you. Doing so is a great way to get your tires slashed/your rear bumper banged in/your windows broken/have a Classic Philly interaction.
Also, no real Philadelphians love cheesesteak the most. We're actually a roast pork town -- sharp provolone, greens, get it from John's Roast Pork, where you know it's quality because it's next to some kind of godawful paint factory where, when it's running, emits fumes that makes your teeth feel like they're growing fur, and yet it has lines out the fucking door. (Protip: call ahead for pickup.)
6. Our highs in summers get up to about 95-100 F at the hottest with brutal humidity. In winter, we get a bunch of winter days where it's 10 degrees F at 9 a.m. with windchill.
Consequently, yeah, you can dress for the weather, but even more than that, unless you're a glutton for punishment, you'll either want to be in a place with good central AC (especially if you're living on the third floor of a traditional Philly rowhouse), or you'll need to get either a window unit/portable AC unit for your bedroom. Either way, you'll need to budget for A/C.
Similarly, based on the winters of the past few years, unless you live in an apartment building, you'll want to make sure that you have a shovel and calcium chloride/salt because you'll be shoveling through at least one foot-deep snowstorm a year. From about November through February, we get wintry mix fairly frequently, which, if you've never experienced it, is an unholy combo of rain, snow, sleet, and sheer disgustingness. Also, expect there to be gray city snow-ice-unholy fusion for two or three weeks out of every month. Good, warm waterproof footwear can save you a lot of grief.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:15 PM on September 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
3. I'm told Portland has a reputation for people being passive-aggressive fakey-nice. That ain't Philly. One of the most Philadelphian things I've ever seen was the time I was at an intersection in Center City during rush hour, where a pedestrian was standing a little too close to the curb, and the car taking a left turn honked to move them back. The pedestrian took offense and yelled, "LEARN TO DRIVE, ASSHOLE."
The driver had his window rolled down, and yelled right back, "LEARN TO WALK, MOTHERFUCKER."
About four feet separated everyone.
On the other hand, I kinda appreciated/enjoyed the fact that people were rubbing up against each other, and there was no kinda awkward shuffling and pretending? And that was one morning out of eight years of commuting with very few problems. So I actually like Philly a lot, and I find Philadelphians pretty warm and friendly when you approach them in the context where mingling is expected (like a bar where people go to socialize, as opposed to a bar where people go to get morosely drunk), or when there is an existing bond of neighborhood-ly we're-in-this-together, especially in some of the older, more traditionally-Philly parts of the city. I've had roofers working on my neighbor's house scare off some dude who was trying to lift packages from my driveway. We knock on our neighbors doors to borrow stuff or for help. They knock on ours. I have had people be extraordinarily kind to me when I fell down the stairs while going into mass transit and was in obvious pain.
4b. This will be less of an issue for non-drivers, but if somebody has marked out a parking space with lawn chairs, do not fucking move the lawn chairs and park there unless the chairs have been set out for you. Doing so is a great way to get your tires slashed/your rear bumper banged in/your windows broken/have a Classic Philly interaction.
Also, no real Philadelphians love cheesesteak the most. We're actually a roast pork town -- sharp provolone, greens, get it from John's Roast Pork, where you know it's quality because it's next to some kind of godawful paint factory where, when it's running, emits fumes that makes your teeth feel like they're growing fur, and yet it has lines out the fucking door. (Protip: call ahead for pickup.)
6. Our highs in summers get up to about 95-100 F at the hottest with brutal humidity. In winter, we get a bunch of winter days where it's 10 degrees F at 9 a.m. with windchill.
Consequently, yeah, you can dress for the weather, but even more than that, unless you're a glutton for punishment, you'll either want to be in a place with good central AC (especially if you're living on the third floor of a traditional Philly rowhouse), or you'll need to get either a window unit/portable AC unit for your bedroom. Either way, you'll need to budget for A/C.
Similarly, based on the winters of the past few years, unless you live in an apartment building, you'll want to make sure that you have a shovel and calcium chloride/salt because you'll be shoveling through at least one foot-deep snowstorm a year. From about November through February, we get wintry mix fairly frequently, which, if you've never experienced it, is an unholy combo of rain, snow, sleet, and sheer disgustingness. Also, expect there to be gray city snow-ice-unholy fusion for two or three weeks out of every month. Good, warm waterproof footwear can save you a lot of grief.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:15 PM on September 18, 2015 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Public transportation is pretty good, as long as you are living within city limits; in any of the neighborhoods you mentioned, it's quite adequate for getting around. I do it, have never had a car, and it's fine. Walking and biking are also good ways of travel. It's a very walkable city.
It's a pretty easy place to strike up a conversation with strangers. Especially when I am on public transportation, there seems to always be someone chatting with me at some point (sometimes unwelcomed, though).
There are lots of eccentrics in Phila; it's a diverse city as well. You may be pushed out of your comfort zone, depending on your background.
posted by bearette at 5:17 PM on September 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's a pretty easy place to strike up a conversation with strangers. Especially when I am on public transportation, there seems to always be someone chatting with me at some point (sometimes unwelcomed, though).
There are lots of eccentrics in Phila; it's a diverse city as well. You may be pushed out of your comfort zone, depending on your background.
posted by bearette at 5:17 PM on September 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: bearette how would you describe eccentric?
posted by gucci mane at 5:27 PM on September 18, 2015
posted by gucci mane at 5:27 PM on September 18, 2015
Well, the city is huge and diverse and most people are not really eccentric. But you often will see/hear eccentric people walking around and see weird things happen, especially if you are on public transportation or if you walk around a lot. Some of it is people with genuine mental health issues, I believe, due to inadequate services for them. Most people are harmless. Some of the eccentricity is just from the city being diverse and relatively welcoming of people off the beaten path- there's a guy who dresses up as Jesus and calls himself "Philly Jesus", and juggles in the park, for instance.
posted by bearette at 5:36 PM on September 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by bearette at 5:36 PM on September 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Oh okay that's no problem with me, there are a lot of eccentrics like that here in Portland, and I don't mean the cute-fuzzy kind like that dude that dresses up as Darth Vader and plays bagpipes while riding his unicycle.
posted by gucci mane at 5:42 PM on September 18, 2015
posted by gucci mane at 5:42 PM on September 18, 2015
Best answer: Hello again, glad my answer about Philly neighborhoods in that last thread was helpful! In regards to your current questions...
1) It's entirely possible to live here with roommates on service industry wages. I paid $380/month for a generously sized bedroom in a 6 BR house for my first year and change here; that house was kind of falling apart, but it's possible to get similar prices on places in better shape.
2) Within the dense neighborhoods you mentioned, you can do pretty much anything by transit, bike, and foot. If you ever need to go to further outlying areas it will be a haul, but the transit is surprisingly extensive<>
3a) Nice Philadelphian story the first; Maybe a month after I moved here, we got an unseasonably warm late winter day and I decided to take my new bike out for a trip. Before I could even leave the neighborhood, the bolt holding the handlebars came loose and I lost control of the bike and wiped out. Defeated, I started walking back toward home with my hands all cut up and my handlebars hanging at a sad, freakish 90 degree angle. Maybe two blocks shy of the house, a guy saw me walking by from his porch and noticed the bike. "You know, I'm a bike mechanic, I can fix that for you..." he said. And then, fifteen minutes later, my bike was all ready to go, and the handlebars were fine until that bike got stolen a few weeks ago. (Aside; you will need to lock up well in high foot traffic areas here.)
B) Nice Philadelphian story the second; while I was working in a coffee shop, a guy came in from outside with a bowl of fresh figs he'd picked off the tree outside the store, and gave everyone inside a fig.
C) My parents came to move a big heavy dresser into my narrow, second-floor bedroom, and my roommates were gone for the day. A large family walking home from church happened to see them struggling, and every member of that family, parents and kids of all ages, took up some part of the dresser or held a door open somewhere along the line.
The first two stories happened in West Philly, the last in the north "Francisville-ish" part.
4) There are various Philly housing groups on Facebook as well as craigslist, plus I occasionally see stuff via friends. Memail me for specifics.
5) Oh boy do we have house shows. DIY PHL will list a lot of them, but there are also smaller events that circulate around on Facebook. One particular fun Philly thing is that the Screaming Females are based here now, and thus play a bunch of small to medium profile shows here despite being a pretty big deal. (LAVA space, the venue for their next philly show on that calendar? That's a tiny anarchist community center.)
Memail me for any additional info! Hope this helps!>
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:04 PM on September 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
1) It's entirely possible to live here with roommates on service industry wages. I paid $380/month for a generously sized bedroom in a 6 BR house for my first year and change here; that house was kind of falling apart, but it's possible to get similar prices on places in better shape.
2) Within the dense neighborhoods you mentioned, you can do pretty much anything by transit, bike, and foot. If you ever need to go to further outlying areas it will be a haul, but the transit is surprisingly extensive<>
3a) Nice Philadelphian story the first; Maybe a month after I moved here, we got an unseasonably warm late winter day and I decided to take my new bike out for a trip. Before I could even leave the neighborhood, the bolt holding the handlebars came loose and I lost control of the bike and wiped out. Defeated, I started walking back toward home with my hands all cut up and my handlebars hanging at a sad, freakish 90 degree angle. Maybe two blocks shy of the house, a guy saw me walking by from his porch and noticed the bike. "You know, I'm a bike mechanic, I can fix that for you..." he said. And then, fifteen minutes later, my bike was all ready to go, and the handlebars were fine until that bike got stolen a few weeks ago. (Aside; you will need to lock up well in high foot traffic areas here.)
B) Nice Philadelphian story the second; while I was working in a coffee shop, a guy came in from outside with a bowl of fresh figs he'd picked off the tree outside the store, and gave everyone inside a fig.
C) My parents came to move a big heavy dresser into my narrow, second-floor bedroom, and my roommates were gone for the day. A large family walking home from church happened to see them struggling, and every member of that family, parents and kids of all ages, took up some part of the dresser or held a door open somewhere along the line.
The first two stories happened in West Philly, the last in the north "Francisville-ish" part.
4) There are various Philly housing groups on Facebook as well as craigslist, plus I occasionally see stuff via friends. Memail me for specifics.
5) Oh boy do we have house shows. DIY PHL will list a lot of them, but there are also smaller events that circulate around on Facebook. One particular fun Philly thing is that the Screaming Females are based here now, and thus play a bunch of small to medium profile shows here despite being a pretty big deal. (LAVA space, the venue for their next philly show on that calendar? That's a tiny anarchist community center.)
Memail me for any additional info! Hope this helps!>
posted by ActionPopulated at 7:04 PM on September 18, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: "LEARN TO DRIVE, ASSHOLE."
"LEARN TO WALK, MOTHERFUCKER."
Yeah, that's absolutely Philly right there. The thing is there is very little malice in an exchange like that one. In that moment one person was driving like an asshole and one person didn't know how to stand on the fucking curb. We all clear on who's doin' what? Good! Let's get one with our day.
I was out of the city for a long while before I realized that fakey-nice was the standard MO for other places.
posted by 26.2 at 8:34 PM on September 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
"LEARN TO WALK, MOTHERFUCKER."
Yeah, that's absolutely Philly right there. The thing is there is very little malice in an exchange like that one. In that moment one person was driving like an asshole and one person didn't know how to stand on the fucking curb. We all clear on who's doin' what? Good! Let's get one with our day.
I was out of the city for a long while before I realized that fakey-nice was the standard MO for other places.
posted by 26.2 at 8:34 PM on September 18, 2015 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Lived in Philly in the late 90s, still visit regularly, and I would say, compared to other major US cities, it is really not at all eccentric. It is accommodating, however, tolerant, non-conservative, and very laid back. But it doesn't seem to prize or promote eccentricity in the way that some places fetishize.
posted by Miko at 8:42 PM on September 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Miko at 8:42 PM on September 18, 2015 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Its relatively easy to live in. Its cheap. Its easy to get around. If you work in a restaurant it will be easy to make friends with other people in the industry.
There are, however, downsides. Parts are unsafe and those parts are close to the safe parts. You will need to know these parts. (This isn't paranoia, I know a not insignificant number of people who have been attacked). There is a lot of poverty and inequality in the city and people are, on average, must nastier than any other place I've been to. But, great beer.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:52 AM on September 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
There are, however, downsides. Parts are unsafe and those parts are close to the safe parts. You will need to know these parts. (This isn't paranoia, I know a not insignificant number of people who have been attacked). There is a lot of poverty and inequality in the city and people are, on average, must nastier than any other place I've been to. But, great beer.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 5:52 AM on September 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Some cities relish being weird; San Francisco, Portland, Austin, Seattle. Philly is not weird. Like joyceanmachine said, you'll find a lot of East Coast attitude in Philly but it's nothing personal. Between subways, buses, trolleys & commuter trains you can get pretty much anywhere in the city. For a while I lived in South Philly & worked way out in Norristown. It took 3 transfers (bus -> subway -> high speed rail -> bus) & 2 hours but I could get there & back. It's a big city so of course there's music but I wouldn't call Philly a music city. Much more of a sports city: Eagles, Philles, 76ers, Flyers. Your rent numbers are about right so no worries there. The weather does get way too hot in the summer (mostly due to humidity) & cold in the winter so you'll need a full range of clothing to deal with it. Philly's a working class town. People aren't necessarily friendly but they are honest about it. And yeah, you never mess with someone's parking reservation.
posted by scalefree at 8:24 AM on September 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 8:24 AM on September 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Awesome, I'm really loving these answers! Thank you all so much for the insight! Moving cities is crazy and I probably won't do it for at least a year but it's definitely on the table right now.
posted by gucci mane at 5:47 PM on September 19, 2015
posted by gucci mane at 5:47 PM on September 19, 2015
I moved to Portland from Philly. The cities are like night and day (to me anyway!), but both are awesome. Just addressing the questions I can speak to:
1. Can't speak to a.) since I know the neighborhoods have changed a lot since I lived there. b.) Wages are in general higher in Philly than Portland. There are tons and tons of restaurants so I don't think you'd have too tough a time finding work. More higher end restaurants, too.
2. I had a car there but I didn't need it. Decent bus, subway, and regional rail system. There is a pretty big bike culture there too.
3. People are nice but you will know where you stand with them. People are very direct, pretty much the opposite of portland. I miss this so hard about Philly!
Expect a lot more yelling across rooms. ("YO, Frank, yew want another lager?!?!") I had to be told to cool it on that when I moved out to Portland, haha.
5. Philly was all about house shows, and shows at various punk squats when I lived there (I was primarily into the metal, HC, and punk scenes.) Those come and go so you probably want to ask around. I suggest checking out WKDU 91.7 FM for local and underground music.
6. Get a heavier coat if you don't have one. Weather is colder and snowier than Portland. I Goldberg should do ya right.
posted by medeine at 8:21 PM on September 19, 2015
1. Can't speak to a.) since I know the neighborhoods have changed a lot since I lived there. b.) Wages are in general higher in Philly than Portland. There are tons and tons of restaurants so I don't think you'd have too tough a time finding work. More higher end restaurants, too.
2. I had a car there but I didn't need it. Decent bus, subway, and regional rail system. There is a pretty big bike culture there too.
3. People are nice but you will know where you stand with them. People are very direct, pretty much the opposite of portland. I miss this so hard about Philly!
Expect a lot more yelling across rooms. ("YO, Frank, yew want another lager?!?!") I had to be told to cool it on that when I moved out to Portland, haha.
5. Philly was all about house shows, and shows at various punk squats when I lived there (I was primarily into the metal, HC, and punk scenes.) Those come and go so you probably want to ask around. I suggest checking out WKDU 91.7 FM for local and underground music.
6. Get a heavier coat if you don't have one. Weather is colder and snowier than Portland. I Goldberg should do ya right.
posted by medeine at 8:21 PM on September 19, 2015
I moved from New York to Portland. Oh, how I miss East Coast directness.
I just want to reiterate how not like Portland East Coast weather is. You will be miserable in the summer. It will be 90 or 95 degrees for a week straight, "cooling off" at night means it will drop into the 80s (with awful humidity and you will never feel dry). In the winter, it's not unheard of to get into the 20s. Expect a blizzard or a foot (or two) of snow every few years.
Crime in Philly is different than Portland. It's violent.
The public transportation... it's okay. Don't expect Trimet.
Philly would not be high on a list of cities to move to, primarily because of the crime. But it has nice parts, culture, and you can get to DC in two hours, New York in an hour and a half. If you can deal with the above, you'll do okay.
posted by Automocar at 9:47 AM on September 20, 2015
I just want to reiterate how not like Portland East Coast weather is. You will be miserable in the summer. It will be 90 or 95 degrees for a week straight, "cooling off" at night means it will drop into the 80s (with awful humidity and you will never feel dry). In the winter, it's not unheard of to get into the 20s. Expect a blizzard or a foot (or two) of snow every few years.
Crime in Philly is different than Portland. It's violent.
The public transportation... it's okay. Don't expect Trimet.
Philly would not be high on a list of cities to move to, primarily because of the crime. But it has nice parts, culture, and you can get to DC in two hours, New York in an hour and a half. If you can deal with the above, you'll do okay.
posted by Automocar at 9:47 AM on September 20, 2015
I lived in Philly in the early 90s (Miko we just missed each other! :D) I had never seen grown adults act so aggressively and poorly and straight-up immaturely to each other in my life. It was shocking. The number of people who had serious and lesser mental illnesses seemed extraordinarily high to me, and I'm coming from Berkeley. Also, service seemed downright gruff and aggressively rude coming from California. It was quite the culture shock.
You'll also have randomly strange things happen around you or to you. (One time a seemingly middle-class guy asked me for half of my sandwich in a Au Bon Pain. His friend gave him the side-eye; I think he was just seeing if I would say 'sure, here's half my sandwich, take it.' WEIRD stuff will happen. You will also, guaranteed, witness someone completely losing their shit in public at least once a month.)
Philly has changed *alot* since then, though. It has much going for it - just the architecture as you walk around Center City is incredible; the museums of course; the history of the place and the Penn campus.
Summers are extreme as are winters, I could not live with that weather but YMMV. I couldn't hack the East Coast attitude but others may not mind. Also - apparently there's been a huge influx of New Yorkers lately and that has changed the local culture somewhat, although I cannot speak to this aspect.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:24 AM on September 22, 2015
You'll also have randomly strange things happen around you or to you. (One time a seemingly middle-class guy asked me for half of my sandwich in a Au Bon Pain. His friend gave him the side-eye; I think he was just seeing if I would say 'sure, here's half my sandwich, take it.' WEIRD stuff will happen. You will also, guaranteed, witness someone completely losing their shit in public at least once a month.)
Philly has changed *alot* since then, though. It has much going for it - just the architecture as you walk around Center City is incredible; the museums of course; the history of the place and the Penn campus.
Summers are extreme as are winters, I could not live with that weather but YMMV. I couldn't hack the East Coast attitude but others may not mind. Also - apparently there's been a huge influx of New Yorkers lately and that has changed the local culture somewhat, although I cannot speak to this aspect.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:24 AM on September 22, 2015
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2.& 6. Philly weather is more extreme than Portland - the hot days are hotter and the cold ones are colder. Philadelphia doesn't cool off on summer nights the way Portland does. Here's a comparison of the two cities. Depending on your neighborhood it's possible to live without a car. However, it'll be hot in the summer and cold/maybe snowy in the winter. (Of course, a car is not picnic in that city. Finding parking on snow blocked streets is its own fresh hell.)
3. People are accessible and they will certainly interact with strangers (though they are not always nice.) If I had to say one overriding thing about people from Philadelphia it's that we're pretty unvarnished. You always know where you stand with us. There is none of the "well bless her heart" crap.
4b. It's a fabulous place. Great museum. Great food. Great people. I miss it terribly.
posted by 26.2 at 4:49 PM on September 18, 2015 [4 favorites]