Why is Philly so often overlooked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do the nicest neighborhoods in DC and Philly compare?

There is not a single acceptable zoned public high school within Philly itself.

This is not true. My sister and I went to Girls' high and my brother went to Central

Central isn’t zoned.

So you don't deny it is a good school.

I never said it wasn’t. But I said, There is not a single acceptable zoned public high school within Philly itself.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

This. I mean that is terrible but it’s in no way representative of typical street scenes. The areas around Penn, Drexel, Center City, Old City etc look like any normal area. And I have been to all of them repeatedly in the past 4 months for family and work visits. Perfectly safe normal areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

The thing is, that sort of thing spreads and grows. You might think it doesn’t affect you if you don’t live around K and A, but it eventually does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

The thing is, that sort of thing spreads and grows. You might think it doesn’t affect you if you don’t live around K and A, but it eventually does.

Lol. Yes the Kensington drug epidemic that has been going on for decades will eventually overtake the Main Line! Beware!

In reality I’d say white collar crime and corruption (like that in a city like DC) actually does have the ability to permeate a city’s entire culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

This. I mean that is terrible but it’s in no way representative of typical street scenes. The areas around Penn, Drexel, Center City, Old City etc look like any normal area. And I have been to all of them repeatedly in the past 4 months for family and work visits. Perfectly safe normal areas.

West Philly neighborhoods around Penn and Drexel do not look like perfectly safe normal areas. And have you been in South Philly around Christian St or the Italian Market area at all?

I’m sorry, because I loved what Philadelphia used to be, but it has been on a downhill path for a very long time. And it keeps getting worse. The drug problems, the violent and non-violent crime- I don’t know how the city can come back from the depths it has sunk into.

People who live there don’t see how dramatic the change has been because changes have happened gradually over time. It’s when you’ve moved away and come back to visit that you really see the extent of the changes. Also, when you have lived in other places, you realize how much better your daily qualifications life can be and that there is no need to live the way you do in Philly. There are so many better places to live, but they don’t know it because they have spent very little time living anywhere but Philly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

This. I mean that is terrible but it’s in no way representative of typical street scenes. The areas around Penn, Drexel, Center City, Old City etc look like any normal area. And I have been to all of them repeatedly in the past 4 months for family and work visits. Perfectly safe normal areas.

West Philly neighborhoods around Penn and Drexel do not look like perfectly safe normal areas. And have you been in South Philly around Christian St or the Italian Market area at all?

I’m sorry, because I loved what Philadelphia used to be, but it has been on a downhill path for a very long time. And it keeps getting worse. The drug problems, the violent and non-violent crime- I don’t know how the city can come back from the depths it has sunk into.

People who live there don’t see how dramatic the change has been because changes have happened gradually over time. It’s when you’ve moved away and come back to visit that you really see the extent of the changes. Also, when you have lived in other places, you realize how much better your daily qualifications life can be and that there is no need to live the way you do in Philly. There are so many better places to live, but they don’t know it because they have spent very little time living anywhere but Philly.

Quality of, not qualifications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This video is of one of the worst streets in the entire city.

It’s a huge city with some large poor parts and also some very nice parts.

This. I mean that is terrible but it’s in no way representative of typical street scenes. The areas around Penn, Drexel, Center City, Old City etc look like any normal area. And I have been to all of them repeatedly in the past 4 months for family and work visits. Perfectly safe normal areas.

West Philly neighborhoods around Penn and Drexel do not look like perfectly safe normal areas. And have you been in South Philly around Christian St or the Italian Market area at all?

I’m sorry, because I loved what Philadelphia used to be, but it has been on a downhill path for a very long time. And it keeps getting worse. The drug problems, the violent and non-violent crime- I don’t know how the city can come back from the depths it has sunk into.

People who live there don’t see how dramatic the change has been because changes have happened gradually over time. It’s when you’ve moved away and come back to visit that you really see the extent of the changes. Also, when you have lived in other places, you realize how much better your daily qualifications life can be and that there is no need to live the way you do in Philly. There are so many better places to live, but they don’t know it because they have spent very little time living anywhere but Philly.

I relocated to Philly from DC. I have neighbors who relocated after 20 years in NY. I grew up in Chicago. I think what you said about Philly can be said about any U.S. city right now. Everyone has nostalgia for what was, but in the last several years especially, all these cities have changed. My sister lives in Portland, OR -10-15 years ago, I loved visiting. Now it feels apocalyptic in comparison. Cities changing is not unique to Philly. I live in Philly now. It’s not perfect, but there are beautiful neighborhoods, a vibrant cultural scene, easy access to skiing in the winter and the beach in the summer. No place is perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised no one posted any example images of Philadelphia (other than the Liberty bell)

Granted, DC has a few rough patches too, I am sure.

Yes, the video is real. And it is far from the only video of Kensington Ave, Philadelphia.

So as not to eat-up all of Jeff’s bandwidth, here are the links-only to more videos confirming this is the daily reality in one neighborhood of Philadelphia (but as I said, there are similar streets in DC, plus they exist in Baltimore, Chicago, SF, etc).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi1Kf-1qd6Y

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xXhP83TcqWw





“Crisis” is putting it mildly when talking about fentanyl use in the USA in 2023.






OMG is that video for real? That's not some movie set????

[Anonymous]

All i'm going to say is that clearly 95% of the people replying to this live in the wealthy DC burbs and have lost touch with the reality of what's happening in their own City. Have you looked at the tents popping up everywhere downtown. Have you paid attention to the gun violence and the uptick in crime? I know those of us in petworth are *painfully* aware.

Downtown Philly has its problems, as do all cities, as many have mentioned right now.

But, if you have 1M in Philly you can buy a beautiful LARGE home, in a REALLY good school district, just a few minutes outside of the city --- good luck finding that in the DMV. Plus -- The schools aren't county run and are all half the size.

[Anonymous]

Big cities absorb the problems of the surrounding region. 90% of the addicts you see in that video are not from Philly. But other areas of the country have no qualms with pushing their mentally ill and addicts into places like Philly, Chicago, Baltimore, and DTLA.

[Anonymous]

I'm totally ignorant what is the folding over thing that you can see people doing in the video they are standing but acting like they are touching their toes what is that??

That looks like a zombie apocalypse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm totally ignorant what is the folding over thing that you can see people doing in the video they are standing but acting like they are touching their toes what is that??

That looks like a zombie apocalypse.

Synthetic opioids literally turn these people into zombies. There’s also some other synthetic street drugs circulating that have horrible effects.

The synthetic drugs seem to get worse and worse. Natural heroin is no longer found on the street, as it is too expensive and can’t compete with the synthetic narcotics.

This is why I’m a big proponent of heroin legalization. Let the government sell and regulate it. Addicts are going to turn to other stuff as we see in this video.

[Anonymous]

The Philly zombies hang out on a few blocks and the non-zombies avoid them. They are not near any of the universities or places where working people work or live. (Although they aren’t so far from fishtown, but it’s far enough I suppose). It is really messed up, though. I just drove through Kensington yesterday and it indeed looks like a zombie apocalypse.

The zombies are unsightly, but I don’t think they shoot or rob people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm totally ignorant what is the folding over thing that you can see people doing in the video they are standing but acting like they are touching their toes what is that??

That looks like a zombie apocalypse.

Synthetic opioids literally turn these people into zombies. There’s also some other synthetic street drugs circulating that have horrible effects.

The synthetic drugs seem to get worse and worse. Natural heroin is no longer found on the street, as it is too expensive and can’t compete with the synthetic narcotics.

This is why I’m a big proponent of heroin legalization. Let the government sell and regulate it. Addicts are going to turn to other stuff as we see in this video.

Articles about this specific area of Philadelphia, you can see how heroin is replaced over time with even worse substances:

Jan 2023: Tranq Dope: Animal Sedative Mixed With Fentanyl Brings Fresh Horror to U.S. Drug Zones
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/health/fentanyl-xylazine-drug.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

May 2019: In Cities Where It Once Reigned, Heroin Is Disappearing
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/health/heroin-fentanyl-deaths-baltimore.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

October 2018: Trapped by the ‘Walmart of Heroin’
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/magazine/kensington-heroin-opioid-philadelphia.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All i'm going to say is that clearly 95% of the people replying to this live in the wealthy DC burbs and have lost touch with the reality of what's happening in their own City. Have you looked at the tents popping up everywhere downtown. Have you paid attention to the gun violence and the uptick in crime? I know those of us in petworth are *painfully* aware.

Downtown Philly has its problems, as do all cities, as many have mentioned right now.

But, if you have 1M in Philly you can buy a beautiful LARGE home, in a REALLY good school district, just a few minutes outside of the city --- good luck finding that in the DMV. Plus -- The schools aren't county run and are all half the size.

I do not go downtown. I know it’s turned into a dangerous dump.

But I also know there’s zero gun violence, because DC banned guns long ago, proving gun control works.