I don’t know how many times a day, while out and about in this dreary place, I say to myself, “what’s wrong with you people?”
There’s a myriad of behaviors that can prompt this exasperated comment. Here’s a few:
1. I’m driving on a local highway in the left lane. I’ve made the mistake of leaving more than a car length between my vehicle and the one in front of me. A car cuts me off and and proceeds at around 50 mph.
2. I’m stopped at a traffic light. Across the intersection, I see a person dumping fast-food garbage our their car window, adding their own contribution to the already rampant litter situation in this city.
3. I see one of my neighbors in the supermarket. I smile and say hello. I am either completely ignored or given an icy stare.
4. I’m walking my dog. A little way down the block, another dog is taking a big old dump on the sidewalk. When he’s finished, the owner just walks away, leaving behind a steaming pile of dog doo.
(During my first year here, I saw more dog poop than I had in my previous 35 years)
If you’ve had your own “what’s wrong with you” moments, feel free to share!
Oh my god the dog poop problem here is insane. I moved here from nyc too and have to say that I agree completely that this city has more feces laying around than anywhere. It makes the city even more disgusting!
is the worst in the country. The smell of diesel, urine and hatred is overwhelming. The waiting areas are full of litter. It’s worse than a third world country. The workers at the food courts hate white people, and don’t try to hide it. The TSA workers, like most Philadelphians look like they are on crack or ready to go postal any second. I pity you for having to live among such ill mannered slobs.
I live in a resort area and I can tell you that we dread Summer because of all of the low class, ignorant destructive criminals from Pennsylvania. They act like animals and seem to get off on getting drunk and starting arguments and fights. What is it with people from Philadelphia? Why are they so damn intense and rude?
Get out of there before you turn into one of them.
I have had the pleasure of living here for 6 years. I live in a pretty up and coming neighborhood. my neighbors took a weed wacker (which I gave to them to assist in cleaning up the streets)and bashed my car window in by hitting a rock. This was 2 years ago. I can’t do anything about it since they collect SSI. Now they threaten me every time I come home. I have both men and women threatening me from behing a screen door. The police have been called 3 times and have taken my side and done nothing. According to the law I cannot file a restraining order because they are not my lovers or my husband. Since houses aren’t selling I have to stay in this area. The laws here are awful! There is no pride in the neighborhoods. It is grotesque! If I could I would consider burning my house down and leaving.
Think of how retarded the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
I moved here from Texas by way of California, where I grew up and I absolutely HATE Philly! This morning while riding the very packed bus I had to ask the fat ignorant people that were occupying the seats meant for seniors and disabled people to move. They had the audacity to sit there while a Down syndrome man STOOD! And the ignorant woman whose seat he stood in front of thought she was too damn cute to get up and give up her seat. I see crap like this daily and it makes me sick! I can’t wait to get the hell out of this city, its been the worst 3 years of my life. The only thing keeping me here is my Fiancé’s son lives here, who is very close to.
Other things have happened such as my car was keyed for parking it in front of someone’s house at Frankford Transportation center. I guess they think the street belongs to them!
Philly people are mostly fat and ignorant and I can’t stand them!
California Girl: I am in great shape, good looking and work hard at it! Same with my friends! Your comment happens to be the worst! Oh and having Down Syndrome doesn’t enable a person to stand. (I worked with two young children that have DS)
Sorry that you hate this city so much… maybe you should stay in your house until you are able to move! Maybe THAT will help this city!
PS The poop problem is the worst! When I see an owner walk away without even picking up their dogs shit, I call them out!
You can’t imagine how much I HATE PHILADELPHIA!!!! Everything about it – ugly people, food,streets… It’s such a poor city. I`ve been living here for 2 years and I still cant get used to it and never will. I will do everything it takes to move someday.
I have a “what’s wrong with you” moment. The other day, I was driving home and just getting off the freeway. I’m approaching an intersection (red light, by the way), at a steadily decreasing speed. I’m about to make a right turn, so I signal and stop (because it’s red, you see). The car behind me honks like crazy; WHY? So I try to ignore it and make a turn at the red after checking for traffic. As soon as I turn right, the car behind me runs the red light right before two cars enter the intersection for their green light. So, wait a second, I was honked at to get out of the way so you could run your red light before some cars got in your way? Are you joking?
And another thing.
@Gia: First of all, check your grammar before you insult someone. I’m sure having Down Syndrome may not make an individual UNABLE to stand, but the point still remains: those seats are for the elderly and the disabled. Last time I checked, if you’re overweight, to a certain extent it doesn’t count as a disability. And second of all, I would MUCH rather stay in my house all day if I could. It would be infinitely better than having to deal with this city.
Philadelphia is filled with rude, fowl-mouthed people, horrible drivers, unkempt buildings (understatement of the century), and what I can only assume are suicidal pedestrians who cross in the middle of the street with obvious oncoming traffic–and I have to brake so suddenly for them I must have whiplash by now. I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.
It extends up here to Berks County as well. Dog poop on my side walk and neighbors STILL haven’t introduced themselves after 2 years here. And this is in a well-to-do-subdivision. I actually miss Detroit…….
I live here, born and raised.
And the dog poo thing bothers me as well. I have two neighbors who do not understand the idea that their dog’s dried, reconstituted, then dried again dog feces stink to high heaven.
Air freshener is a way of life for some neighborhoods here. :/
Dear AnotherReluctantPhilly Resident,
First of all, I live in Philly, and I just have one thing to say to you:
I couldn’t agree more with all of your points.
I can’t stand these rude, obnoxious, bigoted, and woefully ignorant people that call themselves Philadelphians. Can’t wait to get out of here.
I lived in Philly for 13 of the worst months of my life. I also moved from the NYC area. It’s hard to pinpoint just what makes Philly so disgusting; it’s more like an aura of misery and disrespect that shrouds the whole city. I managed to move back to NYC, but I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same.
One of the many things I hated about Philly was that they closed the streets every time there was a little accident. In NY, the drivers move off the road, exchange info, and everyone else just goes around: no big deal. In Philly, they close four lanes of traffic because someone has a dent in their fender. The city is completely free from the burden of intelligent behavior.
I have lived in different parts of the country, including some very small towns. All I can say is the one year i lived in philly was the saddest year of my entire life. I have never met more miserable, disgusting, bigoted and rude people.
I have never met so many stupid people in one city ! I moved to NYC and am very happy.
You’re 35 years old, and don’t have your life together enough to be able to afford live where you want? Wow, you’re a loser. I mean you’re from North Jersey, which is such a nice place, not dirty or smelly at all lol, you can’t find a place in one of the crappy towns up there? Maybe spend less time on this crappy website and more time on getting your crappy life together. Crappy, that is the theme of your life, don’t forget it
Crappy lol. Loser.
Wow a Philly person is calling me names. Boo hoo. (where is that sarcasm font anyway?)
Can you afford to pay $2k a month for a small one bedroom apartment? Are all poor people losers in your eyes? How about the disabled?
Whatever. Thanks for sharing!
if philadelphia were a person, i would punch them in the face. and I’m a pacifist. Seriously, what is wrong with these people?
Here’s another what’s wrong with you moment.
I was driving through my neighborhood on my way to work. At one intersection I got stuck for almost ten minutes because someone two cars ahead of me was stopped at the stop sign talking to a person out his car window. By the time they ended their converstation there were four cars behind me. I was late for work that day because the person didn’t pull over to talk to his friend. He stayed right where he was and didn’t care that his conversation was making all these drivers wait because why should he care about anyone else.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??????
Well I’ve lived hear all my life and I gotta say Philadlphia may have it’s cons, but it has pros too. We have great historical perseravation, running trolleys etc. If you don’t like it, than you don’t have to live here.
To an extent I agree with this site. I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia which are a million times nicer than the city. It has horrible rotting infrastructure and cannot compare to New York in any way. There are some good people in Philadelphia that are decent, have respect, maintain their lawns, etc but a great deal of people have no dignity. As for driving, I totally agree. I’m 17 and one time I had to cut through the city to get to a destination in south jersey. Holy it was bad! I don’t like driving recklessly 80+ mph on I-95 so I try to stay in the right but its still dangerous. I understand why Philadelphians act and drive like they do because they grow up in a “tougher” environment than those of us who live in the suburban environment. I don’t know where in Philadelphia you live, but have you ever driven on the Roosevelt Boulevard in northeast Philly? Do not ever it’s nationally ranked as one of the most dangerous roadways in our country haha.
people from Philly are shallow jerk -offs
One of the best things I did was move from Filthydelphia! One of the biggest mistakes of my life was moving to that hick town and I hate HICKsylvania for that matter, will never even live close to that state or city again!! I love NY and CA!
Yikes, this is a bit harsh. I was born and raised in Philly, have lived in many different part of the US and while I do not plan to return to PA anytime soon I can’t believe how much you are trashing the place. Perhaps it had to do with your neighborhood? I’m from NW Philly and it was not perfect, but overall a decent place to grow up….I still like to visit, but no I do not want to live there again. I hope you’re at least taking advantage of all the cultural/historical things while you’re living there, it’s an incredible area despite all of the problems that exist there….pretty much all major cities have the same issues, although I will admit people are generally more hostile in Philly than elsewhere and I do not miss that.
I found this site by Googling scary driving Philly.
This is tough because I’ve been fighting resentment over my general experiences with people in Philadelphia the 10 months I’ve been here, and don’t want to judge Philly as a whole or prematurely. What I love? Great little Italian places, I enjoy walking around the city and grasping its history. What I hate? Most every day, I have an experience here that is toxic to be around and want to slap the shit out of someone instantly. I’m from California. It’s not the norm to feel this way. I can hang with NY all day, any day – you get a break from one harsh thing to another without the time to seethe, and people talk straight. Here, it’s in the report they talk straight, but it’s not like that really. People are hostile and more likely to act out behind your back (keying a car, passive-aggressive bullies at work…). There’s some gamut of real annoying bullshit here, a lot of whiners – they don’t shut up! – too many ignorant, racist jerks to deal with, and so much posturing by Establishment types that the expression of “WTF?” is constantly plastered on my face. I must scrub myself clean of this place ASAP.
Living every day in the movie “Idiocracy”…that’s Philly for ya.
To Anonymous Comment 23.
What cultural activities could you possibly be speaking of? Last Friday I visited the PA Art Alliance and the three of us were the only attendees under 45; everyone else was 120 years old (30 of them). My friends remarked that in other cities there would have been a lineup outside to get in to hear such a great Mozart piece for free. Not Philly. No one cares.
Foreigners do not visit Philly. It may be stop on the way to DC from NYC and vice-versa, but it is not a destination due to the lack of culture. I get my culture in Philly only when I buy Amish yogurt. And when I offer my help to a tourist on the street, they are scared because they think I am a thug who either wants money, or wants to mug them; even in front of the Liberty Bell (I speak from experience).
There are very few concerts from foreigners at the Kimmel Center. And heaven forbid should a foreign film make it to the Ritz in the year it was made. Even when it does, I can’t get any Philadelphian who would be alright with reading subtitles. Park to go see it? I won’t even go there.
For the 5th largest city in the US (soon to be 6th and then 7th when San Diego and Phoenix pass it), it has absolutely no culture whatsoever, and resembles a village more than a city. Residents will key your car if you move the chair from the street they use to hide their parking spot. Gayborhood? That’s not culture. It’s fun, but not culture. Say “Ciao” to a south Philly Italian and he will answer “It’s OK, I am not hungry.” Not their fault (has to do with war), but the habitants in Philthadelphia are ignorant and apathetic. When I ask them about that, they reply with “I didn’t know that, but who cares.”
For a city that started out in a humble fashion, now the unions, and the elite are ruining it for outsiders to visit and start a life here. This is why there is a brain drain. Many stay in Boston after studying, not Killadelphia. With my departure, all 25 from our MBA class (with one exception cause he was given a house in south Philly), have left. There is no reason to stay whatsoever, unless you whore yourself out to a pharma company.
City of Brotherly Love? Not a chance.
I hate Philly airport. They are the most racist, ignorant, stupid employees in the world. I have traveled to over 50 countries and many more airports my whole life. Philthy airport has the worst employees. If you are coming on an international flight, forget about anything going on time. They are extremely dumb and have no common sense. The laziest people in the world. Unfortunately, I live in Philly. I drive to Newark and New York just to fly. Philly needs to change the people running the airport. It’s bad for the city.
That will never happen Tony. The unions and politicians are sleeping with one another, and as a result, paying low wages to the front line, and not doing what it takes to help employees become motivated in their work. So enjoy your trips abroad, because after 11 yrs of flying in and out of PHL, I know nothing will change.
The phl airport situation is really horrible. Something has to be done because it’s ultimately hurting the city. It’s the first impression of the city as people come in.
Since moving here, I find myself searching the internet at least once a week for a place to read about the reality of living in Philly. Due to my daily experiences here, I’ve graduated to sites where I can vent. After 11 months, I can honestly say that there is no redeeming value to staying beyond getting an education. Also, Penn Hospital is quite good.
If you have something to offer or special talent, this is not a good place for you if your’e an outsider. People block you from getting noticed, they take credit for intelligent things you do, and stab you in the back more than anywhere I’ve lived, and I’ve lived some competitive places. People are often uneducated here, so more insecure. This may look like competition, but it’s actually dog eat dog. Even people who ARE educated seem half there, like they’re always worried about their image. Do I want to work with a bunch of uptight, self-important people, many of whom are threatened by me? No. In Philly, they don’t try to get to know you; they try to figure you out, bully you, push your buttons. If you’re not from here and don’t act in kind, they think they’re getting over on you – that’s how small their world is. I hate living here and trying to get out ASAP. I can’t believe it passes for a big city, CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!
Philadelphia is the worst place I have ever lived. When my friend got mugged, it was shitty, but muggings happen everywhere. When it took the cops half a fucking hour to come when I called 911, I tried to put it off as a really busy night. When my house got robbed, it was shitty, but robberies happen everywhere. With today being the third time my car has been keyed, I am giving up. This city is like a collection of the worst neighbourhoods of every other city combined into one frustrating, dangerous, mean spirited, shithole.
While I have met some nice people here, most of them have moved here from somewhere else and fucking hate it. A friend got mugged outside my house – my neighbours (two old ladies) watched him get beat up and didn’t call the police! WTF! Next time that old lady falls, I might not see it either.
It seems like most people here don’t give a shit about their jobs and do them poorly, ignoring customers. Drivers stop wherever, hold up traffic, cut you off, run red lights, etc. There is broken glass just about everywhere. I saw a bunch of middle schoolers throwing empty beer bottles at each other as a game.
This city is the worst. Makes me miss living in Cleveland!
Hey Krista (comment #23)
You are dead on with: “If you have something to offer or special talent, this is not a good place for you if your’e an outsider.” I am blessed with the ability to speak seven languages and I must say, Philadelphians despise me for it (with the exception of the Mexicans who appreciate the fact that I speak Spanish to them). When I meet someone in Philly who happens to be bilingual and I switch to their language, the locals quickly call me a show-off and bark that I should speak English. Is it jealousy? Is it ignorance? Is it xenophobia?
Wow. You are so correct in saying that Philthadelphians do not want to get to know you, they just want to figure you out. Another perfect example of why I say it is a village and not a city. This is the type of behavior demonstrated in a village in Sicily more than the fifth largest city on the US. Utterly disappointing.
I refuse to drink the Philly Kool-Aid. Some may say that is the wrong attitude and one should try and assimilate more. But I just can’t. I will not give in to terrorist demands and will not be strong armed into doing something I do not wish to. Then again, wasn’t Philly the place where many around the world emigrated to in order to escape persecution for their religious and political beliefs? Seems today if you are not cheering for their sports teams, or eating at the favorite local restaurants where all Philadelphians wish to be seen, you will not fit in, and are treated like the evil cousin or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Like you, I can’t believe it passes for a big city, I can’t believe it at all.
They’re Always Ugly in Philadelphia. Inside and out.
“Philly hit with ugly stick for third year running.”
Now there is a national title Philthadelphians did not count on.
Hey Philly, proud of yourselves?
In 2009, for the third year in a row, you were ranked as the city with the ugliest citizens in Travel+Leisure’s “America’s Favorite Cities” survey.
You were also ranked dead last in the “attractive people” category out of the 30 major American cities on the list, and there is more bad news for the city of unbrotherly love. For the third year running Philly, you were ranked as extremely unfriendly (26th out of 30) and not the least bit athletic (28th out of 30).
Fatty cheesesteaks, bad attitudes, and a lack of class. Philly, your days of glory disappeared with the capital moving to DC in 1799. It’s been all downhill ever since.
Mel, in my old version of this blog I had those stats in the header of the site. Here’s a link to the official story….http://whyihatephilly.com/philly-news-links/its-official/
In the 2010 survey of 35 major cities, Philly ranked:
Attractiveness: 33
Friendliness: 30
Intelligence: 30
Athleticism: 33
Unfriendly.
So far in my 2 years here, I’ve worked at 2 places. You walk down the halls and pass by your co-workers and they will just ignore you, not even look at you or give you eye contact, and if you say hi, they’re thinking “f*ck you” instead of saying “hi.” Best to just walk down the hall and keep your head down. Being a Philly transplant, this still takes getting used to. Welcome to Philly.
I hate philly airport so much. They have incompetent people working and running the place. Pls change them. It is so frustrating to get delayed, stuck, and mistreated every time.
Pls change these people.
Why is it when Bin Laden was killed Philly made this about them? The top stories were ‘Phillies Fans Reactions” Seriously who cares? No one wants to see a video of gross, ugly, loud-mouthed, ignorant knuckle draggers chanting “U-S-A , U-S-A , U-S-A “. ANY crowd in ANY city at ANY ballpark would have cheered U-S-A upon hearing the news that Bin Laden was killed. I guess Philly fans are now so clever for doing it first? I was glad to see the Bruins kill the Flyers this past weekend. Now they need to win game 2 and then finish the Flyers off.
It was a great day for hockey when the Bruins swept the overrated Flyers in 2011. How sweep it is! The Flyers will NE-VER win the Stanley Cup again. The league is too good to allow that to happen. Hell, I’d prefer the Maple Leafs or New Jersey Devils win it instead. Why? The goon, classless, neanderthal, unsavvy fans, that’s why.
And Michele, you are right. No one wants to see gross, ugly, loud-mouthed ignorant knuckle draggers in the news. Then again, in Philly, it is the BAD News, not news. Maybe that’s why they reported it.
Get out Michele! I just did. And although every city has its quirks, I am soooooo happy to be rid of Philly, its false sense of entitlement, its elitist attitude, and most of all, lack of class.
Call it what you want: Fatadelphia; Killadelphia or Filthadelphia. To me, it will always be the city of un-Brotherly love.
This is not the place to blend in. It would be un-American because Philly sucks! LOL… If I didn’t vent about what goes on here, I’d go crazy.
Mel: Seven languages? Hot. People here will hate on you like the Devil. Thank God, the Heavens, and the Stars you got out! When I leave, I’ll be buying myself a gooodbye crown and a Philly’s t-shirt just to burn.
If you all hate Philly so much, leave! People like you would be unhappy anywhere, because rather than taking matters into your own hands and working with a neighborhood group, or starting a new one, to improve the area you live in, you simply lay back and complain. It’s easy to point fingers at other people, it’s another thing to actually do something about it. Every city has residents that are ignorant, and you’re one of them if you think that’s not true. Yes, Philly has trashy people, but can you seriously say that there arent any trashy people in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, etc etc etc? Seriously? Get a life, and please, get out of Philly.
I’m walking on a sidewalk on my way home from the DMV and a man yells at me out of his second floor window, “Stay right there, I’ll be down in a minute.” Me, thinking he’s talking to someone he knows that may have been behind me or something, continues walking without paying him any mind. He yells at me again, this time describing me and my outfit, “Excuse me, I know you hear me talking to you, white shirt, short haircut, YOU.” Me, this time stunned at the fact that men seem to think that it’s okay to yell at a woman from a bedroom window to get their attention, I continue walking at a faster pace.
No class. I hate Philly.
This is for “Me” (June 2 at 12:53 PM) who commented above: I used to think you had a point about being unhappy wherever one goes. But after a pensive afternoon recalling the six cities I have lived in, I realized I had an easier time assimilating in a foreign country instead of Philly. Where by the way, I also speak English.
Now I did start a neighborhood group, only to have it dissolve due to Philly style politics. I went to the local bars, only to have locals hate me cause I am rooting for the team I grew up with. At the end of the day, I was sized up…and hated for not being from Philly originally.
New Yorkers are more well-mannered than Philthadelphians, and New Englanders, as harsh as the drawl may be, are invariably more courteous than the “I was here first” rhetoric of a Philadelphian. Chicagoans are fast-paced but much more multi-cultural, and Californian’s, well, are super chill. There is no comparison. Philadelphians are harsh, abrasive, unsavvy and lack class, and treat newbies poorly, especially if you don’t drink the Schuylkill Punch.
Even you. “Me” wouldn’t drink the Kool-Aid if it tasted this bad. If you see me on the street, I am the one dying of thirst.
You people are absolutely on target. I was born and raised in this open-air mental institution. I am currently on probation for pointing a gun at some asshole kids who were harrassing me after a long night of drinking. I got paranoid thinking someone was trying to break into my apt. but it turned out to be some white trash 11 and 12 yr. olds. Although I was really wasted I wasn’t troubling anyone. I was getting ready to go to bed and that shit happened. Don’t these effing brats have anything better to do? Where the hell were their parents? Even the cop who arrested me said he could understand why I did what I did. No one got hurt but I paid the price. I can’t wait to leave this place.
OK, I think I can speak about the horror that is Philadelphia, although I left many years ago. I still visit family every few years but with each visit the place is becoming a bigger and bigger dump. My old high school was never much to brag about and now you can include skyrocketing crime into that mix. The racial makeup (wink wink) of my old neighborhood has changed significantly and as a result, they now have murders and other crimes that were unheard of in that area during my youth. I now live in Florida and I still have to shake my Philly attitude, but this place is therapy so there is hope for me. That city is filled with drunken psychopaths, white haters, South Philly trash, and lost souls who use sporting events as an excuse to terminate fellow human beings while voting Democrat all the time. When I hear that Philly twang down here I run like my hair is on fire.
LOL……I hate this place, if this city did not have Independence Hall, Liberty Bell or the Art Museum, You will have Detroit. This city is a step above Detroit, not the next great American City….LOL
Finally! After 10 months in this miserable city and at last I feel right at home…on this website. Only 131 more days until I’m out of here. Thank God!
Being from the Philly burbs in South Jersey and living in Fort Myers Florida on the Gulf for the last 15 years and being a member of the media in Philly and Florida I can see most of the Philly bashing here coming from the same demographics. New Yorkers, New Englanders and Midwesterners as well as Californians. I think that the problem with your dislike of Philly is the fact that you are in a city that most people spend their entire lives in. Regardless of how you think about them, this is their home. You are the outsider, not them. If you don’t fit in stop complaining and leave. Philly will move on. It is the birthplace of our nation, it’s the first capital and the fifth largest city in the USA, as well as one of the top 50 cities in the world. During my career as a photojournalist I have traveled the world. I find Philly to be a very cool place to be. I travel home often. I am proud to be from there and everybody here in Florida knows that. So my suggestion to you is if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. There you go. from a nice Philly guy!
Love the counting. That’s hilarious. If all goes well, I have 334 days to go. Oh man…
CJ, Philly has been spinning The Next Great American City for years. It is a lost cause. No tourists stop in Killadelphia; the good looking people don’t stop in Phatadelphia; and no one (especially the politicians) is cleaning up Philthadelphia.
Glenn Scroggy, you have to be f&#%ing kidding me. Philly, top 50 city in the world? What other city is on the list? Mogadishu? Ankara? Astana? Philly was healthy as the US capital in the 18th century. It’s been all downhill ever since. If you lived there NOW, you’d know that it is a dump with corrupt politicians and locals with absolutely no class. Get real.
So I just stumbled upon this website and I just don’t get it. Mostly what I don’t get is the person who took time out to create the site. How about doing something positive and constructive instead? Volunteer for a charity or neighborhood group and use your efforts to make an improvement. Negativity doesn’t improve anything.
@Transplant….
I do plenty of volunteer work. Always have.
I tried organizing a neighborhood group last year and no one was interested in making improvements.
I’ve gone to my local city representative’s office. He patronized me and sent me on my way.
On this blog I vent about my negative experiences. Releasing my frustration here enables me to be more positive in my day to day interactions.
I smile at everyone I see, especially those who look like they’re having a really bad day. I treat everyone I encounter with respect and kindness. That’s just how I was raised and choose to be.
You’re right; negativity doesn’t improve anything. That’s why I try to confine my own bitching to my sounding board. Plenty of people happen to agree with points I make and bring up their own. So it’s their sounding board as well. So despite all the negativity you read on this site, maybe the end effect out in the real world is actually a positive one.
JD, do you live in the Melbourne, FL. area?
@ Transplant
Try to do good in Philly and get back to us! I have tried like Outsider and failed as well because I had a mind of my own, and wouldn’t drink the Schuylkill Punch (which BTW is contaminated) . Philly WILL contaminate you. Unless of course you have whored yourself out to one of the leading industries in Philly. You won’t bite the hand that feeds you now will you? Didn’t think so.
After the birth of our new baby, my husband and I moved here from New York. We were hopeful and excited. Especially because we thought it nice to have a place where our son could play in a yard. Well, the thrill is gone.
Why is this place so dirty? It doesn’t make any sense. In New York…New York mind you…they didn’t have half the amount of trash in the poorest areas. I once heard that the reason they decided to paint murals was to beautify the city…TRY PICKING UP THE TRASH CANS THROWING IT AWAY!
I try to be optimistic, but am often if not always sadly disappointed. While driving to meet another parent for a play with our children, I came a cross a randomly angry patently cursing at me because I said sorry (I didn’t see her attempting to cross the street from in between 2 buses parked on the side of the street). She thought it fitting to curse me out while walking her son…What?
It has been nearly impossible to meet any friendly people and nearly everyone has a chip on their shoulder. I live in a nice area and still can’t find friendly people. I even went to a story time group at the library and was totally ignored. After making the clear statement that I was new and needed to meet new people. I thought maybe it was because I was a minority. But, as much as that may be a problem I. Other places, I am more prone to believe that it was just because this place sucks!
Can’t something be done? Can’t mayor nutter make plans to at least clean up the area?
The past posts were correct in this repeated expressed feeling… ‘Brotherly love? I think not!’
-parent still trying to find hope if I can’t come up with a solution
Sorry…excuse my typos. I am really frustrated and typing on a tablet.
I actually like Philadelphia.
I love the food.
I love the ambience.
I really love them hotties strutting them jiggly-wiggly butts up and down Broad Street.
I am from Phila and I’m not dumb, racist, white trash, or any thing else you are calling us. I understand your frustrations with Phila and I don’t deny most of it but I also see a lot of kind and caring people in this city. I don’t know what makes many Philadelphians so negative and close minded but it doesn’t get me down, in fact I enjoy Philadelphia. There are plenty of nice areas like West Philly, around the Art Museum, Rittenhouse, NW Philly, Graduate Hospital area, I could go on. I do plan on moving after college to see other parts of country but Philly will always be hom and I’m proud of it.
Tim, I agree that there are lots of kind and caring people in this city. Unfortunately, in my own experience and in the experience of many others, the vast majority of Philadelphians need a serious lesson in common courtesy. From your intelligent comment, it seems like you’re not one of them. Good for you!
I just stumbled upon this website after checking out the Most and Least Attractive Cities in the latest Travel & Leisure Magazine. And while I see how the title of this site might offend some Philadelphians, I would like to point out – those of you defending Philadelphia are only worsening your city’s reputation. For example, calling someone a “loser” and making statements such as, “If you hate it so much, just get out” just serves to reienforce the obvious anger and animosity amongst Philadelphians. How about, “I’m sorry that you feel this way about our city. I understand it must be difficult to relocate from your hometown, how about we meet up for a drink some time and I can show you Philly from a new perspective.” (As obviously, the Philadelphians still living where they grew up and defending their city have most likely never experienced such a move).
As a transplant from another part of the country (for my career), I tried my best – joined gyms, meet-up groups, smiled at people on the street, and even tried to strike up conversations in the grocery store with the cashier… if only just a hello. Instead, after three years of living in Rittenhouse Square – attempting (and failing) to befriend the neighbors, being yelled at in the CVS for not moving off the self-serve cash register soon enough, being ignored and snapped at when asking someone if I could pet their dog, being spit on (literally) by some of the less sane people on the streets, I too am counting the days until I pack my bags and leave this place. 87 and counting… the champagne is on ice. And for all of those who requested those of us who don’t like it, “get out,” guess what? We are. Ciao.
Hello filth-a-day Filthadelphians!!!! Let me narrate the story of a beautiful Saturday morning (Nov 19th, 2011) the kind of which can only take place in Filthadelphia. This morning I headed out of my apartment only to find BREAD CRUMBS strewn everywhere all over the grass in front of the apartment building….Some of the bread slices were even covered with jelly indicating that they were not accidental somebody had actually applied jelly to those bread slices before letting them loose…I mean a whole bunch of jelly coated slices and crumbs all over the grass, must have been a sight to behold as you can imagine!!! As if that was not enough, when I noticed there was this old man, who regularly sits out on his unit’s patio to smoke looking at me…I promptly nodded courteously to him and said, “Hi!” to which the Filthadelphian responded by spitting on the lawn outside his own apartment and saying, “Hmmpphhhh!!”…..Must have been born and raised here!!! The bread crumbs and the fat-a-delphian old man together made my day!!!
Read a majority of comments on this site; and i can only say they are spot on. I’ve lived in the Smelladelphia area my entire life. Philadelphians; as a whole; are rude; classless; dolts; with no sense of civic pride at all. I’ll give you one quick example. Years ago; after a job interview downtown; i stopped at a vendor for a coke. I had on my suit; with resumes in hand. It was on one of the main Philly Sts. It might have been Chesnut; or Market. Standing next to a couple of business type people in suits. After finishing his hot dog; the guy throws the wrapper on the sidewalk; even though the wastebasket was less than 10 Ft. away. All i could think of at the time was; ” Typical Philly.” Trash and garbage everywhere. People in Philly could care less. Rude; arrogant; and stupid is a poor combination. And the thing that kills me? People tout themselves and their shithole city as something thats exceedingly great. I wish Philadelphians could see themselves AND their city; the way the rest of the entire United States does.
It’s interesting how when someone suggests not complaining and start a neighborhood organization someone else tells him that he does. SHOW AND PROVE. Otherwise, how are we suppose to know if it’s really true or not. You can’t just claim things after-the-fact, especially when someone calls you on it and especially when you didn’t mention anything of the sort in your previous post. I can say, being a Philadelphian myself, I understand the frustration. But, like life, it is what you make it. If you try to focus on the positive aspects, even if you can only find a few, try to focus on THEM and I promise you, you will feel much better.
P.S. You can’t call out Philly for ignorance and post a comment riddled with spelling and grammar errors. It’s a blog. Take the time out to proofread your comments before your submit them people.
Also, I would like to point out the majority of people who put these posts up and talk trash about any topic use internet names like CiaoPhilly and Outsider and Anonymous and AnotherAnonymous. What’s the matter? Scared someone might find out who you are? What’s the matter with you people? That’s no different than somebody writing racist slurs in bathroom stalls. I’ve been called all kinds of things, been treated all kinds of ways, probably worst things than most of the things you posted. I’ve even been shot at. But I don’t start websites and comments and tear down an entire group of people. I’ve been called a nigger too. But I didn’t go around calling every white person racist. It’s called using logic and reason. And one more thing, most of you people probably love America and that’s great. America is great. But how can you say you love America and hate Philly. That’s like saying you love the child but hate the parent. Philly is where the concept called America was birthed. You should be showing more respect than that.
Just one more thing, I noticed a grammatical error of my own in the last sentence of my first post. BUT, the comment still stands. I didn’t call anybody ignorant, fat, ugly, obnoxious, or rude in any of my comments. Therefore, the comment “take the time out to proofread your comments before your submit them people” will be changed to “take the time out to proofread your comments before YOU submit them people.” Bottom line is, we all have moments where we are not at our best. You wouldn’t like people demeaning you if you did or said something at the spur of the moment let alone being demeaned by association of somebody saying or doing something at the spur of the moment. Oh, and if you can’t afford to leave yet, try saving your money and cut some stuff out of your budget. Start with your internet service.
Kyle after I read your first comment I smiled and thought here’s another cool Philadelphia person and was going to respond to some of the points your made. The last sentence of your last comment killed that desire. Still you seem respectful and intelligent so thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts!
Kyle – apparently, you are an African-American. So, Kyle, I would like to ask you what is it, that black people in Philadelphia are frustrated about? I was at a bowling alley once trying to work on my bowling and improve it. Well, frankly speaking, I used to totally suck at bowling (and I can admit it) but I am much better now thanks to the practice I had, all alone, at the alley that day. But do you know what else happened there? There was a black family next to my lane. As soon as they found that I wasnt good at bowling and I was all alone, they started harassing me with their filthy comments and their very poor English! For example, they said, “he be a-hole”, “he be skinny”, “he be Wally” – referring to my medium-build and my glasses (Wally). And of course because I suck at BOWLING (must be a top international sport) I am an a-hole. I guess they are not a-holes for living on welfare. Kyle, who taught blacks to say “who BE you”, “he BE black”, “he BE skinny”? Well, Kyle, I hope you BE edu-ma-cated!!! They always say charity begins at home. In this case I suggest you start improving your own community’s English – get them to stop speaking jive and start speaking English. And then there are those idiot black girls at the gym who made fun of my Pink Floyd t-shirt and my yoga. They made stupid comments such as, “He got his t-shirt from ‘Get it sold!”!” and “When I want yoga I go to McDonalds to get YOGURT (YO-GUH) PARFAIT”..Jeez you guys are seriously frustated!!! And guess HOW those black chicks talk to each other? They call each other “Bitch” and one of them wore a ghetto t-shirt the other day that said, “Sexy Bitch…..Call me”. Wow, Kyle, and they thought my psychedelic pink floyd t-shirt was gross!!
Vijay that’s a little harsh. Can’t put aggressively rude behavior on any one race, even though I understand that was your particular experience. There’s a serious mass frustration in this city that can’t fairly be assigned to any one group of people.
And cool on you, Pink Floyd has been one of my favorites since I was a teenager!
Another thing Kyle and you are very correct about this. Everyone here loves America. I moved to America from India, in the year 1998 and I have loved living here. Except for my last two years in Philly. You need to go back and read ALL OF MY POSTS to understand what kind of people YOU have turned YOURSELVES into. And the problem is that YOU dont even realize something could be WRONG with YOU. You think and assume you are behaving the way you are supposed to and that you have the freedom to do so. As far as I am concerned, there are many good things I have found in Philly. But that doesnt excuse anyone for doing what they have said or done. Just when I start excusing Philadelphians for everything they have said and done so far, along comes another one of you to make a mess out of my day!!!!
Outsider – I agree with the harshness in my comment and apologize for it. Also, you are dead on when you said there is a MASS FRUSTRATION in this town with just about eveyrthing. I shouldn’t pin it on any one race because whites have been done everything else except for the bowling alley/pink floyd t-shirt experience. Oh yes, Pink Floyd is super cool!!! I recently went to the Australian Pink Floyd show at tower theater. In fact that is one of the + points about Phily – I got to see SO MANY rock music concerts this year alone without even leaving town. So Philly does have something for me to root for.
Oops – I meant “whites have done” and NOT “whites have been done”…haha. Gotta clean up the grammar for Kyle.
Thanks to Outsider and Vijay for the intellent insight. I think because we are educated, we tend to think everybody else is to. I do understand the frustration, I often get frustrated about the behavior myself. But, I have to keep reminding myself that I have to keep things in perspective. The lack of jobs, proper education, and production from our civic leaders hurts us. I do believe in personal responsibility, but when the leaders do not perform like they should it has negative effects. Look at Detroit. That city was built on automotive manufacturing until they left town in the 80s. Now they are in economic disarray. No knock against Detroit, my point is there’s a social problem to examine here. Philly had jobs, factories, and a naval yard. Now, no naval yard and the factories are leaving left and right. That means no jobs. What really seperates Philly from Detroit, more than anything, is tourism and being in close proximity to New York and DC. Philly’s not really a transplant city. The majority of people who live here are from here. It means a lot to have people who are educated and intelligent who decide to move here. Of course you might not feel the love but trust me, it’s really appreciated. Great advice, Outsider and Vijay. Oh, and as far as the grammar goes Vijay, it’s all good. LOL
Kyle I agree 100%, especially this:
“The lack of jobs, proper education, and production from our civic leaders hurts us. I do believe in personal responsibility, but when the leaders do not perform like they should it has negative effects.”
I stay away from politics on this blog but it seems logical that many of Philadelphia”s problems stem from deep-rooted political and economic factors. Not to mention the public school system, which is an utter disgrace.
Kyle – You won’t believe how our thoughts gel on this subject!!! Your comparison of Philly and Detroit is super! Lack of jobs and opportunities, and the clearly visible presence of outsiders including foreigners such as myself is leading to this frustrating behavior. In my view, every Philadelphian is doing his/her solemn duty, to harass, frustrate, anger, and therefore, chase outsiders away from this town, in the hope that it will bring some satisfaction and some job opportunities for them. Again, you are DEAD RIGHT about the proximity to D.C and NYC. When I moved to this town from D.C and started travelling around ( I am a bit of a travelling man) my first thoughts were, “This town is lucky – it is a gateway to other touristy areas such as D.C, NYC, Atlantic City, Hershey, South and North Jersey shores..etc.”. And that is what has kept me going plus I get all the rock n roll I can get and then some!!! Ok, I am now off to Guns N Roses concert tomorrow at Camden, NJ!! See, Philly has some +ves after all?
P.S. And the PHL public school system? Thats a school or training ground for gangstas?
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Flyers-fans-boo-rivals-alas-it-8217-s-during-?urn=nhl-wp14710
Flyers fans boo rivals; alas, it’s during an anti-cancer commercial
There’s no need to recall the litany of criticisms aimed at Philadelphia sports fan; cheering injured players and snowballs at Santa have long passed the point of cliché.
The fact is that Philly fans will never get a break because of that perception. For example, if a few of them boo images of rival players on the arena scoreboard, and those players happen to be in a public service announcement about the fight against cancer, well then the Philly faithful must just be classless right?
Sigh.
During Wednesday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers played a Hockey Fights Cancer commercial between periods inside Wells Fargo Center.
Featured in the video were players like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.
All of them rivals, all of them booed by a noticeable group of fans … and all of them asking for support in the fight against cancer.
All of them booed…in Philly.
Forget sports….the movie theater crowds are the world’s worst…If you try to hush the movie theater audience, who are engaged in giving a running commentary of the movie you are trying to quietly watch, then you invite belligerent and defiant behavior in response – in other words, you are asking for more trouble if you try to correct a Filtha movie fanatic who is already ruining your movie experience!!! Let him or her (because there are quite a lot of WOMEN who do that) destroy your movie-watching experience and you must take it quietly otherwise you invite a profane and violent response on yourself!!!!! We need not dicsuss the RACE of those belligerent, defiant, and loud/obscene WOMEN at the movies, because I have a feeling you guys already know.
I love Philly. I now live in Oklahoma. There is so much to do in the city, and so many interesting people to meet. I’ve never met so many good people as when I lived there who would go out of they’re way to help each other. Maybe it is your own attitude which needs adjusting. Head down to Rittenhouse on a nice summer day, or eat at Maggiano’s. I promise you will not be disappointed. I miss philly, and I can’t wait to go back.