In the spirit of the Bostodelphia name, I think it's high time to compare our beloved cities. Boston v. Philadelphia. The Cradle of Liberty vs. The Birthplace of America. Who will come out on top?
First some stats via Wikipedia...B P population 590,763 1,448,394 density 12,327/sq mi 10,882.8/sq mi area 89.6 sq mi 142.6 sq mi
Ok, Phillie is bigger but Boston is denser and has a nice harbor. Let's call it a wash.
Next up, sports. This one isn't even fair. Boston has the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, and Revolution. Philadelphia has the Eagles, the Flyers, the Phillies, and the 76ers. The last team in Philadelphia to win a national championship was the 76ers in 1983, and their major teams have 12 championship titles. Boston: last one in 2007 (duh), and a mere 32 championships. Oh, and the Boston Marathon is run here too. Suck it, Phillie.
Colleges...Boston and its immediate area has 42 4-year colleges and universities, including such internationally known heavyweights as MIT, Harvard, Wellesley, BC, and BU, and totals 100 in the surrounding area. Philadelphia has 80 nearby and in the city and actually has more students. None of them standout in international circles. Oh, and as for co-op schools, Boston's got Northeastern University, founded in 1898 and now with 15,195 undergrads, and had co-op from the get-go. Drexel is a little older, founded in 1891, but didn't get around to co-op until 1919. Drexel also enrolls a mere 12,906 undergrads. And might I add that both Cheesesteak the Impaler and myself are NU alumni. Advantage: Boston, natch.
Food: Phillie has the cheesesteak, Boston has baked beans and clam chowder. Pick your poison. As for beer...Boston used to have a FREE BEER tap at the now-defunct Haffenreffer brewery in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, frequented by such luminaries as Babe Ruth. Winner: Boston, on account of free beer.
History: Ok, both played a very prominent role in the founding of the United States, with the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution being written in Phillie, and of course Boston's got the Shot Heard Round the World. Although might I point out that Ben Franklin was born in Boston. Tie.
Famous music acts: Philadelphia has Hall and Oates. Boston has Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Mission of Burma, The Lemonheads, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Chick Corea, and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. 'Nuff said.
Motto: The City of Brotherly Love vs. The Hub of the Universe. Ha! Point for Boston.
Movies: Many famous movies have been filmed in each. Rocky of course is set in Philadelphia, but that unfortunately spawned the entire Rocky franchise. Famous movie makes from Philadelphia: M. Night Shyamalan. Boston: lots, including Matt Damon, the Affleck brothers, and Adam Green, but M. Night Shyamalan automatically makes Philadelphia forfeit.
Famous people: There's plenty from each. Tie.
Enough! This is looking like a massacre. Final tally: 3 ties, Boston wins 5, Philadelphia 0. Conclusion...Boston rocks, and Philadelphia sucks donkey balls.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Boston vs. Philadelphia!
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9 comments:
There truly is no contest. I've seen Philly once, and that was enough for me.
Dear me. Boston's motto is Hub of the Universe? How charming provincial!
Boston is a lovely town, and Hawthorne did a few things for American letters, but my god how soon you forget that while Boston was rioting at provocations like, say, theatrical readings in coffee shops, American democracy and culture were being forged in Philadelphia and parts south. Y'all did all right with the red coats, but otherwise your 18th century was a mix of puritanism and mob violence. While you guys were playing dress up for tea taxes, Philadelphia founded the first medical and pharmaceutical colleges, adopted a policy of tolerance that attracted a diverse community, and became the center of the american publishing industry.
Ok--these days with MIT and Harvard y'all have some of the best science around if you exclude the entire state of California which has, by the by, been kicking your ass in that area for a few decades now. But getting back to Philadelphia, not a single internationally renowned institution, eh? UPenn has perhaps the best business school in the world, and one of the finest children's research hospitals in the nation. And while the couldn't save barbaro, the vet school is world class.
But for me the real issure if the quality of life. Assuming you're making under $200K annually, Philadelphia has you beat. Our cost of living all around is way cheaper, and if you get tired of our art institutions (although it makes sense that the descendants of the tea party thugs would focus on football rather than culture), New York is only an hour away by rail, and DC is about 1.5 hrs. And I could be wrong, but I think we have more non-stop flights to Europe than you do, with Beijing a likely spot by the end of next year. But key in my mind is that middle income earners can actually afford to buy within the Philadelphia city limits and commute into the city by regional rail in under 20 minutes.
Plus, it not so goddamn cold.
Let's see...comparing California with MA...only 15x the area, and 6x the population...us Massholes should be flattered to be compared with Cali!
And I'll wager, Nomadic Chic, that you discussed that post on a telephone, which was invented...in Boston.
But if you must compare - by the US Census, the median income in Beantown is $6k higher than in Phillie.
And referring to the following URL: http://boston.areaconnect.com/crime/compare.htm?c1=Boston&s1=MA&c2=philadelphia&s2=PA
you'll see that Philadelphia has like 2x the crime rate that Boston does. Poorer people, more crime: you can have your lower property values.
One additional point: when the Giuliani administration implements its fascist police state in 2009, Boston is about 80 miles closer to the Canadian Border than Philadelphia.
Boston, hmmm. Nice friggin accent. Do you even live in the United States with that. Drunken retards.
Well, if you mention more examples from Boston than Philadelphia, and commit various logical fallacies (ad populum, and chronological snobbery), then I suppose that Boston would win. However, Philadelphia wins hands down.
How can anyone take this douche's ridiculous comparison seriously? I mean, Hall and Oates? That is all you give Philly for music? And yet you boast about Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Now THAT is funny. And as for schools, you mean Penn doesn't stand out in international circles? You are a dweeb. Yes, I grew up in Philly, but I have also been to Boston several times and I think Boston is a superb city. I really do love it there and will go any chance I get. Anyway, keep on being a separatist Mr. Douchey, I'm sure NU is proud :)
No contest, Philly kills Boston. Boston is a town for the whitebread suburban kids who'd like to think that they're in a big city. Philly, (like New York) is for the big boys who can handle a large city. Boston's a cute town, but it is small and "frat boy" like. Also Boston's bars close early, while Philly people are still out drinking in the late hours. Philly has multiple subway/surface rail lines that run 24/7 and a port authority subway line that run 24 hours a day also. Boston's T shuts down at what... 1am if you're lucky?
Oh yeah, and Boston is located in the middle of nowhere. Philadelphia is in the middle of it all. Philly's northeastern border is 45 miles from NYC's southern city limits. Boston people obsess over New York and Philadelphia. Philadelphians give New York its props, but don't really think about it. Boston isn't even considered by Philadelphians since it's irrelevant to us.
This is no contest....if it weren't for Boston, Philadelphia wouldnt exist. Although the constitution was written in Philly, we started the Revolution. The Pilgrims founded Boston before Philadelphia even existed.
Sports, like the original poster pointed out...a joke.
Colleges....UPenn is internationally recognized, but Boston's best schools trump Philly's.
Medical Research/Technology...not even close, as good as Philly is (Children's Hospital etc.) Boston has its own, along with MGH, the Brigham, Joslin Diabetes Clinic and the Dana Faber...all global trend setters in medicine.
Boston is on the ocean, Philly is on a river.
Philly crime...ouch
Boston, first college, public school, telephone, post office, light house, use of anesthetic to name a few...
Plus no one refers to Boston as a dump.
Philly is great, without it the US wouldn't be the US, but it should take on Baltimore or Seattle instead of Boston in this debate.
Boston pound for pound, is a better. But Philly outweighs it. Badly. Three times the people and area. Philadelphia has the 9th highest GDP of any city in the world.
If you love Boston you should focus on colleges, the tech industry, and a stellar crime rate. But i'm surprised Bostonians want to talk history. Philly was ranked as the 2nd most historical city under Washington D.C. Why? More than just being the capital of the U.S. as it was being formed, Philly was the biggest city under LONDON in the entire world when it was part of the 13 colonies.
Another thing I'm surprised to see was the mention of Boston's medical system. Philly's is better. Children's Hospital is the Number #1 hospital in America. Jefferson, uPenn, Temple, and nearby Cooper trash you. Here's a fun fact for you if you don't believe me: 1 in 6 doctors in America trained in Philadelphia universities and hospitals.
Yes, we have higher crime. Undoubtedly. Philly has suffered from shitty gun laws, and slow acting legislature. But the bulk of the violence is farther away from center city than even the outskirts of Boston reach. Remember, Philly is bigger, and more populated. Also, racism has taken a toll on this city. 44% of us are black, something I am proud of. As the black community emerges and solidifies in the coming years, I think the city may change.
As for singers, actors, etc, I'd like to mention a name that is more important than any Bostonian performer. In history. Yes. One person will shut you down. Will Smith. You may not like him, or you may love him. But he's sold more tickets than any of your actors. Period.
Oh, and there's one thing you have left out of sports. BOXING. Philly is dominant in boxing. We've produced boxing champions since 1900, and have taken championships in every weight class. Bernard Hopkins is the latest(10 year Middleweight reign). Oh, and you may have heard of Joe Frazier, that guy that knocked Ali down for the Heavyweight title. So before you talk about sports, remember, we are the Patriots of boxing, thank-you very much.
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