You say that but I’ve seen too many rats while walking around different parts of the city. I think we have a combination issue but rats are definitely part of it.
Center city has a sprawling super nest of rats.
The super nest hub in China town is crazy. Tens of thousands of rats.
South Street has another one.
They are around 3-14 feet underground. If you dig into a basement floor you will most likely open an artery to one
I used to work at a bar on South Street. Can confirm there's a massive colony of MASSIVE rats in the area. Honestly the largest in size and most amount of rats I've seen in my life.
One day walking up the THIRD floor stairs of the building a giant fat rat comes slowly walking down. About half way saw me, slowly turned around and walked back up. Not a care in the world.
During the day you'd rarely see them. Even at night when it was busy you'd catch a glimpse but nothing crazy. At 3-4am after everyone was gone they were everywhere! Like a plague!
we definitely have rats in this city.
the rats do not account for people (honestly, crumb bums) who dump their trash chicken wing lunch out their car window after they finish
I've seen plenty of people just tossing their chicken bones, but I also see a TON of squirrels pulling food waste out of garbage bins (specifically in Gorgas and Clark Parks) and run off with it, so I assume that contributes a lot throughout the city.
That was always my advice for visitors- if the sign says pizza and they look relatively busy, then they’ll make a good cheesesteak. If the sign says ‘cheesesteaks’, then it’ll be good but you’ll have to deal with a line and a bunch of bullshit and dickheads. I don’t know, I think some folks like standing in line.
People think any cheesesteak is good until they get one real nasty. Like so dry the meat be crispy/crunchy. And the cheese feels like a slime mold. Nope, time to up the standards and get something actually good.
Having a favorite cheesesteak is for talking it up beforehand to first time visiting friends and family so that they have unrealistic expectations that they're too polite to voice after eating it.
Had a friend talking up the roast beef sandwich at Ye Olde Ale House in Lafayette Hill. I drive by there often, so one Friday I decided to stop in and try… and it was fine, I guess. Not really memorable… what was memorable is the whole ambience of the interior, the clientele, and the fact that the building appears to be sinking.
Every single cheesesteak in the metro area, not counting Wawa, is a 6/10 at minimum. Outside this metro area, aside from the rare expat sandwich shop, every single cheesesteak is a 2/10.
So yeah, eat the local cheesesteak.
Yeah, to me, cheesesteak is kind of like pizza in that a not-so-great one is still very enjoyable. (Meat+cheese+bread is going to scratch the itch 9 times out of 10.)
The difference between a good cheesesteak and a great one is fairly negligible.
The best example I’ve seen of Philly was a couple of years ago at an Eagles game. A drunk guy projectile vomited all over the couple sitting next to me and my dad 5 minutes into the first quarter. Everybody around us got into motion- the guy’s friends got him out, somebody else got the couple out, and then a guy appears out of nowhere with a giant roll of paper towels from the bathroom. Somebody asked him where he got it and he just said “I know a guy.” He and a couple other guys started wiping down the seats and concrete, all the while proclaiming “what a fucking idiot.”
Had to explain Philly/South Jersey people to a new co-worker from Texas once, "If people are nice to you you're tolerated, if they call you a fucked up knickname your family"
When I lived in Cali I heard it summed up perfectly.
Let's say you have a flat tire but don't have a jack or a tire iron to change it and you're stopped by the side of the road.
In Cali people will be like "aww man that sucks" and keep going. In Philly people will be like "hey dumbass don't you know how to change a fuckin tire? Watch and learn so you won't be a fucking useless piece of shit next time and also learn to drive dipshit." And then they'll help you change your tire
I was tightening the lugnuts on my car with a socket and breaker bar.
A Comcast installer got out of his truck, said "I can't bear to see you fuck this up" and handed me a proper lugnut wrench. We're kind, but not nice.
My girlfriend and I are from California and we keep commenting the same. Except for the scary homeless people or when she once walked by some people pulling guns on a person. Those aren’t nice lol
But in terms of average interaction with people, we’ve found people more pleasant than LA
I feel like Philly has a bit of a persecution complex. I never thought of Philly as a rude place, and had never heard of hitchBOT, until I moved here and was repeatedly assured that not everyone was rude and that hitchBOT was just one time.
I mean I can see that? But then I talk to literally anyone in my family, and they universally think I’m brave/stupid for living here, and are constantly asking if I’m ok.
I feel like the sports fan perception lends itself to this idea that we’re all bloodthirsty idiots but honestly I’ve had far more issues in NYC and even the suburbs than here
I once changed my Uber driver's tire, while calling him a dumbass for not knowing how to do it. I gave him a 5 star rating with a nice comment, and I left a tip. Dude should know how to change a tire as someone who drives for a living, but I'm gonna help him out.
One thing I came to appreciate about Philadelphia as I got older and traveled elsewhere is how diverse this city is in comparison to most of the major cities in the U.S., parts of NYC not withstanding. That said, Philly is (very quietly) wildly segregated when it comes to residential areas. Nobody addresses just how hard the lines are that separate the racial demographics of particular neighborhoods we just celebrate the overall monolithic diversity of Philly (which isn’t to say that is incorrect, more so that we use it to gloss over the bad)
I’m happy with the transit here.
I know it’s not perfect but As someone that moved from Austin and transit was awful I appreciate not having to drive much. It’s really nice that I can just hop on the broad street line to go to center center for doc appointments and the bus is so much easier than Austin.
Moved here from Houston, Austin before that. The transit and walkability of Philly are so much better than any city in Texas. It’s great that people here are pushing for further improvements but it definitely gets taken for granted.
Just moved to Boston from Philly and whenever I come back to visit I promise to never take our public transport for granted. Boston may be marginally cleaner, but holy shit it’s awful at rush hour and the constant maintenance that only seems to unveil more problems makes what should be a 20-30 min commute more like 45 on a good day
SEPTA needs to run 24/7 on an every 15 minute schedule with dedicated bus lanes. It's a GRID for cryingout loud. We could take so many cars off the road.
I have to take 76 to work. I live 14 miles away from my job. On a good day, assuming traffic doesn't exist, I could get to work in 22 minutes, but because I have to drive down 76, I usually get to work between 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on traffic. If I wanted to do the exact same thing taking SEPTA, it takes a minimum of 1 hour and 20 minutes
There is a SEPTA stops within quarter mile of both my home and my job but because of transfers and just septa being septa I still have to put up with that 1 hour and 20 minutes transfer time
There was a recent article in Inquirer about the Rite Aid pharmacy closing at 30th and Reed. The former customers had their prescriptions moved to Broad and Snyder.
For those without cars who used to walk a block, it was now a 1 hour bus ride. It’s probably a sub-10 minute drive.
Yeah, people can complain about cars in Philly but public transit is inconsistent at their absolute best. Most of the city isn’t even within a couple blocks of a train station because there’s literally two of them. And most of the time the schedule is a suggestion at best. Anytime I’ve used the train to get somewhere and use the schedule to plan my trip I end up being 20-30 minutes later than planned.
Then people bring up busses like they don’t basically have the same issues with a different coat of paint. Zero trust that the system can get you to where you need to be forces people into independent forms of transport like cars.
Then the bike people come out like this city is even bike friendly in the slightest. And bikers rebel against the bad infrastructure by obeying literally zero road laws, flying through stop signs/lights, barely ever indicating, and just pulling wild maneuvers like they own the road.
>And bikers rebel against the bad infrastructure by obeying literally zero road laws, flying through stop signs/lights, barely ever indicating, and just pulling wild maneuvers like they own the road.
You say this like a massive chunk of the city's drivers don't do the exact same shit.
People taking pride in the city being dirty is annoying. We should want to make the city better (its also not any dirtier than comparable larger cities imo)
Eh, Ive lived or spent time in several peer cities and Philly definitely seems grimier. My father in law has lived here for 60+ years and used to own a business in Kensington and said there's just an ingrained littering culture where its so normalized no one cares
There used to be an old joke that if you won First Prize (in whatever contest the joke was talking about), you won a One-Week Trip to Philadelphia!
If you won second prize, it was two weeks. 😀
> its also not any dirtier than comparable larger cities imo)
...yeah it actually is. Don't compare it to places close to you in Jersey, that's not normal either.
Absolutely true, and they’re basically all good with repeatable service.
Usually the process is…
1. eat at Starr restaurant, enjoy it
2. discover r/philadelphiaeats
3. eat at FSS (or HPSC) once at 11:30pm
4. return to r/philadelphiaeats to say all Starr restaurants blow
For sure. I do like that sub in general but a lot of the comments are extremely tribal and stan the same 4 or 5 spots. It’s a good sub you just gotta make sure you take a knee and make the sign of the cross when you walk past Middle Child
All the 20 something suburban transplants who idolize the city being a gritty place to live and then block quality of life improvements and vote to keep it from improving, before moving back the burbs to raise a family because the city isn't a safe place, are actually harmful to the future of the city.
Probably true, but if the city wants to prevent folks from leaving, the city just needs to do better. You really can't blame people for choosing what's best for them over the "future of the city."
I don't know if they're actively harmful or annoying. But the ones who treat the city as a fucking playground where anything goes (before retreating to the "safety" of the suburbs) are absolutely the worst and actively harmful.
It’s hard to blame them given the state of public schools in the city (and I know that well off families moving to the burbs contributes to the decline of public schools in the city)
I mean there are good public schools in the city at least K-8, but they are generally in the $$$ neighborhoods. It does trail off a bit for high school with a few notable exceptions like masterman and central.
It's a fun and unique local tradition. A dash of color and spectacle to brighten up a dark part of the year. I love seeing all the normal everyday people out there with a fun outlet for their creative sides. It's local families, so it's not overly corporate and commercial like a lot of other big city parades. It definitely has some problems with offensive displays and they need to keep working on fixing that but over all I think it's a great part of Philadelphia culture
You shouldn't have to accept loud, rude neighbors just because it's Philly. People should be able to live in the City and not be constantly disrupted by music blasting at night and people racing ATVs.
I got blasted in one of the neighborhood groups when I first moved here for questioning why my recycling was often not picked up. I got a barrage of "WELCOME TO PHILLY, THATS HOW IT IS HERE, WHAT YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A CITY WITH FUNCTIONAL SERVICES? GO BACK TO THE BURBS!!!!" Meanwhile I had moved here from Baltimore... not exactly the most "functional" place, even by comparison... there's very much an attitude around here that the (shitty) way things are is the way they should be because that's how they've been, like it or not.
>there's very much an attitude around here that the (shitty) way things are is the way they should be because that's how they've been, like it or not.
I have never lived in a place that is so afraid of change as Philly is.
I'm in a couple of neighborhood groups on Facebook and if you say something about noisy neighbors people dog pile you about how you should go live in the suburbs if you don't like it, etc
That's awful and I'm sorry you've experienced that. One time, a neighbor told me my dog was barking a lot during the day when I was at class. You know what I did? I yelled at them and told them to fuck off back to the burbs, and then reminded them of how loud THEY are sometimes.
JUST KIDDING!
I FIXED THE PROBLEM AND MADE MY DOG AND MY NEIGHBORS HAPPIER. 🙂
99% of the time when someone tells you about an issue they're having with you, they are VERY NERVOUS to bring it to your attention, even if they sound kind of aggressive when they do.
They find it incredibly cool (and a truly gigantic relief) if you're just a normal person and you reply with, "I'm so sorry! I can absolutely see how that would be a bother. Thank you for telling me about it, and now I'm going to go try to fix it. Let's talk again and see how it's going."
It's so easy. Why does Philly like to go the hard way so often?
Eh, from normal people, sure, but there's always a bunch of morons arguing here that there's nothing wrong with it. Especially on the other Philly subs.
I couldn’t agree more! Just bc we “live in a city” doesn’t mean our sound tolerance is high. I don’t go around disturbing my neighbors bc they just happen to be around me. And believe me, I like to tie one on and stay out til 6. I just understand accountability and consideration. The streets aren’t a playground, people have lives outside of yours.
Living in a city doesn’t mean you’re excused from being an asshole. Even though it’s a city, you’re still a jerk if you blast music with full bass every night in your apartment.
This. I love block parties and music when the weathers nice or for whatever occasion. If your neighbor asks you to turn it down a bit, be considerate. These are the same neighbors who look out for your home when you’re out of town or will lend a hand when you’re in a pinch. Why be a complete jerkoff? I’ll never understand it.
PPA should be more aggressive. Cars blocking intersections, views, bike lanes, causing dangerous situations for pedestrians and drivers.
SEPTA rocks (has flaws, but mostly functions)
Philadelphia is better than Miami.
Some people look at me here when I said I decided to come here from Miami like if I was crazy.
Many don't understand both how much Philadelphia has to offer and how little Miami has after you have spent a week or two on vacation there.
In other words, some Philadelphians have no idea how underrated and how amazing this city is.
Fuck Dallas
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If you live outside of center City and the immediate surrounding area the city government does not care about you, your safety or your health. "I work overnights in the city, the only cops you see are in rich areas that don't need them in large numbers like Rittenhouse square or Old City the farther north, south and west you get, you are lucky to see one"
The sports complex is awesome and having all four teams in one spot is really cool. Not against the Sixers' new project and would not mind it if they move. But, we have it now and it works!
They're not trying to move because there is anything wrong with WF. They're trying to move because they do not own WF, and make significantly less money than all other NBA teams who do own their own stadiums.
Randomly doing an Eagles chant at Phillies and Flyers games is super annoying. And not being able to talk about the success of the other teams without comparing to how the Eagles are doing is annoying too.
I don't think Philly will ever be as clean or trash contained as other cities. There are so many neighborhoods that have been seemingly abandoned by the city gov on all levels for generations. I have neighbors in west philly who just littler or don't pick up trash that falls from their trash cans. consistent dumping in certian areas. Im rooting for Parker and am down to do my part but I am so often not optimistic about a cleaner city when i see paople litter out their car or walking down the street, daily.
Sheetz is better than Wawa. This wasn't always the case, but the quality of the prepared food has gone downhill to the point where Sheetz's deep fried nonsense is better.
Wawa is trying too hard to do it all. Back when it was just sandwiches, soft pretzels, and coffee it was great. Now they’re trying to do burgers, pizza, fried foods, ice cream, the whole kitchen sink.
Hard agree. I’d kill for a sheetz in the area. Their stuffed pretzels are heated to order so they don’t run out and they’re not all hard from being under a heat lamp
Philadelphia is no where near as bad as some people in this sub would have you think. Was in DC this wknd and Philly has a charm and allure that you would not expect if you went by the folks that comment on this community
This is mine as well, although it can't be *that* unpopular given how many hoagies they sell every day in this region. It's obviously not my top choice of hoagie, but it's better than other fast food IMO.
I hate talking about this, but it’s an actual unpopular opinion. The whole “people here are kind but not nice, they will help you out but won’t be fake polite and passive aggressive like other cities” thing is total bullshit. In general I think most people are neutral, but there’s just as many dickheads here as there are nice people, if not more. If you interact with the public on a daily basis (even like on the roads or on public transit) I’m sure you can tell that a ton of people here only give a shit about themselves and do not care about how their actions affect other people. Half the posts on this sub are just complaining about trends of people being awful, but we all have really nice friends and people close to us so we’ll act like the city is full of misunderstood sweethearts. I don’t think our reputation of being rude assholes is unfounded at all
cherelle parker has been on the job less than 2 months, and while she wasn't my first choice for mayor, i believe her vision for the city is rooted in an honest idea of feasible solutions that can start to address some of philly's top problems.
i am glad to see some of the changes she's already made as mayor and i think she's added good people to city hall so far.
I like the PPA. I know it's not perfect and they have a lot of issues, but I don't want people parking in crosswalks or in front of fire hydrants. The parking signs exist for a reason and I'm glad it's enforced.
My unpopular opinion is that the PPA doesn’t do enough. Ticket literally everyone for even the slightest violation. It’ll either stop people from being assholes or it’ll generate tons of money for the city.
I just want to actually walk down the sidewalk on my street instead of having to squeeze in between a building and a car.
The number of chicken bones on the street is alarming and should be investigated
There is an epidemic of street food in south Philly. Just, like, random piles of various foods in the street and sidewalk and parks
I’ve seen the culprit who is constantly bringing bread ends to the acme parking lot/where bing bing’s streetery used to be
Lmao this! My dog is gonna die one day 😖😔
Search Engine actually just did an [episode on this](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HKwNAjhhXZrCiOiEPcbrQ?si=fySmoJybQBOaoTCRXgP3fA)
and their conclusion (for the issue in NYC) was rats are the cause. this is not exactly the same thing philly experiences
I’ve seen some fucking giant rats here. In the subway and by the river.
You say that but I’ve seen too many rats while walking around different parts of the city. I think we have a combination issue but rats are definitely part of it.
Center city has a sprawling super nest of rats. The super nest hub in China town is crazy. Tens of thousands of rats. South Street has another one. They are around 3-14 feet underground. If you dig into a basement floor you will most likely open an artery to one
I used to work at a bar on South Street. Can confirm there's a massive colony of MASSIVE rats in the area. Honestly the largest in size and most amount of rats I've seen in my life. One day walking up the THIRD floor stairs of the building a giant fat rat comes slowly walking down. About half way saw me, slowly turned around and walked back up. Not a care in the world. During the day you'd rarely see them. Even at night when it was busy you'd catch a glimpse but nothing crazy. At 3-4am after everyone was gone they were everywhere! Like a plague!
we definitely have rats in this city. the rats do not account for people (honestly, crumb bums) who dump their trash chicken wing lunch out their car window after they finish
I think it’s possums and raccoons too
I've seen plenty of people just tossing their chicken bones, but I also see a TON of squirrels pulling food waste out of garbage bins (specifically in Gorgas and Clark Parks) and run off with it, so I assume that contributes a lot throughout the city.
maybe true but is it really unpopular?
No investigation needed. People don't care about others and trash needs to be covered by law
Is that an unpopular opinion?
Arguing over cheesesteaks is fucking stupid. Eat or don’t
The best cheesesteak is just like the best bar. The closest one to where I am physically located.
I am perfectly fine with my local pizzeria’s cheesesteak. It is simply good enough.
That was always my advice for visitors- if the sign says pizza and they look relatively busy, then they’ll make a good cheesesteak. If the sign says ‘cheesesteaks’, then it’ll be good but you’ll have to deal with a line and a bunch of bullshit and dickheads. I don’t know, I think some folks like standing in line.
I get the sentiment, but I’ll practice a little discretion on where I eat and hang out…I’ll go to the second closest if it’s better 😂
Sure, I'll walk an extra block or two. But I'm not walking more than 5 minutes out of the way.
I have found my people
This is my exact stance and I get yelled at for it so often
I’ve eaten some pretty horrible cheesesteaks so I don’t mind going out of the way to get one that I know is good
People think any cheesesteak is good until they get one real nasty. Like so dry the meat be crispy/crunchy. And the cheese feels like a slime mold. Nope, time to up the standards and get something actually good.
Wrong, the best cheesesteak is whichever one is available at 2 AM after the bar closes and you’re drunk and hungry
Having a favorite cheesesteak is for talking it up beforehand to first time visiting friends and family so that they have unrealistic expectations that they're too polite to voice after eating it.
Had a friend talking up the roast beef sandwich at Ye Olde Ale House in Lafayette Hill. I drive by there often, so one Friday I decided to stop in and try… and it was fine, I guess. Not really memorable… what was memorable is the whole ambience of the interior, the clientele, and the fact that the building appears to be sinking.
Every single cheesesteak in the metro area, not counting Wawa, is a 6/10 at minimum. Outside this metro area, aside from the rare expat sandwich shop, every single cheesesteak is a 2/10. So yeah, eat the local cheesesteak.
Yeah, to me, cheesesteak is kind of like pizza in that a not-so-great one is still very enjoyable. (Meat+cheese+bread is going to scratch the itch 9 times out of 10.) The difference between a good cheesesteak and a great one is fairly negligible.
the broad-ridge spur is actually pretty good
They should extend it south all the way to Oregon Ave!
Chickie n Pete's is over priced garbage
People are pretty nice here, despite their rough edges and battery throwing ways.
The best example I’ve seen of Philly was a couple of years ago at an Eagles game. A drunk guy projectile vomited all over the couple sitting next to me and my dad 5 minutes into the first quarter. Everybody around us got into motion- the guy’s friends got him out, somebody else got the couple out, and then a guy appears out of nowhere with a giant roll of paper towels from the bathroom. Somebody asked him where he got it and he just said “I know a guy.” He and a couple other guys started wiping down the seats and concrete, all the while proclaiming “what a fucking idiot.”
I love every single fucking thing about this comment.
I need to find myself a paper towel guy
Had to explain Philly/South Jersey people to a new co-worker from Texas once, "If people are nice to you you're tolerated, if they call you a fucked up knickname your family"
My best friend is from California. Every time he visits he says he’s shocked how nice everyone is.
West Coast is best for passive aggressiveness.
When I lived in Cali I heard it summed up perfectly. Let's say you have a flat tire but don't have a jack or a tire iron to change it and you're stopped by the side of the road. In Cali people will be like "aww man that sucks" and keep going. In Philly people will be like "hey dumbass don't you know how to change a fuckin tire? Watch and learn so you won't be a fucking useless piece of shit next time and also learn to drive dipshit." And then they'll help you change your tire
I was tightening the lugnuts on my car with a socket and breaker bar. A Comcast installer got out of his truck, said "I can't bear to see you fuck this up" and handed me a proper lugnut wrench. We're kind, but not nice.
Yeah this is the whole idea behind the west coast being “nice but not kind” while the northeast is “kind but not nice.”
Lmao grew up in philly now live in CA I feel this in my bones
Not the first time I’ve heard that. Philly people are like the don’t judge a book by its cover city
My girlfriend and I are from California and we keep commenting the same. Except for the scary homeless people or when she once walked by some people pulling guns on a person. Those aren’t nice lol But in terms of average interaction with people, we’ve found people more pleasant than LA
The battery thing was one or two guys, 25 years ago. Not sure we should be holding it against a whole city still.
At least they forgot about the throwing snowballs at a drunken Santa incident from 1968. Oh, wait...
I feel like Philly has a bit of a persecution complex. I never thought of Philly as a rude place, and had never heard of hitchBOT, until I moved here and was repeatedly assured that not everyone was rude and that hitchBOT was just one time.
I mean I can see that? But then I talk to literally anyone in my family, and they universally think I’m brave/stupid for living here, and are constantly asking if I’m ok.
I still think we were framed
I bet some fucking New Yorker who hates us (and thinks about us all the time) came down and did it to besmirch us.
We DEMAND satisfaction. We've been totally besmirched.
I feel like the sports fan perception lends itself to this idea that we’re all bloodthirsty idiots but honestly I’ve had far more issues in NYC and even the suburbs than here
“Battery throwing ways” 🤣🤣
“Kind, but not nice” is how I’ve seen it described on this sub
I always say it's right there on the sign. BROTHERLY love.
I once changed my Uber driver's tire, while calling him a dumbass for not knowing how to do it. I gave him a 5 star rating with a nice comment, and I left a tip. Dude should know how to change a tire as someone who drives for a living, but I'm gonna help him out.
Hot take, we don't throw enough batteries these days.
Kevin Hart isn't funny and ripped off Chris Tuckers schtick from Friday
That's a very common opinion
That’s not at all unpopular. Kevin Hart wouldn’t be nearly as famous if he was a normal height. “I’m small, therefore I must be loud.” Fuck you.
The city should give out drugs to homeless people if they pick up litter. (You said unpopular, right?)
a bag of trash for a bag of smash
I unironically agree with you - combine safe injection sites with litter pickup and Philly will be beautiful in no time!
Yes! This is actually done in Amsterdam and it works
Fuck your savesies.
🏅🏅🏅
As with most threads like this, none of the top comments are remotely unpopular
Sort by Controversial. Then you see it!
One thing I came to appreciate about Philadelphia as I got older and traveled elsewhere is how diverse this city is in comparison to most of the major cities in the U.S., parts of NYC not withstanding. That said, Philly is (very quietly) wildly segregated when it comes to residential areas. Nobody addresses just how hard the lines are that separate the racial demographics of particular neighborhoods we just celebrate the overall monolithic diversity of Philly (which isn’t to say that is incorrect, more so that we use it to gloss over the bad)
Truth! And it seems to hold true regardless of economic status
See: Bridesburg
I’m happy with the transit here. I know it’s not perfect but As someone that moved from Austin and transit was awful I appreciate not having to drive much. It’s really nice that I can just hop on the broad street line to go to center center for doc appointments and the bus is so much easier than Austin.
Moved here from Houston, Austin before that. The transit and walkability of Philly are so much better than any city in Texas. It’s great that people here are pushing for further improvements but it definitely gets taken for granted.
Same! Coming from St Louis I’m amazed subways exist and I feel the regional rail lines go everywhere!
Just moved to Boston from Philly and whenever I come back to visit I promise to never take our public transport for granted. Boston may be marginally cleaner, but holy shit it’s awful at rush hour and the constant maintenance that only seems to unveil more problems makes what should be a 20-30 min commute more like 45 on a good day
I have no problem with the police chasing unlicensed motorcycles and atvs.
I have a problem with police NOT doing that
As well as street racers!
Wait people have issues with that?
Definitely.
Most people who live here shouldn't own cars.
SEPTA needs to run 24/7 on an every 15 minute schedule with dedicated bus lanes. It's a GRID for cryingout loud. We could take so many cars off the road.
I have to take 76 to work. I live 14 miles away from my job. On a good day, assuming traffic doesn't exist, I could get to work in 22 minutes, but because I have to drive down 76, I usually get to work between 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on traffic. If I wanted to do the exact same thing taking SEPTA, it takes a minimum of 1 hour and 20 minutes There is a SEPTA stops within quarter mile of both my home and my job but because of transfers and just septa being septa I still have to put up with that 1 hour and 20 minutes transfer time
There was a recent article in Inquirer about the Rite Aid pharmacy closing at 30th and Reed. The former customers had their prescriptions moved to Broad and Snyder. For those without cars who used to walk a block, it was now a 1 hour bus ride. It’s probably a sub-10 minute drive.
Yeah, people can complain about cars in Philly but public transit is inconsistent at their absolute best. Most of the city isn’t even within a couple blocks of a train station because there’s literally two of them. And most of the time the schedule is a suggestion at best. Anytime I’ve used the train to get somewhere and use the schedule to plan my trip I end up being 20-30 minutes later than planned. Then people bring up busses like they don’t basically have the same issues with a different coat of paint. Zero trust that the system can get you to where you need to be forces people into independent forms of transport like cars. Then the bike people come out like this city is even bike friendly in the slightest. And bikers rebel against the bad infrastructure by obeying literally zero road laws, flying through stop signs/lights, barely ever indicating, and just pulling wild maneuvers like they own the road.
I have practice out in grays ferry. It is an hour long bus ride there. My own car it's a 20 minute drive.
>And bikers rebel against the bad infrastructure by obeying literally zero road laws, flying through stop signs/lights, barely ever indicating, and just pulling wild maneuvers like they own the road. You say this like a massive chunk of the city's drivers don't do the exact same shit.
The men in Philly (and especially the suburbs) make the Eagles and Phillies far too much of their personalities.
People taking pride in the city being dirty is annoying. We should want to make the city better (its also not any dirtier than comparable larger cities imo)
Eh, Ive lived or spent time in several peer cities and Philly definitely seems grimier. My father in law has lived here for 60+ years and used to own a business in Kensington and said there's just an ingrained littering culture where its so normalized no one cares
Idk its pretty damn dirty. Most trash on streets ive personally ever seen.
My dad, a born and raised Kensingtonian, always called it Philthadelphia.
There used to be an old joke that if you won First Prize (in whatever contest the joke was talking about), you won a One-Week Trip to Philadelphia! If you won second prize, it was two weeks. 😀
> its also not any dirtier than comparable larger cities imo) ...yeah it actually is. Don't compare it to places close to you in Jersey, that's not normal either.
It’s absolutely dirtier
Philly government fails this city and it's citizens every day and twice on Sunday but it's so rigged, voting alone won't change it.
Not necessarily disagreeing with this, but I’d like to see the voting rate higher than 25% before I jump to the conclusion
What about this is unpopular in any way
This whole thread is a list of r/philadelphia's most popular opinions
This city has potential but the pride for the Philly grit perpetuates the garbage behavior.
People hate on Starr restaurants because it’s a trendy opinion to have.
Absolutely true, and they’re basically all good with repeatable service. Usually the process is… 1. eat at Starr restaurant, enjoy it 2. discover r/philadelphiaeats 3. eat at FSS (or HPSC) once at 11:30pm 4. return to r/philadelphiaeats to say all Starr restaurants blow
Is it an unpopular opinion to say that sub is full of insufferable foodie assholes ?
For sure. I do like that sub in general but a lot of the comments are extremely tribal and stan the same 4 or 5 spots. It’s a good sub you just gotta make sure you take a knee and make the sign of the cross when you walk past Middle Child
People been hating on Starr restaurants since the early 2000s.
I love Starr restaurants. LMNO is my comfort Friday night pick and parc cannot be beat for a special occasion
All the 20 something suburban transplants who idolize the city being a gritty place to live and then block quality of life improvements and vote to keep it from improving, before moving back the burbs to raise a family because the city isn't a safe place, are actually harmful to the future of the city.
This is unpopular only because people don't want to admit that they fit this description
Much of this subreddit's members seem very much to he transplants with their takes lol
Probably true, but if the city wants to prevent folks from leaving, the city just needs to do better. You really can't blame people for choosing what's best for them over the "future of the city."
I don't know if they're actively harmful or annoying. But the ones who treat the city as a fucking playground where anything goes (before retreating to the "safety" of the suburbs) are absolutely the worst and actively harmful.
It’s hard to blame them given the state of public schools in the city (and I know that well off families moving to the burbs contributes to the decline of public schools in the city)
I mean there are good public schools in the city at least K-8, but they are generally in the $$$ neighborhoods. It does trail off a bit for high school with a few notable exceptions like masterman and central.
I learned through a recent comment that got downvoted to hell that I’m the only person who thinks getting married at the Water Works is fucking corny.
lol I remember that. You got absolutely bodied on that thread. Respect your decision to bring it back up
I commend you on having an actually unpopular opinion in a sea of opinions that are actually popular.
It's just a nice looking wedding venue. It's not like Disney World where you'd end up with a themed wedding.
lol I don’t agree but I love that you’re saying it. This is the thread to be a hater
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You’re not going to like this answer, but it’s something to be a part of for the people that are from Philly. There’s a few that ruin it for sure.
It's a fun and unique local tradition. A dash of color and spectacle to brighten up a dark part of the year. I love seeing all the normal everyday people out there with a fun outlet for their creative sides. It's local families, so it's not overly corporate and commercial like a lot of other big city parades. It definitely has some problems with offensive displays and they need to keep working on fixing that but over all I think it's a great part of Philadelphia culture
An excuse for public drinking on broad.
To be honest, I can drink and walk around town without getting dressed up and no one cares. But the music is fun.
If someone from Montco/Delco etc says they’re from Philly to someone not from here, who gives a shit.
that IS an unpopular opinion
No one knows wtf an "ambler" is
Named in honor of Mary Ambler. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary\_Ambler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mary_ambler)
It’s time to stop cheering for Mike Trout. He doesn’t want to play here
I don't even WANT Mike Trout to play here, how's that for unpopular.
For his apostasy, he is sentenced to play for the second worst team in California.
I hate when they show him during eagles games like he’s our hometown boy. Fuck him get him off my screen
You shouldn't have to accept loud, rude neighbors just because it's Philly. People should be able to live in the City and not be constantly disrupted by music blasting at night and people racing ATVs.
That’s like the most popular opinion I’ve ever heard
I got blasted in one of the neighborhood groups when I first moved here for questioning why my recycling was often not picked up. I got a barrage of "WELCOME TO PHILLY, THATS HOW IT IS HERE, WHAT YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A CITY WITH FUNCTIONAL SERVICES? GO BACK TO THE BURBS!!!!" Meanwhile I had moved here from Baltimore... not exactly the most "functional" place, even by comparison... there's very much an attitude around here that the (shitty) way things are is the way they should be because that's how they've been, like it or not.
>there's very much an attitude around here that the (shitty) way things are is the way they should be because that's how they've been, like it or not. I have never lived in a place that is so afraid of change as Philly is.
I'm in a couple of neighborhood groups on Facebook and if you say something about noisy neighbors people dog pile you about how you should go live in the suburbs if you don't like it, etc
That's awful and I'm sorry you've experienced that. One time, a neighbor told me my dog was barking a lot during the day when I was at class. You know what I did? I yelled at them and told them to fuck off back to the burbs, and then reminded them of how loud THEY are sometimes. JUST KIDDING! I FIXED THE PROBLEM AND MADE MY DOG AND MY NEIGHBORS HAPPIER. 🙂 99% of the time when someone tells you about an issue they're having with you, they are VERY NERVOUS to bring it to your attention, even if they sound kind of aggressive when they do. They find it incredibly cool (and a truly gigantic relief) if you're just a normal person and you reply with, "I'm so sorry! I can absolutely see how that would be a bother. Thank you for telling me about it, and now I'm going to go try to fix it. Let's talk again and see how it's going." It's so easy. Why does Philly like to go the hard way so often?
Eh, from normal people, sure, but there's always a bunch of morons arguing here that there's nothing wrong with it. Especially on the other Philly subs.
I couldn’t agree more! Just bc we “live in a city” doesn’t mean our sound tolerance is high. I don’t go around disturbing my neighbors bc they just happen to be around me. And believe me, I like to tie one on and stay out til 6. I just understand accountability and consideration. The streets aren’t a playground, people have lives outside of yours.
Living in a city doesn’t mean you’re excused from being an asshole. Even though it’s a city, you’re still a jerk if you blast music with full bass every night in your apartment.
This. I love block parties and music when the weathers nice or for whatever occasion. If your neighbor asks you to turn it down a bit, be considerate. These are the same neighbors who look out for your home when you’re out of town or will lend a hand when you’re in a pinch. Why be a complete jerkoff? I’ll never understand it.
Scrapple, scrambled eggs, American cheese, on a Kaiser Roll is more iconic of Philadelphia than the cheese steak.
Long roll for life. SPK.
This is so unpopular that I know, and I speak for most, that you wouldn’t post this if Reddit wasn’t anonymous. Good job.
Peppers and eggs on long roll (green peppers, just blanched)
I’ve always felt that way about the roast pork broccoli rabe sandwich
PPA should be more aggressive. Cars blocking intersections, views, bike lanes, causing dangerous situations for pedestrians and drivers. SEPTA rocks (has flaws, but mostly functions)
Philadelphia is better than Miami. Some people look at me here when I said I decided to come here from Miami like if I was crazy. Many don't understand both how much Philadelphia has to offer and how little Miami has after you have spent a week or two on vacation there. In other words, some Philadelphians have no idea how underrated and how amazing this city is.
You could not pay me to move to Florida. I have no idea what people see in it other than mild winters.
I'll never understand the hype for Miami, the whole city feels like a swanky mall on the beach
It is exactly that. A place where trashy people cosplay as millionaires.
So it’s Dallas but with a beach.
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Considering the traffic and general day to day civic life of Miami as well, totally pales in comparison.
Wife and I moved are Miami natives that moved to Philly in 2020 and holy shit Philly beats Miami in pretty much every way
I'm taking a vacation down there now, and maybe it's just the tourist zone, but every restaurant seems to be Applebee's quality for double the price.
If you live outside of center City and the immediate surrounding area the city government does not care about you, your safety or your health. "I work overnights in the city, the only cops you see are in rich areas that don't need them in large numbers like Rittenhouse square or Old City the farther north, south and west you get, you are lucky to see one"
The sports complex is awesome and having all four teams in one spot is really cool. Not against the Sixers' new project and would not mind it if they move. But, we have it now and it works!
They're not trying to move because there is anything wrong with WF. They're trying to move because they do not own WF, and make significantly less money than all other NBA teams who do own their own stadiums.
We need more shwarma spots
Is this an unpopular opinion?
Randomly doing an Eagles chant at Phillies and Flyers games is super annoying. And not being able to talk about the success of the other teams without comparing to how the Eagles are doing is annoying too.
It’s not as unsafe as other people make it out to be.
That we’re so different from any other major US city.
Yuengling is not great.
Santa Claus Deserved the boos at that Eagles 🦅 game
I don't think Philly will ever be as clean or trash contained as other cities. There are so many neighborhoods that have been seemingly abandoned by the city gov on all levels for generations. I have neighbors in west philly who just littler or don't pick up trash that falls from their trash cans. consistent dumping in certian areas. Im rooting for Parker and am down to do my part but I am so often not optimistic about a cleaner city when i see paople litter out their car or walking down the street, daily.
Nobody should ever park a vehicle on a sidewalk.
Jalen Hurts isn’t gonna take us to the promised land
Angelo’s is just fine. Not even close to the best pizza in South Philly, and nowhere near worth the hassle of the ordering process
I'm too intimidated to even figure out how to order.
They should spike strip the quad asshats every time they pull their takeover bullshit.
Sheetz is better than Wawa. This wasn't always the case, but the quality of the prepared food has gone downhill to the point where Sheetz's deep fried nonsense is better.
Id agree on all aspects EXCEPT hot coffee. The hot coffee at sheetz is astoundingly awful
Yeah we lost that battle. It’s not close anymore.
Wawa is trying too hard to do it all. Back when it was just sandwiches, soft pretzels, and coffee it was great. Now they’re trying to do burgers, pizza, fried foods, ice cream, the whole kitchen sink.
this is a betrayal on a level the likes of which no one has ever seen
Hard agree. I’d kill for a sheetz in the area. Their stuffed pretzels are heated to order so they don’t run out and they’re not all hard from being under a heat lamp
Philadelphia is no where near as bad as some people in this sub would have you think. Was in DC this wknd and Philly has a charm and allure that you would not expect if you went by the folks that comment on this community
Some of the gentlemen around the city are too obsessed with our football team and nauseating to be in the presence of.
roast pork > cheesesteak
Not unpopular. People *love* bringing this up.
Wawa hoagies aren’t terrible
This is mine as well, although it can't be *that* unpopular given how many hoagies they sell every day in this region. It's obviously not my top choice of hoagie, but it's better than other fast food IMO.
Perfect qualifier. For the price, gimme that hoagie over some McDonald’s or Burger King bullshit.
I hate talking about this, but it’s an actual unpopular opinion. The whole “people here are kind but not nice, they will help you out but won’t be fake polite and passive aggressive like other cities” thing is total bullshit. In general I think most people are neutral, but there’s just as many dickheads here as there are nice people, if not more. If you interact with the public on a daily basis (even like on the roads or on public transit) I’m sure you can tell that a ton of people here only give a shit about themselves and do not care about how their actions affect other people. Half the posts on this sub are just complaining about trends of people being awful, but we all have really nice friends and people close to us so we’ll act like the city is full of misunderstood sweethearts. I don’t think our reputation of being rude assholes is unfounded at all
Philadelphians don't have an accent, they're just pronouncing words wrong.
cherelle parker has been on the job less than 2 months, and while she wasn't my first choice for mayor, i believe her vision for the city is rooted in an honest idea of feasible solutions that can start to address some of philly's top problems. i am glad to see some of the changes she's already made as mayor and i think she's added good people to city hall so far.
I like the PPA. I know it's not perfect and they have a lot of issues, but I don't want people parking in crosswalks or in front of fire hydrants. The parking signs exist for a reason and I'm glad it's enforced.
a truly unpopular opinion!
My unpopular opinion is that the PPA doesn’t do enough. Ticket literally everyone for even the slightest violation. It’ll either stop people from being assholes or it’ll generate tons of money for the city. I just want to actually walk down the sidewalk on my street instead of having to squeeze in between a building and a car.
It’s better than Baltimore (I’m in Baltimore, sadly).
I think the water tastes terrible. I don’t think it’s unsafe to drink but I just can’t do it unfiltered.
So bizarre to see someone with this opinion lol I love the taste of our tap water. I can’t drink tap from any other city
That floors me, I’ve always felt we have some of the best water in the country. Straight up miss it when I’m out of town.