5. Philly has a great Mayor. Mayor Nutter is one of the friendliest, open, caring Mayors I've had the chance to speak to. In my "real world" (not web based) life, I work with Mayors from all around the country with the United States Conference of Mayors. Mayor Nutter is part of the leadership board of our organization, in addition to running one of the largest cities in the United States. Given this, it would be reasonable to suspect that he is crazy busy (which is he) and never has time to talk to people (false). The Mayor is always willing to chat, always says hello, and always appears genuinely interested in the conversation. So wonderful, so refreshing, and he is spearheading the Philadelphia arts movement, helping to make Philly one of the most creative friendly cities in the country.
4. Free People. I, quite obviously, have a bit of an obsession with Free People. Well, the FP-Urban-Anthro group is headquartered in Philadelphia. This ever expanding and amazing company always has new job openings posted on their website. It really does seem like one of the most fun and interesting places to work. Creativity and a stable paycheck- what more could one ask for?
3. Cost of Living People. Think about this for a minute- after doing some surface research, my cost of living in Philadelphia would be about HALF of what it is in DC (not accounting for the amount of money I would spend at local boutiques, but nevertheless). Want to live in a 4 bedroom, exposed brick, 14 foot ceilinged loft with two of your friends and have one bedroom left over for a closet? Well, in Philly, for $500 a month, you can. I mean, this is amazing. This is incredible. A 2 bedroom in my apartment building is a "steal" at $1800 a month, and I don't even live in DC proper. Crazy madness.
2. Under 2 Hours from New York. A round trip bus ticket on Bolt will run you anywhere from $2-$25. Spend the day thrifting, wandering, dreaming, listening to music, eating, you name it. And rest your head for a couple hours while someone else deals with traffic. Sounds lovely to me!
1. Local Art and Shops. With an insane amount of colleges and universities, many with an Arts focus, you can get a great higher degree education in just about any field of your dreams (mild pun). Then, because of the low cost of the living, and closely associated low commercial rent, Philly is one of the few major cities where you can REALLY FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS. Wander the streets of Philly and there are plenty of local, funky shops and restaurants where your money helps achieve someone else's dream. What more could you want?
There are other silly things that make Philly great (like, obviously, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but Philly can get a bad rap. The safety rating might not be as high as, say, a ritzy California gated community, but a lot of it is about being smart. Don't take a nap in a dark alley by yourself at 3am. Don't swing a $500 purse around with the zipper open, wallet about to bounce out. Investigate a neighborhood before you move in. And all will be well.
