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GooFoYouPal t1_j8mke9k wrote

now Philadelphia Magazine expanding to Philadelphia would be way more interesting.

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MarketStEl t1_j8mmgqm wrote

Author here.

In my online channel, I do my best to span the region (though I do give NJ short shrift).

And ever since I joined the staff in 2015, I’ve noticed that our website has more city content than the print mag.

But as one other Redditor said in response to this piece: The serious money’s in the ‘burbs. And we live off advertising. Guess who our advertisers want to reach?

Even the article ended up being skewed towards one particular slice of the ‘burbs. I couldn’t find a well-known city retailer or restaurant that opened a branch in, say, Jenkintown, Montgomeryville, Doylestown or Media. But I’ll bet there’s one out there.

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GooFoYouPal t1_j8mngzn wrote

Appreciate the comment. And I’m just being a smartass about Philly Mag itself, which my dad gets me a subscription too every year for like the last 20 years. I did actually read the article and enjoyed it. It was interesting.

I think we severely underestimate, especially on this sub, the amount of people that are rapidly pulling away from not wanting to come into the city for anything. There’s always been a large contingent of that, but I am increasingly hearing from friends, family and coworkers how they have zero desire to come in to the city for anything. I think the comments from Mignucci are touching on that, although he’s trying to be still somewhat diplomatic.

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MarketStEl t1_j8mo4az wrote

I got a couple of emails from readers who insisted that crime was the reason, including one who clearly didn't read the article, for that reader insisted that the businesses mentioned in it were actually planning to leave the city altogether when none of them are — and two of them expressly said they remained committed to their city stores. (The toniest of those two is run by a guy who lives on the western Main Line and was surprised to learn how many of his neighbors live entirely in the 'burbs with no contact with the city whatsoever).

But I'd also say that convenience rather than crime explains more of this. That same business owner said that when his store opened in Wayne, it got customers from Malvern who said that their pop-up in *Ardmore* was too far away.

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GooFoYouPal t1_j8mokyj wrote

Yeah, my initial thought is the majority of the people that will frequent these new suburban outposts are simply people that these companies wouldn’t have had anyway. And well, I do hear a lot about people increasingly not wanting to come into the city, I wonder if the influx of new residents and all the new developments are enough to compensate for that “loss.” I think people in general are probably just getting more localized in their shopping, dining choices, etc..

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ColdJay64 t1_j8mxgx3 wrote

If their only source of information on the city is this subreddit and the evening news, can you blame them? It’s perfectly safe to visit for a day of shopping, but you’d never know it if you spend all your time reading this stuff and none actually in the city.

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GooFoYouPal t1_j8myg03 wrote

Bro, with all due respect, you’re just as bad, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. You’re on here constantly invalidating and minimizing peoples concerns about the current safety conditions of this city. And I don’t think your CC Living experience is relatable to a vast majority of Philadelphia’s residents.

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ColdJay64 t1_j8n2ufr wrote

I share my perspective only on areas I traverse and experiences I've had. For example, when people are discussing the decline of the lower Northeast... I don't comment at all. Why? Because I wouldn't know, and because it seems like they are right.

If people choose to take my perspective as "invalidating" their experiences, there's not much I can do - though it's not my intention at all. I do contest broad statements that I disagree with such as "it's not safe to walk around CC" or "CC is entirely vacant" if that's what you mean. I likely spend more time there than almost anyone commenting, and have for the last few years.

Agreed that my experience of living in Center City and now Point Breeze is not the same as someone living in another area.

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RowdySuperBigGulp t1_j8nwdfc wrote

My experience with the lower NE is it’s more quiet than it’s ever been . I can sit out all night and not hear a pin drop or walk my dog and the neighbors all wave and say hi but I come on here and find out I’m living in a hellhole .

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ColdJay64 t1_j8o0n3j wrote

A perfect example of what I was talking about above with regards to people's perception of Center City/shopping there. I can speak to its conditions at great length being there daily. Meanwhile my own perception of your area is that it's not good, based on Reddit and the news but little actual experience. The only difference is, I'm open to being educated on what I don't know instead of doubling down on it and labeling you.

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LFKhael t1_j8mz43v wrote

>you’re just as bad,

Fucking wooooow.

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JBizznass t1_j8nmg5i wrote

I’ll add my personal anecdote here: I lived in Fishtown and worked downtown. Moved to the western burbs during covid and mostly work from home, but go to various parts of the city for work about 3 times a week. But I don’t really shop or eat in the city anymore since it’s more expensive (various taxes) and less convenient form me. I do however go to the suburban outposts of many of the places I used to go in the city like la Colombe, white dog, etc. If they didn’t exist in the burbs I would just be a lost customer since it it wouldn’t be worth it go into the city for them since there are other great local options. And I know lots of other folks who once were city dwellers / workers who now work from in the burbs and feel the same. It’s smart of these companies to follow their customers.

I will say that one of the big motivators for us moving to the burbs was the overall declining quality of life in the city (including, but not limited to crime), but that’s not why I wouldn’t go to a store or restaurant in the city. Now that I’m here it’s a matter of convenience. Especially since I’m the mainline area there are lots of great shopping and dining options closer to home.

Are there some whackos who won’t cross the city line for fear of being immediately murdered? Sure. But that is really a very small part of the suburban population and most of us suburbanites also think those people are crazy.

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carolineecouture t1_j8oazsq wrote

I'm just not in town as much. I would do things in town because I was at the office, and it was an easier "flow" to go shopping at lunch or after work. Now I'm at home so I do more stuff around here or shop online. Going to center city or west Philly just seems a heavier lift now.

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singalong37 t1_j8nasxw wrote

I don’t quite get the idea in people’s minds of decamping to suburbs because of Covid. You’re healthier living in the city where you walk everywhere and therefore more likely to fend off the infection with only mild symptoms. In 2020 when everything was shut ok. By now I’d think people who left would be more than ready to return. Anyway, good to see the reference to suburban branches from 70 - 90 years ago; there’s nothing really new about this or about suburban badmouthing of the city.

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JBizznass t1_j8nnooj wrote

For us it wasn’t a matter of health, it was a matter of space. We now both work from home which meant that our 900 sq ft row home wasn’t big enough to accommodate our life. We also wanted more outdoor space and a parking spot since my work requires me to drive and come home much later than normal rush hour and there was no place for me to park at those times. Not to mention when working from home in the burbs my partner could avoid all wage taxes and I could avoid some BIRT and NPT taxes. So it’s basically a wash cost of living wise for a bigger place.

Also during the pandemic nothing that makes cities fun and enjoyable we’re still there. Concerts, bars, museums, etc. I know personally I realized that access to these things were not as important to our lives as pre pandemic I would have thought they were.

In general people’s lives and priorities shifted in many fundamental ways that are not shifting back any time soon.

Edit: wanted to add that if you want there are lots of opportunities to walk around in many suburban areas. Do I walk to the grocery store? No. Did I do that when I lived in Fishtown? Also no. Do I know just take regular pleasure walks by myself? Yes. Did I do that in Fishtown? No. So it really depends again on your lifestyle and priorities.

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8Draw t1_j8n80kg wrote

>I couldn’t find a well-known city retailer or restaurant that opened a branch in, say, Jenkintown, Montgomeryville, Doylestown or Media. But I’ll bet there’s one out there.

Do you think picking a place and seeking businesses is a little backward? This article clearly picked its lane and then found examples fitting that narrative.

Mignucci's comments are evidence you've tapped into something real to an extent here so don't take this as me discounting your work entirely. Just the conclusion presented and definitely the headline.

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mortgagepants t1_j8nq65k wrote

"Until this past September, when the company opened an incredible simulation in Wayne."

did you mean "simulacrum" or did i just misunderstand the concept?

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MarketStEl t1_j8o7rr1 wrote

Thanks for building my vocabulary! That was indeed what I meant

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SuspiciousOnion2137 t1_j8pjbcf wrote

We moved to the Main Line from out of state expecting to go into Philadelphia regularly, but it turned out to be a very occasional thing. For us it was because we often end up waiting forever for the Paoli/Thorndale trains to show up, finding parking in certain parts of Philadelphia can be really difficult, and Uber can get expensive fast. We are thrilled to have more city businesses opening here because it doesn’t seem as if the train schedule is going to change anytime soon. We would love for it to be easier to go in more often though.

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Linzabee t1_j8ns94t wrote

Founding Fathers sports bar just opened a second location in Bensalem, but I don’t know if that would qualify as “well-known” enough.

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