My Visit to Philadelphia Shocked Me More Than Any City I’ve Been To”

Philly has history, pride, and grit — but it also has a rawness I wasn’t prepared for. On one street, wealthy students from UPenn walked by wearing $200 sneakers. On the next street, I saw open-air drug use in broad daylight. The contrast was so sharp it felt like changing countries every five minutes. When I mentioned this to a local, she sighed and said, “That’s Philly. We’re real here.” But being real shouldn’t mean being forgotten. The city deserves better than this level of inequality — and tourists deserve to see the full picture, not just the Liberty Bell. #Travel #Philadelphia #Inequality

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • 20 days ago

Bill P

I've visited Philly on many occasions in the past, but no more! The city is NOT the city of "Brotherly Love." I traveled to different places in the country, and Philly people are horrible. All I experienced were people who were arrogant, entitled, and plain nasty individuals. I live an hour from Philly and an hour and a half from NYC, and people are so nice.With times as they are, I won't be visiting either city. It's sad.

19d

Alburtis, PA

Reply(11)

Freddy

Philly is a great city and y’all are just outsiders who don’t understand the vibe

19d

Doylestown, PA

Reply(3)

yrt_presto

19d

Etters, PA

Journeymanfxdl

Was this the reviewer’s first visit to a major city in the United States? Philadelphia is raw in many ways, but certainly not unlike many other cities in America. It sounds like the writer of this piece is either naive or just has an axe to grind.

19d

Philadelphia, PA

Reply(1)

Glenn Wilson

I am a 78 year old Black Male who was born, raised, and live in Philadelphia. I’ve never been shot, shot at, or robbed. In any city, yes, there are neighborhoods that a tourist should avoid. You’ll be safe visiting tourist attractions in the Center City area.

18d

Philadelphia, PA

RPO in NJ

Tourists? WTF goes to Philadelphia? You want to see the liberty bell? Stay home and google it, it’s much safer!

19d

Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Reply(4)

Barry Eisenberg

Killadelphia… the city of animals, for animals, by animals

19d

Allentown, PA

Reply(2)

Journeymanfxdl

The person who wrote this is from Kansas City, MO! Really??? Kansas City? And they’re being critical of Philadelphia??? Ridiculous! If I was from KC I’d be traveling too. Constantly.

19d

Philadelphia, PA

SL29

No one likes us, we don't care! 🦅🦅. Philly is an amazing city that comes with the same issues that any city in this country has. We have one of the sweetest music scenes in the country and our city and surrounding areas are steeped in history of our independence. Like anywhere, you just got to poke around. Also, this article says from the Bay Area, have you actually been to San Francisco lately? Recommended that tourists not leave a single thing in their car due to heavy issues with car break ins..so.. it's everywhere.

19d

Philadelphia, PA