What A Difference Fifteen Years Makes

When I first came to urban Philadelphia from suburban San Jose, many people on both coasts thought I had lost my mind.  Was I willingly trading clean neighborhoods, sunny skies, and all the attendant positive spillovers from a tech boom with no end in sight for high crime, dirty streets, and a city in fiscal ruin?  Four years at Wharton and ten at The Enterprise Center and two at Fels and six as a homeowner later, it is clear I've not only traded in but settled in. 

 

And what a difference in the city I've transplanted to.  Our downtowns are clean and vibrant, thanks to the dealmaking of Ed Rendell, America's mayor and ours from 1991 to 1999, and to the remarkable work of Paul Levy and the Center City District.  The Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation has made us a tourism hotspot for domestic and international visitors.  The city has always had its jewels -- the Mann Music Center, a second-to-none restaurant and bar scene, and deep R&B roots come to mind -- which locals, transplants, and visitors are starting to see in their full brightness.  And Philadelphia has even become, dare I say, cool -- witness our hosting of a season of the X Games, MTV's The Real World, and the Live8 concert.  For goodness' sake, we're making an audacious but legitimate bid for the 2016 Olympics. 

 

As a resident of University City, I can enjoy a number of things now that didn't exist when I first moved here in 1991: the greening and lighting of the neighborhood, courtesy of the University City District; paved paths along the Schuylkill River for me to walk, run, and bike; and a new K-8 school two blocks from our house to send our children to.  I jump at the chance to take friends and family in town to hidden gems they might not have heard of, like Elfreth's Alley and the White Dog Cafe.  The city which seemed so dirty and dangerous when I was a scared California teen in 1991 now seems to me so pretty, pleasant, and vibrant: ample trees, unique architecture, and everything within easy walking distance. 

 

Who could've predicted when I came out here for school that I'd stay for so much cool?