Loveboat Reviews the Country: Philadelphia

I've lived in the state of Pennsylvania for the majority of my life, and for all that time I've been within driving distance from the city of Philadelphia. I'm afraid my review of this city may be more extensive than others simply because I know it better. Philadelphia, or Philly as us locals call it, is the sixth largest city in the United States. It was the place where the nations founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and was the center of government for the new nation during the revolution. The city has a lot of history should be enjoyable to anyone with even a vague interest in antiquity.

Though they may not have as much fame as other city's well known landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty or the Hollywood sign, Philly has some places that are worth visiting.

First is City Hall, a towering structure that was once the tallest building in the city, crowned with a statue of William Penn.

Next, you have the Liberty Bell, as cracked as ever, sitting in a viewing area for all to gaze upon.

Old city is a landmark in and of itself. Named for the fact that it is the historic district in town, Old City displays some fantastic architecture. It is also the location of a monthly art festival called First Friday which is held, as the name implies, on the first friday of every month.

The Art Museum, made famous in the movie Rocky for its steps' usefulness as a cardiovascular workout, is at the end of beautiful Benjamin Franklin Boulevard.

Regrettably, Philadelphia is not what one would call a clean city, nor does it have a low crime rate. Philadelphia is considered by many to be the murder capital of the country (by whatever standard they judge those things). Though it doesn't beat New York or Chicago in sheer number of murders, it has a much lower population, meaning it has a higher percentage of murder.

An entire section of the city known as north Philadelphia has been given the nickname "The Bad Lands." It stretches from Girard Avenue in the south to Roosevelt Boulevard in the north and is roughly the entire width of the city from east to west. It is a huge section of the city, and I unfortunately go to collage at Temple University, right in the center of it. It's worse than a normal ghetto. It isn't just contained to one neighborhood, but rather stretches for blocks and blocks in every direction. It's quite sad, and thankfully many urban renewal organizations are taking charge and trying to improve the area a bit. It'll take time, but north Philadelphia has noticably improved over the past decade.