the amount of europeans in center city this weekend was astounding

[OffenseTaken]

the only evidence i have is anecdotal but...

i really think european tourism to philly is booming. tons of euros here this summer

i wonder if europeans are coming directly to philly or stopping here between ny and dc. i imagine starting at ny then going to philly then dc would be a nice tour of america for a foreign tourist

Perhaps, but most of the non-anglophone, white tourists I see here are French Canadians.

This is anecdotal as well, but when I've spoken to Europeans about coming to America, five places keep coming up to the exclusion of almost all else (in descending order): New York, California, Miami (or Disneyworld, if they're Germans), Vegas, and various national parks out west. I could be totally wrong, but it seems like the grand tour of the Eastern Seaboard is something Americans do. Europeans really don't care about the three-cornered hat stuff. And if they want monuments and history, then coming here for that would be like us going to Copenhagen for soul food.

You might be right about this summer, and I think the Barnes has been vindicated as a genius move. But to sell this city to more Europeans, we have to answer this question: If I only have a few days in the whole country, why should I take time away from New York and spend it in Philadelphia? Philadelphians are spectacularly bad at answering this.

[Volanova]

This is anecdotal as well, but when I've spoken to Europeans about coming to America, five places keep coming up to the exclusion of almost all else (in descending order): New York, California, Miami (or Disneyworld, if they're Germans), Vegas, and various national parks out west.

What the heck is it with Germans and Disney World? I've seen this myself.

But to sell this city to more Europeans, we have to answer this question: If I only have a few days in the whole country, why should I take time away from New York and spend it in Philadelphia? Philadelphians are spectacularly bad at answering this.

I don't think it's that hard. New York isn't for everyone. I'd say that you could get more history in Philadelphia, equally as good food and drink (if not better in some ways), excellent museums that, while they're not the MoMA or Met, are some of the best in the country, and easier access to non-city things to do. Plus, it's much more manageable, and much easier to do on a budget. On top of all that, I feel like Philadelphia will give you a better experience of a typical American city. New York is it's own little entity and is a completely different animal than most cities in the US.

When it comes down to it, it really just depends on what you're wanting to see. You visit New York to visit New York, not to visit the US. Sort of like how someone who wants to visit France wouldn't get the "French" experience by staying in Paris.

[ArcticSplash]

What the heck is it with Germans and Disney World? I've seen this myself.

Lots of Germans also come back and forth to Philly. It also helps that SAP's North American HQ is in the burbs. That helps keep flights to Frankfurt to Philly full. I was sitting in an oversold FRA to PHL flight last week.

Murder.

[szekely]

What the heck is it with Germans and Disney World? I've seen this myself.

Where do you think they got their ideas for Neuschwanstein Castle and Cinderella? ;-)