Most underrated thing in Philly

[Spicoli]

To try and put some good karma spin on the "most overrated thing", here's the contra-thread.

I'll start with the Philly restaurant scene. Though its really coming into its own, I think many still don't realize how blessed we are with talent we have food-wise.

I have many friends that live in NYC that would choose Philly over NY when it comes to quality restaurants the everyone can enjoy (not just the mega-expensive). I also have friends who have moved from Philly and miss being able to easily go out and find a damn good place to eat without making reservations weeks in advance.

[Ray K.]

The whole town.

[OffenseTaken]

Let me identify myself first as a transplant. That said, snapper soup gets my vote.

The whole town.

/thread

[the mule]

Wissahickon Valley. With that said, everyone stay the **** out, it's way too crowded anymore.

[Pitt]

Food & dining options in the townie neighborhoods, NE Philly especially
Good neighbors
Philly women
Mayfair
The El
Twistee Treat

[BarryG]

Fairmount Park, the whole thing. Way underutilized. Even people that use Kelly Drive don't realize what an awesome waterfront we have and just want to bitch about the Delaware.

[mixiboi]

The music scene....seriously.

[Neb]

At the risk of getting flamed... SEPTA.

[cewillm]

RevZilla. For the 99$ of you who don't know what that is, it's a HUGE motorcycle gear e-tailer whose warehouse is in Pennsport, and they just happen to have a showroom where you can try-n-buy. For most motorcyclists you are stuck with the crappy gear at Cycle Gear, whatever the dealerships stock, or ordering online and risking poor fit. It's amazing to have that right down under 95.

And all of Pennsport is underrated, for the matter. I have a weird spiritual connection with the area and wish I could move back down there...

[Neb]

Mummers.

[ShoshTrvls]

Its Density. And by that I mean that within a very small, maybe 2 mi. by 2 mi. area, you have the best of almost everything the city has to offer -- in less than 1/2 hour, you can walk to and from almost any of the city's historical sites, museums, finest restaurants, loveliest public squares, and best shopping. Not to mention the fact that you can do so from your front door without spending $1,000,000 on your home.

[Brian616]

-How good the food is at your corner bar. If I ever move away, this will kill me.

-Neb is right, SEPTA is probably "underrated". I was in the Detroit Metro area before coming here (Ann Arbor, another great town), and they would KILL for our 14 train routes, 4 rapid transit lines and bunch of trolleys.

[PhilaCap]

Pennypack Park, the upper portion (Pine Rd. to Krewstown Rd.)

[lemonfresh]

My favorite block in the city, the 800 block of Pine.

[the mule]

Fairmount Park, the whole thing. Way underutilized. Even people that use Kelly Drive don't realize what an awesome waterfront we have and just want to bitch about the Delaware.

Agreed, but there are certainly parts of it that at times are way overutilized anymore which is what's behind my comment above. Go to Lemon Hill, Glendinning Rock Garden, or Devil's Pool on a hot summer day and they're all overrun with non-permitted parties and alcohol. Last weekend there were literally hundreds of people partying at Devil's Pool, starting fires, cooking on grills, and with plenty of open containers and public intoxication.

That's the shame of it, as more people begin to appreciate Fairmount Park, its value as a charming little escape from urban life is greatly diminished.

[6enny]

affordable good food
Parks
Mann center
Friendly neighbors

[Spicoli]

I'll add another one that was alluded to on the overrated thread:

summer in the city - Going out and doing some day-drinking in the city during the summer is great. With most of the students gone and so many others cleared out to go to the shore, there's such a laid back vibe to sticking around the city. There are still plenty of people out and about, but nothing is too packed. For such a large city, summer in the city takes on a very laid back atmosphere.

[6enny]

Eastern state penitentiary

[dogoagogo]

Trees
Narrow one-way streets that keep it a city of walkable neighborhoods and people vs. cars and traffic lights (like southern and western cities are)

I was trying to figure out what to order for dinner last night. I couldn't decide between Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indonesian, Cuban, Jamaican, BBQ, and so on. The variety of foods we have at our fingertips (delivery or going out) is really very unique.

[6enny]

Professional sports teams (seriously, but could probably be argued as overrated at points).