Thursday, August 18, 2005
215 Stand Up
The notion that a city should surrender its identity once it's been "discovered" by priveleged hipsters is disgusting. I have NEVER EVER heard a Philadelphian refer to her or his city as "the sixth borough". But what do you expect from a journalist whose weekly gossip article is fueled by snarky put-downs?
The story behind the story is New Yorkers running away from themselves. The reason settlers need a "new Brooklyn" is because these same people plundered the old Brooklyn, leaving chain stores, mediocrity & skyrocketing rents in their wake. Developer Bart Blatstein is despised in Northern Liberties. People like him don't make vibrant neighborhoods, they "develop", then destroy them. The same people who want to keep their 718 area code in Philly wanted to hang on to their 212 when they first moved to Brooklyn. Go figure.
I welcome my NYC sisters & brothers to Philadelphia. Just leave the NY Times delusions of annexation on the Chinatown bus. Embrace the 215. Stay (even on the weekends). Know the city. Become the city. Love Philly. Hate Philly. Be Philly.
- Frank Sherlock
