The Sixth Borough
posted by Dave Hoffman
A bunch of New York advertising students were asked by a local paper to create a campaign to draw New Yorkers to Philly. My favorite is featured to the right. Others are here (including a racy one not appropriate for this blog, but which would be worth posting in the West Village).
Of course, the general idea of the campaign seems to be extension of the sixth borough tripe concocted by the Times last August. I resent this trend. But I’d sure like to see a growing population in town.
The weird thing for me about this campaign is that you rarely see one American city target another American city’s residents as potential immigrants in this way (exceptions: the Gold and Land Rushes of the 1800s; Florida and Arizona’s retirement booms). And the idea actually seems somehow unlawful (even though it isn’t). Philadelphia can try to steal New York’s residents, but can’t ban its garbage?
June 23, 2006 at 12:00 am
Posted in: Culture
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Responses (6)
Liz L - June 23, 2006 at 6:17 am
Last night I attended a Chamber of Commerce/Phila Bar Assoc YLD (Young Lawyers Division) event where a guest panel, strategically situated with the beautiful Philadelphia skyline behind them, did a nice job selling the city to summer associates. The major selling points were the City’s easy access to the country’s financial and political capitals, the low cost of living, and the high quality of life.
While it will never be New York, Philadelphia needs to shake its inferiority complex and learn to stand on its own two feet. There’s no need for it to be the “sixth borough!”
Juan Steedos - June 23, 2006 at 8:42 am
There is no inferiority. Maybe besides artists, gangbangers can come to avail of liberal PA. gun laws and thus allow Philly to continue to chip away at NY’s murder rate and, in time, surpass it for good.
Q: Please can Bobby Abreu go the other way?
Eric Muller - June 23, 2006 at 9:20 am
Liz L. is right.
Besides, everybody already knows that the Sixth Borough is Staten Island.
Frank - June 23, 2006 at 11:17 am
The Sixth Borough is Jersey City! We got all sorts o’ rail lines into the city. We’re a lot closer to manhattan than most of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island….though I have to admit the video for “Papa Don’t Preach” makes Staten Island look pretty good.
in any event, I love Philly, and it doesn’t need to compare itself to NY to look good!
Ed C - July 31, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Staten Island is already a borough!
dave r. - February 10, 2007 at 3:25 am
philadelphia could very well be newyork’s 6th bogrough–but thats mainly because of its relative close location to nyc. but in all other respects, philadelphia is = a poor man’s BOSTON. a tidy,organized,calm,historical,colonial,friendly city; but like slummier than boston.
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