I live in Philadelphia, PA, population 5 million (that's the metro area, too, not just the city itself).
It has a diverse population, including African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin, you name it.
I live in the outskirts of the city where it's more residential, rather than like a downtown. I'm about a mile from a city park called Fairmount Park, which stretches a good 10 to 12 miles from my area into the downtown. It's fun to ride my bike down there.
There are some really good restaurants here, along with a good dose of history, with Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin, etc. People from all over the world come to see the Liberty Bell. I've taken many friends and family members to see it and the national rangers always poll the group about where it's from and it's a good mix.
The city has a big boxing history. The big venue back in the day was the Blue Horizon and fights are still held there, though the casinos in Atlantic City have taken a lot of the boxing business. It's a big sports town, but the people are pretty parochial in that they rarely pay attention to any other teams but their own, unlike New England, where they seem a bit more knowledgeable about teams in general. The big sport is football. It's 365/24-7 Eagles, Eagles and more Eagles. Basketball is pretty big, too, and though this used to be considered a baseball town, poor ownership and management have doomed the team in the last 15 years and people have responded by not showing up at the ballpark. Even the new park didn't sell out every game the first year.
The hockey team has a rabid following. They often sell out, but it's not a city-wide craze. More people are into football and hoops more than anything else.
Philadelphia is also famous for the cheesesteak, which is like shaved steak on a torpedo roll covered in Cheez-Whiz (blech). There are several variations of this sandwich, but it's not authentic unless it has Cheez-Whiz, so they say
. I think it's gross, but then again, I don't eat beef
.
The music scene is pretty cool. The city has a rich R&B and rock history. Some famous Philadelphians: Bill Cosby, Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Pink, Will Smith, Hall & Oates, Teddy Pendergrass, Silvertide, the Hooters...the list goes on
