Armchair Extra: Philly vs Chicago

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[@thiccbonkus]

max has one singular brain cell

[@spooky_pluto1]

He’s a special boi

[@procrastinatingpuma]

As a San Diegan, I can feel the humidity in this video

[@idoewjiofejw]

Yeah we’ve been having some weather haven’t we

[@phillygrunt2154]

As a Philadelphian, I can feel the ass backwards political atmosphere of CA

[@gunterxvoices4101]

Eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww Cal

[@miroreo]

Omg that’s such a good kitty!!!

[@UniquelyUnseen]

As someone who also makes bullet-pointed scripts, I get your pain. I have so much trouble with sourcing contenet to fit around what I am talking about, unless I have a very tight script to pull ideas from. Even then, its a game of searching archives and other public forums to get what I need. I really enjoyed the overall video, Philly does seem attainable. You did a great job Alan

[@razkrunk3169]

Nice videos btw. Just subscribed

[@topsnek4603]

I would also like to see you talk about some smaller rustbelt cities sometimes, like Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

[@nathanielthrush5581]

Philly is still incredibly segregated, it’s just that the diverse areas (south philly and university city) are more accessible to downtown than Chicagos diverse areas (Uptown, Rodgers Park, Humboldt Park). Lower Northeast, Frankford and Mayfair are also super diverse in Philly. However, Fishtown and most of Fairmount as well as center city outside of Chinatown are super white. Most of West Philly is black as is the case with North Philly, areas akin to Chicagos south and west sides. For sure, Chicago is more segregated but Philadelphia is still one of the most segregated US cities

[@Mergatroid]

Also don't forget Albany Park. It's one of the most diverse neighborhoods/ZIP codes in the country, not just Chicago.

[@nathanielthrush5581]

@@Mergatroid I looooove Albany Park! Kabobi is the shit

[@nathanielthrush5581]

@@elijah-wx7rc oh For sure, philly burbs are sooo economically segregated from the city even in comparison to chi

[@charleskummerer]

Yep, Alan is talking out of his ass here big time. Doesn’t know much about Chicago when he talks about it and it shows 😂

[@thomasberrymanll4595]

Yes but every city in the U.S. is pretty much segregated. Philly is of course but it isn’t on the same level of Chicago.

[@jonathanstensberg]

Philly very much does have hard segregation lines, particularly in west and north. You walk two or three blocks, and you switch between two radically different places.

[@Man2quilla]

Omg, hi Max!

[@matthewconstantine5015]

The winters were probably enough to make me choose Philly over Chicago, but the segregation thing really cements it. I grew up in a small town where everyone looked like me. I don't need to go back to that kind of living, thank you very much.

[@connection_ok]

Coming from an all white town into somewhere with diversity makes me think about how really not healthy it is to live in an all white town.

[@eottoe2001]

Chicago is a city for young people that you can live in and not require a car. There are a lot of places to make friends. Not bike-friendly exactly, it's flat and you can go down the back street to travel safely without out much traffic. Like Philadelphia, the food is great in Chicago. Most of the stop-off places along the El usually are interesting. There are race issues to deal with there though I never have had problems personally. The people for me are friendly. It was better in the 1980s and 1990s than now. It was easier to park, taxis were cheaper, and a decent room didn't cost an arm and a leg. While I am a Cubs fan, a Sox game is easier to get tickets. Not thrilled with all the new skyscrapers in that they look like every place else and I like the older buildings and wish they had kept them.

[@Madwonk]

Kitty, 10/10 video

[@Stjaernljus]

KITTY!

[@charleskummerer]

Philly isn’t denser than Chicago… they’re about identical boss

[@fredricardo3272]

This is true. Actually, Chicago is slightly more dense with 12,059 residents per square mile; whereas Philadelphia has 11,936 residents per square. Chicago is a sprawling, densely populated city, whereas Philadelphia is a smaller densely populated city. His notions of Chicago’s segregation are a bit too simplistic, but I understand the mistake because he doesn’t live here and it’s a huge city that difficult to understand. For example, On the far northeast side of Chicago are neighborhoods like: Uptown, Edgewater and Roger’s Park. These neighborhoods are incredibly diverse, not just in terms of race, but ethnicity, age, income, disability, religion and sexual identity. Furthermore, Hyde Park on the south side is a jewel of a neighborhood and would be a standout in any American city, and it is significantly diverse. Other neighborhoods on the Southside that would be the envy of many include: Beverly and the Jackson Highlands. In addition, Bronzeville is coming back nicely and homes sell there now for million dollars or more. Some of Chicago’s most beautiful neighborhoods are on the south side.

[@aimxdy8680]

@@fredricardo3272Philadelphia Metropolitian area is more densely populated than chicago metropolitan area. Philadelphia is a much older city and has strict planning that sort of prevents a large sprawl.

[@fredricardo3272]

@@aimxdy8680 Take up your argument with the US Census.

[@dtraw9573]

​@@aimxdy8680also wrong. Urban density of chicago is 3700 people.ler sq mile compared to philly's 3000 per sq mile... meaning the further out from the city limits you go, chicago region gets even more dense compared to philly region

[@stevencipriano3962]

Weird Lindon Square used to be a ghetto 40 years ago.......happy to speak to you about it

[@fredricardo3272]

This is a great video, but I need to correct a glaring error. Philadelphia is not more dense than Chicago. Chicago has 12,059 residents per square mile. Philadelphia has 11,936 per square mile. Unfortunately I believe that you are equating narrow streets and a smaller city with more density. In terms of population density, Chicago is just a bigger version of Philadelphia. Having lived on the East Coast for nearly a decade, and having lived in Chicago now for twelve years, I’m familiar with both cities. In terms of my preference, while I love Philadelphia, my love for Chicago is beyond compare. While Philadelphia has the benefit of being in close proximity to other great cities, quite frankly after living in Chicago the only other US city that has that “wow” factor is New York. So I don’t feel like I’m missing much else on the East Coast. Still, there are some unsung cities that are definitely worth visiting in the Great Lakes region: Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Detroit (if you haven’t been downtown Detroit in the last few years, you will be surprised). And the best college towns including: Madison WI, Ann Arbor, MI, Bloomington, IN, Indianapolis and Columbus, OH.

[@charlesthrush8134]

Well the thing is Philly has a more uniform density than Chicago. By the loop and the lakefront, chicago reaches Manhattan levels of density and yet 2 miles inland the city is basically just slightly denser than LA. Philly, with the exceptions of Northeast and Chestnut Hill, is a pretty consistent tight grid of row houses throughout (Center City gets dense too but it’s small). By the lakefront, Chicago is more lively than most parts of Philly, but once you get out to say Western Ave, it’s way less lively than Philly

[@fredricardo3272]

@@charlesthrush8134 Philly is 141 square miles with 11,936 people per square mile. Chicago is 234 square miles with 12,059 residents per square mile. I would agree with you that most of the far inland Chicago neighborhoods tend to be a little less lively, but we were talking about density.

[@globalzox]

I'd disagree that Chicago is more dense despite the data you pulled, as population density is based on city limits which isn't really an accurate representation of what's actually going on. Chicago's city limits are much larger, but given that it's population is much larger as well, if you look at the city limits on a map, you'll see that there aren't really any low density areas in the city limits. The city limits essentially all comprise the de facto urban fabric of Chicago. For Philadelphia on the other hand, check out it's city limits on a map. It has several very low density and suburban areas which are still "Philadelphia". These relatively empty areas in comparison are averaged into the density. To understand the point Alan is making, compare the inner city neighborhoods around the core and central population areas of both cities. You will see Philadelphia's neighborhoods in these regions are significantly higher density than Chicago's comparables. Just as an example, Center City is the second most densely populated downtown area in the US... only second to Midtown Manhattan.

[@jonathanstensberg]

In context, I think he meant something more like “compact” rather “people per unit area”.

[@connection_ok]

Can we hear it for Champaign-Urbana 🥺

[@sirjuly2791]

Yes plz! Highlight these issues in a future video!

[@oldsmobilethompson1658]

Hi, Max

[@user-pu7sq3ho2u]

fuck man i feel you on the adhd struggles.

[@gandhihype]

in love with max hes such a baby

[@liljuz1981]

love philly diversity u see everybody out here

[@nuntius1]

I watched this on a big tv💀

[@AlexPotvin]

and I thought I was crazy to like Savannah

[@mentallyillchic719]

i think it depends on where you're at. for instance, albany park and everything west of lincoln square is very diverse and very walkable. the far north lakeshore is probably the best in Chicago, uptown north through Edgewater and rogers park is another big walkable place that's very diverse. idk, i think philly is more dense and better overall than chicago (which i love and live in) but i think when comparing the best chunk, ie center city and south philly, you should compare it with the best chunk of chicago (the far north side along the lake).

[@davidw7]

Chicago just has sooo much more green in its neighborhoods with its standard street-grid of homes setback from the sidewalks for green-space and trees and smallish backyards facing a standard alleyway as part of that grid. Most lined with garages as utilitarian alleys. Were great also for running down those ugly power-line poles too that do not blemish the fronts and trees can soar. Green and trees are just a huge difference as most of Philly's row-home neighborhoods lack green frontage and much fewer trees with even no yards just a narrow walkway in backs. Aesthetics is 10-fold on Chicago's side and varied styles of housing that even if attached..... is butted different styles up against each other vs a solid wall effect of Philly standard rows.

[@dtraw9573]

What do you mean by dense? Chicago has higher population density than philly does

[@rm617]

Chicago is still a world class city. Philly is not comparing to Chicago.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Regardless, Philadelphia is a fantastic city.

[@billyjacc]

Fantastic Maxx! 😺

[@ishh1283]

Thank you for making this video and having a dedicated section with a critical race lens, so hard to find sometimes. Philly sounds great!

[@MrSquekersUPSB]

Any chance you can elaborate on your opinions on Savannah? I was born and raised there, and I can say it's a nice place to visit but not to live in (at least for me). I didn't grow up in the fancy walkable part that people think of when they think of Savannah, but in a trailer near the airfield. Any time I visit downtown though as an adult it is awesome how walkable everything is, and the insane amount of oak trees with the spanish moss provide an amazing amount of shade. I think this is what makes people's trip to Savannah so memorable. Outside of that, I remember taking a field trip to the bus station and them telling us about how the bus is free if you're under a certain age or you're lost. I'm not sure how the bus service is now as an adult. (I don't need to talk about trains because Sav doesn't have any, and probably never will) Most people that live in Savannah proper are going to be a mix of old money, SCAD students, marginalized (black) communities, and probably new money too? I am out of touch with how its changed in the past ~8 years. I know that the suburbs surrounding Savannah have blown up, and I will never forget the sadness I felt when the Tanger Outlets in Pooler were built. Real estate going crazy down there. Also Savannah is definitely the place where the historical society doesn't want to build dense housing to "keep the neighborhood feel" but its on steroids because a lot of revenue comes from tourism. Ok enough rambling thank you for listening.

[@thebabbler8867]

You don't know what you're talking about guy. Chicago is by far the most diverse and least segregated large city in America. Also, Chicago is a Black majority city; Black people are all over the city. Chicago is also less racist than any East Coast city because it has the most high-networth people of color of any city in America. ALL cities on the East Coast are extremely segregated and racist compared to the rest of the country.

[@lamegaming9835]

MAX!!!

[@bernadmanny]

Max has a moustache 🥸

[@Killersanchez256]

Hows Adhd for you? I recently found out i have it too im not surprised either. I just feel like my memory and concentration has gotten worse over time especially. Also what do u think about adhd meds is it worth it?

[@Aceboogie484]

Ppl in the comments speaking on my city #philly n not even from here is just crazy to me

[@NitroFury]

Hi Max!🐱

[@phuturephunk]

Hey guy. Long time watcher here. Have always loved your stuff. One thing : Stop classing that glorified town in with NYC. I mean, don't get me wrong, Boston is a lovely town...quaint, even, but yeah, knock that off.

[@swedishcatcrew]

Max!!!!!!!

[@PhlyWise]

Philly does a good job at looking diverse I guess lol but those neighborhoods you named are white areas a lot of them historically weren’t tho so you see ppl still linger on their blocks

[@roberth2627]

Chicago has always been segregated .it was known as the most segregated large city in America..But has produced some of the most powerful politicians both Black & white including America's 1st Black president. Obama..The city forges by fire it's a Leo city...The city with broad shoulders ..as Carl Sandberg wrote ,while Philly is The City of Brotherly Love ...& at one time was America's 1st city..Never been to Philly although I've always wanted to visit for I felt both cities had some overlapping similarities. I've met people from Philly who made Chicago their home..& said NYC was to much & expensive, but Chicago had the Goldie Locks happy medium ,Just Right ..Chicago does have pockets of integration. Like the Hyde Park area around the University of Chicago on the South side...Like your video's..!!.

[@aimxdy8680]

and also the most corrupt politicians, the biggest gang in chicago is the politicians