I am profoundly saddened by the decline, decay and loss of civic pride, once unthinkable in this beautiful city.  Philadelphia ranked as one of the most livable large cites in the United States with a mixed population that enriched and enhanced the experience of urban life.

Having lived here since 1958, I've seen this special  place overcome its inferiority complex and progressively grow its self esteem.  By 1980 it was a world class city again, vigorous and vital.  Then the city began to wane and decline as a place for living only to become a reason for opportunistic ventures. It's almost as if it felt unworthy of itself and rather wished to justify a self fulfilling prosphesy of inadequacy by veiling itself with a cosmetic facelift.

It has become the driver of an exotic automobile and what I mean by that is this adage.  "The less interesting the person, the more interesting his car."  A beautiful and impressive skyline sprang up from the corrridors of no man's alley but showed little life along the cemented footpaths below.  Each new  sarcophagus seemed to house little more than an exquisite dead mummy, something to look at but not partner with..  

Places have personality and many travellers are very much aware of this.  Philadelphia had always had a reputation for being an almost but not quite sort of place which is very unfortunate, especially when those responsible for its well being share similar thoughts. However, this city also had a feeling of home about it, something that shunned glitzy accoutrements and embraced an endearing sense of belonging.  

I always felt that this place had genuine class expressed as a reserved undertone of neighborhood pride and sense of well being. The cultural aspect of this place was rarely matched elsewhere nor more fervently supported by those living within and outside it's vaguely defined limits.  This place was home to more than its  inhabitants but for our suburban neighbors as well. This isn't so anymore. 

Well, I've finally thrown in the towel and have no interest in either participating nor contributing anything of myself or my efforts into this  place. I feel a great loss because of these feelings. The indifference toward quality of life and the focus on financial enrichment from commercial and tourism interests leaves little for much else. 

Noble efforts to rejuvenate this city had a respectable success for a while and showed great promise as a model for others to emulate. Then it lost its will, I suppose and found no way to stem the bleeding of fleeing inhabitants to the suburbs.  Many of those  who once considered this city as home now seem to view it as a dangerous and hostile environment, a place to avoid rather than visit.  How sad that is.

Streets, housing some of the smartest shops in town, became sleazy commercial strips propigated with fast food places, arcades and even a store specializing in assorted condoms only. Once closed off to traffic,  Chestnut St. is no longer a pedestrian walkway but a road again expeditng hurried folks driving from here to nowhere in particular. 

Well I certainly don't expect any undeserved kudos  from our chamber of commerce or tourist bureau for what I write but my feeling of disappointment and digust overide any civic support that might be expected from me. Failure to fulfill potential isn't due to lack of resources but rather lack of will and that's something I simply can't overlook.  Things didn't have to turn out this way, it could have been different.  

Chris Ray