Philadelphia

See also Wikipedia's article about "Philadelphia".

Philadelphia is a city approximately 90 miles southwest of New York. It is so close to New York, in fact, that virtually none of the state of New Jersey between the two cities remains undeveloped. Hipsters who can't afford Brooklyn have even begun commuting from Philly.

Founded by William Penn in 1680, it is one of the oldest cities in the country. Penn planned Philadelphia so that the streets would run either north-south or east-west, creating a grid system that would be easy to navigate (unlike most European cities, in which the streets just jut out every which way and it's impossible to find anything). This idea was later adopted by New York City as it stretched across Manhattan into what is now Midtown.

Philadelphia was also the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, a fact which has been endlessly fetishized by turning half of the city center into a colonial theme park. Philadelphia is often considered to have been the first capital of the United States, though this claim is often disputed.

Though Philadelphia has a high murder rate and is home to UPenn, limited parts of it are fairly nice. Just stay downtown and don't go East, North, or West (you might get shot). Also, don't take the subway after about 9:00 PM. Go to South Philly for cheesesteaks and Italian food or to see the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies beat up on some crappy team like the Mets.