Philadelphia

Denmark (Honorary)

Germany (Honorary)

Italy

Portugal (Honorary)

While Philadelphia is a city that struggles with crime, it's important to remember that the places visitors are likely to spend time in are quite safe and well policed.

Center City and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods in particular have low crime rates. Wealthier neighborhoods, like Rittenhouse Square, Old City and Society Hill, are safe, as are most central districts, including the majority of Northeast Philadelphia, the Art Museum Area, Chinatown, the Parkway, and Bella Vista. Some personal crimes break-ins, muggings, burglary, assault happen but much less often than the media suggest. On the flip side, violent crime is sometimes censored with the influence of developers and their PR companies. Northern Liberties is widely known to be a safe and hip area, but violent crime is very real even with the gentrification process.

Other parts of the city still struggle with crime. Violence is generally concentrated in the north central, west, and southwest portions of the city, and also to some extent in Powelton Village between Drexel University and the Philadelphia Zoo though the latter location has seen some improvements. It is not wise to walk too far off Broad St. PA Route 611 in North Philly around the Temple University area.

Philadelphia has a lower crime rate than tourist-friendly cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C, and New Orleans. As of December 2009, the homicide rate had dropped 20% over the previous year, continuing a trend of reduced violence in the city.

Also, be careful of traffic when crossing at major intersections—in Philadelphia, as in many major cities, one must always walk, cross, and drive defensively. The winding Schuylkill expressway provides some beautiful views, particularly around Boathouse Row, but do not try to enjoy them from your car; with the high speeds, the river on one side, and jagged rocks on the other, this is a sure way to cause an accident.

Although it is blown out of proportion at times, Philadelphia sports fans have earned a reputation as a very passionate and notorious bunch. It is advised to be extra vigilant when attending a major sports match at the Sports Complex, particularly those who have the courage to wear the opposing team's gear in hostile territory. For these fans, it is best not to provoke the Philadelphia faithful and take their jabs in stride, as fans have been assaulted and even seriously injured in fights in and around the Sports Complex and around town.

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Colloquialisms

For someone who isn't familiar with either the Mid-Atlantic / Northeast or even just Philadelphia, local lingo in the area can seem rather daunting. Here is a breakdown of Philadelphia's most popular local terms:

Wooder

Water

Youse (guys)

You guys, you all. Second-person plural. Can sound like /juːs/ (yooce or /juːz/ yooze.

Water Ice

A dessert served by local restaurants that features flavored slushy ice. Sometimes called Italian Ice. Pop's, near the corners of Oregon Avenue and Broad Street, is arguably the most popular.

Gravy

This is tomato sauce, and is for the most part only used by those who are of Italian heritage. "Gravy" is usually prepared with meat including meatballs, sausage, and sometimes pork in order to give it flavor.

Coffee Regular

Coffee with cream and sugar.

Jimmies

Chocolate or rainbow colored candy sprinkled onto ice cream or cookies.

Hoagie

Submarine sandwich.

Grinder

A toasted hoagie.

contact

Philadelphia is thoroughly covered by all of the major American cellular telephone companies. AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Sprint-Nextel Wireless, and T-Mobile Communications phones will all receive full service in most parts of the city. As always, service indoors varies according to signal strength, phone brand, and the composition of the building itself. AT&T has contracted with SEPTA to provide wireless service in transit tunnels.

Wireless Philadelphia, a project that intended to cover the entire city with wireless internet access, is undergoing some management troubles. While the entire city is not yet covered, Rittenhouse Park, as well as many Starbucks and the ING Cafe at 17th and Walnut Sts., are hot spots. Reading Terminal Market also has free wifi.