Those videos are just heartbreaking. It was *nothing* like that when I was there. I didn’t hang around Kensington back then, only passed by it a few times. It was a little sketchy, but nothing like what it is now. It was still a relatively productive area with open stores and delis, etc. Of course, this was in the Frank Rizzo and Willie Green days and fentanyl wasn’t a thing yet. Heck, even crack hadn’t become desirable yet. I think that might have just started to rear its ugly head when I left.
I’ve heard Center City is not safe at all anymore and that it’s also wise to keep heightened awareness on the Temple campus even in broad daylight.
The Philly where I came of legal age and of which I have fond memories no longer exists. I haven’t been back in years. I wonder if McGillan’s is still a good place? That was a stone’s throw from where I lived and my friends and I spent many an evening there. I was even in a band that played there once in a while.
The last time we visited someone in Philly was a number of years ago, but it was getting really bad then too. We had to go through that formerly beautiful area on the Ben Franklin Parkway (near where the Franklin Institute and the Art Museum are located), and there were hordes of homeless people living there along the street, in tents, and boxes, and various other things. They were homeless, and I believe a lot of them had various drug and alcohol problems, as well as nasty, unsanitary, public bodily function habits. It was such a shame for everyone involved.
Now, to compound that situation, the extremely heightened danger of living in or visiting cities like that these days (due to Soros' DA's, weird politicians, and out-of-control, violent punks), makes it even worse.
I had to look up
"McGillin's Old Ale House". They have an interesting web site. I don't know if they are still as good as you remember them, or if it is a safe place to go, but if you ever decide to visit there again, I would recommend you go with a large, heavily-armed group.
:-) (I bet they have fun there on St. Paddy's day!)
(You mentioned you were in a band there. I know that "youtube" wasn't around yet, when Rizzo and Green were mayors, but did you happen to have any videos from back then of you and your band that you later uploaded to youtube?)