Josh Harris busting out the "Camden Sixers" threats

[zaz102]

I'm not buying that people are taking their families to games. Buying 4 tickets plus parking and food you're looking at an absolute minimum of $400. Who the hell is dropping that on random Tuesday in February? And then you have to get the kids back so they get some sleep and wake them up for school the next day?!? Hell no.

What? You always see families in the crowd. My family took me when I was young and I take my family occasionally now.

[Tony Franciosa]

don't understand the aversion to public transit. I take the train out of the city all the time at 11:00 and it's nothing to be scared of... hell, they are more likely to be filled with other people who attended the game. I'll never get this city's obsession with driving everywhere.

[Arsenal]

Yeah, just call it "NIMBY" and that negates the good points he was making. Trust me, people living in suburbs and especially those taking families to games want no part of mass transit. Like I said, I have no dog in this fight, but no way would I be getting on a train at 11pm with my wife to get home after a game. And that has nothing to do with being "NIMBY".

Well then you can drive. Most people will prefer to use transit now that the arena will be built on a transit hub.

Could you have at least read my posts before responding? Talk about missing the point.

"I have no dog in this fight" means I don't really care. I stopped going to games years ago due to the insane prices, but I don't see suburban families jumping on trains to go to games as a rule.

For city dwellers, I suppose it's a home run unless you're somehow affected by the location. But Harris and the Philly politicians aren't concerned with the 'average fan' when looking at a project like this. But then, that's pretty much consistent with the direction that pro and big time college sports have gone in the last decade anyway.

Not everyone is as scared of transit as you are. Plenty of people, including families, will be happy to not have to drive into the city anymore to catch a game.

It’s great to be able to park in the suburbs and take a train that stops directly at the arena instead of having to drive through city traffic, then walk a quarter, half mile, or more to get to the arena.

[mjkvol]

Well then you can drive. Most people will prefer to use transit now that the arena will be built on a transit hub.

Could you have at least read my posts before responding? Talk about missing the point.

"I have no dog in this fight" means I don't really care. I stopped going to games years ago due to the insane prices, but I don't see suburban families jumping on trains to go to games as a rule.

For city dwellers, I suppose it's a home run unless you're somehow affected by the location. But Harris and the Philly politicians aren't concerned with the 'average fan' when looking at a project like this. But then, that's pretty much consistent with the direction that pro and big time college sports have gone in the last decade anyway.

Not everyone is as scared of transit as you are. Plenty of people, including families, will be happy to not have to drive into the city anymore to catch a game.

It’s great to be able to park in the suburbs and take a train that stops directly at the arena instead of having to drive through city traffic, then walk a quarter, half mile, or more to get to the arena.

"Scared"?

This conversation's over, have a wonderful night.

[M2J]

don't understand the aversion to public transit. I take the train out of the city all the time at 11:00 and it's nothing to be scared of... hell, they are more likely to be filled with other people who attended the game. I'll never get this city's obsession with driving everywhere.

It's definitely a fact that most of the people on the trains are fans. They're also going to add extra trains/cars just for those stations. Some even add extra bus lines that are out of service that are directly for ticket holders that need rides to areas where they park or that connect to transit.

[mjkvol]

don't understand the aversion to public transit. I take the train out of the city all the time at 11:00 and it's nothing to be scared of... hell, they are more likely to be filled with other people who attended the game. I'll never get this city's obsession with driving everywhere.

I dont know how this turned into being "scared" or "obsessed". Maybe it's being a lifelong suburbanite, or whatever, but I just far prefer to drive than take a train or especially a bus. I don't think that needs to be psychoanalyzed.

[APettyJ]

Yeah, you should be able to grab a train from anywhere SEPTA lines run to the Chinatown stop and then just walk the last half mile. And you know there will be a ton of new restaurants and bars that pop up around there.

Driving down there should be completely unnecessary.

All the trains will basically offload in the basement of the new arena, or at most 2 blocks/3min walk away. It's the drivers who may end up walking 1/2mi to get to the arena, which is why it's expected more people will use transit because it will be more convenient.

For those who drive in and will be walking to their cars after games, whereas now when they walk to their car at the WFC it's past other cars and asphalt, on Center City they'll be walking past restaurants and shops, and rather than continue to walk to their car and wait out traffic, some will go in these spots that are along their walk and wait out traffic there, lessening the immediate traffic crunch while also spending additional money on the local economy. This is something that's not possible at the current complex, unless you parked on 10th St north of Packer and must walk past Xfinity and the Casino to reach your vehicle.

[Snotbubbles]

Yeah, just call it "NIMBY" and that negates the good points he was making. Trust me, people living in suburbs and especially those taking families to games want no part of mass transit. Like I said, I have no dog in this fight, but no way would I be getting on a train at 11pm with my wife to get home after a game. And that has nothing to do with being "NIMBY".

Well then you can drive. Most people will prefer to use transit now that the arena will be built on a transit hub.

Don’t want to get into an insult/dismissal war with anyone here, I’ll just say that calling me a ‘NIMBY’ when I don’t live in Chinatown or center city, and when my main point was that there were many other good locations in my city/backyard, doesn’t really hit the mark.

Even if you want the arena there for whatever reason, I’m just asking people not to pretend that that particular site makes some kind of sense beyond ‘Parker and Boyer want $ now, Harris wants the spot he wants.’ If this decision was about the best thing for the city as a whole, the team itself, or even the people most impacted by the arena, they wouldn’t have chosen this site.

You’re probably going to translate that in your head into ‘oh this dude is one of those wackos who fights everything’ or whatever, can’t really change that but I’ll just say that’s way more in you than me. Im not really super passionate about this issue, just following what I’ve heard and thought through about it.

Also fwiw I work in policy and politics in the city and state (something I did a lot of work on actually passed on Thurs in council, right before the arena vote). I know exactly how these kinds of deals get done and the politics behind them, and this was 100% about the usual Philly politics and relationships and not at all about urban planning. Really, and without question.

I live in the city and could easily take the blue-line and get to the arena in 15 minutes.

But driving in the city is a no-no, one way streets with two lanes, double parked cars, restaurants with seating on the street and permits with no end dates, tons of people crossing at cross walks or jay walking. Now add another 5-10K cars to that all at the same time going to the same place? Good luck driving to a game. It will take you an hour to get within a mile from the stadium, good luck finding parking, and then you'll spend an hour and half trying to get out of a parking garage. For drivers, it will be the most unpleasant event they attend. The shark move would be to go to the game and then get dinner afterward so you're not leaving the city until 11-11:30ish, but not sure many people want their kids out that late during the week.

[Negrodamus]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

[mjkvol]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

[Black Mage]

If I recall correctly, they upped parking costs to $40 dollars a game. It was robbery to park at the arena. I think a train that drops off right below the stadium is a much better option coming from the suburbs. Presuming there will be restaurants abound in the general vicinity you can easily get to the game early and have dinner before going to the arena.

[Negrodamus]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

I’m not directing my post to you, just the general discussion of the suburbanites taking issue with the lack of parking options. It’d be like me, a person living in the city, complaining about how pedestrian unfriendly certain suburbs are. People living in that town don’t give a **** about what I think of their town.

[mjkvol]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

I’m not directing my post to you, just the general discussion of the suburbanites taking issue with the lack of parking options. It’d be like me, a person living in the city, complaining about how pedestrian unfriendly certain suburbs are. People living in that town don’t give a **** about what I think of their town.

I hear you. I could be dead wrong in believing that all or most suburbanites would react to this as I have. If I lived in the city and went to a lot of games I'm sure I would be thrilled with the idea.

[HardenToSixers]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

I’m not directing my post to you, just the general discussion of the suburbanites taking issue with the lack of parking options. It’d be like me, a person living in the city, complaining about how pedestrian unfriendly certain suburbs are. People living in that town don’t give a **** about what I think of their town.

completely disingenuous comparison

[Negrodamus]

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

I’m not directing my post to you, just the general discussion of the suburbanites taking issue with the lack of parking options. It’d be like me, a person living in the city, complaining about how pedestrian unfriendly certain suburbs are. People living in that town don’t give a **** about what I think of their town.

completely disingenuous comparison

K

[M2J]

With all due respect to people from the suburbs, I’m indifferent on how they are getting to the game. The public transit is available to make it easy. If it’s driving or bust, then suffer the consequences of driving and parking in Philadelphia or enjoy the game from your home. The benefits of making that area of Philly better far outweighs the concerns of non-Philadelphians.

And I'm indifferent to the whole damn thing. I was just giving the POV of the suburban fan.

The primary beneficiaries are going to be the owners and the local politicians and construction companies. I'd love to see a legitimate poll on how city dwellers feel about it.

I’m not directing my post to you, just the general discussion of the suburbanites taking issue with the lack of parking options. It’d be like me, a person living in the city, complaining about how pedestrian unfriendly certain suburbs are. People living in that town don’t give a **** about what I think of their town.

I think the city officials have to be somewhat happy about the idea that it will jumpstart more people taking that system. For a lot of people I know, it's the only time someone uses public transit, because it is a hassle to drive in and drive out, especially if you don't have kids. People often feel safer because you typically are around a ton of other people that came from the game. Lots of people like to drink before during and after these games or concerts and driving is a bad idea.... Taking Uber is literally hell because your driver will take an hour to get to you and an hour to get out. Plus it's just cheaper