Mayor Of Dirty City Bashes Other Dirty City

The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, recently spent some time in our fair city to learn about how we’ve gotten rid of blight. One might think it’s a little silly to go to Philadelphia to learn about anything but our plan to license the city’s tour guides, but apparently we’re done a good job on blight, too.

What we, the city, apparently haven’t done well is keep it clean, or at least not as clean as New Orleans, which was scrubbed when Hurricane Katrina was nearly turned into the Lost City of Atlantis. (The city was built in an old riverbed or something.) Ray Nagin noticed this, and told a crowd in New Orleans about how dirty our city is.

Wait, so? Isn’t this city dirty? I mean, don’t we always bash it for being so effing dirty? The Center City District cleans up, but, ah, isn’t everywhere else just full of slobs? I know, I know, if you’re from out of town you’re not allowed to bash the city while we Philadelphians are. But, ah, getting upset because somebody called the city dirty? And, uh, isn’t every city dirty?

But let’s let Councilwoman Jeannie Blackwell defend the city against Nagin’s joke:

“But we have many areas. Nothing’s more beautiful than the Art Museum everywhere you look.”

She’s right. Our Art Museum is pretty clean. Only one or two of the paintings have graffiti on them.

Oh, and 6 ABC made Ray Nagin apologize. Thanks, local media!

Update, 8:57 a.m. Took me a little longer than I thought it would to find this. From Bob Alotta’s Mermaids, Monasteries, Cherokees and Custer: The Stories Behind Philadelphia Street Names:

“Filthy-dirty” has been one of Philadelphia’s pseudonyms for almost three centuries—at least. In fact, Robert Venable, a man with a remarkable memory born in 1736, recalled hearing that descriptive title used in youth. As Venable remembered them, Philadelphia streets were alternatively muddy or dusty, depending on the weather…. despite the [later] installation of paved streets, Philadelphia remained “filthy-dirty.” Laws were enacted that required residents to sweep the sidewalks in front of their properties every Friday. Where did they put the refuse? Where else? In the street! By 1765… Robert Wrwin was appointed city “scavenger.” His job was to clean all the streets—once a week. Philadelphia’s streets did not improve, even with Erwin’s efforts.

Nagin Apologizes for Bashing Philly [6 ABC]