A Tale Of Two Cities: Philadelphia And Cleveland Put On 2016 Political Conventions

PHILADELPHIA, PA /PRNewswire/ — While presidential candidates are going head-to-head in heated discourse, the great American cities of Philadelphia and Cleveland are pushing political banter aside to ready themselves for the national spotlight as they host the Democratic National Convention (July 25-28) and Republican National Convention (July 18-21), respectively. Cleveland’s last political convention was the 1936 RNC; that same year, Philadelphia welcomed the DNC. The cities will be part of history again in 2016.

City Population (2013):

• Philadelphia – 1.6 million
• Cleveland – 390,100

Founding:

• Philadelphia – 1682
• Cleveland – 1796

Nicknames:

• Philadelphia – Philly, City of Brotherly Love, The Place That Loves You Back
• Cleveland – Forest City, Rock and Roll Capital of the World, The Land, The CLE

Economic Base:

• Philadelphia – By the early 20^th century, Philadelphia, called the “Workshop of the World,” was the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. Today’s industry landscape looks much different: “Eds and meds” ranks as the city’s top industry, and leisure and hospitality ranks fifth.
• Cleveland – Built by early 20^th century industrial entrepreneurs in the steel and manufacturing sectors,Cleveland is now an advanced manufacturing powerhouse, with productivity increasing 92% from 1999 to 2015. Entrepreneurs are playing a significant role in the resurging economy, expanding in health-tech, high-tech sectors from flexible electronics to health care to biomedical engineering. The city is also a health care hub with more than 60 hospitals, including the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

Buzz:

• Philadelphia – Lonely Planet ranked the city as the best place to visit in the United States in 2016.
• Cleveland – CNN named Cleveland one of its “16 Intriguing Things to See and Do in 2016” while the city is the only U.S. destination on FoxNews.com’s “10 under-the-radar destinations for 2016.”

Quakers vs. Shakers:

• Philadelphia – Finding religious freedom in William Penn’s colony, a pacifist sect of Christians called Quakers settled and grew in and around Philadelphia, contributing greatly to civic and philanthropic life.
• Cleveland – After splitting from the Quakers in England, the “Shaking Quakers” (so known for their ecstatic movement during worship services), or “Shakers,” moved from New York to Ohio and other states where they led austere lives, practiced celibacy and set trends with their simple furniture and crafts. Cleveland suburb Shaker Heights was named for them.

Famous American Firsts:

• Philadelphia – As the first U.S. capital and the site where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Philadelphia claims these firsts for the public good: first meeting ofCongress, public school, hospital, flag, newspaper, bank, free lending library, university, postal route, volunteer fire company, law school, stock exchange, U.S. Mint.
• Cleveland – Cleveland is the home to innovative firsts: the first electric streetlight, electric streetcar, electric traffic signal and rapid transit system from the airport to downtown. Pop culture firsts include: first rock and roll concert, “Superman” comic, Life Savers candies and broadcast of a “Monday Night Football” game, which aired from Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Cleveland residents also elected the first African-American mayor, Carl Stokes.

History Of Political Conventions:

• Philadelphia – Independence Hall housed the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Between 1848 and 2012, the city hosted one-quarter of the major national party conventions—most notably, the first convention of the new Republican Party in 1856; the Republican, Progressive and Democratic conventions in 1948, when Southern Democrats formed the “Dixiecrats;” and most recently, the Republican National Convention in 2000.
• Cleveland – This year marks the third Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Previous conventions were hosted in the Cleveland Public Auditorium in 1924 and 1936. The 1924 convention delivered general election winner Calvin Coolidge.

Top Attractions:

• Philadelphia – Independence National Historical Park (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, The President’s House, National Constitution Center, National Museum of American Jewish History), Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rocky steps, Valley Forge National Historical Park
• Cleveland – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Playhouse Square, The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Metroparks, A Christmas Story House, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland History Center

Major Musical History & Attractions:

• Philadelphia – Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff created the soulful “Sound of Philadelphia” in the early 1970s; a marker shows where their studios stood for more than 30 years. Another historical marker notes the location where Dick Clark broadcast “American Bandstand.”
• Cleveland – DJ Alan Freed first coined the phrase “rock and roll” here in 1952, so it is appropriate that the world’s only Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum calls the city home. The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the most acclaimed performing ensembles in the world, plays seasonally at Severance Hall in University Circle and has residencies in Vienna, Miami, at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York and at the Lucerne Festival.

Arts & Culture:

• Philadelphia – The grand Benjamin Franklin Parkway is lined with the world-renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art, Barnes Foundation, Rodin Museum and other institutions. Philadelphia is known as the “Mural Capital of the World,” thanks for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program’s 3,800 creations.
• Cleveland – Playhouse Square is the country’s largest performing arts center outside of New York with nine theaters in a one-block radius. University Circle is home to the world-famous Cleveland Orchestra, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the always free Cleveland Museum of Art, which features 900 pieces of artwork on display in 16,000-square-feet of renovated space.

Classic Food:

• Philadelphia – Almost no one leaves Philly without sampling a cheesesteak, roast pork sandwich or South Philadelphia’s Italian restaurants, where red sauce goes by “gravy.”
• Cleveland – Eastern European cuisine—including pierogis, stuffed cabbage and the Polish Boy—is the “must-have” for any visitor to Cleveland.

Contemporary Restaurant Scene:

• Philadelphia – Four words might best describe Philadelphia’s current food scene: alfresco, BYOB, Passyunk and Fishtown. The city’s first restaurant with sidewalk seating opened in 1998; today, Philly resembles a European city, with tables and chairs outside of almost every eatery. Because local liquor licenses can be hard to come by (expensive, time-consuming) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaniacontrols all in-state liquor sales, BYOBing is a way of life in Philadelphia. Two of the hottest restaurant hubs are vibrant neighborhoods outside of Center City: Fishtown in the north and East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia.
• Cleveland – Ranked number seven on Travel & Leisure‘s list of “America’s Best Cities for Foodies,”Cleveland’s food scene is booming with restaurants like Lola, from Iron Chef and “The Chew” hostMichael Symon, and Greenhouse Tavern, from James Beard Award recipient Jonathon Sawyer. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Platform Beer Co. and Market Garden Brewery have brought Cleveland to the forefront of the national beer scene. Restaurant hotspots include E. 4^th Street and the Ohio City andTremont neighborhoods.

ABOUT VISIT PHILADELPHIA^®:

VISIT PHILADELPHIA^® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy. On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages.

ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND:

Destination Cleveland is Cleveland’s convention and visitors bureau. This private non-profit organization’s mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes nearly 17 million visitors annually. For more information, visit  www.thisiscleveland.com.

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