Philadelphians can enjoy #PhillyDelivers specials and deals at participating coffee shops & restaurants, today
PHILADELPHIA – This morning, Philadelphia’s coalition for Amazon HQ2 released a short video highlighting the city’s diversity, affordability, and recreation, cultural and dining experiences. The video features Piper Wai Co-Founder Jess Edelstein, Iroko Pharmaceuticals founder Osagie Imasogie, Randy LoBasso of the Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition, Yards Brewery COO Trevor Pritchett, Natalie W. Nixon of Figure 8 Thinking, and Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, co-owners of Vedge.
“I love Philadelphia,” said Edelstein. “It almost feels like the best-kept secret, and I feel like I’m ready to tell it now.“
A majority-minority city, Philadelphia draws immigrants from around the world and has scored a perfect 100 on the index for LGBTQ equality. The City also provides innumerable recreation, cultural and dining opportunities. Along with being the first World Heritage City in the U.S., Philadelphia is within an hour’s drive of beaches, lakes, mountains and countryside. Amazon employees can enjoy more restaurants by 2017 James Beard Award winners than any other city, as well as one of the largest public art collections and urban park systems in the country.
“You can’t appreciate it until you leave the city, and you realize this doesn’t exist anywhere else,” said Landau. “There’s all this cobblestone and these narrow little streets, and these quaint old buildings. Once you get out of Philadelphia, and you see the rest of the United States, you recognize how special Philadelphia is.”
Philadelphia is also uniquely affordable among our big-city peers. Amazon employees will see their money stretch 18% further than they currently do in Seattle, due to Philadelphia’s affordable housing, transportation and healthcare costs. The current median price of a single-family home in the Philadelphia region is $242,000, as compared to $472,000 in Seattle, $446,000 in Boston, $423,000 in D.C. and $412,000 in New York.
The “livability” video is the third video released this week, as part of a multi-day #PhillyDelivers campaign in the lead-up to the official HQ2 proposal deadline on Thursday, October 19. Philadelphians can participate today by sharing their favorite thing about living in Philadelphia on social using #PhillyDelivers or by writing on a chalkboard in the City Hall Courtyard from 11:30AM – 2:30PM. Restaurants will also be sharing #PhillyDelivers happy hour deals and coffee promotions. Follow the conversation on social using the #PhillyDelivers hashtag. Some of the participating restaurants includeQuaker City Coffee, Menagerie, Garces Group restaurants, McGillins, Tir Na Nog, Sky Garten, Silence Dogood’s Tavern, A.Bar/ A.Kitchen, Keating’s Rope and Anchor, among others.
The “livability” video as well as Monday’s “logistics” video and Tuesday’s “talent” video were produced by Philadelphia firm, Leveler Media. Rakia Reynolds, founder of Skai Blue Media and Entrepreneur in Residence at Visit Philadelphia, oversaw the creative elements of Philadelphia’s bid for HQ2.