Never been to Philly or anywhere on the east coast for that matter but people I know who have been to Philly always come back surprised how much they like it.
I went to college on the east coast, though, not in Philly. I remember one of the first times I went to the gym to play basketball as a freshman, I saw two white dudes in their 40s playing one on one hardcore...full court. I've played basketball since the age of 8 and have never done that. After, they were flinging one-handed full court shots and were screaming "Randall Cunningham!" So I figured they were from Philly. I also have never even tried making a full court shot. What's the point? They were out there playing every Saturday morning. These guys were different.
Went to Temple so spent 4 years traveling around the City and residing in Bucks County. Definitely a great city for history, restaurants, and nightlife. The surrounding boroughs are great too.
I'm not driving to Philly just to get a cheesesteak Where can you get the best cheesesteak without having to drive so far?