Inquirer Editorial: No, it's not Filthydelphia

When it comes to arbitrary rankings of debatable import, this has been a great year for Philadelphia. First, by barely avoiding a net loss of population, the city narrowly held its position as the nation's fifth largest, fending off an oven-baked desert outpost called Phoenix. Then, by striking visitors as a tad less squalid than New Orleans, it escaped the title of dirtiest city. Chant after us: We're No. 2!

The victory was especially gratifying given New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's infamous trashing of Philadelphia after a 2007 visit, when he told a crowd back home, "I want you to go to Philly, and you will appreciate how clean New Orleans is."

Apparently not. Readers of Travel + Leisure rated New Orleans "dirtiest in America," the magazine reports. Or, as Gawker put it, "There is not enough Febreze in the world to kill the scent of drunk sorority girls . . . vomiting out their last four hurricanes on the sidewalk."

Of course, many media naysayers spun Philly's triumphant 34th-of-35 ranking as "second dirtiest." The Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. was incensed enough to pull ads from Travel + Leisure - a regrettable tactic. Do city boosters really want to make us famous for press bullying?

More reasonably, the tourism group issued a roundup of the city's prouder showings in silly magazine polls, including: It's one of the country's best affordable family vacation destinations (U.S. News & World Report); the Phanatic is the nation's best sports mascot (Forbes); and a host of food-related accolades.

All true, but the tourism people seemed to be padding the stats when they noted that Airport Revenue News named Philadelphia International as having the "best concession management team."

So, are we really almost as disgusting as New Orleans? The consensus seems to be that Center City is quite clean and much improved. Elsewhere, though, there's no telling what you might see or smell.

But it's not as if the city isn't trying. The Streets Department's "Unlitter Us" campaign acknowledges the problem and urges action by the public - which is, after all, making the mess. The campaign's main drawback is annoyingly bad anti-litter poetry. Philadelphians would likely appreciate a less prolix approach, like, "Yo, pick that up! What do you think this is, New Orleans?"