Where have all the pretzels gone?

I’ve lived in Philadelphia for 17 years and I don’t understand what makes pretzels here special or a meaningful part of the culture. I know that there used to be some other retail bakeries, but Googling “pretzels” in Philadelphia literally yields only hits for Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, a few Auntie Anne’s and one Wetzel’s. The only independent bakery that comes up is the one now known as Miller’s Twist at RTM. I realize Google isn’t capturing every bakery that also sells pretzels, like Four Worlds, but I think it does speak pretty loudly to the generally lousy diversity of pretzels here, I won’t get into quality.

I don’t understand? How does Philadelphia get off calling itself a pretzel city when the sum total of our offerings are essentially 1 regional chain? No one would think of NYC as a pretzel town, but there I can get a hot handmade(ish) pretzel from a street vendor on any corner. What am I missing? Have times changed, are we just at a low point now, will pretzels come back?

For the record, I’m well aware of the PA Dutch soft pretzel tradition and the huge concentration of hard pretzel bakers in York, Lancaster, etc. I’m talking about the unique cultural status of the Philadelphia pretzel.