Whats it like living in Philly?

[MP3Architect]

hey so i got a job interview lines up with one of the top architecture firms on the planet and funny enough they're located in philly. was plannin on staying in london or nyc but i would move there for this. is philly nice? whats a ballpark price for single bedroom price in a descent part of town near the center? under $1k? is it relatively safe around town?

and my biggest question... especially for a mazda crowd.... could i live there without a car? at least for a few years. i sold my msp + mp3 already and need to pay off school loans before getting another car. I don't want a car right now which is one reason i wanna stay in a big city. is philly's transit system any good?

cheers!

 

[Wbriggs19061]

u should be able to find like a studio or 1bd apartment for under $1k. and transit isnt bad..id atleast have a bicycle..

 

[gone_fishin]

hey so i got a job interview lines up with one of the top architecture firms on the planet and funny enough they're located in philly. was plannin on staying in london or nyc but i would move there for this. is philly nice? whats a ballpark price for single bedroom price in a descent part of town near the center? under $1k?

Couldn't give you an exact price, but it's very affordable compared to most cities in the NE.

is it relatively safe around town?

Yes, especially compared to cities like washington and baltimore. There are some bad areas to stay out of, but they're in the minority. Bad areas would be west philly, some parts of south (though it seems to be up and coming), the neighborhood around temple university, and basically any place on the immediate NJ side of the deleware river.

is philly's transit system any good?

cheers!

To be honest, it's nothing to shout about. Philly's public transportation system is SEPTA. Their trains are notoriously late and inconsistant. Their buses are probably only marginally better.

 

[Wbriggs19061]

stay outta cobbs creek (i think thats what its called)...i took acouple wrong turns one time and ended up there...lock the doors and rollup the windows..

 

[zoom_craigy_zoo]

My fiance and I spent a weekend in Philly for a little mini-vacation. Now mind you, we are in no way "city folk". We live in a small NH town. I totally felt comfortable with Philly. I mean yeah, there are bums hanging out around the city, and some whacko's too... but as long as you are aware of your surroundings, its a pretty safe place to be. Not once did I feel threatened while I was there. There's a lot to see, and a lot of tourists as well. I can't really tell you much about the transportation or living conditions though. Good luck with everything though!

 

[chaos2015]

yea stay outta west philly. My uncle has a dounut shop there near drexel, while i was there helping him out someone broke in my car and took the radio

 

[mikeski]

my great aunt just passed away, her place is in port richmond in North East philly. nicest part of the city in my opinion. we are selling it or willing to rent for 1k.

 

[BOOSTR]

You can get around without a car there for sure. Car insurance would be extreme in Center City as would parking.

Check out this link for Philly information http://www.philly.com/

There's places all over Philadelphia county that you do not want to be in not just certain parts of west and north philly.

 

[mikeski]

PA has lower ins than Jersey.

 

[MP3Architect]

awesome guys.... thanks for the info

 

[gone_fishin]

awesome guys.... thanks for the info

np. let us know how it turns out.

 

[jbiird317]

my sister goes to drexel university and lives more or less by herself. She has a large 2 bedroom apt (1/4 of a duplex) and pays around 1200. I would think that you could easily find a 1BR for cheap. She drives to work but could just as easily take a train, shes just notoriously late and cant keep up with the train schedule. Trains can be a bit inconsistent but they are never majorly delayed without good reason. Honestly I'd rather have to put up with marginal public transportation than drive anywhere near the surekill... as for safety, its my baby sister and I feel perfectly comfortable with where she lives (near 36th and hamilton). Hope that helps and good luck with the interview!

 

[MP3Architect]

my sister goes to drexel university and lives more or less by herself. She has a large 2 bedroom apt (1/4 of a duplex) and pays around 1200. I would think that you could easily find a 1BR for cheap. She drives to work but could just as easily take a train, shes just notoriously late and cant keep up with the train schedule. Trains can be a bit inconsistent but they are never majorly delayed without good reason. Honestly I'd rather have to put up with marginal public transportation than drive anywhere near the surekill... as for safety, its my baby sister and I feel perfectly comfortable with where she lives (near 36th and hamilton). Hope that helps and good luck with the interview!

man..... 1200.... thats about what im paying now (around 580) for a shoebox and sharing a kitchen. ugh. and man... if that area is good im fine with that. thats totally walking distance from the firm (20th @ Hamilton). just jump the river from that hood.

np. let us know how it turns out.

yeah for sure. if the interview goes well and i get an offer i will definitely be asking more questions as i really start trying to find an apartment

 

[turbolife]

Good luck with your interview man!

 

[MP3Architect]

ive been thinkin a lot more about philly lately. my interview is next week so we'll see.....
i really like that the phillies play my astros so id get to see them every season.
and my college QB Kevin Kolb from U.Houston plays (ok sits) for the Eagles... so thats enough for me to be an Eagles fan...

but i was wanting to know about the area surrounding philly. Im an outdoors guy. i like to fish/camp/hike kinda thing. like load up a pick-up and head into the outdoors for a weekend. Is this possible in Penn? are there nice environments a few hours drive from philly?

spanks.

 

[jbiird317]

ive been thinkin a lot more about philly lately. my interview is next week so we'll see.....
i really like that the phillies play my astros so id get to see them every season.
and my college QB Kevin Kolb from U.Houston plays (ok sits) for the Eagles... so thats enough for me to be an Eagles fan...

but i was wanting to know about the area surrounding philly. Im an outdoors guy. i like to fish/camp/hike kinda thing. like load up a pick-up and head into the outdoors for a weekend. Is this possible in Penn? are there nice environments a few hours drive from philly?

spanks.

The poconos is where to go for outdoor stuff. I grew up near there, its fantastic and only about a 1.5 hour drive from philly. Its most known for its ski resorts, but in the summer time there is great hiking and biking through the mountains. Camping in central/western PA is really good, also West Virginia is a 4 hour drive with excellent outdoor activities. And if the beach is your thing, the jersey shore or delaware beaches are only a couple hours away. Fishing in PA is fantastic, tons of small ponds or lakes for bass fishing, great streams for trout, small mouth in the delaware river, and if you can get out to the chesapeake bay there is great striper fishing.

 

[turbolife]

ive been thinkin a lot more about philly lately. my interview is next week so we'll see.....
i really like that the phillies play my astros so id get to see them every season.
and my college QB Kevin Kolb from U.Houston plays (ok sits) for the Eagles... so thats enough for me to be an Eagles fan...

but i was wanting to know about the area surrounding philly. Im an outdoors guy. i like to fish/camp/hike kinda thing. like load up a pick-up and head into the outdoors for a weekend. Is this possible in Penn? are there nice environments a few hours drive from philly?

spanks.

I live outside of Philly, and there is plenty to do as an outdoor person.

Local state parks - http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/region_philadelphia.aspx

There is fishing to be had all around, camping, shooting ranges, spots to hike, bike, etc, etc.

Poconos are nice, but you definately don't need to go that far, plus they are where "everyone" goes. People from philly go there, people from NYC and NJ go there, too crowded for my boat.

 

[MP3Architect]

awesome stuff... thats what i like to hear.

im excited.

 

[jbiird317]

oh yeah and if deep sea fishing is your thing, the gulf stream is about 4-5 hours off shore of jersey, lots of fun fish to be caught out there...

 

[Ki||ian]

Oh man the area outside of Philly is awesome! Just go into Chester County where I live and its mostly picturesque NE country side with two lane windy roads and lots of trails. I live about and hr to and hr and a half from Philly.