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ci88 t1_ix7xxm7 wrote

For those who work on UPenn campus, where is an easy/safe neighborhood to commute from?

i.e. best SEPTA/Amtrak routes to avoid getting stuck in morning traffic? I assume living a walkable distance from a station is best.

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uptown_gargoyle t1_ix7yvdr wrote

Replying to ci88 (#600,005)

Basically anywhere in UCity. Look at a map and highlight Market Street and Baltimore Ave as your northern and southern borders, and 40th and 50th as your eastern and western borders. Transit to Penn by bus, trolley, El or walking is pretty easy anyplace in that area.

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SgtKetchup t1_ix7zo2c wrote

Replying to ci88 (#600,005)

Almost any transit mode will get you to Penn... all regional Rail lines touch 30th where you can connect to bus/trolley/LUCY to wherever you are going. If you are concerned about "safety" I assume you mean you want to avoid the El, so look for regional Rail, trolleys, or buses.

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Proper-Code7794 t1_ix8083a wrote

Replying to ci88 (#600,005)

Anywhere in South Philly north of Washington Ave neighborhoods like a Bella Vista and fitler square or areas like Fairmount are the "safest". Living off of campus in West Philly tends to have more rates of theft. Avoid having to take the Market Frankford line as that train has some crime issues.

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lesser_pumpkin t1_ix80ewk wrote

I currently live in Seattle with my boyfriend but he’s looking at a job in Philly.

We used to live in Pittsburgh and I am from PA, but really unfamiliar with eastern PA.

If we liked Pgh, do you think we would like Philly? We’re planning a trip to visit the city and get a feel for how we like it, but I would be curious to hear from any other Pittsburgh transplants to Philly. Thanks in advance!

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uptown_gargoyle t1_ix81mf4 wrote

Replying to lesser_pumpkin (#600,212)

I lived in Pittsburgh for about a year and a half, and Philly for a decade so far.

  • Pittsburgh people are friendlier to outsiders than Philly people are generally

  • Pittsburgh is generally cleaner than Philly

  • Philly has slightly better weather (if you don't like the cold) and better food.

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lesser_pumpkin t1_ix83t49 wrote

Replying to uptown_gargoyle (#600,327)

Thanks! I’m not too concerned with niceness, after all, I live in Seattle. People are here are the “seems mean, is mean” type.

It’s interesting to hear you say Pgh is cleaner, I assume you mean just the general condition of streets or…?

Can I ask where you lived in Pgh? Everywhere we lived was in the East End: Lawrenceville, Point Breeze and West Oakland. I’m wondering if these areas are more comparable to the Philadelphia suburbs than any city neighborhood!

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synthetikxangel t1_ix92v9o wrote

Are there any 3 bedroom places that aren’t in a warzone for around 1300$ a month?

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TheBSQ t1_ix9a3p0 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#602,809)

The neighborhoods you mentioned are all fine safety-wise.

You can use the Comptroller’s map of shootings as a rough proxy of safety:

https://controller.phila.gov/philadelphia-audits/mapping-gun-violence/#/?year=2022&map=11.09%2F40.03930%2F-75.11034

For moving trucks, you can get Temporary No Parking signs:

https://www.phila.gov/services/cars-parking-transportation/apply-for-a-parking-permit/apply-for-a-temporary-no-parking-permit/

You fill out some forms, and you’ll then have to go pick up the signs yourself. You’ll want to put them up a couple days ahead of time to give people a heads up. If the spot you want opens up you can try a combo of the no parking sign and cones to try to hold onto the spot till your truck comes.

From there…it’s a bit of a crap shoot. Like, if someone is parked there, I think you have to call the police to get the car ticketed (which they may or may not bother to do), then call a towing company. it’s hard to enforce, and usually more trouble than it’s worth.

And if they don’t…no worries. People deal with road inconveniences and double-parkers every day. Someone may get mad. Eventually the task will be over. By the next day it’ll all be forgotten. I think this is a good time to pay for pro movers, preferably locals, and just kinda pay them to have it be their problem.

If you really are forced to truly block traffic entirely on your block, a cone at the end of the block to keep people from turning onto the block and getting stuck may be a good idea.

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TheBSQ t1_ix9c5dm wrote

Replying to lesser_pumpkin (#600,518)

Trash, litter, dumping. There’s often lots of trash and garbage on the streets, especially outside the central core (where businesses pay to have trash cleanup).

It’s just a dirty city.

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uptown_gargoyle t1_ix9ch3y wrote

Replying to lesser_pumpkin (#600,518)

I lived in Oakland, which, with all the students definitely had some trash overflow. But downtown PGH is wayyy cleaner than Center City PHL in terms of trash on the ground, presence of non-overflowing trash cans.

I'm not familiar enough with East End PGH to make an accurate comparison though.

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TheBSQ t1_ix9cnyp wrote

Replying to Proper-Code7794 (#602,707)

When I first moved here, a local described it as going “trash blind.”

I don’t know though. Five years in, and it still bugs me.

I clean up my block every week in an attempt to keep it at bay because it gets me down to come home to filth every day, but I swear, some days, I’ll fill up a 30 gallon bag and an hour later and it’s covered in litter again.

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uptown_gargoyle t1_ix9d7pe wrote

Replying to lesser_pumpkin (#601,199)

I really liked Pittsburgh aside from the weather. It had a great vibe; great town to be a college student in. Philly has a similar vibe, but my experience is that, due to it being a much bigger city, you kind of have to search for your niche. The neighborhoods are all so different and a lot of them have great things to offer.

I was lucky because I landed in West Philly several years ago and immediately fell in love with it. If I had happened to land somewhere in south or north philly I imagine my experience would have been different because I don't think those areas are generally suited to my wants and needs.

It's absolutely worth taking at least a week to explore the different neighborhoods here if you're able.

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kaleidoscope471 t1_ix9mvtn wrote

I am planning to move to Ardmore in the new year. I have a dog and am wondering if there are dog walkers that pick up multiple dogs and take them to the park. This is common in my city but seems difficult to find elsewhere.

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MRDoc2727 t1_ixa2nib wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#604,388)

Instead of selling, list your stuff on Craigslist free and someone will come take it off your hands in under an hour. This is how I get rid of things that no one in my buy nothing group wants

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GaviFromThePod t1_ixafc7v wrote

I'm moving to City Center East in a week from Portland, OR. I'm going to need to buy a guitar amplifier. What is the best music store near me? (I will not have a car)

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AbuZakan t1_ixatclk wrote

Replying to GaviFromThePod (#608,179)

Russo on Spring Garden is the only proper music store in the city. It's great, but not within walking distance of center city to carry an amp. You may have some luck at Bluebond guitars on 6th St.

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iScoopPoops t1_ixbeygb wrote

Looking to move from LA to Philly. I don't have anything lined up in terms of work but I have a WFH job so looking into Philly as it's less-expensive than LA. Never been to Philly or know anyone there.

Couple places from YT vids I've seen about Philly are Fishtown, Manayunk, University City, Fairmont, NoLibs, Center City, Old Town, East Passyunk .. as possible places I'd move to.

I'm only looking for a large studio or 1bedroom as the prices I've seen on CL are significantly less than what I pay for in LA.

Has anyone else here made a big move like that?

-What were some of things you you wish you know before moving to Philly?

-How bad is the traffic and parking?

-Any long-distance moving companies you would recommend? A lot that I spoke to so far seem shady af

Thanks

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SgtKetchup t1_ixcmy5h wrote

Replying to ci88 (#614,010)

The "El" is the MFL, the Market Frankford Line, one of Philly's two subways. It has a reputation for crime and unsanitary conditions, though how bad it actually is very debatable. Going to Penn you can bypass it entirely from most areas of the city.

RR is priced based on distance, but the cost doesn't actually vary that much - I believe the possible range from PA destinations is $4-7 per trip so not as extreme as other cities. There are also monthly commuter passes available.

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AbsentEmpire t1_ixdl0ri wrote

Replying to ci88 (#600,005)

If you want safe, stick to Center City and commute using the buses. That or look further out along the rail lines such as Manayunk, Conshohocken, Ardmore, Media and come in via the train to 30th St station or Penn Medicine station.

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Get_it_done0922 t1_ixdnavb wrote

Best and safest neighborhood for a white female and dog in her 30s??

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Dnroxxie t1_ixeo7do wrote

I'm looking to move to Philly for a job next July & I'm currently looking at apartments. So far I found the Dane Apartments in Wynnefield but have heard mixed reviews... any opinions on the apartment & area? I also have a car & 2 cats so I definitely want to keep that in mind. I don't mind center city, but prefer somewhere a little quieter :) any advice is helpful!

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OziusMason t1_ixf0gvx wrote

Moving to Philly in feb, any tips for best way to find rentals? Thanks in advance!

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swampgay t1_ixfe7p2 wrote

Replying to iScoopPoops (#611,320)

I did a semi-cross country move from Florida to Philly 6 months ago, had only been to the city twice before (for a grand total of like 72 hours combined) and only knew 2 people here (my current roommates, who had moved to the city a year prior to me).

Parking ranges anywhere from "not the worst" to "awful" depending on what neighborhood you end up in. It's enough of a hassle that I avoid driving as much as possible and am heavily debating getting rid of my car altogether so I don't have to deal with it. And my neighborhood isn't even bad for parking, but it's still more than I feel like dealing with. Traffic isn't LA bad but it's still not great. I haven't spent too much time on the road circa rush hour though, so other people might have more perspective than I do here. SEPTA alleviates a lot of parking and traffic stress for me though. It has its problems, but it's still a respectably robust transit system and lightyears ahead of LA.

I didn't use actual movers, but I shipped the majority of my stuff up via Uhaul Uboxes and have 0 complaints. Can go into more detail about that if you want.

Honestly even though I moved here pretty blind I can't think of anything I didn't know ahead of time that I wish I had. I just lurked in the subreddit plenty in the months before I moved, did my research about basic moving stuff like updating my residency, car registration, etc, and then made sure I got out and around the city to get my bearings once I got here. I've been doing fine figuring everything else out along the way so far.

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Fumblesnout t1_ixg8ke6 wrote

Replying to iScoopPoops (#611,320)

I'm in a similar boat to you in that I am also WFH and looking to move to the area. I did several apartment viewings and I found parking varies a lot depending on the neighborhood. Parking in the northern liberties area was pretty good, but in the Fairmount area I had to street park and pay $1.25 to park for about an hour while I viewed the apartment. The leasing agent told me the lots in the area are 175-200 a month. Probably totally depends on where you live and what you are going to use your car for.

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