Best route to the Cathedral (Drexel Hill, Broomall: house, construction, to live in)

[Sunflowergirl]

Good morning everyone. If I move to Philly, I will be going down on Sunday evenings to the 6:30 Mass at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. I am looking to live in three general areas and was wondering which one might be the easiest one to get to 17th and Race? I need to be there around 6 p.m. and will be traveling home around 8:30 p.m. I can either drive (by myself, single woman) or take public transport if SEPTA is available at that time of night where I live. Here are the general areas, I hope this is enough info to get some general comments: From the "west", Drexel Hill/Media area; from the "north", Glenside/Oreland/Abington area; and from the "northwest", Havertown/Broomall area. What I am looking for I guess is what streets to avoid if I drive myself or what public transport routes to avoid. Sorry if this too ambiguous. Thanks.

[newmarlig]

I'm not Catholic - so I don't know about these things, but why not go to a church near you?

[Sunflowergirl]

Because I want to go to Archbishop Chaput's Sunday evening Mass, like I did here in Denver for over 10 years. I can't afford to live in the areas closer to the Cathedral and so am stuck going to the burbs, but want to be a parishioner at Sts Peter and Paul.

[newmarlig]

Oh, ok. I would think Media/Drexel Hill would be the closest. But if you will be work, you may want to consider your job's location.

[Sunflowergirl]

Thanks. Probably what I should do, is when I have a few house locations picked out to go look at, I could tell everyone the addresses and mention the main streets that Mapquest, recommends and see if there is anything else I should be aware of like driving through a particularly bad part of town, endless construction etc., as well as getting comments on specific Septa routes. I realize my question was rather vague.

[newmarlig]

You can take the train to Suburban Station and walk to the Cathedral - it's just a few blocks. All trains stop there and that may be your best bet.

Here are the schedules for various trains. Check them and you will see a few lines stop in Glenside. On the Warminster line for example, you could get the 4:59 train in Glenside and get to Suburban Station at 5:30. There is a return train at 9:05. And that's just one train line that goes to Glenside.

SEPTA | Regional Rail Schedules

[maf763]

On most Sunday nights I'd drive from the northern burbs you mentioned. Traffic wouldn't be bad and you wouldn't be at the mercy of the Sunday schedule. On days when there are events in that area, then I'd take the train. As far as route, I'd go up Kelly Drive then through Mount Airy, probably 30-35 minutes on a Sunday night.

[Sunflowergirl]

Many thanks! That suggestion helps a lot. Denver's public transit is pretty lame, although better than nothing. Certainly not hard to get familiar with. Philly seems much, much better, but will take more study.

[SEPTA_Social_Media]

Hi Sunflowergirl

newmarlig provided some good information. If I may add, here's a link to the SEPTA Transit Map:
septa.org/maps/system/index.html
The thin, dark blue lines indicate the Regional Rail Lines (SEPTA's commuter trains). You'll names of towns along those lines meaning there is a train station there, which is also the name of the station (Ex: Media = Media Station). The town names are clickable links and will tell you the name of the train line that services that station; as well as other info. From there you can check the Regional Rail schedule for travel time, etc.; as well as use the trip planner on septa.org, or maybe Google transit.

When you have the addresses and have any questions, feel free to contact us at 215-580-7800, or online at septa.org and use the online form or chat feature.