Moving from DC to Philly (Philadelphia: neighborhood, car, trees)

[Nitro2985]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

I'd personally take East Falls and sublet the other one for two months if I could, because I love having a car and driving. I am also familiar enough with both areas. East Falls has a nice library and much easier fluidity to move around. East Falls is definitely closer to the zoo and Fairmount Park. The beginning of Fairmount Park is by the border

Being in Newbold would be nice except parking could be a nightmare and I might overeat from all the wonderful restaurants there.

I think you are used to having a car, and you want to be near greenery. Depending on where you are, you might be able to even walk to the beginning of the Forbidden Path of Fairmount Park from East Falls.

If you have a car, I say go with East Falls. If not, go with Newbold.

Yeah, the east falls one is about a 15 minute walk from Fairmount Park's southern start, so hiking that would be really easy. It's about equidistant from a supermarket compared to the southern one, though the south one is closer to corner grocers.

The East Falls one also has a free parking garage.

I REALLY dig hiking and like to spend weekends going out of town on hikes so access to the car a couple of times a month is important to me.

I'm probably going to go with the East Falls one, it's pretty close to some good stuff in Manayunk too (albeit somewhat more expensive compared to the stuff around Newbold) and Germantown's resturants are only a 15 minute bus ride away too.

[MarketStEl]

Some terminology / territorial cleanup:

--Actually, Fairmount Park passes along East Falls' southern edge - the Kelly Drive from the Roosevelt Expressway to the City Avenue bridges is the thin sliver that connects East Fairmount Park with the Wissahickon Valley, which is also considered part of Fairmount Park proper. The East Fairmount Park-West Fairmount Park connector is the Falls Bridge.

--Even though it's a hiking/biking/horseback riding trail, it's called Forbidden Drive - "forbidden" to the auto traffic that might otherwise have driven on it. It was originally built by Philadelphia County pre-Consolidation as part of a road along the Wissahickon that became Wissahickon Drive, and the segment of what is now Lincoln Drive that runs beside the creek below where Forbidden Drive runs into it was known by that name up until the 1980s.

--The name "Newbold" was given a formal burial as a term to refer to eastern Point Breeze by the civic group that adopted it in the 1990s. That group now calls itself East Point Breeze Neighbors, having agreed that the "Newbold" name carried with it the whiff of colonization. So if you're west of Broad Street between Washington and Snyder avenues, you're in Point Breeze, period.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Given you preference for green areas I am surprised that you are considering Point Breeze as it is one of the least green parts of the City. Personally, however, I think it is a better place to live if you are new to the City.

[Nitro2985]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

Given you preference for green areas I am surprised that you are considering Point Breeze as it is one of the least green parts of the City. Personally, however, I think it is a better place to live if you are new to the City.

The ability to more easily see the stuff in Philly was why I was agonizing over the Point Breeze apartment as well. Ultimately the East Falls one is a ~30 minute regional rail (including walking) trip to center city, and it's in zone 1 so I can get the cheapest trailpass and be covered for it and all inner city travel as well, so I'm basically giving up ~10 minutes each way of my life when I want to travel downtown to live in a much greener area that I can walk/bike to hiking and Fairmount far faster than I could Point Breeze.

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by Nitro2985

The ability to more easily see the stuff in Philly was why I was agonizing over the Point Breeze apartment as well. Ultimately the East Falls one is a ~30 minute regional rail (including walking) trip to center city, and it's in zone 1 so I can get the cheapest trailpass and be covered for it and all inner city travel as well, so I'm basically giving up ~10 minutes each way of my life when I want to travel downtown to live in a much greener area that I can walk/bike to hiking and Fairmount far faster than I could Point Breeze.

Point Breeze is not close to Fairmount and the bike ride up there is through dense city traffic. You would be closer to Center City's music and restaurants though.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Hannah5555

Point Breeze is not close to Fairmount and the bike ride up there is through dense city traffic. You would be closer to Center City's music and restaurants though.

He just told you he picked East Falls for the reason you boldfaced.

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

He just told you he picked East Falls for the reason you boldfaced.

Oh my bad. Sorry. I misunderstood. I don't have an air conditioner so I'm blaming it on the heat .

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by Nitro2985

The ability to more easily see the stuff in Philly was why I was agonizing over the Point Breeze apartment as well. Ultimately the East Falls one is a ~30 minute regional rail (including walking) trip to center city, and it's in zone 1 so I can get the cheapest trailpass and be covered for it and all inner city travel as well, so I'm basically giving up ~10 minutes each way of my life when I want to travel downtown to live in a much greener area that I can walk/bike to hiking and Fairmount far faster than I could Point Breeze.

Makes sense to me. I think YOU will be happier in East Falls. Proximity to the park is definitely a big plus.

[ionlyused59]

You were considering Point Breeze (Newbold is Point breeze) yet previously stated how dirty and depressing the city is???

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Nitro2985

The ability to more easily see the stuff in Philly was why I was agonizing over the Point Breeze apartment as well. Ultimately the East Falls one is a ~30 minute regional rail (including walking) trip to center city, and it's in zone 1 so I can get the cheapest trailpass and be covered for it and all inner city travel as well, so I'm basically giving up ~10 minutes each way of my life when I want to travel downtown to live in a much greener area that I can walk/bike to hiking and Fairmount far faster than I could Point Breeze.

By the way, your original lament about the way this place looks became fodder for my monthly print-edition column, in the August issue:

The Greener Case for More Trees in Philly | Philadelphia Magazine