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When my husband and I become empty nesters in two years, we are considering a move north of Philly to the Cheltenham area (to be within an hour or so of extended family in NJ and NYC). We currently live in South Florida and while it was a great place to raise our kids, it's way too hot most of the year to do anything outside, so we pretty much go to work, come home and watch TV in the evenings (not exactly how I want to spend the second half of my life). I know we'd be trading hot for cold, but when we lived in NYC before we had kids, we spent so much more time going out to restaurants/bars, walking the neighborhood and taking dogs to the park, sitting outside with friends, etc. We still regularly visit family in Brooklyn and when we're there, we instantly revert back to our 30 year old selves, outside all day running around and having fun.
My question to those of you who are active and in mid-life: what are some of your favorite things to do either in Philly or in one of its suburbs? Favorite place to grab a drink after work on a Friday? Favorite weekend hiking trail? Favorite street market? Favorite destination on the train? We were in the Willow Grove/Cheltenham area last month the day before and the day of Thanksgiving and it was hard to get a feel for the social life because of 1) Covid and 2) most businesses were closed or shut down early for the holiday. But when we're not in a pandemic, what are your favorite activities and insider tips for having fun?
Great city for outdoor recreation, Wissahickon Park in the city limits, Valley Forge, Ridley Creek in the suburbs for hiking/biking etc. We moved here from Michigan and moved to Media which has a very hot real estate market. Unlike where we came from, many neighborhoods here have their own "downtown" like areas where in a lot of other states only major cities have actual downtown areas. You will find Philly much more walkable than Florida. Also there are a ton of weekend fairs/events here so finding venues to have fun here is very easy.
I'm not very familiar with Cheltenham, but I will say from my trips to North Philly I didnt like it as much as south Philly, or neighborhoods just outside of Center City, It didnt seem as walkable and was more blue collar than suited us.
We really went back and forth on city/suburbs but landed in a burb that had an established downtown as a compromise. There are many days I still question as to if we should have bought in the city.
If youve lived in NYC before (I lived in Kew Gardens for a bit) than it wont be a huge culture shock, people here of course are more direct than Florida. Even with the problems Philly has, at this point I cant see us being happier anywhere else
I live in Germantown, not far from the Wissahickon Park, and can second lpranger467's endorsement of it as a great place for hiking and exploring.
They also mentioned Ridley Creek State Park in the 'burbs. There's another state park I've heard about that I'd also like to check out: Ringing Rocks Park in Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County. This is one of a few places on Earth where one can encounter stones that ring like bells when you strike them. Of course, you're not going here for the hiking but rather for the music.
As for the northern suburbs of Philadelphia: Cheltenham Township doesn't have a walkable downtown, true, but Jenkintown Borough, surrounded by Abington Township just north of it, does. Glenside in Abington Township is another, as are Bristol and Newtown in Bucks. (Bristol is also blue-collar, an old mill town, but it's also home to one of the bigger and better professional theater companies in the Philly 'burbs, Bristol Riverside Theater. Its peers include People's Light and Theater Company in Malvern, on the outer Main Line, and Hedgerow Theater in Rose Valley, a very charming community established as an Arts and Crafts Movement utopian experiment just outside Media. Media also has a lively performing arts center on its Main Street, State Street — maybe the only suburban main street in the country that still has a streetcar running down its middle.)
There are two organizations in this area that run weekly farmers' markets in neighborhoods across the region: The Food Trust and Farm to City. The Food Trust has three year-round weekly markets: one at Head House Square in Society Hill, one in Fitler Square, southwest from Rittenhouse Square, and one in Clark Park in University City. It specializes, however, in running seasonal markets in city neighborhoods where access to fresh produce is lacking; one of theirs is near me on Market Square in Germantown. Here's a complete list of these.
The very popular Tuesday and Saturday farmers' markets in Rittenhouse Square are run by Farm to City. Their markets don't have that social mission the Food Trust's do, and they also have vendors that feature a wider range of products, including wines and beers at Rittenhouse Square. You might find me patronizing Ironbound Farm's stand on Saturdays; this New Jersey outfit began by reviving the production of Newark hard cider (the farm takes its name from Newark's famed Portuguese neighborhood) and branched out into growing produce. It hires ex-convicts and other chronically underemployed individuals to work both on the farm and at the cidery; many of them make the trek cross-state from Newark to the farm. You'll also find bread from Germantown-based Merzbacher's Bakery at the Rittenhouse Saturday market. Here's a complete list of Farm to City's markets.
But when it comes to outdoor food markets, the iconic one hereabouts is the South 9th Street "Italian" Market in South Philly. I put "Italian" in quotes now because it's no longer an accurate term to describe the bulk of the merchants and street vendors found along it; yes, DiBruno Bros.' original store is still here, as are Esposito's and Canulli's butcher shops, Giordano's produce, Fante's kitchenware emporium (best in the city), and Darigo's fish market, but the majority of the street vendors — and just about all the shops below Washington Avenue and a growing number of those above it — are either Mexican or Southeast Asian. Still, this oldest curb market in the country is a civic icon every bit as much as the indoor Reading Terminal Market in Center City is. (I'm also an RTM regular; I've been shopping there since 1984 and even appeared in an RTM marketing campaign in 2010 or thereabouts.)
And with the RTM, I've wrapped up the tour of the city's great public food markets and farmers' markets.
As for restaurants, I tend to prefer cooking and entertaining at home, but one of the best places for hanging out and noshing is Tria, with two locations: 12th and Spruce streets in Washington Square West and 18th and Sansom streets in Rittenhouse Square. Tria is dangerous: it serves mainly wines by the glass and small plates featuring cheeses and charcuterie, just about all of both below $10 each. You and your friends can come here, order a $6 glass of wine and a $6 cheese board, then another round of each, than. another, and before you know it, you've run up a $60 or more restaurant tab. But it's definitely an ideal city hangout, and the Wash West location had outdoor seating even before COVID-19 forced every restaurant in the city to have this. However, you're more likely to find me at one of the LGBT bars surrounding Tria's Wash West location, which sits right in the middle of Philadelphia's Gayborhood.
The Philadelphia metro definitely is full of things to do both within and outside the city.
Pre Covid, nearly every weekend of the year something interesting is going on, many free or at a low admission cost.
Cheltenham is a nice and diverse area. Property taxes tend to be a bit higher, but with that you get more for your money with housing costs.
I would also check out Mt. Airy in NW Philadelphia.
A great website to check out to get an idea of things to do is uwishunu.com
Once Covid passes, many many events occur in Center City Philadelphia, and most suburbanites find it convenient to live close to a Regional Rail station (which there are many) to take the train into the city.
It is far easier and cheaper (no parking costs) than driving.
Also another pro to the Philadelphia metro is you are only about 90 minutes to the shore, which makes for fun summertime adventures.
Not far from Philadelphia is Wilmington, De with many gardens and mansions. Longwood Gardens is a fantastic place to visit throughout the year. We became members when we retired and moved here in 2015. This website lists all the places to visit when you get bored!
Not far from Philadelphia is Wilmington, De with many gardens and mansions. Longwood Gardens is a fantastic place to visit throughout the year. We became members when we retired and moved here in 2015. This website lists all the places to visit when you get bored!
People's suggestions are all great but many of those places aren't very close--more like weekend destinations--not somewhere you would necessarily be able to go for an hour after work on a week day. I can give you dozens more: Morris Arboretum, New Hope/Lambertville, the Jersey shore, Lancaster, Poconos, various large malls that are fun to walk around on rainy days (King of Prussia mall, Philadelphia outlets), Bethlehem Musikfest and Christkindlmart, covered bridges in Bucks county, Doylestown, etc. There are tons of these places that are nice to visit on a weekend. But not close.
I think your decision about moving here and your hope to finding a certain overall quality of life can't be built around weekend destinations. As I read your post, you talked about coming home from work in Florida and watching TV in the evenings. If you want to change that lifestyle, I don't think you'll find a "Brooklyn" type atmosphere in Willow Grove/Cheltenham area. I live very close to Willow Grove and to me, this area is dead. It is fine for a married couple with kids or someone who's happy to maybe sit in a local bar with friends at night for an hour or two, I don't see it as a stimulating area for empty nesters to live though. There really is nothing to do except go to the Willow Grove mall and walk around.
I agree, the city has a lot of interesting attractions but again, are you going to want to go into the city all the time? Are you going to want to go in there on a Friday afternoon when the traffic is a nightmare and walk the city in the evening? Unless you live in the city, the whole idea of walking around the city is--in my opinion--another "weekend" destination. It's not a week day destination.
There are a lot of sports venues too, if you like that.
What made you pick Cheltenham/Willow Grove as your base? Is there a reason why you have to be in Pennsylvania? Wouldn't it make more sense to move to NJ if you have family in NJ and NY?
To answer your question though, middle aged couples in the suburbs (such as Cheltenham and Willow Grove) primarily eat out a lot. There are a ton of chain restaurants as well as other smaller places (pizza shops, etc.). I know couples who eat out 4-5X a week. That's their main "entertainment". There's really nothing else to do on a week night.
In the summer when it stays light till 8:30, some middle aged couples like to walk or go to the local pool or maybe play golf at a public course. There are some events at libraries.
If you want convenient access to urban amenities like NYC, it's best to live in Philadelphia. However, Media over in Delaware County and the Main Line between Ardmore and Wayne offer lively options within their borders that would be interesting enough for middle-aged couples.
Thank you for your replies. NY/NJ aren't a consideration because of cost. House prices/property taxes too high. And we don't need to live right next to family, but we want to be able to see them on occasional weekends and on holidays. We still might consider completely downsizing to a condo right in Philly instead of a house in a suburb. I just haven't decided if I'm okay sharing a wall with a neighbor. We lived in a duplex in Brooklyn and the neighbor we shared a wall with was a nightmare. I still have PTSD from it. I don't mind a loud city - sirens and all - but I can't take loud music/tv and smells coming through the wall. No matter what, we don't want to be stuck in Florida for much longer.
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