moving to philly in june - advice? (Philadelphia, Franklin: apartments, renting)

[friedgold]

So I'll be graduating from college in May, and have (luckily) managed to land a job in Philly, so I'll be moving there from Maryland this summer. I've never been to Philadelphia and know next to nothing about the city, so I was wondering if anyone had any general advice/pointers about where to live and stuff like that.

When are you moving? Late May/Early June
Where are you coming from? Maryland
Why are you moving? Work
Where will you be working? Center City, at 2 Liberty Place
Have you been here yet? Nope

Will you buy or rent? Rent
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? No Preference, preferably under $900/month
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? No Preference

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single
Do you prefer public or private schools? n/a
Do you have pets? Nope
Do you want or need a yard? Nope
Are you keeping a car? Possibly, haven't decided if I will bring my car yet, depending on the commute
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Bustling activity...I can't let go of college yet

What do you want to be closest to?
Work (2 Liberty Place), Nightlife, Basic Services

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diversity!

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke, duh.

Thanks!

[PhotoMatt]

buy some pepper spray ?

[juniperbleu]

Try to aim for something in or near Center City, or maybe even University City (you'll be living among college & grad students). With luck, you can walk to work, or look at SEPTA's website to figure out bus/train/subway/trolley options.

[newmarlig]

Check for apartments in Bella Vista on Craigslist. This is just south of center city. You can easily walk into center city and on a nice day to Liberty Place. If you need to take public transportation, that's readily available. The Italian Market and a few supermarkets are very closeby. You will not need a car. Good luck.

[kyle19125]

I too recommend Bella Vista. I have two single female friends who live there alone and love it. You're near some of the best restaurants in the city, walking distance to work/shops and lots of younger people like yourself, though not diverse in the United Nations sense. Or even white/black. It's pretty much all white...mostly younger, some older Italian-American. If you want a real mix, and a sense of adventure for a year or so, try University City. Walking around aimlessly and to/from work will be off the list though. It's dicey at night and you'll have to either use the Trolley to get to work, or the Subway.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by PhotoMatt

buy some pepper spray ?

And for this....ignore. Obviously an unenlightened whitebread suburbanite transfixed nightly by what he sees on FoxNews..

[ooodsie]

I would recommend the art museum area - Ben Franklin parkway. There are a few apartment buildings where you could get a pretty decent condo for your price range (maybe a little more, like 1100).. If not there, then my 2nd choice for you would be S Phila - Italian Market, Pennsport, Bella Vista area. Theres always something going on and it's safe and definitly can find something for under $900.

[friedgold]

thanks guys, im just starting the apartment search and this will help to narrow it down a bit.

[nineball]

There are a lot of good and quite areas close to Philadelphia. I too got a job in Philadelphia and moved to Morton, PA. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to get to work in Philadelphia. Check google map, and the town is too the west of Philadelphia. Their are other similar neighboring towns.

[LLOJ]

Although I'm pretty sure that many will disagree with me, I think that Philadelphia outside of the Center City, University City, and some parts of Northeastern Philadelphia isn't that much of a nice city with a lot of houses looking like their ready to fall apart and the rotten attitudes of a lot of people here. If you really want to live in the city then I recommend the Center City, but I'd say that you should stick to the suburbs (which are really nice especially compared to the city).