Gay, relocating to Philly (Philadelphia, Washington: sales, real estate, apartment)

[pwright600]

Hey guys,

Relocating to Philly in a month or so for work in downtown. Been once for short visit, didn't look around at all.

My husband and I are coming from Seattle and are in our early 40's. We would like an area that is diverse, safe and walkable (to shops, restaurants, etc.) and is gay friendly.

We both have cars and drive. I love the idea of getting rid of one or both and using mass transit. Is being carless doable? Mass transit in Seattle is okay, but not convenient enough for everyday use.

We would like to spend around $2-2500 on an apartment. High rise would be preferable, but a cool bustling area is our preference. We would like all basic services to be with in walking distance, train/subway close by.

Thanks for the help!

[bicoastal10]

The following areas would be your best bet:

-Old City
-West Washington Square
-Society Hill/South Street area
-Rittenhouse Square

[bridow]

Highrises would be by Rittenhouse Sq. I think that's your best bet with more upscale residence and boutiques. At the end of South St is Queen Village, which happens to be full of queens. Seems to be more of the party area though.

[pwright600]

Thanks for the info. Is public transportation extensive enough to ditch our cars?

[FindingZen]

If you plan to live and work downtown then you won't need your cars. The neighborhoods of Center City ("downtown") including those areas already mentioned are a walkable two square miles. In fact, it would be a hindrance in a sense to own cars as not only is car insurance expensive in the city, but the flipside of that high-density walkability is limited and expensive parking.

On the other hand, if one or both of you will be working outside the city, then the answer is: it depends. The commuter trains do not go to many of the major suburban job centers.

Your rent budget should definitely afford you a nicer 2BR apt most anywhere downtown, let alone the metro in general.

[Bookmen]

A car is not a necessity. In fact, if you live in Center City, it will be more trouble and expense than it's worth. If you ever need a car, Phillycarshare tempgreen.dreamhosters.com | is an option.

As for high rises, Rittenhouse Square has the highest concentration in Center City, but not the only ones. For instance the St. James is right by Washington Square Park (Washington Square West is referred to as the Gayborhood) and Society Hill Towers, though condos, have some rental units.

[newmarlig]

Being gay in center city is not an issue. It's a perfectly acceptable and really not noticed. I agree with the others that a car is more of a problem than anything else (but again, if one of you is working out of the city, we would need to know where to see if public transportation is available to and from that area. For information about a high-rise - contact Allan Domb Allan Domb Real Estate. He handles most of the sales and rentals of center city high rise buildings.

Also, if you google gayborhood Philadelphia, there is a lot of sites listed there to check out.

[Naufragado]

As a gay man who has spent the majority of his life in the delaware valley, like the previous poster said, and especially in center city, it is a non-issue. Philly is surprisingly gay. When I go out in the gayborhood and surrounding vicinity, gays seem to be the majority. If you are planning on living and working in center city or close-by, a car is most definitely more trouble than it's worth. I've only heard good things about phillycarshare, which can get you to places that public transit can't, and sadly those places are many in the suburbs especially. But for everyday stuff public trans would be fine, as long as you have no qualms about everything public and sometimes unpleasant that public transit involves. Our city and it's public transit have a very love-hate relationship, and for good reason.

[solibs]

If you're in your 40s and partnered off the gayborhood might not be for you. My gay friends pretty much universally say "nice to visit, gets old quick living there". The gayborhood is loosely defined but most will agree that it's centered around 12th & Locust. It's but a part of the much larger Wash West neighborhood.

Philadelphia isn't really a city of residential high-rises. It's mostly walk-ups an townhouses here. We have highrises, sure, but they're spread out. There are a dozen or so around Rittenhouse, a few in Wash West, still more around Logan Circle and the Parkway and others scattered around.

Seattle is really expensive. For what you want to spend you can live in any neighborhood you want to here. If you wind up living between Washington and Girard Avenue a car is completely unnecessary and more likely to become a pain than anything else. Between the trains, subways, buses, trolleys, taxis, carsharing, bicycles, etc. there's just no reason to own a car much less two.

Also, be advised that while Philadelphia and most of the rest of the Delaware Valley is very welcoming - Pennsylvania is not. If you, as a couple, want any of your civil rights recognized you're best off looking into New Jersey. Collingswood, Westmont, and Haddonfield are a 12-15 minute subway ride from Center City, share Haddon Ave. as a commercial corridor, and are where most 30-40 something, looking to settle down, gay and lesbian couples end up.

[pwright600]

I have done some poking around and notice the rents are much, much cheaper in Philly compared to Seattle. Seattle's rents are craszy high. We would like to rent for a year or so and then eventually we would like to buy, but we have to sell our house here first.

I keep hearing about Collingswood. Does it have a nice, walkable downtown area? The neighborhoods in Seattle are very walkable with shops, restaurants, grocery, drug stores, etc., typically within walking distance to the neighborhood where you live. We love walking around and hope to find a similiar area in Philly.

I also see some refernces to Pennsport. Any thoughts?

Also, a major concern is walking my dog at all hours. I tend to be up very early, around 5:00 to 5:30 walking my dog and want to feel safe walking around the block. There are very mixed messages on this site in regards to safety. I love to walk around for miles just taking in the sites. I would like an area that is walkable and safe.

Thanks for all the information thus far. It has been very helpful. We will look into Collingswood and then as far as Philly proper, CC, Old Town, Society Hill, and possibly a little south to Bella Vista and Pennsport.