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Anyone that complains about winter that isn't from the Upper Midwest, Upstate NY, PNW or New England, I laugh at.
Philadelphia winters are nothing.
They average 15-20" of snow. Drive a few hours north and they average 100-120".
Coming from Texas will certainly be an adjustment, no debate there, but just realize that if you drive a few hours north of Philly, it's 10-15 degrees colder on average and 5-7x the snowfall average, which is considerable difference.
I have lived in Dallas for far too long and am ready to try somewhere new! I will of course be doing some in-person recon, but I'm trying to narrow my list a bit and hope to get some help!
31, single female, no kids, college educated. Foodie, craft beer lover, live music fan (except country), not outdoorsy unless you count patio drinking, history/science museum nerd, movie buff. Remote worker so commute, dominant industries, etc. are a non-factor.
Ruled out Boston and San Francisco, even though I love them, because of rent costs. Liking the look of Portland, but the reputation for rain/gloom makes me apprehensive. San Diego is on the list because of the perfect weather, beer, and Mexican food. Philadelphia hadn't initially crossed my mind, but I've seen some positive buzz on the forums. Wondering about those winters though.
Appreciate any insights!
Portland seems like a great fit, San Diego somewhat less so and Philadelphia seems like your best fit. Its dining scene is the best among the three, has a pretty strong craft beer scene and a very diverse and great live music scene. It has a strong fine and performing arts scene and a much larger suite of cultural institutions than San Diego or Portland. The breadth of institutions include large niche museums such as the medical and biological oddities Mutter Museum or the hands-on interactive exhibits Please Touch museum along with more traditional institutions. There's a pretty broad range of "urbanity" or walkability in Philadelphia with options that are within good, working mass transit along the entire gamut.
Winters aren't very rough in Philadelphia--you'll just need to learn to dress appropriately.
Really great info! I took the cities everyone's mentioned, did some flight searches and found r/t Chicago for less than $80 (that's insane). So I'm going to start there, check it out, and report back!
I also realize I'll be getting pleasant Chicago weather and will have to keep that in mind. Any suggestions (for Chicago or when scoping out cities in general) for how to get the best read on living there vs. being a tourist there? I've started thinking of things like, "Don't just visit The Bean, but also notice things like amenities, does it seem to be dog-friendly, etc."
Really great info! I took the cities everyone's mentioned, did some flight searches and found r/t Chicago for less than $80 (that's insane). So I'm going to start there, check it out, and report back!
I also realize I'll be getting pleasant Chicago weather and will have to keep that in mind. Any suggestions (for Chicago or when scoping out cities in general) for how to get the best read on living there vs. being a tourist there? I've started thinking of things like, "Don't just visit The Bean, but also notice things like amenities, does it seem to be dog-friendly, etc."
Well, it'd probably make sense to make a topic listing what you would like to have and not have in your neighborhood for each respective city and then spending time actually visiting those neighborhoods in those cities. If you wanted to get extra in-depth, then maybe visit listings or do an airbnb rental in those neighborhoods.
I have lived in Dallas for far too long and am ready to try somewhere new! I will of course be doing some in-person recon, but I'm trying to narrow my list a bit and hope to get some help!
31, single female, no kids, college educated. Foodie, craft beer lover, live music fan (except country), not outdoorsy unless you count patio drinking, history/science museum nerd, movie buff. Remote worker so commute, dominant industries, etc. are a non-factor.
Ruled out Boston and San Francisco, even though I love them, because of rent costs. Liking the look of Portland, but the reputation for rain/gloom makes me apprehensive. San Diego is on the list because of the perfect weather, beer, and Mexican food. Philadelphia hadn't initially crossed my mind, but I've seen some positive buzz on the forums. Wondering about those winters though.
Appreciate any insights!
If this is your criteria, Philadelphia definitely fits the bill. I would plan a trip and come check it out!
While not having year round great weather like SD, Philly has markedly better weather in the winter than cities like Chicago and Boston.
Affordability to live "in the city" is also a big selling point of Philadelphia's. As it does not cost an arm and a leg to live in the desirable areas of most cities comparable cities in the US.
The museums/history of the city speak for themselves and I think that is one category Philly wins hands down against these two. The city has a long history. Transitioning from being the first financial and political capital in America to an industrial manufacturing powerhouse to the post-industrial city it is today, it has one of the more fascinating histories in my opinion.
If planning a visit in the downtown area to get a good feel, the neighborhoods I would suggest are Rittenhouse, Graduate hospital, Society Hill, Queen Village, Washington Square West, Bella Vista and University City. If being in the heart of the city isn't as big of a concern than I suggest NW Philadelphia.
Really great info! I took the cities everyone's mentioned, did some flight searches and found r/t Chicago for less than $80 (that's insane). So I'm going to start there, check it out, and report back!
I also realize I'll be getting pleasant Chicago weather and will have to keep that in mind. Any suggestions (for Chicago or when scoping out cities in general) for how to get the best read on living there vs. being a tourist there? I've started thinking of things like, "Don't just visit The Bean, but also notice things like amenities, does it seem to be dog-friendly, etc."
Haha nice! When are you going?? When I lived in Chicago it snowed at the end of April both years. And I was visiting two years ago in June and it was in the 40s on one of the days. But generally speaking summers will be awesome.
As for getting a feel for living there, sorry if this is way too obvious but there are two things I generally do:
1) Take a longer trip (I almost never do one or two-day trips...it's generally 3-4 days minimum and often one week or more)
2) Spend a lot of time in neighborhoods you'd consider living in (I spend the majority of my time in the neighborhoods. Hanging out with locals. Relatively little time in the tourist areas unless they overlap with where I would live)
So essentially go and do your best to recreate what you would do if you were there on a more permanent basis. You should do some research beforehand to have an idea of the neighborhoods that hit your price range and amenities. And you can also create a checklist of items that you would like to find and see how closely it hits on those things. Airbnb is probably a better bet for housing in the residential hoods, although I wouldn't say to never stay in a hotel.
And you can plan to join meetups or events that would allow you to meet some locals if you don't have any friends in the city already. I have several specific interests and I typically have no trouble finding a meeting for one or more of those things. Have fun!!
If this is your criteria, Philadelphia definitely fits the bill. I would plan a trip and come check it out!
While not having year round great weather like SD, Philly has markedly better weather in the winter than cities like Chicago and Boston.
Affordability to live "in the city" is also a big selling point of Philadelphia's. As it does not cost an arm and a leg to live in the desirable areas of most cities comparable cities in the US.
The museums/history of the city speak for themselves and I think that is one category Philly wins hands down against these two. The city has a long history. Transitioning from being the first financial and political capital in America to an industrial manufacturing powerhouse to the post-industrial city it is today, it has one of the more fascinating histories in my opinion.
If planning a visit in the downtown area to get a good feel, the neighborhoods I would suggest are Rittenhouse, Graduate hospital, Society Hill, Queen Village, Washington Square West, Bella Vista and University City. If being in the heart of the city isn't as big of a concern than I suggest NW Philadelphia.
Thanks for the beer garden map! I will definitely check those out when I visit I see NoLibs and Fishtown pop up quite a bit. Thoughts on those neighborhoods?
Haha nice! When are you going?? When I lived in Chicago it snowed at the end of April both years. And I was visiting two years ago in June and it was in the 40s on one of the days. But generally speaking summers will be awesome.
As for getting a feel for living there, sorry if this is way too obvious but there are two things I generally do:
1) Take a longer trip (I almost never do one or two-day trips...it's generally 3-4 days minimum and often one week or more)
2) Spend a lot of time in neighborhoods you'd consider living in (I spend the majority of my time in the neighborhoods. Hanging out with locals. Relatively little time in the tourist areas unless they overlap with where I would live)
So essentially go and do your best to recreate what you would do if you were there on a more permanent basis. You should do some research beforehand to have an idea of the neighborhoods that hit your price range and amenities. And you can also create a checklist of items that you would like to find and see how closely it hits on those things. Airbnb is probably a better bet for housing in the residential hoods, although I wouldn't say to never stay in a hotel.
And you can plan to join meetups or events that would allow you to meet some locals if you don't have any friends in the city already. I have several specific interests and I typically have no trouble finding a meeting for one or more of those things. Have fun!!
I'm going next week and will do an anti-snow dance! haha I'm staying for 5 days, which isn't as long as I'd like of course, but figured it would give me a start. I love checklists--I'm going to get started on one! Some "must-haves", "nice-to-haves", etc. I'm going to curb my inner-nerd and not use a weighted point-system :P
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