20 Somethings Moving to Philadelphia! (must love dogs) (Washington, Penn: apartment, rentals)

[MCZIL5]

Hello everyone!
My boyfriend and I will be moving to Philadelphia next month and we really need some help on where to live. We have both graduated college I have my BA in Graphic Design and he has his MA in English. He is being promoted to a job at PHL Airport making around $33,000.00 a year. I hope to pursue a job in the graphic arts or continue my booming career as a waitress/bartender/freelancer. Either way we have a budget of about $1100 a month plus utilities. We do have a dog a Puggle to be exact and we really enjoy taking him for walks and going to parks. He is very active and we like to be as well. This is one of our top priorities, to be in an area that is safe for the both of us alone to walk the dog at reasonable times throughout the day. We would also like to be near some action and other people our age. We do prefer a one bedroom with a washer and dryer within the unit. I have looked at some areas such as Queens Village and South Street area but a lot of the places we are interested in become rented before we can even get ahold of the poster! All we are looking for is a twenty something pet friendly neighborhood with a little bit of action. If anyone could help us out we would really appreciate it!

Thank you!

[nifear]

Have you tried looking into Fairmount/Art Museum area? Lots of places for the doggie to play, it's fairly safe (as in any city, always be aware), and there are a lot of cafes, restaurants, bars, etc around. Plus, it's a short walk to Rittenhouse.

[jazzy jeff]

Check out South Philly. Areas like Pennsport or E. Passyunk. Don't think 1100 will get you much in Queen Village.

[Johnny P'unk Square]

Passyunk Square is filled with 20 somethings/hipsters and has a vibrant bar/restaurant scene on and around Passyunk Ave. If you live south of South St, you'll wind up partying on the Ave. It's not as pretty as Queen Village or Bella Vista, but is in the middle of a resurgence, kinda like what QV and BV looked like 15-20 years ago. PS is relatively cheap too. Bella Vista is a great choice also, not as cheap though. BV/QV/PS are all listed as "Italian Market", if that helps your search. Graduate Hospital is another South Philly option.

Outside of South Philly, Northern Libs/Fishtown is a hot spot. Manayunk is also an option, but more of a commute to the airport. If you really try, you can find a one bedroom in Washington West in your range, very historic and beautiful, but $1100. wont get you much of an apartment. For convenience sake, factor in the cost of buying parking in WW, you can park with a permit, but could circle the block for an hour looking for a parking space. Parking is tough in Queen Village and Manayunk also.

Are you searching on craigslist? It seems to be the best way to go.

[Julie8849]

Hey there!

Sounds like you might really like Fishtown or Northern Liberties. Northern Liberties is a very hot spot with a lot of rentals (also fairly pricey, but you might be able to do it and also score a deal on Craigslist) that is incredibly dog friendly and young...but more yuppie/young professional than hipster. Fishtown is a neighborhood that sits right outside of Northern Liberties...and though it certainly is mostly friendly as well, it also has a large hipster population. You will not walk a block without seeing a visible hipster.

As with all of the neighorhoods though...do your homework - things can get dicey quickly in any one of them (queens village, fishtown, nothern liberties) if they are on the "border" of bad places or someone falsely advertises their location to get higher rent prices. Be sure to check them out with people who know what they're talking about.

Best of luck!