Moving from Amsterdam, starting work in KoP, where to live on 63k? (Philadelphia: sublet, apartment)

[Becca8377]

Originally Posted by kyb01

The OP would probably love living in CC. But the daily commute to his job in KoP would be hellish. The compromise suggestion of living in Manayunk makes a lot sense. Plus being there does put him close enough to Center City that that could be enjoyed as well.

This.

OP - it takes me 20-25min on the train from Manayunk to CC... I do it every day for work and am normally in CC just about every other weekend meeting up with friends or for events and such.

[Louden]

Hi Becca,

20-25 mins is perfect I think. Currently I'm checking out Roxborough & Manayunk Apartments | Rock Hill Apartments | The Galman Group. They are not located very well for the buzz in Manayunk, but it's very close to Wissahickon station, where the 125 passes to my work. Also, it's very affordable and has great parking.

The other thing I'm checking is right on the other side and is at Chimney Hill lofts, which looks great but is a bit more expensive and supposed to be quite costly in utilities.

But one thing can be concluded; I am focussing on Manayunk. If the perfect apartment in Ardmore comes up I will consider it of course, but I think it will be Manayunk. The reason I want to rent in an apartment community is that they usually allow 6 months stay btw. A row home or private apartment also seams nice, but that is always for 12 months.

Anybody get any good suggestions for a car? We would actually like to buy a car in the first 4 days we're there. How does registration work? Do you have to go to the municipality with the car papers? And what should I look out for? We want to get a bit of an American car (when in Rome...!) so I was thinking about a pick up. or would that give me some weird looks at the office?

Thanks again for all the help so far!

[eastwestcoast]

Originally Posted by Louden

Anybody get any good suggestions for a car? We would actually like to buy a car in the first 4 days we're there. How does registration work? Do you have to go to the municipality with the car papers? And what should I look out for? We want to get a bit of an American car (when in Rome...!) so I was thinking about a pick up. or would that give me some weird looks at the office?

Thanks again for all the help so far!

Your keenness to go all-American is awesome, but I can't imagine driving around Manayunk in a pickup! I am sure some people do, but with its hills and narrow streets, you'll literally have trouble fitting in (as in fitting into parking spots and streets). Maybe it'd be worth it if you think you'll be hauling lots of things around, but otherwise you're just making life harder and spending more on fuel. My recommendation is to get a subscription to Consumer Reports and look at new or used car reliability and go from there. American manufacturers have improved a lot in recent years, but the quality of build is still hit-or-miss depending on the model.

Getting all the paperwork sorted out is kind of a pain in PA. I am not sure how much a dealer can take care of for you if you buy through them, but when I moved here I had to go to the DMV for a new license before registering the car and getting it tagged (which you do through any of a number of third-party businesses in this state) and insured in-state. To get the new license, I first had to provide proof of residency, which could be a bit tricky if you don't have any utility bills yet. Again, this was for moving a vehicle into PA. It is probably different when you buy one in-state from a dealer... maybe someone else can describe that process to you.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Louden

Anybody get any good suggestions for a car? We would actually like to buy a car in the first 4 days we're there. How does registration work? Do you have to go to the municipality with the car papers? And what should I look out for? We want to get a bit of an American car (when in Rome...!) so I was thinking about a pick up. or would that give me some weird looks at the office?

I wouldn't worry about buying american. You will see just as many if not more foreign made cars on the roads.Winters vary here avg. about 30" of snow butcan get up to 60"-80" of snow on occasion. If you are going to live in Manayunk you might want to get something with 4 wheel drive or at least all- wheel drive .Very hilly

Here is a reputable dealer who sells most of his car on ebay motors but you can buy right off the lot as well.

The location is New Hope. 45 minutes from King of Prussia. he gets Nice used cars(cheap/higher mileage) from the dealerships in the more affluent areas of Bucks County. You can buy a car over the internet if you have winning bid and make arrangements to pick it up. All the paperwork/ registration is done at the office.

He usually puts up 2 sets of vehicles per week so there will be another dozen or so vehicle up on the website today or tomorrow.

uncamikey | eBay


You should get an International Driving Permit (IDP), which translates the information contained on your official driver's license into 10 languages.
The United States does not issue International Driving Permits to foreign visitors, so you will need to obtain this document in your home country before you travel to the United States.

[Becca8377]

Originally Posted by Louden

Hi Becca,

20-25 mins is perfect I think. Currently I'm checking out Roxborough & Manayunk Apartments | Rock Hill Apartments | The Galman Group. They are not located very well for the buzz in Manayunk, but it's very close to Wissahickon station, where the 125 passes to my work. Also, it's very affordable and has great parking.

The other thing I'm checking is right on the other side and is at Chimney Hill lofts, which looks great but is a bit more expensive and supposed to be quite costly in utilities.

But one thing can be concluded; I am focussing on Manayunk. If the perfect apartment in Ardmore comes up I will consider it of course, but I think it will be Manayunk. The reason I want to rent in an apartment community is that they usually allow 6 months stay btw. A row home or private apartment also seams nice, but that is always for 12 months.

Anybody get any good suggestions for a car? We would actually like to buy a car in the first 4 days we're there. How does registration work? Do you have to go to the municipality with the car papers? And what should I look out for? We want to get a bit of an American car (when in Rome...!) so I was thinking about a pick up. or would that give me some weird looks at the office?

Thanks again for all the help so far!

Yeah, the Rock Hill Apts wouldn't really be good walking distance to Main St Manayunk... you can, but those will sit further up the hill and, trust me, the hill is big. You could always drive down or even walk to Wissahickon station and go one stop down. In nice weather, the walk shouldn't be too too bad. My coworker lives in Chimney Hill and likes it for the most part but they are more expensive.

As others noted, driving/parking in Manayunk is not fun. If you're in a complex with parking, that's a definite bonus. I park on the street and had this unfortunate incident a few months ago - //www.city-data.com/forum/phila...5-hit-run.html

[pman]

fwiw ardmore is an 18-23 min ride downtown on the train, on saturday service is every 30 minutes

[PHLondoner]

Louden, I know probably 10 people who do the Center City to KOP commute daily. Some have been able to shuffle work times so that their commute is just outside the crazy traffic of rush hour. It's totally doable.

I didn't catch your age, but Manayunk is for 22-28year olds--and has developed into what i like to call "training wheels" for skittish suburbanite college grads from the western suburbs who don't quite have the courage yet to move to the big city. Dipping their toes into urban living if you will. It's effectively one (rather nice) main street, with houses on a hill connected to it.

You've said multiple times you like city rhythms and the vibe, the only place you'll really get that is in Center City (and surrounding 'hoods). So before you exile yourself in Ardmore or Manayunk, make sure to do your due diligence in Center City--you can definitely find a nice 1BR for $1500 in queen village, GHO, bella vista, no libs, etc.

[Becca8377]

Originally Posted by PHLondoner

Louden, I know probably 10 people who do the Center City to KOP commute daily. Some have been able to shuffle work times so that their commute is just outside the crazy traffic of rush hour. It's totally doable.

I didn't catch your age, but Manayunk is for 22-28year olds--and has developed into what i like to call "training wheels" for skittish suburbanite college grads from the western suburbs who don't quite have the courage yet to move to the big city. Dipping their toes into urban living if you will. It's effectively one (rather nice) main street, with houses on a hill connected to it.

You've said multiple times you like city rhythms and the vibe, the only place you'll really get that is in Center City (and surrounding 'hoods). So before you exile yourself in Ardmore or Manayunk, make sure to do your due diligence in Center City--you can definitely find a nice 1BR for $1500 in queen village, GHO, bella vista, no libs, etc.

Manayunk is a real mix of people. Yes there are a lot of post-grads, but there's also a lot of young professionals not in your description there. I'm 30, have nothing to do with the western suburbs, and dislike suburb living overall, but do not want to have the total city that is Center City. It has nothing to do with me being skittish. I like having a ton of stuff to do, but don't want to live in a skyscraper. I have 3 dogs and living in center city is not conducive to their or my needs. I have many friends living in Manayunk that have nothing to do with your generalization.

[Louden]

@ PHLondoner: My girl and I are both 28, so we'll just fit in the target audience of Manayunk

In general we get a long with everybody and eventually we want to see whether we could move to CC. However, the most important thing for me personally is that my girlfriend will be happy. As she will not be able to work at first, I cannot waste time on commuting when I could have an hour more a day to see her. Of course, when we are more used to Philly (and the USA actually) after about half a year or so and she will be able to work as well, I would feel more comfortable commuting over an hour a day.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Louden

@ PHLondoner: My girl and I are both 28, so we'll just fit in the target audience of Manayunk

In general we get a long with everybody and eventually we want to see whether we could move to CC. However, the most important thing for me personally is that my girlfriend will be happy. As she will not be able to work at first, I cannot waste time on commuting when I could have an hour more a day to see her. Of course, when we are more used to Philly (and the USA actually) after about half a year or so and she will be able to work as well, I would feel more comfortable commuting over an hour a day.

Ardmore is boring, IMO, which probably wouldn't help your girlfriend, or you, make a good transition. I grew up nearby so I am very familiar with Ardmore. It's an area that is better if you have children. I would focus much more on what Manayunk has to offer. Definitely would be more suitable for a young couple.