Will Upper Darby ever be nice again? (Philadelphia, Drexel Hill: apartment, rental)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I don't get that either. Even new development in Media/Newtown Square and West Chester uses the terms "Main Line Living/Luxury" (I know Newtown Sq) is close the Main Line).

For me personally I am more attracted to Media/West Chester due to the downtowns. And Chester County has a bucolic atmosphere that the Main Line no longer has.

And IMO a lot of the Media area is more aesthetically appealing than a good chunk of the Main Line and has more outdoor recreational opportunities than most other suburbs in the area. The Main Line is wonderful, but I feel that most of our suburban towns have enough going for them where they do not need the catchet of the Main Line term.

It's stupid real estate marketing, IMO. lol

And I agree, I think Media to be much more charming and interesting. Except for Wayne I find so much of the traditional Main Line to be overrated.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Actually, she's right. Where do you think that the term Main Line comes from? The train line. Not all train lines, either.

I think the PRR called it that originally. I also think the PRR had something to do with renaming some towns. For example Ardmore used to be Athensville. The prez of PRR, Casssatt, lived in Haverford, I believe. OT but the story of the building Penn Station in NYC is fascinating... building the train tunnel, etc.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by pman

Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies

Overbrook, Merion, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I think the PRR called it that originally. I also think the PRR had something to do with renaming some towns. For example Ardmore used to be Athensville. The prez of PRR, Casssatt, lived in Haverford, I believe. OT but the story of the building Penn Station in NYC is fascinating... building the train tunnel, etc.

Doesn't the Main Line run through what was called the Welsh Tract in colonial times?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Doesn't the Main Line run through what was called the Welsh Tract in colonial times?

Yes, but I believe the Welsh Tract occupies a lot of SE PA.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by kyb01

It's stupid real estate marketing, IMO. lol

And I agree, I think Media to be much more charming and interesting. Except for Wayne I find so much of the traditional Main Line to be overrated.

I think Media has a better town center; I think the Main Line has better residential areas. The way my life is headed, I'll probably choose Chestnut Hill over both, but I'm a ways off from making that decision. As far as suburbs go, both greater Media and the Main Line have a lot of great things to offer in both departments. Beyond snob appeal, there's certainly no reason for surrounding areas to latch onto the Main Line name.

The highest-cachet areas are always overrated to varying degrees.

[elliotgb]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

My mother, who grew up in Havertown, would speak of the days when 69th Street was like South Street, South Street was like Manayunk, and Manayunk was like Roxborough. Based on what I've gathered from your posts, she was probably about ten years younger than you. My uncle, who probably splits the difference between your ages, bought a house in Upper Darby in the early '80s and lived there until 1998. He lost a lot of his equity but managed to at least not lose money. After a brief stop in Newtown Square, he's been renting in Drexel Hill ever since.

And while there are far better places for young people to live than the Main Line, it's still quite good as far as suburbs go (though that's saying very little). If you work further out to the western suburbs and don't want a hellish commute to work, the Main Line isn't a bad place to be. There's a still a young people's scene in Ardmore in Bryn Mawr (mostly by virtue of the local colleges and universities). My mom lived off Cricket Avenue in the early-mid '80s as a young, single woman. It wasn't a bad place for a young person working at Villanova but not making a lot of money. I wish I could ask her more about it (among other, far more important things ).

My brother and his partner, who are in their early/late twenties, will actually be living in Wynnewood next year for work reasons. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I'm confident that they'll make it work.

I lived in Lansdowne from the 50's through the 70's. In the 1950's and 60's, 69th Street was the equivalent of an outdoor mall with stores from bakeries to large department stores such as Gimbels, Pennys and Lit Brothers.

At Christmas time it reminded me of the downtown area you see in A Christmas Story. There was a an outdoor Easter bunny slide. They also had a large shoe like the one in The Old Woman and the Shoe and a live animals at Christmas, too.

Great stores like Hanscom's Bakery, Tom McCann shoes, Kresge's 5 and 10 with a soda fountain and little turtles that you could buy. 69th Street was the place to shop if you lived in Lansdowne, Upper Darby, etc.

Sadly, as the suburbs changed, so did 69th Street with business closings and having to take your life in your hands if you ventured there at night. Upper Darby became Upper Dumpy.

The good old days "seemed" magical, though.
Here is the old giant shoe:

And the Bunny:

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by elliotgb

I lived in Lansdowne from the 50's through the 70's. In the 1950's and 60's, 69th Street was the equivalent of an outdoor mall with stores from bakeries to large department stores such as Gimbels, Pennys and Lit Brothers.

At Christmas time it reminded me of the downtown area you see in A Christmas Story. There was a an outdoor Santa slide with a workshop at the top where you would visit Saint Nick and then ride the slide down to ground level. They also had a large shoe like the one in The Old Woman and the Shoe and a Giant Easter Bunny. Live animals at Christmas, too.

Great stores like Hanscom's Bakery, Tom McCann shoes, Kresge's 5 and 10 with a soda fountain and little turtles that you could buy. 69th Street was the place to shop if you lived in Lansdowne, Upper Darby, etc.

Sadly, as the suburbs changed, so did 69th Street with business closings and having to take your life in your hands if you ventured there at night. Upper Darby became Upper Dumpy.

The good old days "seemed" magical, though.

I remember all of that too. I'm sure what you describe is hard to imagine for many younger people. But this was all before Springfield Mall became big and certainly before KoP became the behemoth it is now.

The time you describe was also when 60th and 52nd Sts, in W. Philly, were nice streets. Shopping, movie theaters, etc.

[TimmyTightWad]

New movie theater to open up on 69Th St.

Studio Movie Grill to open in Upper Darby

[Burger Fan]

Originally Posted by TimmyTightWad

New movie theater to open up on 69Th St.

Studio Movie Grill to open in Upper Darby

Oh wow.

There were a lot of issues with the previous theatre in that spot, none of which better seats or more food are going to fix. It's going to be an uphill battle convincing people to attend this one over competing theatres in the area.