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Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ionlyused59
without children?
Husband and myself have considered moving to the burbs in a year or two. Specifically we have really enjoyed our visits to Media and would consider it as a future location. However, we don't have kids and may never.
Media is obviously very family friendly and I'm concerned that we would move and feel out of place without children.
The other option is a different neighborhood in Philly but it would have to be the right house in just the right area.
What are your thoughts? Any childfree couples in the burbs? Anyone move from Philly to the burbs and regret it?
Look on the websites of towns that you would consider. See if the town or the merchants list events. Obviously, there won't be weekly events, but you can get a feel for a town that way. If they have events that are aimed at all ages, go check one out & then check it on a weekend when there isn't an event.
Yeah prior to Philly we lived in the Lehigh Valley and it was so isolating because we were on a cul de sac in a typical post war suburban area. We both work from home and didn't have a community or friends. It was lonely. I know for sure that's definitely not for me.
I really like Philly as a whole. I just got back from a nice walk downtown with my dog and really enjoyed it. I think perhaps looking into other neighborhoods here might be a good step. As I've stated before in previous posts, right now I'm in south philly and it's just not the right neighborhood for me. We want to wait a year or so until Lincoln Square is completed at Broad and Washington as I'm thinking that could further increase our property value.
A couple obervations.
In terms of all this Fishtown vs. South Philly vs. walkable suburb thing, one thing I've noticed about Philadelphia is that "walkability" is often heavy on the bar and restaurant scene and lacking on other counts. Are you so certain that you'll enjoy living somewhere else, or will it just be a temporary change of scenery? Most of the kind of gentrified city neighborhoods aren't wildly different form each other outside of the scenery. Plus a lot of people who move to these neighborhoods in search of community come from places without a sense of community and don't really know how to create or find one, and may not even be interested in it.
Does the Lehigh Valley have to be isolating, though? I have some family up there in the cul-de-sac neighborhoods, which is far from what I'd want to live in. But Allentown is a real city with real neighborhoods. Bethlehem has its artsy sections from what I remember. It's been a while since I've explored the cities properly...from what I heard I thought they were on the up and up. I know Allentown has some crime problems, but so does Philly. And as far as the actual draw of the big big cities like Philly (music venues, museums, sports, fine dining) its' not like the Lehigh Valley is so far away that you can't take advantage of it, it's just not part of your everyday life.
Anyway, I think my wife and I are in a somewhat similar situation to you guys except that we know where we're going. You are probably better off financially then us if you're considering Philly suburbs. But we've just kind of soured on big cities being the desirable. We've been planning on leaving Philly for a while (really most of the time we've lived here). Next year should still be our last year here. We have our sights set on a place that offers affordability and walkability to the stuff of everyday life and within manageable day trip distance to that once in a while big city stuff out in the heartland.
The best part about living in the burbs is not having to deal with neighbors and fighting for every single inch of space like animals in a zoo. I love the burbs for their tranquility. No noise, No smoke, No smell, No spills, No trash, etc. Hardly any form of pollution.
And if I want to go anywhere, I just hope into the car. No standing outside waiting for the bus or train. SEPTA does not dictate my schedule.
What is there not to like
You're going to age out of driving. Lol. You probably never think about that. Will you be able to make the decision yourself to stop or will someone be forced into taking your keys away? That can get ugly. Stubborn old or sick people who believe, wrongly, that they should be able to drive even with vision problem, mobility problems or mental problems. Aging Boomers are going to be the worst ever at getting through this because so many of us are spoiled brats.
I never felt tranquility in the 'burbs and I lived in one of the better 'burbs. What I felt was trapped, bored, unchallenged, stifled, and tired of the bland "sameness".
The best part about living in the burbs is not having to deal with neighbors and fighting for every single inch of space like animals in a zoo. I love the burbs for their tranquility. No noise, No smoke, No smell, No spills, No trash, etc. Hardly any form of pollution.
And if I want to go anywhere, I just hope into the car. No standing outside waiting for the bus or train. SEPTA does not dictate my schedule.
In terms of all this Fishtown vs. South Philly vs. walkable suburb thing, one thing I've noticed about Philadelphia is that "walkability" is often heavy on the bar and restaurant scene and lacking on other counts. Are you so certain that you'll enjoy living somewhere else, or will it just be a temporary change of scenery? Most of the kind of gentrified city neighborhoods aren't wildly different form each other outside of the scenery. Plus a lot of people who move to these neighborhoods in search of community come from places without a sense of community and don't really know how to create or find one, and may not even be interested in it..
Some of this is true, but the benefit to Fishtown and "some neighborhoods in South Philly" are that they are pretty walkable to useful things. Passyunk Square/EPX provide everything you could need, including grocery stores/markets, bakeries, dollar tree, take-out Mexican food, farmers market, etc. Of course, if you live near 19th and Washington, your statements are true. Fishtown is also very functional, of course less so when you get closer to Port Richmond. Part of the problem is that this city is too dependent on the automobile for how it's built. Take some of that away and you can spread the useful, everyday amenities more evenly IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
You're going to age out of driving. Lol. You probably never think about that. Will you be able to make the decision yourself to stop or will someone be forced into taking your keys away? That can get ugly. Stubborn old or sick people who believe, wrongly, that they should be able to drive even with vision problem, mobility problems or mental problems. Aging Boomers are going to be the worst ever at getting through this because so many of us are spoiled brats.
I never felt tranquility in the 'burbs and I lived in one of the better 'burbs. What I felt was trapped, bored, unchallenged, stifled, and tired of the bland "sameness".
While I fully agree with you, this will be complicated by America's refusal to negatively impact the number of automobile consumers. It's the center of American economics. Buy a vehicle, gas, insurance, maintenance, etc etc etc. Can't buy a suburban house unless you can drive. Can't shop at suburban malls unless you can drive.
The reality is that a huge number of drivers should have their licenses taken away, at least temporarily, based on the way they drive and the quality of their physical abilities. But that will never happen because driving is a religion here.
In terms of all this Fishtown vs. South Philly vs. walkable suburb thing, one thing I've noticed about Philadelphia is that "walkability" is often heavy on the bar and restaurant scene and lacking on other counts. Are you so certain that you'll enjoy living somewhere else, or will it just be a temporary change of scenery? Most of the kind of gentrified city neighborhoods aren't wildly different form each other outside of the scenery. Plus a lot of people who move to these neighborhoods in search of community come from places without a sense of community and don't really know how to create or find one, and may not even be interested in it.
Does the Lehigh Valley have to be isolating, though? I have some family up there in the cul-de-sac neighborhoods, which is far from what I'd want to live in. But Allentown is a real city with real neighborhoods. Bethlehem has its artsy sections from what I remember. It's been a while since I've explored the cities properly...from what I heard I thought they were on the up and up. I know Allentown has some crime problems, but so does Philly. And as far as the actual draw of the big big cities like Philly (music venues, museums, sports, fine dining) its' not like the Lehigh Valley is so far away that you can't take advantage of it, it's just not part of your everyday life.
Anyway, I think my wife and I are in a somewhat similar situation to you guys except that we know where we're going. You are probably better off financially then us if you're considering Philly suburbs. But we've just kind of soured on big cities being the desirable. We've been planning on leaving Philly for a while (really most of the time we've lived here). Next year should still be our last year here. We have our sights set on a place that offers affordability and walkability to the stuff of everyday life and within manageable day trip distance to that once in a while big city stuff out in the heartland.
As far as the neighborhoods not being wildly different from each other I respectfully disagree. There is definitely a different vibe in certain neighborhoods which may be more or less to my preferences. Point Breeze feels completely different than Queen Village, for example. Fitler Square feels different from Northern liberties and so forth. All are urban neighborhoods but all vary in terms of greenery, cleanliness, access to rivers, BSL and so forth.
If we would have made an effort to make friends in the Lehigh Valley, I'm sure we would have. We joined a church here in South Philly and have a real sense of community. Perhaps if we would have done the same thing there, we would have had the same situation. Bethlehem is a really cute downtown.
I grew up in Haverford and by the time I was about 15 or so so much of what I wanted was centered around, "How the heck do I stay sane here until I go to college! " Most things about it bored me.
Sure it was very safe but sometimes places with no risk are not so beneficial.
I grew up in a town with a graduating class number in the 60's. We had NOTHING there. I remember when a subway restaurant came in everyone was so excited hahaha. The first time I stepped foot in NYC I was like..woah...there's more to this world than this little town!!
Most all my friends stayed put there and raised families there and if that makes them happy..great! I just couldn't do it.
Last edited by ionlyused59; 11-29-2017 at 08:26 AM..
My thought on all this is that the walkable suburbs with good rail access into downtown is a reasonable option. BUT, you lose out on the quick easy access, resulting in doing less in the city than you would if you lived here. And nothing is as fun as walking out the front door into the city on a Saturday morning and just bouncing around to whatever. It's a real joy. I love going to the Italian Market to get some food and browse Fante's, grab a nice espresso from Anthony's, and then head into Center City, grab the El, go to Spring Garden, walk through NoLibs, grab lunch in Fishtown. Museums, walks along the river, stop in and browse at antique shops, look through some of the strange shops in Chinatown. The list goes on. And all is walkable. No car needed for any of it.
I love being home and cooking and having peace and quiet as much as anyone. But I can do that too. Maybe not as quiet as a detached suburban house, but I don't care.
In terms of all this Fishtown vs. South Philly vs. walkable suburb thing, one thing I've noticed about Philadelphia is that "walkability" is often heavy on the bar and restaurant scene and lacking on other counts.
This is an excellent and underrated point. Bars and restaurants alone don't make a place walkable /liveable. Our neighborhood fares a little better than most in that regard, but I think we still drive far more than we should for being "city" residents.
I can bet you my left nut that I have a more exciting life than you do. And I don't go out to clubs, bars and coffee shops.
The world is my playground and my life is not confined to my neighborhood and SEPTA routes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BK_PHL_DEL
lol that life sounds f**king boring and sterile
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