Moving to Philly - Center City vs Society Hill

[timeEd32]

The Fitler Square rec. is a good one. Was there on Saturday -- great neighborhood.

[newmarlig]

You can take the Frankford El going westbound from 5th and Market to 15th and Market. That takes about four minutes.

You can also take the 9 or 21 bus from 4th and Walnut (or the 42 from 5th and Walnut) to 16th and walk to Market. Or walk to 4th and Market for the 17 or 33 bus to 16th and Market. They run frequently, so missing one is no big deal. It's about a 10-15 minute ride. Returning, the 9, 21and 42 run along Chestnut Street. The 9 turns on 4th to Walnut. The 17 and 33 return on Market.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by newmarlig

You can take the Frankford El going westbound from 5th and Market to 15th and Market. That takes about four minutes.

You can also take the 9 or 21 bus from 4th and Walnut (or the 42 from 5th and Walnut) to 16th and walk to Market. Or walk to 4th and Market for the 17 or 33 bus to 16th and Market. They run frequently, so missing one is no big deal. It's about a 10-15 minute ride. Returning, the 9, 21and 42 run along Chestnut Street. The 9 turns on 4th to Walnut. The 17 and 33 return on Market.

Piggybacking on this:

Stations on the Market-Frankford Line that are close to Society Hill are also located at 2d and 8th streets. Depending on where you settle in the neighborhood, those might be closer, though the Society Hill Towers site makes the walk from that side of the neighborhood to 2d Street non-obvious.

And on most days from roughly April through October, you may want to walk the distance to your worksite. It will take you longer than even riding the bus, but you will get exercise and fresh air.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

They lied or didn't know. It's there. There are, as I said, double doors, on the far southern wall of the Race Vine station hiding this pedestrian passage way. It's directly opposite the fare turnstiles. I was, admittedly, jarred when I saw it. My immediate thought was, "Wow, are they going to open it? Is it part of the 15th St/City Hall stations' renovation project which is proceeding pretty quickly?" It will very nice when it's done.
..

The North Broad Street concourse will not reopen for public use. It's been closed to the public for decades and was recently converted into a service center for the homeless.

The one entrance that's open is a set of stairs off the Municipal Services Building concourse, just east of where the passageway from the Dilworth Park concourses to the MSB basement entrance crosses it.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

OP, this is true: Society Hill is primarily residential and quiet. But you would be steps away from Old City(restaurants, bars, theater(live and movies), art galleries, shops and South St.

You also have Washington Square West for a next-door neighbor. It's also livelier than Society Hill but less packed with bars, restaurants, clubs and galleries than Old City.

Nonetheless, it does have a number of interesting eateries and shops, especially along the Pine Street "Antique Row" (the historic home of the city's antiques dealers, which have diminished in number over the years). It's also the home of the "Gayborhood," the city's epicenter of LGBT nightlife; this district is just about coterminous with "Midtown Village," a term coined to clue non-gay folk in on the fact that they were welcome to patronize establishments there too.

The main theater that presents Broadway shows in this city, the Forrest, is in Washington Square West, just west of Jefferson University and Hospital. So is the nation's oldest theater, the Walnut Street, at 9th.

We've launched a weekly series of neighborhood guides on the Phillymag Home & Real Estate channel. These three (the three posted so far) are relevant:

So You Want to Live in Old City | Real Estate & Home | Philadelphia Magazine
Living in Society Hill: A Neighborhood Guide | Real Estate & Home | Philadelphia Magazine
Living in Washington Square West: A Neighborhood Guide | Real Estate & Home | Philadelphia Magazine

[newmarlig]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Piggybacking on this:

Stations on the Market-Frankford Line that are close to Society Hill are also located at 2d and 8th streets. Depending on where you settle in the neighborhood, those might be closer, though the Society Hill Towers site makes the walk from that side of the neighborhood to 2d Street non-obvious.

And on most days from roughly April through October, you may want to walk the distance to your worksite. It will take you longer than even riding the bus, but you will get exercise and fresh air.

I only said 5th and Market because OP mentioned 4th and Walnut in his original post.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

The North Broad Street concourse will not reopen for public use. It's been closed to the public for decades and was recently converted into a service center for the homeless.

The one entrance that's open is a set of stairs off the Municipal Services Building concourse, just east of where the passageway from the Dilworth Park concourses to the MSB basement entrance crosses it.

Ah...okay.

So this service center is why there are more homeless in parts of the concourse over the last year than there has been in a very long time. They are, not surprisingly, making it harder for septa housekeeping to keep things clean. More trash. More rogue pieces of food. More need to wash down floor areas. I told a septa guy cleaning to always wear a mask and gloves. Sigh...

Let's just say that the riding and paying public, using septa, is getting cheated by having this access taken away from them.