Philadelphia Driving and City Safety (Allentown, Reading: rent, home, school)

[ChandlerDobson]

Hello, so this summer, I am going up to Allentown to take a vacation. I am also planning on taking the Acela Express to Washington DC. I am debating on if to just take the bus to Newark and get the train from there, or to get it from Philadelphia. I have two questions.

1. Is Philadelphia a safe city to be in? I had extended family that lived there many years ago and I heard horror stories of how dangerous and scary some parts are. I was also told the subway is not safe for tourists. Is downtown Philadelphia safe for tourists?

2. What is the driving there like? I live in Phoenix, and it's not too bad. I've heard that drivers are really aggressive in the big northeast cities and some shout at you at a red light or on the highway. I get anxiety driving as it is, especially in crowds. Are Philadelphia drivers angry all the time like in New York City? What is the road rage like there?

So would it be better to just take the bus to Newark and get the Amtrak or is Philadelphia not as bad as I think it is? I've never been there. The extended family who used to live there never saw any kindness in the city and never saw anything positive. They were only there because one of my family members went to school there. They never said anything positive and always called it bad names too. I'd like to hear from people who have lived in the area for many years what it's really like.

[bigfish1]

Center City is definitely safe for tourists. It is always important to remember that when in a city anything can happen anywhere but you should not have any problems in Center City. Hopefully by the summer we are getting to the end of the pandemic. With many people working from home Center City is not as vibrant as it has been in years passed but still safe.

As for driving, it can be a pain especially in the center with all the pedestrians and streets much tighter than you may be used to in Phoenix. What sights do you plan to see? I think that would be best to know if you should take a car or not.

[Wells5]

Take the Greyhound Bus from Allentown to Philly, cost is $22. The Greyhound station is near the Reading Terminal Market. You'll have to take a taxi from there to the 30th Street Amtrak train station.


If you want to experience a train ride from Penn Station in NYC to Washington see below.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiCS2wdnAFw

[rowhomecity]

From what it sounds like.

You are traveling to Allentown.

I am assuming you are driving or will have a car at your disposable in Allentown and you referenced whether you should take a bus from Allentown to Newark or to Drive to Philadelphia.

Things to notate.

1) The area you would be taking the train from Philadelphia is definitely safe.

2) Yes, driving in Philadelphia is similar to NYC, maybe even a bit more alarming, because the streets are very small.

3) Newark driving is no better, and maybe even worse, because the highways in NJ are busy and congested to say the least.

4) I would not suggest driving to either city to take a train to DC. There is very limited car parking at these stations, and you have to pay to park and it can be quite expensive.

5) I would suggest to drive to DC from Allentown, IMHO.

6) If you are not comfortable with driving into DC. Then I would then suggest driving from Allentown to a SEPTA station in Lansdale which is only about 50 minutes from Allentown. And you can take the SEPTA train right into the Philadelphia 30th St. Station to get you Acela to DC.

Philadelphia is not scary. That is a perception from people who are not accustomed to major cities.

Good luck.

[cpomp]

To start, Philadelphia is a great city. Cities aren't for everyone, but sounds like maybe your family had issues with the city that don't resonate with the general populous.

Next, if I were in Allentown going to DC, I would probably just drive to DC, ~3 hours on mostly highways. You could also drive to SEPTA regional rail station in the Western burbs, take a train into Philadelphia and switch to Amtrak, or rent a car in Allentown and drop off at 30th Street and take Acela.

I would say either drive the whole way or take transit the whole way, a drive / train combo sounds hectic.

Final point, the parts of DC where tourists go is no safer (or un-safer) than the parts of Philadelphia where tourists go. You will enjoy both.

[ChandlerDobson]

Originally Posted by cpomp

To start, Philadelphia is a great city. Cities aren't for everyone, but sounds like maybe your family had issues with the city that don't resonate with the general populous.

Next, if I were in Allentown going to DC, I would probably just drive to DC, ~3 hours on mostly highways. You could also drive to SEPTA regional rail station in the Western burbs, take a train into Philadelphia and switch to Amtrak, or rent a car in Allentown and drop off at 30th Street and take Acela.

I would say either drive the whole way or take transit the whole way, a drive / train combo sounds hectic.

Final point, the parts of DC where tourists go is no safer (or un-safer) than the parts of Philadelphia where tourists go. You will enjoy both.

I plan to take the Acela Express. I love high speed trains and we don't have them in Arizona. I may decide to take the bus to Newark and then take the train from Penn Station. I for sure am not driving in Philadelphia. Is the SEPTA safe for tourists?

[Gerania]

Are you visiting someone in the Allentown area? Can they drop you off somewhere? You can take the train into town from as far north as Doylestown. I stopped driving there years ago. There's no way in hell that I'll ever drive in the DC area again. People from every state in our nation move there and bring their bad habits with them. My husband who had driven everywhere--multiple foreign countries and disaster areas--freaked out at an intersection in DC.

I'm a 60 something white female with mobility issues and I've never had a problem there.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by ChandlerDobson

I plan to take the Acela Express. I love high speed trains and we don't have them in Arizona. I may decide to take the bus to Newark and then take the train from Penn Station. I for sure am not driving in Philadelphia. Is the SEPTA safe for tourists?

SEPTA is very safe.

It honestly does not make much sense to take a bus that is going the opposite direction of DC to Newark. Newark is also further away from Allentown than Philadelphia.

Your best bet would be to drive to Lansdale, Pennsylvania. It is only 45 minutes from Allentown.

It is a charming suburban town with a SEPTA train station. You can park your car here for free.

Then you can board the SEPTA train (yes it is safe), there is nothing unsafe about Philadelphia commuter rail.

Philadelphia suburbs are actually some of the nicest in the nation.

You then can take the train from Lansdale to Philadelphia 30th St. Station (which is only about a 45 minute train ride).

And then once at Philadelphia you can board the Acela to DC.

To be fair. 30th St. Station is far nicer and much safer than Newark Penn Station in New Jersey.

Penn Station in Newark is not that nice, which it sounds like that is your primary concern.

[ChandlerDobson]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

SEPTA is very safe.

It honestly does not make much sense to take a bus that is going the opposite direction of DC to Newark. Newark is also further away from Allentown than Philadelphia.

Your best bet would be to drive to Lansdale, Pennsylvania. It is only 45 minutes from Allentown.

It is a charming suburban town with a SEPTA train station. You can park your car here for free.

Then you can board the SEPTA train (yes it is safe), there is nothing unsafe about Philadelphia commuter rail.

Philadelphia suburbs are actually some of the nicest in the nation.

You then can take the train from Lansdale to Philadelphia 30th St. Station (which is only about a 45 minute train ride).

And then once at Philadelphia you can board the Acela to DC.

To be fair. 30th St. Station is far nicer and much safer than Newark Penn Station in New Jersey.

Penn Station in Newark is not that nice, which it sounds like that is your primary concern.

Can you park your car at the Landsdale Station for 3 nights? I also want to experience riding the SEPTA subway if it's safe. If it's not, I will pass on that. Yeah, I may end up just going the Philadelphia route.

[ChandlerDobson]

And I am going to Allentown for a vacation. It looks like a very historic city. I'm also going to Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe looks like one of those towns from a horror video game or a horror movie. Will be interesting to see.