Manayunk overrated? (Pittsburgh, Conshohocken, Plymouth: salons, insurance, homes)

[Soju]

What's the allure of Manayunk? I find the place kinda boring. Few decent restaurants and stores,that's it.

[solibs]

I don't think I could ever live there but I like to visit. It's really a unique place. You might find some places like it in Pittsburgh but they're sleepy in comparison. Sometimes I'm there and I'm reminded of places in Avignon and Lyon. And the southern end of Main St. has become the one stop destination if you're furniture shopping. Nothing can compete with Center City but in terms of shopping and restaurants it's a lot more vibrant and diversified than almost any other neighborhood. The only other places in the same league are University City, Northern Liberties and Chestnut Hill.

That said, I'm not a big fan of the fratboy culture there.

My wife and I were there for a friend's birthday party a few years ago and were walking down to Main St. to catch the bus home and, out of nowhere, she said,

"Let's never move here."

"OK, Why?" I said

"Because it's city-lite. Like Hoboken. It's for all the suburban kids who don't want to worry about DUIs but don't want to live near black people either."

It's hilarious b/c it's true.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Soju

What's the allure of Manayunk? I find the place kinda boring. Few decent restaurants and stores,that's it.

Sorry, but I really find this off the mark. Did you have a chance to walk down Main Street, because there certainly more than "a few" decent restaurants and stores. I was actually just in Manayunk this past Friday, and I was EXTREMELY impressed by the vibrancy of the neighborhood. The urbanity and development right by Schuylkill gives Manayunk an old-world, European feel. As someone who has some experience with DC neighborhoods, it definitely reminds me of Georgetown -- which is easily one of the most highly-regarded urban neighborhoods in the country.

[GMonkey]

I think that Manayunk is much like Media, but an even more difficult commute, wage taxes, and higher insurance rates.

It's cute and has a lot to offer, though. If you work in Manayunk, or N or Center City, then it's probably a great place to live. If you work in CC or S, not so great.

[solibs]

If think Manayunk does make sense for a lot of people because it's a short commute to Center City and to Plymouth Meeting, Conshy and KOP.

The R6 is something like 22 minutes to Suburban Station and 10 minutes to Conshohocken. Then you have the 9 and 27 express buses to Center City and you have the 32 and 61 which are locals (and even the 61 has some express runs now during rush hour).

[ajb842]

I think manayunk's appeal is for people who want to live in the city and be able to walk to shops and restaurants, but don't want to actually live in center city. However, my understanding is that years ago Manayunk was not a place you wanted to live, though now many young professionals have moved to the area and have made it trendy. I in general, like Manayunk but I wouldn't live there either, though more for the reasons of parking and the narrow streets. Few people have private parking and there are many streets that simply do not get their snow removed in the winter. This may seem trivial, but as a nurse who prefers to get up 10 minutes before I have to leave and then get out the door, this is something I thought about. In addition, I don't think it looks that nice. There are some newer homes being built in the area with their own parking, but they're expensive. I think many of the streets look kind of run-down anyway, so to pay 350k doesn't really seem like a good idea to me. Still, I frequent Manayunk restaurants and occasionally the shops, though they do have a few good salons on main street, a good tatoo place, and yummy indian and italian food with a movie theatre all nearby.

[john_starks]

manayunk is cool. it just seems so disconnected from the rest of the city.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by Soju

What's the allure of Manayunk? I find the place kinda boring. Few decent restaurants and stores,that's it.

Totally agree. I was there not long ago having a drink and it was vastly overrated. While the downtown area is decent, the surrounding area is terrible. You couldn't pay me to live around there.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

While the downtown area is decent, the surrounding area is terrible. You couldn't pay me to live around there.

Are you saying that because you're from Moorestown or is there a reason behind such a strong position?

[MoorestownResident]

Just found the area to be run down.