From the Great Plains to Philadelphia (Lancaster, King of Prussia: apartment, rent, houses)

[jackrabbit11]

Hi, I am coming to Philadelphia from South Dakota for the summer months. I am staying in the University City area. What all do I need to know? Should I even bring a car...or just use public transportation for everything? I've always lived in a small town, but I want to experience an urban city for a few months because it's definitely the time to do it and I am not taking summer classes for school. I don't check this too often, but I wanted some opinions. Thanks!

[solibs]

you don't need a car but it might be useful if you're planning a lot of day-trips.

OTOH, you can get most places without a car and you can always rent for a day or a week if you need to.

If driving cross-country is something you want to do then go for it. You can always hang your keys up when you get here. If you're not amped about the drive then consider what'll cheaper (flying vs. driving).

[jackrabbit11]

Okay, thank you! This is also kind of a silly question, but being a midwestern girl..and probably very naive, if I left my car in a parking ramp or what not down near University city, would I need to be worried?

[rainrock]

Car? Tough call . A car would be nice to have around, if you had some downtime you could go to the beach for the day, Pocono mountains, out to one of the suburban towns/attractions like Valley Forge, King of Prussia, Lancaster(Amish country) New Hope, or Atlantic City. NYC Wash Bal are only a 2 hour drive away as well.

On the otherhand a car really is a liability in the city itself.

If you are adventurous and looking to explore the east coast Id bring the car, if you arent planning on doing much outside the city you are probably better off keeping the car at home.

Good luck.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by jackrabbit11

Okay, thank you! This is also kind of a silly question, but being a midwestern girl..and probably very naive, if I left my car in a parking ramp or what not down near University city, would I need to be worried?

In University City, you would most likely going to be parking on the street. If you feel your car is moderate popular and it doesn't already come with a security system, you may want to buy a Club for the steering wheel. Chances are highly unlikely that anything will happen but Honda Accords and luxury cars and trucks might get more attention than others.

Also, you may have to purchase a parking permit. With so many students, staff and plain residents in UC, on-street parking space is at a premium.

I would agree that if it's not necessarily for you to bring your car, you're better off renting one here for the rare occasions that you do.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by jackrabbit11

Okay, thank you! This is also kind of a silly question, but being a midwestern girl..and probably very naive, if I left my car in a parking ramp or what not down near University city, would I need to be worried?

The further from campus in west philly you live the easier it is to park. Some neighborhoods have permit parking on the street so you can only park for two hours at a time if you don't have a permit in your window.

Once you get off campus west philly is mostly houses. twins or rowhomes but houses none-the-less. There aren't a lot of big apartment buildings. I can't think of any parking garages past 40th St.

A parking garage or parking lot would be expensive (~$150/month) and probably not that close to where you'll be staying.

Unless you have a brand new Toyota Camry or Honda Accord (the most stolen cars) I really wouldn't worry about your car. Just don't leave anything in it. Opportunists cruise around looking for ipods left on the seat, a GPS on the windshield, an ashtray full of money, a suitcase - that sort of thing. If you have a 5 year old car and it's clear that there's nothing in it then it's pretty unlikely to get messed with. Just move it once a week so the neighbors don't report it as abandoned (as you'll have out-of-state plates).

[jackrabbit11]

Thank you all so much for your advice! I've mostly been going off of what people tell me, but they were all visitor's to Philly, not actual residents and I needed an inside/natives of philly perspectives.

I think I will leave my car in South Dakota, I don't plan on traveling too much mostly because the internship is a very busy one and if I can just rent a car...and more than likely I will be taking people with me who know the area, so thank you all for your advice. I've heard great things about the city and I look forward to experiencing it!

[MH Montrose]

My opinion...leave the car at home...too many hassles with parking, unfamiliarty etc...join Zip Car...many residents of Center City use a car sharing program when they actually need the use of a car. This way you get the best of both worlds...a car when you need it, at an hourly or daily rate.
Good luck and have fun

[pman]

you can also get to the beach via bus very easily from center city or a train from 30th st station. there's excellent intercity bus AND train service to NY as well. If VF Park you must, there's a bus that goes there as well. there's plenty to explore in Philly in just a few months and SEPTA is pretty decent way to get around, especially from UCity. there are so many people here that there's much better intercity and regional transportation than most areas.

[jackrabbit11]

Awesome! Thanks so much everyone, I appreciate all of the advice.