New job at CHOP. Moving from Texas (Lancaster, Ardmore: apartments, rent)

[hornfan]

Just recently accepted a position at CHOP.
Will be moving from Texas. Looking for a safe neighborhood for a single early 20s female. Considering University City because of proximity to the hospital, but understand some areas are better than others. Since i will have my car, parking seems to be an issue/expense in certain areas of Center City. Have also had recommendations of areas such as Manayunk or Conchohocken. Since i have a car, those may be options, but I do want to have a convenient option to take the train into work (especially on bad weather days; Texans can't drive in snow!)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

When are you moving? May 1
Where are you coming from? Texas
Why are you moving? New job
Where will you be working? CHOP
Have you been here yet? Yes, to interview

Will you buy or rent? rent

If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? $1000 per month or below
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? no pref

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single
Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? No
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? See advantages to both

What do you want to be closest to? Work and/or train


Coke or Pepsi? Coke!

[solibs]

Employers here don't normally subsidize their employee's parking - besides, traffic in U. City can be worse than in Center City.

The R1, R2 and R3 all go to U. City Station (which is really close to CHOP) and the R6 usually becomes the R2 to Wilmington as it passes through Center City so living in Manayunk, East Falls or Wissahickon would be convenient (as long as you live within walking distance of the station).

Otherwise living in West Philly would also be fine. The rule of the thumb is generally that the further west and north you go in West Philly the sketchier it gets. You'll probably want to be between 40th & 48th and between Locust St. and the RR tracks to the south. Just keep in mind that the closer you get to campus the more students you'll have to deal with.

[a75206]

I'm a Texan (an Aggie here, sorry hornfan! hehe) so probably have some idea of what you might like/dislike in Philly... you can live in many parts of Philly and not miss your car very much; plus, for those times when you do need a car, you can rent one from ZipCar or PhillyCarShare, two car-sharing services...the latter of which is a local non-profit. You'll save on car insurance (much higher in Philly), save the hassles of parking, and not have to deal with random vandalism to your car if it's parked on-street...doesn't happen too often but still. Perhaps you can find some places in Fitler Square area, south of Rittenhouse Square area. I hear that is a popular place for folks working in UCity or studying there. UCity itself is becoming a nicer place to live all the time. Manayunk is very popular with college students and has a nice nightlife on Main Street Manayunk; some of the apartments there are also perhaps closer to what we find in Texas. So I guess I can see the pluses of living there, at least to begin with. And you can keep your car and not worry about needing it to get to work because you can reliably take the train, while still keeping the car for weekend outings or shopping trips and such. Yeah, for an eartly 20s single gal from Texas, that might not be a bad idea at all.

Check out this web site for some ideas:

http://www.4wallsinphilly.com/manayunk.htm


Good luck to you!

[thekish]

Manayunk and Conshohocken are definite options. I would add East Falls, Fitler Square and any of the towns along Lancaster Ave.

Fitler Square is right across the river from Penn and walking distance to campus but not much parking.

The towns along Lancaster ave like Narberth, Villanova, Ardmore, and Wayne all have a train direct to 30th St Station.

East Falls has parking and is about 2 miles west of the Art Museum. There is also a train to the city.

[pman]

Manayunk would add traffic to the equation and a lot of time to the train commute without any real benefit. I think Ucity or Grad Hospital/Fitler Sq are good areas. parking in Ucity is probably easier and apt's slighlty cheaper. you can catch the 42 bus on pine/spruce for direct service to the hospital complex. it runs VERY often during rush hour, every 8 minutes I think. Baltimore Ave has a trolley that runs close to the hospital complex.