Setting out for the City of Brotherly Love...

Do you have to live IN the city? I used to live in Ambler, PA (19002) which is almost touching the city and found it to be charming, safe, clean, friendly, 50/50 politics, and not nearly as expensive to live there as my friends inside Philly were paying. Also, the R5 train by SEPTA would get you in and out of the city (right to downtown) rather fast and inexpensively Also, I found the entire SEPTA train system to be very easy to use and not expensive at all. Good luck!

purenitrous, nursegracer, and desuetude, thank you all for your comments. Right now I live somewhere that, at a glance, doesn't look absolutely fantastic, but in the grand scheme of things is perfectly fine. Thanks again for everyone's comments... I might be emailing some of you individually.

Coming late to the discussion: http://www.metafilter.com/user/46906's http://projects.metafilter.com/854/Today-I-Saw blog may be apropos.

Seriously, wfc123, are you that afraid of Market St? I am female and I have no fear walking around at ten or eleven at night, or even later. I live slightly north of Center City and have walked home from the train or bus at one in the morning. I agree with desuetue.

The problem is you go a few blocks beyond Center City and everything "looks like shit". Oh, please. This is not true. And please stop derailing the thread.

I grew up in East Mt Airy and lived there until after college. The best thing for me was hitting my bike and riding down into Fairmount Park, along the Wissahickon Creek, down to the Schuylkill River, all the way downtown. About 10 miles long, mostly isolated from traffic, and I used to make this trip most days. Mt Airy is right next door to Chestnut Hill, which is very nice as well. Lots of quaint shops, decent public schools, and summertime things like music in outdoor parks, etc.

The problem is you go a few blocks beyond Center City and everything "looks like shit". Even the main drag - Market St. - is dangerous. And that's near city hall. Muggings, shootings, homeless, drunks, drunk driving. It's all here. It's NYC in the 70's all over again. I work for a local station here, so I hear about the crime that goes unreported- simply because we don't have enough airtime to cover it all. I work past 11:00 pm and always take a cab back to my apartment- which is only 10 blocks away. There was a drive-by shooting right in front of the station one night. Sorry, but this is the reality-- and it seems to be getting worse. A city-specific gun control law would help-- a lot. Hell, it works in NYC.

I lived in Philly for about two years (in the mid nineties) and had a blast! While there I lived in Manayunk. Parking was a total hassle but you quickly figure out the patterns and where to find a spot. (it seems this problem extends to pretty much everywhere in town). Getting on the freeway is a piece of cake from that neighborhood and provided quick access to other parts of the city. It also (at that time) had a great collection of bars and restaurants that were great to have within a short walk. However, I still found myself spending way more time going down to Center City. The best thing about my philly experience were the friends I made. There are lots of 'cool' places around, but the people are absolutely what really make it special. Get to know the folks around, make some friends, and you'll find your own 'cool' neighborhood.

You do NOT have to stay in Center City to avoid death. The person who posted that is being rediculous. Yes, there is a lot of crime here, but it's generally isolated to North Philly, far West Philly, South West Philly, and Kensington. Basically, if the neighborhood looks like shit, don't go there. It's not that hard. I live in a neighborhood that looks like shit, actually, and as a young, blonde female, I have no problems. You can bike everywhere, and everyone does. There are plenty of cool neighborhoods to live in. I suggest Graduate Hospital (SW Center City) area, which is also "up and coming". Fishtown is a friendly cool place. The Art Museum area (below Wallace) is pretty Yuppy now. I moved here from Boston and I love it (I'm still loyal to Boston, but Philly has grown on me). Amazing food, fun bars, awesome museums (check out the Mutter and the Rodin!)...There's a lot to love here.