[nabwong]

Hey guys,

Haven't been on this board for some time. Part - no time, happy with my w10vtg

and not wanting to spend any more money. It seems everytime I come on here, I wanna buy something new.

Anyway, I've been living in Boston for the past 5 years and those were really wonderful years. Red sox won the world series twice! Patriots won 1 superbowl and almost had a perfect season. Celtics are finally awesome. The people and living standard here is one of the best i've ever experienced. Living in Cambridge has been extremely pleasant. There's so much that I will miss here.

So I'm planning to start a new life in Philadelphia ( 90% ) positive. My girlfriend got a very good job and we're looking to find an apartment in Center City area; she's gonna work at Upenn and I will probably go to grad school at Temple.

Any Head-fiers from Philly? What can we do there? Any good places to live in Center City? We'll need a garage. Is the subway safe? Good places to eat? We'll be visiting Philly this weekend to scout but won't be making the move till August.

Thanks!

 

[RYCeT]

Hi, I never been to Boston so I can't compare between both cities. For Center city area, you might like living in Art Museum area. It's quite expensive though. Another good area for consideration are old city and rittenhouse area.
Upenn is nice however you have to be careful because Upenn borders on West Philadelphia and it's a bad neighborhood and has a quite high crime rate. Temple's Fox Business school, if I'm not mistaken located in center city so it's quite safe however their main campus borders on North Philly and it's a bad neighborhood. I'm not trying to scare you, Crime rates in Philly is pretty bad however we just got a new mayor and he's look promising. Subway should be quite safe.

Good place to eat. Well, we got morimoto, celebrity chef, quite expensive but good food. Have you tried Philly Cheesesteak? My favourite is Tony Luke in South Philly, Pat's and Geno's are the tourist trap, Jim's in south st are the closest from center city. Penang is a malaysian rest, it's one of the branch from Nyonya chains, if I'm not mistaken they also have a branch in Boston.
For Sport teams, we haven't win any for the last 20 years so that should answer your questions

 

[nabwong]

Thanks Rycet for your input. I'm Muslim, so the chances of me trying a cheesesteak would be slim to none.

I guess crime is one of the biggest factors in finding an area to live. I've been reading a lot of stories about how crime is on the rise in Philadelphia. Do you live in center city? I think we'll be looking for apartments in the rittenhouse area, or slightly north (before temple). From what i've read, that's the best place to live.

Btw, no chance of me supporting the Eagles, Phillies or 76ers.

 

[pat1006]

Temple is a bad area. Once you are off campus you are in the ghetto. Around UPenn. Anything west of 40th street is bad. I have never had a problem in center city though i stay between JFK and south street and from like 2nd to 20th. The subway is mostly safe. It looks shady but it really isn't that bad. I do know someone who was mugged on the subway though. You have to be smart and stay alert. I haven't been able to afford really eating out so I really cannnot comment on food. Though our spots teams are awesome. We have the best fans hands down. I have only been in teh city for about four months now but I like to think I understand most of it now.

Also, this weekend I am free if you need help with anything let me know.

 

[blem]

double post

 

[blem]

Philadelphia is a great city (my hometown). You just need to get over your apprehensions... Trouble comes to those who fear !

 

[strid3r]

Hey nabwong, I'm actually considering the same move (Boston to Philly) after I graduate in May. My girlfriend is down there getting her master's. I've visited a few times and am definitely not an expert, but the advice that I've been reading/hearing is to stick around the Center City, Rittenhouse Square, Art Museum, and Old City areas. It seems as you go closer to the borders of Philly, the crime rate goes up.

I've only eaten locally a few times, but I did have a nice experience at Anjou. It's an Asian/French restaurant and lounge with a nice atmosphere and good food.

As far as other things to do, I'm in the same boat as you and would definitely like to know more about the city.

 

[RYCeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Rycet for your input. I'm Muslim, so the chances of me trying a cheesesteak would be slim to none. I guess crime is one of the biggest factors in finding an area to live. I've been reading a lot of stories about how crime is on the rise in Philadelphia. Do you live in center city? I think we'll be looking for apartments in the rittenhouse area, or slightly north (before temple). From what i've read, that's the best place to live. Btw, no chance of me supporting the Eagles, Phillies or 76ers.

Cheesesteak is made of beef, cheesewiz, bread and onions so I don't think you need to worry about pork. I don't live in Center city, I live in Northeast Philly, it's a blue collar suburb. It's a safe neighborhood and not far from the city, 15-20 mins via I95, rush hour will double your commute time though. If you want a suburban lifestyle, it might suit you, it's cheap, rent for 3 bedroom house around $800-1100/month, house price around $100-120k. If you want young white collar suburb, you might want to consider Ardmore or Roxborough. It will be more expensive though.
A friend of mine lived in Art Museum area, it's quite nice, a lot of young white collars people there and it's quite lively during weekend. You definitely want to check that area.

 

[pat1006]

How could I forget? You have to eat at the Reading Terminal Market. It has everything.

 

[nabwong]

Hey guys,

We just got into Philly today and I think it's a really cool city. We drove around temple area and I must say that the difference between center city and temple is remarkable. It almost feels like a tornado hit temple, cos a lot of the buildings seem abandoned and boarded up. We're staying at The Rittenhouse. It's a really nice hotel and area.

We also saw 4 apartments today. FAST RIGHT! We got a really efficient realtor. We saw a loft on N. Broad st, 2 on Arch st and 1 near the art museum. The area near the art museum is beautiful. We'll be looking at more apartments tomorrow but are already leaning on taking the one near the art museum.

Strid3r, what/where does she study? Philly is beginning to grow on me. I was reluctant to move since Boston is so amazing and I wanna see the Pats go 19-0 next season =)

Pat1006, thanks for your offer. The only problem we have is that the underbody of our car is a little loose, i think it's a heat shield that protects the shaft or something. We're gonna look for a Honda dealer on monday morning. Reading Terminal Market sounds fascinating. We'll check it out.

Rycet, Muslims eat only halal meat, just like jews eat kosher meat. I don't eat anything other than halal meat. =)