Philadelphia stay help

[sigpro357]

I hope my GT brothers and sisters can help me here. My wife is going to be going on an internship in Philadelphia working for the Navy for the summer.

My question is what kind of prices are good for the area as far as short term apartments or hotels, and most importantly what are the best areas to stay in.

Is Philadelphia itself a more dangerous place and commutting from New Jersey or outside the city is better.

Decent price would be nice but safety is of the paramount. Any information is appreciated.

[tat2guy]

I don't know much about prices, but i can tell you that if she's on the Navy base, she's not in "tha hood". There are plenty of bad areas to stay away from, but honestly, from the Navy yard, you'd kinda have to seek them out. Just across the river in Camden, they still hold the "Most Dangerous City" award, but certain portions of North Philly, West Phily, and Southwest Philly are working hard to see to it we strip them of the title.

[true believer]

head to delaware county...you get a little of every thing...its 20 minutes from the navy yard..
bob

[dgg9]

Originally posted by sigpro357
My question is what kind of prices are good for the area as far as short term apartments or hotels, and most importantly what are the best areas to stay in.

Start with http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ to get prices.

Short term and inexpensive = Delaware County. Philly is more fun, but maybe too much work involved for only a couple of months.

Is Philadelphia itself a more dangerous place and commutting from New Jersey or outside the city is better.

NJ is crapulent in that area too. More to the point, VA and PA have CCW reciprocity.

Key decision: if you're bring one or more cars, then Philly may be problematic since you have the big-city issue of how to store your cars (monthly lots, etc -- a hassle, regardless). Suburbs would have better access to parking. If you don't bring a vehicle, then Philly would work out admirably.

Feel free to PM me offline...

[PennGlock]

She might want to check into subletting from college kids going home for the summer. There are more rooms available than subletters- she could get a room for 400-500 a month easy. Penn and Drexel are the places I'd look. Temple is a little sketchier. Use Craigslist.com and search the University City neighborhood.

You can find subleases in Center City too, which would probably be funner for your wife, but expect to pay a little more.

[paccw]

I would IM Philly K-9

He might tell you from police reports what place is the safest.

[Philly K-9]

It all depends upon where she'll be working. If she's at the Navy Yard in South Philly she could get a halfway decent apartment but the prices in South Philly are on the high side. The closer you get to the Stadium Complex the higher the rent. If it's the Navy yard she should be able to find a place on-base. If not, Delaware Co. might be worth the ride. Stay away from South West Philly! There are a lot of very nice homes on the southern/western part of that area but, again, you'll pay for 'em. Anywhere else in S.W. (the 12th Police District :shocked: ) is bad. Really bad! Stay away. 'Nuff said 'bout dat.

Now, if she's working out of the Navy Depot in the North East (Lawndale / Lawncrest, the 2nd Police District) it's hit or miss. The rent won't be as high but she will need to be very picky. That area is going to crap in a hurry. She would do well to look into moving to Cheltenham, PA. It's real close and a lot nicer. They, too have some hot spots for crime but as a whole it's OK.

I hope this helps. Good luck!!
:wavey:
John

[paccw]

I knew he would be the man to ask :supergrin:

[Mikeyboy]

I'm an Ex-Philly boy who now lives in Delaware County. Everyone is giving you good info on what to avoid in Philly but if your wife decides to stay outside the city in Delco, here are some areas to avoid.

1) CHESTER !!! This is a small city along I-95 between Philadelphia and Wilmington DE. It is Basically PA's version of Camden NJ.

2) Anything that Hugs South West & West Philly; Darby, upper Darby, Folcroft.

3) The city of Wilmington DE is bad, and most of DE along I-95 from Wilmington to the PA/DE border is a little hairy, but the rest of DE is actually pretty nice.Ohh and Delaware has no Sales tax.

4) The Philly Airport area can be hairy since it is around SW Philly. There are tons of Housing and hotels in this area, and while some are probably nice, there are a lot of "No Tell" motels where a lot of criminal activity goes down.

I know a lot of guys who moved to this area to work for the Boeing plant that is just south of the Navy Yard. They usually find Good, safe housing in Ridley Park, Media, Aston, Springfield, Chadds Ford, and Concordville.

Hey Philly K-9...what the heck happen to SouthWest Philly anyway??? About 20 years ago I dated a Girl that lived there. The neighborhood was filled with Cops, Firefighters and other Citybound Government workers who chose and WANTED to live there. It was decent back then. Now its a war zone.

Penn and Drexel are the places I'd look. Temple is a little sketchier. Use Craigslist.com and search the University City neighborhood.

NNNOOOOOOO!!!
Penn & Drexel = West Philly
Temple = North Philly

Those Great Colleges are in or near some BAD neighborhoods. ESPECIALLY TEMPLE.

[Philly K-9]

Mike,
S.W. went to hell a long time ago!!! This is my 14th year with the Department. I started in the 12th, which is South West. It was reall bad then and is twice worse now!!! A lot of the city's shootings happen in the 12th. In fact, a better way of tracking violent crime in the city is to tally the amount of shootings as opposed to the amount of murders. Why? Most of the people who get shot don't die. I've seen the Hospital of the University of Pa. raise the dead!

Short answer, I don't know what happened to that area but, whatever happened, it's bad.

[slewfoot]

I agree with Mikeyboy if she is going to the south philly yard.

If she is going to the northeast, Cheltenham would be a good bet.

I wouldn't recommend Jersey because of the commuter traffic and the distance she would have to travel to find a nice area.

No way would I recommend any college campus especially during the summer. Those neighborhoods are practically ghost towns and a reduced presence of campus police because of vacations.

[paccw]

Hmmmm

Never got a Thank-You from sigpro357

Must be busy...

[murph2127]

We live in SE delaware county and my better half works in the navy base. We're about 20 min or so on a good commute day to the base.

She lived in South Jersey and worked on the base for many years, that was bout a 40 min commute by car. There used to be a ferry from NJ that went right to the base, but they closed that off years ago.

If you have a car Delaware county is one of the closer places to live that is pretty decent. One bedroom apts are in the 500-800 dollar range depending on where you live and what amenities you want. Three years ago, my apartment in Ridley Park was a two bedroom for $475.00, and that was in a pretty nice neighborhood.

If you are not driving and want to use public transportation, living neara transit line is a good idea. You can get to the navy base via the broad street subway then navy yard shuttle, so an apt in south phila not far off broad would be pretty decent, as would living in university city area.

Temple campus is a possiblity as it is also off the broad street line but some people don't mind it, others hate it.

You could also live in NJ off the Patco line, which is a doable ride to the base, but that is getting up there in time.

Ted