[ella]

Originally Posted by thoth

Yeah there were less people on campus, less stores, less security, and in 2004 there were pretty much only a handful of streets that even had restored rowhomes for students to live in and most were RIGHT next to the campus. Nowadays I see them building new and rehabbing rowhouses for students on 17th and Oxford/Jefferson, which is crazy to me.

There was no Edge/Ave North (vacant lot), Progress Plaza was a dump with no grocery store, no SAC expansion, no new business school (was curtis hall, a total wreck), the art school was still off campus (current location was a parking lot next to a weird vacant lot, Cecil B had less stores, the buildings around white hall were vacant, 1800 Liacouris was a half block of vacant row homes in the middle of campus, and the Baptist Temple was nowhere close to being renovated. A lot of these things changed in the last year or two alone, but yes it used to be worse. And people said the same thing to me when I started going there in '04 ("it used to be a lot worse").

If the worst thing that happened to you is "strange men asking you strange questions", then I doubt there are many places in Philadelphia that would not seem strange to you. Although hair touching is another thing, if someone tries to touch you at all you should really tell them to back the **** off.

It really was a lot different then. I love Temple, love the campus. I am, however, a little freaked out about some encounters with people on the streets (not students). But, I guess that can happen any where.