Relocating San Diego to Philadelophia

**ArcticSplash** · 08-23-2012, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by BarryG

They are both nice areas with good train access into the city that will get you to school. Driving in and out of the city outside of rush hour isn't bad at all, you'll be fine. You may want to look at places within walking distance of a train station so you don't have to worry about parking at the station, which can be tight.

One thing I'm not sure about is that these are both upscale neighborhoods so the local services and restaurants might be on the high side. If you are on a very tight budget, Prospect Park and Roxborough might be better choices because the local services will cater to a more diverse set of income levels. But I don't live in those areas so I could be wrong about that.

Roxy will cost a little bit more than Prospect Park, but the thing with Roxy is that it does not have access to any sort of train service so you will have to take a bus connector or ride the bus all the way in. If you can, you could have someone drop you off/pick you up at the Ivy Ridge train station (it's a very nice station... little cafe not far from it, beautiful view of the Schuylkill River while you're waiting for the train to turn up) or take a bus connection to get there and ride the train in.

SEPTA bus from the northernmost part of Roxy to Center City is a full hour commute on off-peak. As shown here:

Roxborough, Philadelphia, PA to N Broad St & Vine St, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps

Here's the same commute from an address in Prospect Park, using the Norwood train station (it shows a train change but the train just changes its name, you stay on a single train all the way in):

11th Ave, Prospect Park, PA 19076 to N Broad St & Vine St, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps

Both commutes are generally the same amount of time, although the train has more reliable arrival and departure times than the bus does.

Part of the reason why Roxy is cheaper is that it's less accessible to transit and it's kind of an isolated neighborhood due to the sharp ridge which doesn't have many cuts through it. It's got older housing stock and the neighbors are pro-residential and anti-nightspot, which is a departure from Manyunk which has a lot of night spots and stores.

If you're driving this is no problem, and during off hours you'll have no traffic issues. If you want to use public transit this neighborhood is a major pain in the a$$ though and I would pick Prospect Park/Norwood in a heartbeat because the train is just so much easier. Also when the train is broken down you have alternatives besides driving. You can take the Sharon Hill trolley and transfer to the Market Frankford Line or you can drive a couple miles north and use the other train line which goes to Media.

**ArcticSplash** · 08-23-2012, 11:51 PM

BTW you didn't mention if Drexel is fully-subsidizing your parking.

MOST Center City employees in the office buildings downtown do not get any subsidized parking, or they get a partial TransitCheck-type reimbursement for garage fees. Rare is the office building that provides fully-subsidized parking to 100% of its staff. I'm not sure what you'll find at Hanneman or whichever facility it is that you're going to, but it all depends on the office tower that you'll be working in what the requirements of parking are.

If you have not watched Parking Wars on A&E, you probably should go pull it up on NetFlix or watch some episodes online. It will give you a glimpse of what parking is like in most of the dense areas of Philly are like. Roxy (Roxborough) does not really have that kind of issue but you'll discover it quickly if you don't park in garages and want to take your chances on the street.

I am not lying when I tell you that if you let the meter expire for 10 seconds, you will have a ticket on your wipers. Others here on PhillySpeaks can attest to that. If you have 3 unpaid tickets and the Parking Authority finds you.... you get the boot.

And they do search every single nook and cranny in the city looking for cars to boot. I live in a section of the city that most Philadelphians would think the PPA ignores, but just a month ago they were towing out neighbors cars who have collected tickets even though we have no meters or PPA lots anywhere around here. They can smell money for miles away.

**3rd&Brown** · 08-24-2012, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

It is a two-year program compressed into 11 months, the shortest program of its kind in the country. Due to its intensity, I will not be able to work. That's why my budget is so low--I will be living off savings. I like city living--I previously lived in the heart of San Francisco and currently live in S. Diego, a city of 1.3 million people. However, I thought that living in the burbs might work for me in Philly because of housing costs and because I will need my car due to the late night and early morning hours of my clinicals. I prefer not to park on the street, and apts in the city with garage parking are running about $200 extra per month. I also don't want to deal with mice or roaches, which seem to be pretty abundant in the apts in my price range in the city, at least according to the many apt reviews I have seen.

1. Welcome to Philadelphia. 2. Good luck! I know a number of people who have done the program you are about to enroll in and it's been uniformly great for them. A lot of work, but rewarding. And all of them have landed on their feet with great jobs afterward. One of my high school friends just finished this program; she's still relatively young, but left a career and had two young children at home. So while you might be older than most of the other students, I think you will find that many are in the same situation in terms of commitments. It's a good, supportive cohort.

**billy ross** · 08-24-2012, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by ArcticSplash

Roxy will cost a little bit more than Prospect Park, but the thing with Roxy is that it does not have access to any sort of train service so you will have to take a bus connector or ride the bus all the way in. If you can, you could have someone drop you off/pick you up at the Ivy Ridge train station (it's a very nice station... little cafe not far from it, beautiful view of the Schuylkill River while you're waiting for the train to turn up) or take a bus connection to get there and ride the train in.

SEPTA bus from the northernmost part of Roxy to Center City is a full hour commute on off-peak. As shown here:

Roxborough, Philadelphia, PA to N Broad St & Vine St, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps

Here's the same commute from an address in Prospect Park, using the Norwood train station (it shows a train change but the train just changes its name, you stay on a single train all the way in):

11th Ave, Prospect Park, PA 19076 to N Broad St & Vine St, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps

Both commutes are generally the same amount of time, although the train has more reliable arrival and departure times than the bus does.

Part of the reason why Roxy is cheaper is that it's less accessible to transit and it's kind of an isolated neighborhood due to the sharp ridge which doesn't have many cuts through it. It's got older housing stock and the neighbors are pro-residential and anti-nightspot, which is a departure from Manyunk which has a lot of night spots and stores.

If you're driving this is no problem, and during off hours you'll have no traffic issues. If you want to use public transit this neighborhood is a major pain in the a$$ though and I would pick Prospect Park/Norwood in a heartbeat because the train is just so much easier. Also when the train is broken down you have alternatives besides driving. You can take the Sharon Hill trolley and transfer to the Market Frankford Line or you can drive a couple miles north and use the other train line which goes to Media.

The R6 Manayunk/Norristown Line runs through Roxborough, and it has four stops which are walkable to (different parts of) Roxborough, one of which is without a doubt IN Roxborough - Ivy Ridge. The Wissahickon Transfer Center offers a dizzying array of options, so a place near there would be really convenient. Roxborough is quite large.

**OldMama** · 08-24-2012, 07:50 AM

As someone already said, the 27 bus from Roxborough stops directly in front of the hospital. My kids took it for years and it was a very reliable way to get into the city. We rarely took the train when we lived in Roxborough because the 9 and 27 buses took us closer to our destinations.

**walkabout123** · 08-25-2012, 02:08 PM

Thank you for the info about transportation in Roxborough. It looks like the area may work for me, but I would like to be near the train, and prefer not to ride a bus for an hour to get to Center City. From the comments, it appears that some parts of Roxborough are more convenient to the train than others. That's good to know. There's such a dizzying array of options in terms of neighborhoods that it's a bit overwhelming. I think I am just going to look at the neighborhoods discussed on this thread, pick an apartment that looks decent and clean and has good reviews, and just go for it.

This is a major (and expensive) move for me, so I'm glad to hear that others have finished the accelerated nursing program at Drexel and done well. Thank you for all your replies.

**magatoni** · 08-26-2012, 09:36 AM

Hi and welcome to Philly!≥
You are going to love it! Congratulations on the nursing program. That's a really good program and you will have many options upon graduation.
I agree that Roxborough is where you may be most happy. Keep in mind that Prospect Park is in Delaware county and is analogous to living Carlsbad and commuting to PB (via a well connected train of course) except that Prospect Park, like Northeast Philly is culturally devoid of anything (hence the cheaper rents). I did grow up in Northeast Philly and I do love it for other reasons, none of which will appeal to you, a transplant from CA. Stick with Roxborough, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, East Falls...it's a great, isolated, tucked away part of the city that is completely safe and well connected via public trans to center city (see previous posts)

**mm230** · 08-26-2012, 10:04 AM

You might want to check out Gypsy Lane Condos. It's a gated community with a pool & it might even have a little gym. It's in walking distance to the train. I think I saw a listing for a 1 bed 1 bath furnished for $1100

**Naveen** · 08-26-2012, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

Thank you for the info about transportation in Roxborough. It looks like the area may work for me, but I would like to be near the train, and prefer not to ride a bus for an hour to get to Center City. From the comments, it appears that some parts of Roxborough are more convenient to the train than others. That's good to know. There's such a dizzying array of options in terms of neighborhoods that it's a bit overwhelming. I think I am just going to look at the neighborhoods discussed on this thread, pick an apartment that looks decent and clean and has good reviews, and just go for it.

This is a major (and expensive) move for me, so I'm glad to hear that others have finished the accelerated nursing program at Drexel and done well. Thank you for all your replies.

In case you haven't seen it already, here's the Septa regional rail map. Keep in mind, these lines go from Center City, through the neighborhoods, into the suburbs. And from the map, it's not clear where the city ends and the suburbs begin. So you'll have to check with Google maps or some other source to make sure the stop in question is still Philadelphia. But if you want a quick commute into center city, locate the station on Google maps so your potential housing is in walking distance of one of the stations.

Roxborough's only weakness IMO is that you essentially have to walk to Manayunk to get the train. It's not close, and the worst part is that on your way back, you'll have to walk up some steep hills. Otherwise it's a lovely place to live. The one exception to this is the eastern end of Roxborough, which is in walking distance of the Wissahickon train station (on the Norristown line). If you don't want to bus it and are locked on taking the train (which is what I would do), shoot for this section of Roxborough, or if not, then the neighborhoods of East Falls, Mt. Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Just check the proximity of any potential place to the train station overlay on Google maps.

**billy ross** · 08-26-2012, 10:28 AM

The neighborhood mentioned above between Roxborough and East Falls is specifically called Wissahickon, but mostly only by lifelong residents of the area; it doesn't have much of an identity outside of neighborhood people.

I have two bits of advice. One is that it probably makes sense to live near classmates so that you can have a community and thus support each other. Thus I'd endeavor to find out which areas people in your program live in - I would suspect that the middle and lower Northwest would be a very popular locale, and that Prospect Park or even the Main Line would leave you very isolated. Two is that redundancy is huge. I wouldn't want to be reliant on busses which themselves are dependent on a notoriously horrific 'expressway', but nor would I want to be reliant on trains which run hourly off-peak and sometimes shut down due to river flooding or electrical failures or frozen switches. I'm about to bike downtown Along the river - ironically that method is the most reliable, although I admit I'm only a fair weather biker. We use the EF train, the Queen Lane train, and the 32 bus. When we drive downtown we take Kelly Drive, but that should be a mess today because of the concert preparations on the Parkway. When we lived closer to the Wissahickon Transfer Center, Queen Lane didn't work so well, but to go downtown we took the 9, the 27, the 124, the 125, the 61, the62, and even the 38 for some variation - the 'scenic' route, although by far our preferred route was the Manayunk/Norristown train line to CC. The others were just backups.

**walkabout123** · 08-28-2012, 06:37 AM

Thank you for the additional info. Magatoni, thank you for the analogy that living in Prospect Park would be like commuting from Carlsbad to PB by train. That helps put it in perspective. I also would like to live somewhere that has a couple of different transportation options, because as bill ross points out, no one method is 100% reliable. I realize that no location is ideal, particularly since I am on a limited budget. You have all helped me to narrow my options, and given me additional useful info as well. Thank you again.

**egolise** · 08-28-2012, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by OldMama

As someone already said, the 27 bus from Roxborough stops directly in front of the hospital. My kids took it for years and it was a very reliable way to get into the city. We rarely took the train when we lived in Roxborough because the 9 and 27 buses took us closer to our destinations.

While the 27 is pretty convenient it does get on I-76, so depending on what time of day your commute is that can be a headache sitting in traffic. Like you, personally I would prefer to be walkable to a train.

**billy ross** · 08-28-2012, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by egolise

While the 27 is pretty convenient it does get on I-76, so depending on what time of day your commute is that can be a headache sitting in traffic. Like you, personally I would prefer to be walkable to a train.

A good, quick rule of thumb is that trains get the edge during peak, since they have their own roads and thus few congestion issues and that is when their frequency is best too, while busses get the edge off-peak, since they generally run more frequently, especially off-peak. If only SEPTA could figure out how to get the trains to run more frequently off-peak (new payment technology, anyone?). One can only hope.

**walkabout123** · 08-29-2012, 08:55 AM

I have seen some really affordable apts in Havertown. Is that too far off the beaten path in terms of accessibility to Center City? Would driving and SEPTA buses be my only viable options? Waht about Bala Cynwyd?

Also, a friend of a friend has an aunt in Philly who has an apartment coming vacant in early October. It is at Christian St and Darien in S. Philly, near the Italian Market. No parking or laundry on site. $850 for a 1 BR. What do you think of the area in terms of accessibility to Center City?

**BarryG** · 08-29-2012, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

I have seen some really affordable apts in Havertown. Is that too far off the beaten path in terms of accessibility to Center City? Would driving and SEPTA buses be my only viable options?

You would take the trolley or a bus to 69th st terminal and switch to the subway. Not a bad commute during a rush hour, and cheaper than the train, but a bit inconvenient outside of peak hours. You could always drive to 69th tho to take the subway.

**sullivjo** · 09-04-2012, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

I have seen some decent apartments on the Net in my price range in Haverford and Narbeth. Haverford seems to be a good location for getting to Center City by train, but I'm not sure about Narbeth. What do you think? Are these towns also convenient for driving to Philadelphia? Thank you.

Narberth is closer to center city and has a SEPTA train station.

**elissa** · 09-10-2012, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

I have seen some really affordable apts in Havertown. Is that too far off the beaten path in terms of accessibility to Center City? Would driving and SEPTA buses be my only viable options? Waht about Bala Cynwyd?

Also, a friend of a friend has an aunt in Philly who has an apartment coming vacant in early October. It is at Christian St and Darien in S. Philly, near the Italian Market. No parking or laundry on site. $850 for a 1 BR. What do you think of the area in terms of accessibility to Center City?

A bit late, but if you haven't made a decision yet- Havertown has the Route 100 high speed line, which many of my colleagues take to the 69th Street Terminal, where they switch to the Market-Frankford line. It is walkable from most of Havertown.

The location in South Philadelphia you mentioned would be about 0.75 miles to the Lombard-South stop on the Broad Street line, then at most a 10 minute ride to the Drexel campus. It is an excellent area to live in with regard to restaurants and access to Center City (it's walking distance), though parking would be difficult. You would likely have to park a half mile away or so.

Good luck and welcome to Philly!

**OldMama** · 09-10-2012, 06:05 PM

I live just a couple blocks from your aunt's apartment. I absolutely love this neighborhood. There is so much to do within walking distance. I take the 23 bus at 11th and Christian to get into town. You might be better off doing that and either walking or transferring to another bus to get to the hospital rather than walking to the subway stop. It's not far by bus and you'd get there quickly.

**BarryG** · 09-10-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by OldMama

I live just a couple blocks from your aunt's apartment. I absolutely love this neighborhood. There is so much to do within walking distance. I take the 23 bus at 11th and Christian to get into town. You might be better off doing that and either walking or transferring to another bus to get to the hospital rather than walking to the subway stop. It's not far by bus and you'd get there quickly.

It's also the perfect distance for biking. If you lived there it would probably be cheaper or at worst a wash to use public transit, car share a few times a month, and cabs at off hours then to deal with car ownership.

**billy ross** · 09-10-2012, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by walkabout123

I have seen some really affordable apts in Havertown. Is that too far off the beaten path in terms of accessibility to Center City? Would driving and SEPTA buses be my only viable options? Waht about Bala Cynwyd?

Also, a friend of a friend has an aunt in Philly who has an apartment coming vacant in early October. It is at Christian St and Darien in S. Philly, near the Italian Market. No parking or laundry on site. $850 for a 1 BR. What do you think of the area in terms of accessibility to Center City?

Havertown is a nice, suburban, family-friendly town, pretty close-knit. It has nice housing stock, but not much of a town center to bring it all together. Bala Cynwyd is similar, although its downtown is still intact, if sleepy as it's been functionally replaced with awful and endless strip centers. Bala Cynwyd is probably considered to be more 'upscale' / exclusive than most areas, including Havertown's. Bala Cynwyd is historically two places, Bala and Cynwyd, but the car erased the distinctions between the two. It has about the worst train service you can possibly get in the Philly metro - the line is near useless there.

I would personally love to live in that apartment at Darien and Christian - it'd be alot of fun. If you're a walker or bikerider, it'd be heaven. If you make close to 100% of your trips in a car, though, it'll be huge culture shock. I would think that if you lived there days would go by where you didn't use your car, maybe even weeks if you could efficiently PT it to work/school, which would be true for you in this case. I'd seriously consider finding storage for your car or just getting rid of it if I lived there, because an unused car is a liability. You would probably end up using it only on weekends, and even then not every weekend.