Back for more advice!

[michigander23]

Alright, I had previously posted about relocating from MI to Philly area, my boyfriend has gotten a job in Berwyn, and got some wonderful advice from you all.

Since then we have decided to rent first! And have been looking at a few places that are actually IN Philly rather than in the suburbs. I was wondering if you could give me some feedback about the type of locations these are in, if they are safe, convienience to grocery stores, etc.

The main ones are Keystone Lofts located @ 7143 - 7201 Keystone Street
Philadelphia, PA 19135.

Lamp Factory @ 1700 N. 5th Street

Sewing Factory @ 1730 N. 5th Street

Sponge Factory @ 1325 N. 5th Street

Tie Factory @ 1720 N. 5th Street

Any feedback would be great! Thank you!!

[phillyaggie]

all those seem to be about 3-4 blocks east of Temple U. Not sure how good/safe an area that is. Dayman and some others would know more than I do, but that wouldn't be my first choice for a neighborhood for the first time living in this city. Might be better off in NoLibs or Fairmount or East Falls or south of Center City if not Center City itself due to cost, some place like Queen Village or further south along Passyunk Ave.

[michigander23]

One more!

1259 S. 21st Street – South Philly

this one just caught my eye too. beautiful on the inside so hoping its a good location!

[HomeInspectorBC]

Again not the best area, look in South Philly below Broad Street, Broad Street is equivalent to 14th street or Northern Liberty area as well as Manayunk. I would also look in Narberth just outside the city about 15 minutes from center city and Berwyn and also had train station that goes to both places as well. Good luck and Go Penn State.

[ArcticSplash]

Alright, I had previously posted about relocating from MI to Philly area, my boyfriend has gotten a job in Berwyn, and got some wonderful advice from you all.

Since then we have decided to rent first! And have been looking at a few places that are actually IN Philly rather than in the suburbs. I was wondering if you could give me some feedback about the type of locations these are in, if they are safe, convienience to grocery stores, etc.


The main ones are Keystone Lofts located @ 7143 - 7201 Keystone Street
Philadelphia, PA 19135.

This is in Tacony which is too far away for you, and your boyfriend to commute. The drive would be absolute murder.

Lamp Factory @ 1700 N. 5th Street

Sewing Factory @ 1730 N. 5th Street

Sponge Factory @ 1325 N. 5th Street

Tie Factory @ 1720 N. 5th Street

Any feedback would be great! Thank you!!

All of the factory rentals you mention here are geared for Temple students and they are in a very marginal area. It's going to be too urban... as in Detroit urban, around the area.


The Ribbon Factory is a very nice rental building in Fishtown, a gentrifying neighborhood, which is a much better place to start renting if you're looking at factory loft conversions. They also offer a view of the city if you're on a high enough floor.

The Ribbon Factory Lofts :: Fishtown, Northern Liberties and the Loft District, Philadelphia


I mention the Ribbon Factory because I've been inside it and it is STUNNING on the inside, the rents are average for the area, and you will be near a lot of stuff. As far as grocery goes, a huge PathMark is opening up at 2nd and Girard at the end of January by the time to relocate. You'll be within driving distance of a lot of high-end stuff plus close to the bridge with New Jersey. You can reach Center City by the Market-Frankford line or on bicycle easily when you aren't driving.

Fishtown is also a hot area and it's continuing to gentrify even in the Great Recession. Mostly younger working professionals are the ones moving in. To reach Berwyn from here, you'd need to leave early in the morning (6:30) to get on the Vine Street Expressway and then drive up the Schuylkill Expressway to get to Berwyn. If you're doing the train, you can take the EL to 11th Street Station, then switch to Regional Rail underground at Market East.


There are also rentals in Overbrook Park which is on the side of the Schuylkill you need to be on if you want to commute to Berwyn by car. If you're commuting by train, all the locations you mentioned plus the one I mentioned are not close to any convenient Regional Rail stations.

Believe me when I tell you this... even though the distance looks short on the map... PA freeways move at a snails pace, and I-76 is the worst one in the entire state!


So if the job is not commutable by train, I'd look at driving options. West Chester, PA is a suburb with rentals available that's very easy to drive to Berwyn from. Media, PA is also drivable to Berwyn, plus Media also has very excellent train service to Center City Philadelphia... which means you could work in downtown Philadelphia and your bf can work in Berwyn.

If the job *IS* commutable by train, you have a wider selection. You could pick a suburb on any train line, and just switch trains at 30th Street Station, or you could pick a city neighborhood with good rapid transit access (Center City, University City, Fishtown, etc.) and switch to Regional Rail where Regional Rail connects to rapid transit... namely at 30th St, Suburban Station, and Market East.

[billy ross]

One more!

1259 S. 21st Street – South Philly

this one just caught my eye too. beautiful on the inside so hoping its a good location!

You're really good at picking out some rough areas of Philly. I believe that the above address is in Point Breeze, which is the remaining bastion of ghetto in South Philly.

MM's observations above are spot on.

[phillyaggie]

I think it may have something to do with how the rental units may be priced, relative to others in the city. I figured out early on that if a rent is really below average or less than expected, there is probably a good reason for it and I would likely not want to be in there... and of course, much of Philly is block-by-block. You can get from cheap to expensive in a short walk in some places around town.

[Burholme06]

Michigander

I’m concerned because you are going about this process in totally the wrong way. This City is huge. We have areas that look like Manhatten, 1980’s suburbia, hard edged working class row house neighborhoods, and unfortunately, some that look like the 3rd World.

You can’t look for apartments all over the City as if it’s some homogenous place. One apartment you like may be in a stable, family neighborhood and the next could be in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. There’s no point in having a nice apartment when you have to step over junkies and tangle with drug dealers on the way to your car.

MayfaitMeat has some great advice. But you need to choose your neighborhood(s) that suit you FIRST and then look for an apartment. You may find that your favorite hood is a bit too pricey but that will be part of the process.

I hope you don’t find my advice to be preachy but I know this City loses many transplants to the suburbs because people come to look at an apartment they saw online………in North Philly and then run away screaming.

[Malloy]

The main ones are Keystone Lofts located @ 7143 - 7201 Keystone StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19135.

Tacony, just off 95. Too far of a commute to Berwyn. Cool building, decent value, industrial area (right next to train tracks and I95) and nothing to walk to that is too nice. (other than a good BBQ place, but you would probably rather drive)

Lamp Factory @ 1700 N. 5th Street
Sewing Factory @ 1730 N. 5th Street
Tie Factory @ 1720 N. 5th Street

Unless you like living in industrial areas surrounded by bad neighborhoods, this is not for you. Look it up on Google Street View.

Sponge Factory @ 1325 N. 5th Street

Possibly a little better than above since its closer to 5th and Girard....but very few would call that area 'nice' Its just past the border of the fringe. If you are ok with blight, dark empty streets and lots of blight....go for it. Again, google street view.

[Malloy]

I also agree with most of Mayfairs comments...however a commute from Fishtown to Berwyn would suck....under any conditions.

Can he commute via train? What will you be doing? Berwyn is pretty far from the city proper....esp after traffic/congestion.

Personally, If I worked in Berwyn I would probably live in the burbs....and I'm a 33 y/o Phila native who still lives in Phila. Media gets my vote. Easy commute to work, real easy to PHL, and 20-25 min to center city Phila. Its a great little walkable town with a lot of character and good shopping/dining.

[GMonkey]

I also agree with most of Mayfairs comments...however a commute from Fishtown to Berwyn would suck....under any conditions.

Can he commute via train? What will you be doing? Berwyn is pretty far from the city proper....esp after traffic/congestion.

Personally, If I worked in Berwyn I would probably live in the burbs....and I'm a 33 y/o Phila native who still lives in Phila. Media gets my vote. Easy commute to work, real easy to PHL, and 20-25 min to center city Phila. Its a great little walkable town with a lot of character and good shopping/dining.

I'm from the Detroit area as well, and I can understand moving away and wanting to live in an urban area which is safe and very un-Detroit, but Berwyn commute will be a bitch from the city. You also will have wage taxes to deal with. Media is nice and a lot like a more fancy Royal Oak or a less fancy Birmingham, but more walkable, better public transportation, etc. I don't live that far away from Media, but I get to the city all the time.

Even though I'm more pro-suburb than most of the people on the board, I'm certainly not anti-city by any means. I think that if you work in the city, don't have kids/have school situation easily worked out, definitely live in the city. You'll love it. However, if you don't work in the city and are as far away as Berwyn, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to live in Philly, unless you work as far away as Wilmington, or something.

[phillysw]

If he's working in Berwyn and you want to live in the city, check out the Univ. City/Powelton area. There are some gorgeous blocks in nice areas that would be a MUCH easier commute than from Northern Liberties/North Philly. You just take Lancaster Ave straight out to the Main Line to get to Berwyn. It's still a decent commute, but at least you don't have to make it all the way across the city first. You can also catch a train from 30th St, if his office is close enough to a regional rail stop.

[billy ross]

To clarify, the commute from Philly to Berwyn would be fine on the train. It'd be quite unpleasant by car. I think that's the fork.

How long of a drive is it from Lansdowne to Berwyn? I associate that part of DelCo as being landlocked, and I suspect that there's no easy way of driving it. Great little town, though.

[Malloy]

To clarify, the commute from Philly to Berwyn would be fine on the train. It'd be quite unpleasant by car. I think that's the fork.

How long of a drive is it from Lansdowne to Berwyn? I associate that part of DelCo as being landlocked, and I suspect that there's no easy way of driving it. Great little town, though.

It is....total PITA to get in/out of there.

[toxigal]

is overbrook on the same train line as berwyn? i'm not overly familiar with that area, but it's near St. Joe's, right? are any rentals around there that may work for the OP?

[NickleDimer]

are any rentals around there that may work for the OP?

no.

[michigander23]

Alright, we went back to Plan A - the suburbs.
For now, we are headed to the Metropolitan @ West Chester!

Thank you for all of your help, you have been a priceless resource and I cannot thank you enough! I'm sure we'll be back for more once we get there and are adjusting to life!

[Malloy]

Cool, West Chester is nice. Pretty far from Philly....you may not get to Philly as much as we want you to but you will like the area.

Alright, we went back to Plan A - the suburbs.
For now, we are headed to the Metropolitan @ West Chester!

Thank you for all of your help, you have been a priceless resource and I cannot thank you enough! I'm sure we'll be back for more once we get there and are adjusting to life!

[GMonkey]

Cool, West Chester is nice. Pretty far from Philly....you may not get to Philly as much as we want you to but you will like the area.

Agreed. There's a decent Cajun restaurant there which carries Bell's beer when you are feeling homesick for it. If you do like good beer, Weyerbacher is a local-ish beer which is even better than Bell's and easier to find around here.