I'm excited to report that I've recently accepted a position at CHOP :monkeydance:, but now I have to manage the move from North Carolina soon after the New Year. I'm a single gal with a couple of dogs, and I was planning on moving to the Center City area for convenience. I have some friends in CC, but they're pretty new to the area, so I don't know how much they would be able to help me outside of checking out places here and there...
Does anyone have suggestions on management companies or apartment buildings in the Center City area that might offer clean, pet-friendly apartments for a decent price?
If you happen to be a nurse living in Center City, I'd love to hear what it's like living and working in the city. How is the commute (do you take public trans)?
Any info would be very much appreciated.... I'm like a sponge!
Center City is also kinda scary at night, and I say that as someone who lived in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan....
Thank you for saying that.
I felt a little guilty earlier for talking about Center City like that as I don't want to discourage the OP from moving there because I truely believe that it really is an exciting place for anyone, particularly an unattached 20 or 30 something person to move to.
My SO at that time worked 9-5 hours and always gave me the "what's the big deal" attitude about walking in Center City and/or taking the train to work.
Easy for him to say as he never had to venture out until 8am and was always home before dark. My shifts of course were 12 hours and in the winter time that meant going to and from work in the dark and Center City is completely different after dark in many areas.
But I still have great memories of living there and wouldn't trade it for anything.
Rittenhouse Square...my favorite area of all, shopping at Redding Terminal Market, taking the train to Manhattan for $10, dinner at Bookbinders.......
Easy for him to say as he never had to venture out until 8am and was always home before dark. My shifts of course were 12 hours and in the winter time that meant going to and from work in the dark and Center City is completely different after dark in many areas.
Definitely.
My husband works at an ambulance company that's a 5 minute walk from a Center City stop on the Market Frankford line.....and that's also in the middle of an industrial, isolated area. One of the reasons we got him a car was to get him to work safely by 5am- that and the fact that he would have to leave home much, much earlier to get to work on time.
Hi and congrats on your new position! As a fellow CHOP RN I guarantee you will not regret it, I don't know a single nurse here who doesn't love the job.
That being said, I am going to be another advocate for the Manayunk area, even Roxborough or Conshohocken. Manayunk will have a bit more of the "city" feel and awesome night life. Great for new grads! Roxborough/Conshy have a lot of managed apartment complexes more likely to allow for pets and parking, should you choose to have a car. Any of these places will be far cheaper than living in CC and have easy access to public transportation into the city. I personally live in Roxborough, as do probably half the nurses on my floor, and it works out great for us! Working the hours we do, traffic isn't much of a problem going in for either day or night shift, and parking near the hospital (in lots) is easy and pretty cheap.
Not to say that there aren't advantages to living in CC or University City, especially if you already have friends in the area. It's definitely a lot of fun, and a very walkable city. Philly neighborhoods, however, can be strange -- really cute and really dicey areas are pretty much right next to each other, so you have to be careful where you look. If you are set on CC I would try to get a place near your friends, and hopefully you will be able to find something affordable and pet-friendly!
If you have any more questions about anything - CC, Manayunk, CHOP - shoot me a message, I'd be glad to answer! Good luck!
I agree about living in Manayunk if you like going out. If you don't, I wouldn't suggest Manayunk. I lived there for two years in college and it wore me out. I would never move back. The commute is pretty easy to center city. Although I must tell you....and trust me......parking in Manayunk is ABSOLUTELY no better than parking in center city. And, Manayunk is all hills..steep hills...just think about that in the winter when it snows and gets icy.
Hello and congrats on your new position At CHOP! I don't know if you have already relocated but I would definitely try the University City Area, Being that you will be right in the middle of CHOP, HUP Drexel Univ. and Upenn, it is a little safer. I have lived in Philly all my life and would never dream of moving to Center City. If you search http://www.apartments.com, you should be able to find something that fits your needs. I hope all is well.
Just wanted to say thanks for all of your replies -- I ended up taking a place in CC near the Society Hill area. Finding a pet-friendly apartment was almost a nightmare (I called around 30 different realty companies and landlords as I walked down the street!), that is until I ended up finding the perfect place.
Eventually, I might move out to Manayunk, but since I don't have a car at the moment (and have friends in CC), it seemed to make the most sense for me right now.
Society Hill rocks! :) So glad you found a pet-friendly place. I'm surprised it was that tough; just about everyone I know who lives in an apartment in Philly has one or more pets. Maybe they keep that a secret...
Welcome to Philly! Enjoying our cold snap? :chuckle
Depends on where you live....I'm all about the buses. I take the 42 bus on Walnut to CHOP - it runs roughly every 10 minutes and drops you off right in front of the entrance (nice on rainy days!). There is also the 40 bus which runs along Lombard, it's not as frequent or as dependable, but also a good choice. The 21 bus runs on Walnut and would drop you off at Walnut and 34th (you'd walk a couple blocks, but there's a Starbuck's on the corner and I often stop there anyway...) Those are the three main buses. Of course, lots of people bike or walk, but depending on where you live and what time your shift starts and ends, that could be either a great idea or kind of crappy.
Hm, I guess it depends somewhat on what part of Roxborough you live in. I personally drive a lot because I'm a night-shifter and I find it easier, but when I worked days I used to take the 9 bus to 30th Street and either walk or take the CHOP shuttle from there. I know a couple girls in my area who do that. I also know one who takes the R6 to University City, but I think it only stops there at certain times of day.
RN34TX
1,383 Posts
Thank you for saying that.
I felt a little guilty earlier for talking about Center City like that as I don't want to discourage the OP from moving there because I truely believe that it really is an exciting place for anyone, particularly an unattached 20 or 30 something person to move to.
My SO at that time worked 9-5 hours and always gave me the "what's the big deal" attitude about walking in Center City and/or taking the train to work.
Easy for him to say as he never had to venture out until 8am and was always home before dark. My shifts of course were 12 hours and in the winter time that meant going to and from work in the dark and Center City is completely different after dark in many areas.
But I still have great memories of living there and wouldn't trade it for anything.
Rittenhouse Square...my favorite area of all, shopping at Redding Terminal Market, taking the train to Manhattan for $10, dinner at Bookbinders.......
It's a great city for the right person.