Offered a job in Philadelphia - never been there!

Norinoco

Hi, hoping people that have been to Philly can give some feedback on the place.

Work have asked my boyfriend and I to transfer from Sydney to the Philly office for 2 years. Arrived in Sydney from home about 4 years ago and love the place, but this opportunity is a one off and would be great experience for the both of us.

2 years though is a long time to commit to a place we have never been. From talking to people we are getting mixed reactions, some say they liked it- lived in Media and commuted in and out. Another hated it and commuted from New York each day.

So has anyone been or lived in Philly, what was your impression of the place?
If you worked here, whats the main business district like?
It would most likely be a case of just working in the city centre and living in suburbia - what are the good suburbs?
Living in Sydney means we have a very active outdoor life style, what is Philly like for outdoor activities.

Any information would be great.

N.

Coeus

I was in Philly 2 years ago but only for a few days. We had an good stay but didnt think there was much to do there compared to other american cities. That said we didn't really have the weather to get out and about. The World Series was on at the time so there was a buzz about the city. Its a great city if your into (american) sports. Cant say what it would be like to live there though.

liah

Careful what parts you venture into. It can be a pretty dangerous place, depending on where you are. Lots of crime, drugs, poverty, mini-wars with police, etc. Keep to the right spots and you should be alright, just like anywhere else.

Also start watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

cerebus

We spent two years in Philadelphia - July 2008 - June 2010. Loved the city, though there are areas that aren't great. It seems to be a city that people either love or hate! The people are typically East Coast gruff, but can be fantastic neighbors and friends.

We lived about a mile north of downtown (in a neighborhood called Fairmount, near the Art Museum on Ben Franklin Parkway) and really loved it. Depending on where you are both working living downtown/close to downtown might make sense. The Center City area is really great! Great food scene and some nice urban parks. There are a number of neighborhoods near Center City that are gentrifying, e.g. UPenn is slowly pushing further into West Philly. Think of the city sort of like a target/concentric circles - nice center, surrounded by some pretty tough areas then some very nice suburbs once you get past the ring of urban blight/decay. If you are more interested in the suburbs then look at some of the towns out along what is called the Main Line. Traffic is a bit of a nightmare though, so I would highly advise looking into living near where you work. Center City is a very walkable area and the transit system is pretty good for getting further afield.

It is very much a city of neighborhoods, and you can avoid most nastiness by staying out of bad areas.

In terms of outdoor activities it probably isn't going to be quite as easy to get out as I imagine it is in Sydney. We moved to Philly from the west coast (Vancouver) and are very outdoorsy. We found it nowhere near as easy to get out. Saying that there is great road biking, and some OK mountain biking not too far away. Nearest beaches are towards the Jersey Shore, probably an hour/hour and a half drive. Skiing in the Poconos is OK, but not great (we didn't ski for two years - spoiled rotten by west coast conditions!). There's a good urban bike route/running trail on the banks of the Schuylkill, which gets a lot of traffic (you can stay more or less on a dedicated bike path all the way out to Valley Forge - about 20 miles). Fairmount park is the big urban green space. The running scene is very strong and you should definitely check out a group called Philly Runners if that is your thing. They meet at the Art Museum.

In terms of other things to consider, you will be very close to NYC and the rest of the east coast - easy to get around on various low-cost bus networks.

Any other questions feel free to ask - more than happy to answer what I can.

scruff321

To be honest Cerebus gives a pretty very detailed and accurate account of Phily but il throw my two cents in aswell!

I spent over 3 months there in the summer of 2009. I was living in the UPENN west Phily area, i never had any problems in Phily none what so ever.

I think it has a bad rep, but for me i think its the same as most places in terms of danger and can be avoided aswell.

If i was to live there again id live out in the Manayunk area, for me the people were most friendly out here, mostly Irish American middle/ working class. Nightlife is quite good in Phily, good public transport system so its easy to get around cost of living is relatively cheap.

I dunno im not mad on the States so i dont think id ever live there again, but id have a soft spot for Phily although if your happy with your life in Oz i would move just for work, people in general like many Americans are a bit cold.

cheesehead

Essentially agree with Cerebus and Scruff321. I'll offer a slightly different perspective as I'm from the East Coast (Northern New Jersey/NYC Metro). I lived in Philly for approximately eight years (late 20's on).

I really like Philly. As Cerebus alludes to (and I slightly disagree with Scruff321) - I really like Philadelphians and their attitude. While they may have that "East Coast gruff" - they are probably the friendliest East Coast urban dwellers (IMO). I lived in a few neighborhoods and became quite friendly with neighbors in each location. Not knowing your exact demographics and likes/dislikes, I would offer the following:

If you're working in Center City and don't mind urban living - live in any number of "downtown" neighborhoods: Center City/Old City/Fairmount/Museum Area/Northern Liberties or West Philly (University City or Powelton Village). As Scrub states, Manayunk is very cool, but a bit removed from the Center City scene. (I lived right next to the 'Yunk for a while - in East Falls). Again, has its charms, but overall I prefer Center City. As stated, there are definitely some very rough areas of Philly (North Philly/Kensington/Parts of West and South Philly), but you'll likely never have to venture to those 'hoods. (I worked in North Philly for four years - need to be careful, but I never had a problem - like any rough area, 90% of the people are good people). Overall cost of living is much cheaper than NYC.

If you want any more specifics, I could certainly offer whatever information or opinions I have. I know the suburbs/surrounding areas quite well. Realistically, two years would likely go by in a flash. If it's a good opportunity (and the job back in Sydney is guaranteed upon return - looks like you have limited downside).

P.S. Media is not Philly (and can be a tough commute to Philly) and I don't know if I could realistically take the advice of someone who commuted from NYC to Philly! every day- that's a heck of a commute (easily four hours round trip - hopefully they had their Ipod loaded up!

Good Luck with the decision.

Black Swan

MOD COMMENT: Moved to United States.

Norinoco

Hi All,

Thanks a million for your posts. Some great infomation in there.
We are still waiting on the details about the transfer package from work but great to know some of the areas we could happily live in.
Will be working downtown, across the river from 30th street station. Must have a look at some of those suburbs mentioned - not a big fan of downtown living.

Thanks again

123oclock

Oooh Philly Cheesesteaks and yeangling beer...just go....Philly is great...great town for live music...id be back in a heartbeat if I got the chance..

cheesehead

If the job's located near 30th Street Station and you're not a big fan of urban living, then I would definitely recommend looking at living on "The Main Line", as Cerebus mentioned. The Main Line is a collection of (mostly) inner-ring suburbs named after the rail line that ran thru the towns. While most are considered "affluent" towns, one can find reasonable housing accomodations throughout the area.

Being 30th Street Station is located on the western end of Philly and the Main Line towns project out in a West/Northwest direction from Philly, this will significantly improve your commute (it's a pain making an East-West crossing at rush hour).

Some Main Line suburbs to consider: Narberth and Ardmore. Both are more reasonably priced than some of the more affluent towns, but both have great locations (not too far from the City, but also easy access to more "country" settings. Both have nice downtown areas and are fairly vibrant in their own right, with multiple dining/entertainment/outdoor activities. As an aside, Ardmore traditionally had a very large Irish emigrant population (many Irish immigrants from the 1980's diaspora located in Ardmore and the surrounding areas - as well as a much older Irish diaspora from the 1920's - 1930's). There are still some vestiges of the Irish influence in Ardmore, such as Annie's Cafe - where you're still quite likely to hear an Irish accent on any given night.

Gandhi

If you are working near 30th St you can live anywhere as all the Regional Rails, and the Market St subway stop at 30th. Driving will be a pain to that area so train commuting is the way to go.

Looking at the local train system, you can see that 30th St Station is bang in the middle:

http://septa.org/maps/pdf/click-map.pdf

If you are into outdoorsy stuff, then Manayunk (or its quieter neighbour, East Falls) might not be bad picks. You would be next to the Wissahickon Valley section of Fairmount Park with miles of bike and hiking trails, and still be quite close to Center City. The Kelly Drive / Schuylkill River Park bike trails would take you practically door to door if you wanted to cycle to work. The same would be true for many of the neighbourhoods and towns along the Schuylkill River.

One Philly-based message board has a section dedicated specifically to questions from people thinking of relocating to the area. You could get answers from people living in the specific neighbourhoods, and you would probably learn a lot just looking at answers other people have got.

http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/forum/relocation-moving-philadelphia/

Bodhisopha

Illest part of the western hemisphere so if you're into sightseeing don't visit there. It's somewhere between Jersey and Delaware, Philly never scared and the niggaz ain't timid there.

Gandhi

...and just to answer your specific questions.

So has anyone been or lived in Philly, what was your impression of the place?

I arrived here 15 years ago en route to California and never left

If you worked here, whats the main business district like?

The main business district is pretty large. And there are lots of them. You mentioned being near 30th St which is between Center City and University City. Both have lots going on, but immediately around 30th St has always seemed a bit of a quiet spot.

It would most likely be a case of just working in the city centre and living in suburbia - what are the good suburbs?
A lot of the inner-ring suburbs are self-contained old towns, so have their own business districts, are walkable, and have good transit connections. Some of them are a bit beat-up, unfortunately. Eastern Delaware County (usually called Delco) has a lot of problem areas. Going further out, you get more affluence, but also more stereotypical McMansion / Stripmall / Chain-Store suburbia.

Heading West out of town, the main line towns like Ardmore, Narberth, Wayne, Haverford etc. that were mentioned already have a good balance of being actual towns while staying fairly affluent.

Heading North, towns like Jenkintown, Glenside, and Ambler also have a good balance.

Heading East (crossing the river into New Jersey) Collingswood and Haddonfield are gorgeous, while Camden is a hell-hole and lots of the other towns are very generic or are dodgy.

Living in Sydney means we have a very active outdoor life style, what is Philly like for outdoor activities.
Surprising amount of mountain biking trails in the city's huge park system. Rowing, dragon boat racing etc. are huge in Philly. Close enough to the Pocono Mountains to make day trips for ski-ing in the winter. Close enough to the Jersey Shore to make day trips in the summer. It can get hot and humid in the summer, but you just adjust your schedule to doing active stuff early in the morning, and drinking beers on the porch in the afternoon.

Civilian_Target

Ask for a business trip and find out for yourself!

They wanted to send me on a 2 year mission to Boston from the South of France, and I would have said no if they hadn't sent me to try the work in Boston for 2 months first. The work environment there was so much better that I had no hesitation accepting the job... but no-one on this forum could have told me that!