Tell Me About Philadelphia, Please

[Marie]

That's the NoLibs Log Cabin.  My gentleman friend has some story about how it was built by some weirdo hippy artist guy in the 70s (like duh, who else would have built it?) but he's a former tour guide so he's real good at making up semi-believable origin stories for everything in this damn city.

I'm going to tell you, I hate Port Fishington.  I lived in Kensington in 2004 before all the young folks with fancy haircuts moved in and it fucking sucked.  I didn't have a car or a bike and I lived with three snotty college kids without jobs.  Our neighbors kicked our windows in and I could hardly blame them.  My rent there was only about $30 less than it is here in palatial South Philly.  I went back to my old street a few weekends ago for the Kinetic Sculpture race and a trendy bike shop, coffee house, thrift store, science fiction book store and god knows what else had opened up within 2 blocks of my old apartment.  That just bummed me the fuck out.  The people who had been living in that neighborhood had been their for generations, and no businesses are opening there that you can't find in half a dozen other Philadelphia neighborhoods.  It's nothing special, or new, it's just another appendage of the gentrification, excuse me "revitalization" monster.  NoLibs and Port Fishington make me sad.

Sadness aside!!!  That's why I can love South Philadelphia with my great big beating heart.  Sure, the new business association for Passyunk Square is trying it's damndest to "revitalize" the area, but thank god, thank god, all those folks that came in the second immigration wave are still here, excepting those who've moved to prefab crap houses in South Jersey.  And they own their houses!!  No mortgages, they're not getting priced out.  And of couse we have our lovely southeast Asian neighbors who began trickling in in the late 70s and opening delicious pho houses and restaurants and bakeries and grocery stores.  Within the last 10 years south Philly has also seen an influx of Mexican and Latino immigration which is just lovely with me.  Hello tienditas, taquerias and soccer games at Capitolo Park.  I hear the women's soccer league are called the águilas, in honor of the eagle on the Mexican flag and our very own Birds.

So I love South Philly, because we do have the Passyunk area revitalizing/gentrifying, but we also have a strong community of immigrants and first gen immigrants, crankly old Italian peeps like my neighbor Joe, the ex bookie, who spends 18 hours a day on his front stoop drinking coffee and saying "how ya doing hon" and new people like myself with funny haircuts and bicycles tearing up the night.  Oh, whoever mentioned parking, S Philly is the most parking-friendly part of the city.  You have to watch out for the people who put parking cones or folding chairs in the street to reserve their spot, they do mean business.  But I can't forget the day my girlfriend from NYC came to visit and she parked in front of my house.  After giving me a huge she was like "ok, I need to move my car."  "um, where to?"  "i don't know, i just need to move my car."  "no, it's fine."  "oh... well, i'm like 5 inches from the curb, do i need to move closer?"  "err.... no.. ?"  "i could get a ticket for this in new york!"

oh mr. ieatrats i'm so happy to hear you frequent the san juan capistrano bar.  i would like to go there more often but mostly my friends say no.  i spend way too much time at the pope but it's only 2 blocks from my house so there's my excuse.  excessive tipping there for around a year and a half now has led to a bar bill that's never more than $30.  it's absolutely ridiculous.  i think that's what i love about south philly most.  no matter where you go there is the possibility that you will become a regular.  i'd never been a regular anywhere before!!  it's a lovely feeling.

i'll look out for a gentleman on a surly with a helmet.  you can keep your eyes peeled for a cranky young woman on a green motobecane with gold cranks.

[jebreject]

This thread sorta makes me wanna move to Philadelphia. I wish we had these threads for all the great cities, this shit is awesome to read.

[Marie]

well, mr. jeb.  you should probably move to philadelphia.  this can only mean our propaganda is working.  mr rats and i will be invoicing michael nutter.

[Greg Nog]

In all honesty, jeb, I think you in particular would really, really, really like Philly.  I can definitely see you enjoying West Philly immensely, and I think you should move there as soon as you can.  I am completely serious about this; I think you would be much happier, and would look back on the decision to move in another couple of decades, and recognize it as a siginificant turning point in the betterment of your life.

[jebreject]

i am sorry but i am staying with the band

[The_Tourist]

make the band read this thread. problem solved.

[silentsigh89]

another fun philly fact is that the bolt bus is up and running!! Depending on when you book your tickets, the bus can be like....5 bucks? and is direct from philly to new york. And they have wi fi! And are, I'm told, very very very comfortable. So as far as getting to other places without a car goes, everything just got easier.

[jebreject]

make the band read this thread. problem solved.

scott wants to move to wilkes-barre

[guavacris]

another fun philly fact is that the bolt bus is up and running!! Depending on when you book your tickets, the bus can be like....5 bucks? and is direct from philly to new york. And they have wi fi! And are, I'm told, very very very comfortable. So as far as getting to other places without a car goes, everything just got easier.

This is lovely news!

[ieatrats]

I'm simply compelled to reiterate the greatness of Philly and South Philly in particular.  I'm moving to 6th and Wharton.  And everything you said about the near NE, yeah, I can totally see that.  I predict that within a year or so I'll be pretty set on moving somewhere south of Snyder, where I'll be compelled to buy a car just to double park it and cut the sleeves off all my shirts.  Riding around the other day in basically every corner of S. Philly, I had mad love brimming all over the place.  Riding through a turned on fire hydrant at 28th and Wharton.  At something west of Broad and Dickinson people all dressed up in their best getting out of church, and a couple blocks further, mad white tuxes and snazzy dresses after a wedding, all contrasting with the modest row homes.  The dude walking into where I was having lunch asking for something cold to drink, but could you put it in a plastic cup, "because what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna go and sit on the corner and see what I can see."

Autoz, hope you are now set on moving here.

Marie, I did see that bike somewhere around in the last week or so before I saw the replies to this thread.  And if I can get all my books and records packed right now I'm going to call it a night and see if my buddy wants to have a drink at Bonnie's.

[auto-da-fey]

Autoz, hope you are now set on moving here.

Yeah, I'm pretty excited, minus some cross-continental relationship issues that are weighing rather heavily on me of late. I had planned to fly out in July to find a place for August, but I have a new--entirely inadvisable--plan now, to just drive out in early August with my car packed full and find a place on the spot. I figure the flying plan would cost, between flight, hotels, and other expenses, around a grand, so holing up in hotels for a while can't cost any more.

By the way, has anyone ever moved that way? I'm guessing not, because it's not really practical, or even rational probably, but I really just don't feel like flying out in July.

[Andrew_TSKS]

i've definitely seen it done. if you work it right, yes, that plan will save you money.

[dumbfish]

That'd work fine in Chapel Hill, since places regularly get advertised, rented, and moved into within a couple weeks. My impression of Philly was that it was a "put your deposit down two months ahead of time" place. So your plan would offer you only the picked-over dregs or stick you in a hotel for a looong time.
Current residents can correct that impression, as needed.

[auto-da-fey]

Shit, and Andrew's post had me so hopeful. ieatrats? Marie?

[Andrew_TSKS]

hah, maybe this is a southern thing. here in richmond it's totally like dumbfish's description of chapel hill.

[Greg Nog]

Welp, when my girlfriend in Philly cheated on me and I wanted to move out of my apartment with a quickness, I was able to find a couple of conseceutive month-long sublets on craigslist really quickly.  That worked out really well until I found a more permanent place.

[auto-da-fey]

well, I figure the outcome can't be worse than the time I moved to Memphis for three months, when I rented a place off the internet, sight unseen. The woman at the rental office assured me it was a nice place, which was good enough for my foolish trusting self; when I arrived I found--go figure--a hellish dump with piss-smelling hallways next to a drug-dealer park and surrounded by prostitutes on bicycles. As long as I can do better than that in Philly, I'll be content.

x-post w/Greg--that would work for me. I'm not picky, and I have no furniture, so moving ain't no thang.

[dumbfish]

Greg's post makes me think that craigslist has probably changed the game since I was up there.

[ieatrats]

I've only looked at apts in South Philly, but every single one was empty and available immediately.  You do have to plunk down first, last and deposit typically (or sometimes just first and deposit), but I thought that was standard everywhere in N. American except Quebec.  I would say just showing up you'd be ok, but I'm a total amateur at finding apartments, and new to town, and come to think of it, I've only had maybe 5 places in 13 years, and only one was not got through a friend

I'd say Craigslist has changed the game, yes.  Also, check around the free neighborhood papers where you're looking - if down here there's http://southphillyreview.com/ and http://www.phillyrecord.com/southPR.htm there has to be W. Philly and others, thought maybe not a CC one.  In any case, people who advertise in either of these don't advertise anywhere else.  And then there's tons of x factor - my apt isn't listed anywhere, and one I was offered next door to a friend wasn't either.  Just vacant because as Marie I think noted, people own their homes and property, and can't be bothered to hustle to get a tenant in unless it's just the right one.

You can probably avoid piss-smelling halls and drug dealer parks pretty easily, esp. since you'd be showing up heh.

[auto-da-fey]

so hey phillyfolk, tell me about 15th & Green. My first impression is that it's nicely near Broad and Spring Garden, so public transportation is easy to be had; the park is nearby for running; parking looks deadly but I can deal; and its relation to that vague and euphemistic term "safety" is maybe slightly tenuous but overall decent.

Any reason I shouldn't sign a lease tomorrow? I'm hoping not, because apartment hunting fucking sucks and I want a one-day victory, but let me know if there are any red flags I remain oblivious to.

[silentsigh89]

that would be good for getting around, but, you know, go at night and see how you feel? that area isn't one I'd love to walk around in, but I'm also a country girl who is scared of everything. Parking, though, will be ridiculous. Very ridiculous.

Good luck, either way!

[auto-da-fey]

hmm. well, I had to drive nearly to Trenton because I wasn't smart enough to check ahead to make sure there was a Washington Mutual in Philly, so I won't have a chance to check it at night, holed up in a NJ Econolodge as I am.  I'm pretty excited about the apartment, though--my first ever split-level, with spiral stairs!--so maybe I'll just never go out at night. And I only have the car (leased) until January, so hopefully I can survive with it.

[Greg Nog]

Man if it is east of the Schuylkill I just do not know,
but:

HEY!  Want to run a marathon, auto?  I'm gonna go for it!  And they tell me at this site...

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-6946-0,00.html

... that this week is the week to begin training for Philly's marathon.

You should run the marathon with me!  Want to run the marathon with me?

[ieatrats]

I unfortunately have nothing to add about that neighborhood - I've ridden through on a bicycle at night and that was uneventful, but that has been the case everywhere I've gone.  Heh, except for my friend having a water bottle thrown at her around 5th and Girard a few weeks ago, and my party getting egged at about 12:30am on a like Wednesday at 9th and Christian last fall.  I could relate some recent random acts of violence, but that doesn't really help anyone, and none were around there anyway.

A friend of mine works at 15th and Fairmount and doesn't like to go near the bar right on that corner - it's not a jazz bar anymore, if that somehow was an attraction, and frequently has fights and stuff.  That whole neighborhood seems to be block by block in the typical Philly way whenever a weathier or gentrified neighborhood abuts a poorer one; a few blocks up and over in the 20s it's total yuppsville, and directly west is like total old rich people estate-type houses (compared to the rest of Philly proper anyway).  East of Broad it's definitely poorer, then a weird mixed-income Pleasantville where they tore down all the row houses and built brand new split level townhouses (there's a carbon copy that starts the next corner from me at 5th and Wharton), and then Temple's close by too, so there's probably tons of college kids everywhere, whether that's a plus or a minus.  But go east down Ridge Ave and it's bombed out and boarded up buildings.

On the plus side, you'll be right by a perfect emblem of Philly, the Divine Lorraine Hotel - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Lorraine_Hotel.  Gorgeous, weird and old, a symbol of extravagance and racial equality, dilapidation, urban renewal and satanic condoification all at once.

Oh, and Tiffin will deliver to where you're at - get fat on delicious Indian food, carno or veg:  http://www.tiffin.com/index.asp

Sorry I can't be of more help.

[silentsigh89]

yeah, man. tiffin. that's a big plus. it's good. it's really good.