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Old 08-04-2010, 01:16 PM
 
67 posts, read 295,087 times
Reputation: 33

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Moving to Philidelphia to atten UPenn grad school May 2011. I just have a couple of questions that I can't find an answer to in any of the postings.

1) After researching I think I will be moving to University City. I will be renting an apartment somewhere. I know having an automobile has been discussed over and over.... but I am moving from Dallas,Tx where you MUST have a car (or at least we all think we must). It is a very scary prospect to be without a vehicle. Will I really be able to manage without a car? I know I can get to school and back, but what about grocery shopping, etc? Will it be more cost effective to take a taxi or bus/train than have a vehicle.

2) Again.... coming from Texas. This will sound like a pathetic question.... and it is. Back in the 80's I lived in New Jersey for about 3 months. Finding Dr. Pepper was next to impossible. Do you guys have Dr. Pepper? I have a serious addiction to D.P. How hard will I have to work to get it!!!!

3) Do the apartments that allow dogs have breed bans? Just in general. Breed bans here are rampant and my sweet baby girl is on the most hated list!

4) So, what is the most cost effective way of heat there? Here everything is central heat/air.... so just have an electric bill. I am confused by the apartment ads that have heat/air and electricity separately. Sometimes included, sometimes not.... WTH?

5) Not a question..... just a comment. A year ago I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia. As I was coming into the city, I was amazed at the architecture. I thought it was a beautiful city and added tit o my list of places I wanted to visit again. I have read alot of negative things on this forum about Philadelphia. It is true that I haven't seen the city in its entirety, but the part I did see was beautiful and wonderfully indicative of a city with tremendous history. Who knew I would one day be moving there???



Thank you in advance!
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Old 08-04-2010, 02:50 PM
 
8,982 posts, read 21,181,432 times
Reputation: 3808
Welcome to Philly! See my responses below in bold.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ldbug35 View Post
Moving to Philidelphia to atten UPenn grad school May 2011. I just have a couple of questions that I can't find an answer to in any of the postings.

1) After researching I think I will be moving to University City. I will be renting an apartment somewhere. I know having an automobile has been discussed over and over.... but I am moving from Dallas,Tx where you MUST have a car (or at least we all think we must). It is a very scary prospect to be without a vehicle. Will I really be able to manage without a car? I know I can get to school and back, but what about grocery shopping, etc? Will it be more cost effective to take a taxi or bus/train than have a vehicle.
Philly is a high-density city, especially the closer you get to the core. Bringing a car to UC will likely mean tight, on-street parking as well as the purchase of a parking permit. Assuming you're okay with that...you will probably be close enough to the Fresh Grocer - on the edge of campus at 40th and Walnut - that a car won't be necessarily unless you only shop once every couple of weeks. If you plan to socialize after hours in Center City (our name for downtown) and you don't need to imbibe, then it may be worth bringing the car to avoid having to hail a taxi. Note that parking will likely be tighter although parking garages will be less expensive than during the day.


2) Again.... coming from Texas. This will sound like a pathetic question.... and it is. Back in the 80's I lived in New Jersey for about 3 months. Finding Dr. Pepper was next to impossible. Do you guys have Dr. Pepper? I have a serious addiction to D.P. How hard will I have to work to get it!!!!
To be honest, I don't drink Dr. Pepper but I don't recall it being hard to find in Philly. You should be okay. Now, if you have a sudden hankering for Mello Yello, you may be out of luck!

3) Do the apartments that allow dogs have breed bans? Just in general. Breed bans here are rampant and my sweet baby girl is on the most hated list! I have to defer to others on that as I don't know.

4) So, what is the most cost effective way of heat there? Here everything is central heat/air.... so just have an electric bill. I am confused by the apartment ads that have heat/air and electricity separately. Sometimes included, sometimes not.... WTH?
Philly is old. Some older dwellings are able to be retrofitted with central air, others not so much. Depending on what you choose, your heat may be gas or even oil. Your air might even be "centralized" in your window. The city is not all like that, but this is the situation you may be in for. Renting one of the newer high-rises near the river might mitigate that...but then there's the $$$$.

5) Not a question..... just a comment. A year ago I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia. As I was coming into the city, I was amazed at the architecture. I thought it was a beautiful city and added tit o my list of places I wanted to visit again. I have read alot of negative things on this forum about Philadelphia. It is true that I haven't seen the city in its entirety, but the part I did see was beautiful and wonderfully indicative of a city with tremendous history. Who knew I would one day be moving there???
While some Philly neighborhoods have their well-documented issues, I do agree that Center City is definitely a crown jewel. During your time here, you may even discover some of the interesting surrounding communities. As a quick rough guide from my brief visit to Dallas: Northern Liberties/Old City ~ Deep Ellum, Rittenhouse Square ~ Uptown, Passyunk Square/Passyunk Crossing ~ Knox-Henderson.



Thank you in advance!
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