My
business is relocating to Philadelphia, and I'm looking to purchase a
home in a nice suburban area. Could you offer any tips or
suggestions?
If you’re not familiar with
Philadelphia’s suburbs, get a Regional Rail map and
schedule from
SEPTA (the folks who run the suburban train system) at septa.org,
and use the travel convenience to/from the city as a basis for your
choice. The
upscale towns along SEPTA’s R5 route are what we call
the Main Line, as in the
movie “High Society”. When you’ve
narrowed down the towns that are convenient,
go to epodunk.com
for the 2000 Census data about the towns. Then, when you’ve
identified your favorites, use google to find a local real estate
professional to call and
talk to
How easy is it to see the
Liberty Bell? Is it crowded? Is there a best time of
day to
go?
The
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia’s most popular attraction. You can see the
bell from
the outside of its new building, but to go inside for a
tour you’ll need to get a free
ticket with a timed entrance. You
can get the ticket at the Independence Visitors
Center (6th St
between Arch and Market St). If there’s fewer than 6 in your group,
one person can pick up the tickets for your whole party. Or, you can
get them ahead
of time online at reservations.nps.gov. The
entrance to the bell in on Market St
between 5th and 6th St.
You’ll be frisked before entering the bell’s presence. The
least
crowded time is early, before the school trips show up. It’s open at 9
AM.
What is a good museum the kids
might enjoy?
My kids love the Franklin
Institute (222 North 20th ST) because it has a giant walk-
through
human heart that’s kind of spooky with its moving walls to show the
heart’s
lub-dub action. There’s also Fels Planetarium at he
Institute that has great space
shows. For young kids, across the
street is the Please Touch Museum (210 North
20th St). Dinosaur
fans will have fun at the Academy of Natural Sciences (1900
Benjamin Franklin Parkway).
How far is the Philadelphia
airport from Center City and is there good public
transportation
to get there?
Philadelphia International
Airport (PHL) is about 7 or 8 miles from Center City,
which is
what we call the downtown part of Philadelphia. You can catch a SEPTA
mass transit Airport Line service for $5.50 one-way. It leaves every
30 minutes and
will take you to the 4 train stations in
Philadelphia if you need to connect to a regional
train line. The
train stations are: University City (on the University of Pennsylvania’s
Medical campus in west Philadelphia), 30th Street Station,
Suburban Station (16th &
Market), and Market East (10th &
Market). A taxi will cost a flat rate of about $20,
and there are
some shuttle services that cost about $15 per
person.
Is Atlantic City the closest
place to Philly that has casinos? How far of a
drive is
it?
Horse race betting is the only
legal kind of gambling so far in Pennsylvania, and legal
slots-only parlors are planned for 2006. There are no recognized
Indian tribes in PA
who are interested in operating a casino.
Therefore, Atlantic City (AC) is your
closest option.
Philadelphia is about 60 miles northwest of AC. You can get there
several ways:
1) Fly from Philly to AC. It’ll take about 30
mins.
2) Take an NJ Transit train from 30th Street Station to AC.
The train ride is about
40 mins.
3) Take an NJ Transit bus
from the Greyhound Bus Terminal (corner of 10th and
Filbert).
Buses #313, 315, and 316 (seasonal) serve shore points south of Atlantic
City. It’ll take about an hour.
4) Drive via the Atlantic
City Expressway. It’s a toll toad. The drive is about an hour.
For other
Destinations, go to www.askaresident.com