Just wanted to say hi from another Philly transplant in my early 40s! 👋🏻 Downtown is very different now than it was 8 years ago. There are a lot of nice places to live. I've worked downtown for the past 8 years and used to live on the West End (in the Clemens Place Apartments). Your main issue is that it's still a bit of a food desert when it comes to groceries, but as long as you have a car, you're fine. On that note, car break ins are still the main crime issue downtown. If you can find a place with a parking garage, you should be in pretty good shape - none of my coworkers or I have ever had a break in issue in our parking garage. Otherwise, just be careful to always lock your car and don't leave anything of value in it.