I'm in the outer city limits of Philly as well. I had a good experience going with a broker, Jefferson Avenue Insurance out of Lafayette Hill, PA, for both auto and home insurance. Previously I had cross-shopped on my own and my quotes were wildly different depending upon what company I went with. I think they just hate Philly.

Pennsylvania is a massive state with a bunch of different climates and housing stock. Utilities are not expensive in PA. There must be something unusual about your situation. I live in Philly and I pay about $250 for all that, and this has to be one of the most expensive areas to live in the state.

I’d love to know who told you that is the nicest part of Allentown…that is rich. Downtown Allentown is well-known to not be nice. The nicest parts are out west. I’m sorry to hear about your experiences. But telling someone to avoid living within Allentown city limits because of crime is bad advice. These problems are all downtown within like a 6 block circle.

Allentown is a fascinating city with a ton of history. But much of it remains a dicey place to live in terms of safety. Most likely, you should only be looking at houses west of 15th Street. Your office is probably downtown, and most of the surrounding neighborhoods near there have seen better days. I wouldn’t plan on being close enough to walk is my point, but it really depends on your threshold for safety. You could definitely find some good deals on real estate between Front and 15th. I would also look in Bethlehem, Emmaus, maybe some of the towns in Whitehall. Abington isn’t very far away. You should come check out the Lehigh Valley for yourself. I think it’s a great place to live.

When I lived in Pennsport it was about twice as fast to get to work by driving than it was to take the buses. I didn’t really do it because parking is expensive, but not all of south philly is super well connected to transit. I could at least see why people do it.

The more you pay for a new car, the more you’ll regret it. You will get dings and you will get dents. Whoever is in this thread who is saying you won’t is either lying or not looking at their bumpers hard enough. But I bought a new Corolla about 3 years ago and street parked it - I was willing to accept the dents. If you’re buying a $55,000 SUV you may be less willing to accept these issues. Just my two cents.

Permits need to be displayed on site. Not just on request. They're typically taped up to the front windows.

I’m an engineer who was working with a developer on some plans to renovate the upper floors. Those plans never panned out

Don't mean to be pedantic, and this is a beautiful shot, but the current Wanamaker building was actually built around 1910. The original building, the "Grand Depot," was built in 1876. John Wanamaker replaced that original building piece-by-piece on the same site in the first decade of the 1900s. My source is a combination of Wikipedia and the fact that I've been to the roof - there is a cornerstone up there inlaid with John Wanamaker's name and the year the building was completed.

In light of all the negative posts here, I will say that there is a Dog Bar in St. Pete Florida that actually does really well and has managed to keep things under control for many years. It sounds very similar to what they're describing, refs and all. Doesn't mean this will work, and this couple sounds a little annoying, but it's not some unprecedented rich millennial wet dream. This does exist elsewhere.

Depends on what you guys want for lifestyle. Do you want an apartment, a rowhome, or a detached house with a big backyard? If you want city life, at your price point, I'd recommend either Fitler Square, Rittenhouse, or Spruce Hill/Cedar Park as neighborhoods to look around in. All are safe and full of things to do, the first two being closer to the center of the city, and the third being neighborhoods adjacent to Penn. If you're looking for a walkable town/suburb, I'd recommend Ardmore, Conshohocken, Ambler, or Collingswood, NJ. All are near trains and I find them all to be charming, with things to do.

Crime is definitely not the same everywhere, as it is often presented to be in this sub. Ridge Ave in East Falls is okay. It's much busier along that road than it is further up the hill in EF; further up the hill is much quieter. That being said, I would never in a million years feel unsafe walking there or living there. I like the new coffee shop on Ridge, I love Wissahickon Brewing, and there are a few other neighborhood spots around which I'm sure are pretty good.

This is insane. People are really telling you that going to see a concert at World Cafe Live is a risk? Hundreds of people go there to see concerts almost every single night of the week. It's fine. Suburban brain rot has gotten crazy lately.