Going to Philidelphia... alone.

[otherlander]

I think I'm going to be taking a trip to Philadelphia by myself some time in August. Any DUer's familiar with the area, I have a few questions:

What's the least expensive hotel/motel that's still relatively safe and clean? Kind of run down is fine, just no crazy people with guns, please. One of the reasons I'm going is to get some inspiration for a book I'm working on. I'm going to be going to a few places in Jersey and upstate NY too. What sections of Philadelphia are the more artistic sections? Which areas are more working class? Does Philadelphia have any kind of punk rock scene going on, and if so, where do punk rockers hang out? I hate to be the obnoxious tourist but I want to check out different areas so I can make my characters more realistic.

[Chan790]

1. I used to live in the Roxborough section of Philly.

I don't know about hotels there, but if you can find one it would be cheap. It's a safe but rundown neighborhood, kinda dirty, a lot of Irish and Italian families who've been in the 'borough for generations. Working-class. A lot of racism around. My landlord never really understood why I had an issue with him calling African-Americans by epithets because everybody else he knew used those words too.

It borders the Main-line and Manayunk...respectively one of the wealthier areas of metro-Philly (and the country) and an up-and-coming arts, social and cultural neighborhood.

Outside of that area...I'm only familiar with Fishtown (similar but rougher than Roxborough), Center City (my personal experience is to avoid at all costs. It's a dead zone with nothing to do there and yet the municipal center of the city. It does have the historical attractions though...meaning lots of tourists being annoying.), and South Street where my brother lives and works. (This is the big arts and culture center and the prices reflect that. (My brother is a bartender and made over $50k last year almost entirely on tips.) It's also where most of the big-name hotels are...expect to pay $250/night minimum.)

[mtowngman]

2. You may want to consider staying just over the bridge in South Jersey

there are plenty of clean, reasonably priced hotels in the Cherry Hill area, near where I live, and there's ample public transportation to get you in and out of the city if you're not driving. Probably South Street and the afore mentioned Mannyunk could be considered artistic sections, a short trip to the town of New Hope, a bit north of the city might also be worth your while. Northeast Philly, called "The Northeast" and Bucks County, are home to generations of factory workers who were employed at the steel mills and the area retains its blue collar, working class culture, especially The Northeast. South Philly is still pretty much an Italian-American enclave and is home to the Italian Market as well as the sports teams. If there is an active punk scene here it's pretty well hidden from me, the bars on and around South Street might be worth checking out. Lancaster Pa. (yes Amish country) has been cranking out some really nice original music too.

I find nothing obnoxious about asking where I live, I really like it here. Hope you enjoy your visit and if I can help, I'll be happy to.

Good luck with the book.