Hi guys...I need help from our friends in the philly area. I just accepted a nice paying job in Philadelphia but I live in Jersey City with my wife and our dog and have no intention of moving to Philly at all. I have two options...commute to the city daily or get a studio from monday to friday. 2 questions...what is the fastest and cheapest way to go to philly from either penn station in ny or newark. i seem to remember taking a train yr ago to trenton and then taking the septa to the city...or am i imagining that? 2nd question...what is a good area in philly to look for an affordable studio? i will be working on market and 17th so a quick commute to that are would be great!! Any help would be so appreciated. Thanks!

You're not dreaming. There is a regional rail from Trenton to downtown Philly.

www.septa.org/schedule.cgi?route=r7s&day=1

17th and Market is at the center of just about every subway, trolley, and regional rail coming into the city. Just pick an area of interest to you, make certain it's near mass transit, and then just ride in on what transport that happens to be.

www.septa.org/parking_project/fullmap_septa.html

Can't give any advice on a good place for a studio -- I only live here :^)

For the Penn Station/Newark-Trenton portion of the commute, take a look at

www.njtransit.org

The few times I've used NJTransit, the trains on the route have been clean, punctual and reliable.

I would think twice living in Philadelphia if I were you. City of Brotherly love? Sure. You're better off staying put in the Garden State. Just commute to work and you'll be fine.

To ozan: Why do people always have to be so negative. Philly is a wonderful city. Not sure of prices of studios in center city, but the area is very very nice.

Philly is a fine place to live...great retaurants, museums, etc. I lived in Center City for 7 years but recently moved to the Main Line (got tired of the city wage tax, among other things). A nice studio in a nice neighborhood will run you anywhere from 800-1200. But, since it's just going to be you minus the family, you can probably find a not-as-nice studio for much less than that. The commute will be the killer, though. I've done it, and it's not fun. If you take the NJ Transit/Septa run you have to change trains in Trenton, etc. Amtrak is better since it's faster with no connection, but it's more expensive. Hope this helps.

Hi Carl- I went to grad school in Philly, and you can probably find a decent studio in Center City for $600-800 a month. It might be a good idea to try some of the universities (Penn, Drexel) for housing listings.

I agree the commuting would be awful everyday. As for apt. don't know if you ever considered a sharing idea. It would be cheaper I would think. I know college students do this often in the city. There are many safe places in nicer neighborhoods if you share or just do a room for rent since you would only be there mon-fri. Other options are the Philly suburbs but still rents are high everywhere. I know you have to be careful, but it is an alternative. Bucks county is a nice rural area of Philly. But you would still need an auto for transportation or take the septa daily into the city.

Thanks guys for sharing very useful info. I appreciate it very much.

The regional rail has a stop at 16 & JFK,which is just 2 blocks from your new job, however you would have to switch trains in Trenton which could be a pain. As for studios, try looking on www.philadelphiaweekly.com since they have the most extensive apt. listings. I just did a quick search on there and found numerous studios in center city in the 6-700 range. I would look for something around 16/17th/18/th area around Locust/Spruce/Pine which is a nice area and close to your job.

Another option if you're dead-set against moving to Philly is living in the 'burbs. I live in south jersey and commute into the city everday via Patco. Where I live is only 6 miles from the city making it an easy commute, plus the town I live in (Cherry Hill) is very pretty with lots of shopping and things to do.

Philly has an undeserved bad reputation. It's such an underrated city. Sure parts of it are bad, but overall it's made a lot of progress and can be quite charming and hip. Try looking in the Rittenhouse Square area for a studio. I think that commute will kill you on a daily basis. NJ Transit sux during rush hour.