My son will be attending classes in University City (Drexel) but will be living at 15th & Vine St. He will be walking daily between the two areas. Is this a safe walk at any time? What is the area around his residence like? What's around? Is it OK 24/7? Are there any areas between these two locations to avoid? Are there any times he'll need to cough up subway fare to avoid walking? We are out of state and don't know the area at all. Thanks.

I don't know the area at all (though years ago I almost went to Drexel). But, I think parents tend to worry too much about their kids - that's very normal. Consider a few things: 1. students going to Drexel and other colleges live all over the city and daily walk, bike, or take bus/train/subway to and from classes, and most of them aren't crime victims. 2. men are probably safer than women walking around a city, so you can worry just a wee bit less. 3. city streets are a lot safer than you probably think they are. There are all kinds of dangers in the suburbs too, like car accidents. The "mean streets" aren't necesssarily any worse, even if they seem to be.

I'm sure your son will soon figure out the safest way to get to and from classes. Staying on well-lit streets and using common sense are good for starters.

Try the forums on http://philadelphia.craigslist.org to ask for specific info from locals there - Craigslist has lots of young people on it.

The area that your son will be walking between is as safe as any in Philadelphia. Traffic is heavy 24/7 along that corridor, and I've walked it without much worry at two in the morning. If he exercises normal caution he'll be in more danger from Philly drivers than from Philly muggers.

I went to Penn (next door to Drexel) and lived in Center City 2 of the 3 years. Both areas are fine, although as I remember 15th and arch is sort of a couple blocks away from areas that most students live in. But that is just my memory, and I've been out of philly for three years, so those few blocks may have changed since -- and not that they weren't safe, just not so residential. Going North from where he will be leads in a few miles to North Philly (aka the Badlands), which is not safe. But he'll never have any reason to go that way, and that is sort of like saying the bad parts of Harlem are only a mile from the heart of the Upper East Side in NYC.

I wouldn't ever imagine taking the subway for safety purposes. He probably won't want to walk alone between the two locations in the middle of the night, but I'd spring for a cab then (plus I don't think the Philly subway runs late). He may end up taking the subway purely to avoid the outside walk, it is probably about 2 miles and includes walking over the schuylkill river, which can be pretty nasty on a rainy or cold day. I took the subway most of the winter and on rainy days in the fall/spring, and of course when I was running late -- which was usually every time I had morning classes

While the subway does run between where he is going to live generally and University City, he'll quickly realize that the Philly subway/trolly system isn't nearly as expansive nor as used as New York's, DC, etc. - there are only two real subway lines, and a few more "trolly" lines (electric bus on tracks that goes underground at the end). But, then again, the parts of Philly he will spend most of his time in are pretty small and very walkable.

I'm trying to think what exactly is at 15th & vine... entrance onto 676... Roman catholic high school... ??? Chinatown starts at 12th & vine and spreads south east for a few blocks, go a few blocks west and you'll run into the Ben Franklin Pkwy towards the Art Museum. South and you'll be headed towards City Hall and a business district (quieter at night, but never dangerous). The only direction I would be hesitant about is perhaps North, but I'm not super familiar with those blocks.

Nearby is also Reading Terminal market - tons of food stalls, but also a great place to shop for produce, a mall (The Gallery), and just about all of center city is walkable from there.

It's safe to walk between those two, just fine. Subway tokens are $1.30, and would cut down the walk considerably. Look into bus routes for a possible more direct line. Monthly bus passes are also sold. I think at least in winter it's a good investment.

That's a long walk, and you son will probably end up taking the bus or subway some of the time. 15th and Vine is not particularly residential: parking lots, large hospital, luncheonettes, stores. Short walk to downtown area with nice stores and restaurants, City Hall, Love Park, museums. Also a short walk to Chinatown and to the large Public Library. Your son should avoid walking north because the neighborhood goes down rapidly, but there is no reason he'd need to go to that area. Out near school, he should stay on the Penn or Drexel campuses, especially at night, and not wander around West Philly. Parts of W. Phila. are nice and safe, and other parts are less so. Try not to worry--he'll probably make friends quickly and then he won't be walking around alone all that much. (HA! I just left my firstborn for his first year at Univ. of Pittsburgh and I could give you a list of lots of other things to worry about besides walking around town--over-partying, sports injuries, keeping up with his work, getting that workstudy job, drinking, practicing abstinence or safe sex, washing white clothes in with darks...for mothers the list is endless. After 2 weeks, you will stop worrying and start grumbling, "When am I gonna hear from that kid???") (Answer: when he needs money or something.)