Living in Manayunk, Your input please

[pbarry]

My sister and her husband just started a family and are considering moving from NYC to Manayunk, Phillidelphia. They have close friends there, but haven't spent much time in the area. I'd appreciate any input on quality of life, the local economy, etc. They aren't cyclists, so proximity to riding is not a concern.

My only exposure to the area was an annual trek to watch the Core States race, and I usually parked myself somewhere along The Wall. Good times!

[thegunner]

it's quiet -- very quiet vs NYC at least. There isn't much to do in town, but it's also a 10 min drive to center city. Has somewhat of a 'stuck in the 90s' vibe to it. Honestly, it's like living in any suburb outside a city, but it's quite quaint.

[pbarry]

Thanks, Gunner. The quiet part is attractive at this point. Is public transportation decent? They have a vehicle, but choose not to use it unless it's a must. The 90's were good to me. ;)

[thegunner]

Thanks, Gunner. The quiet part is attractive at this point. Is public transportation decent? They have a vehicle, but choose not to use it unless it's a must. The 90's were good to me. ;)

there's definitely SEPTA that runs up through there -- train for sure, and i THINK bus (as they almost always ran me off the road near the turn onto Kelly Drive. Definitely accessible.

[nahtnoj]

You mean they are considering moving to Philadelphia.

Manayunk is a neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia. Narrowly defined, it is bounded by Main Street, Shurs Lane, Ridge Ave, and Parker Ave, although its commonly lumped together with much of Roxborough too.

Its a cool place when you are in college and a white kid from the suburbs and you want to dip your toes in city life. And its a cool place to live for a few years afterwards while you are still partying with all your college friends.

But after that its kind of the worst of both worlds. Public transit is OK as long as you are going towards Center City. Buses run regularly on Ridge and Main Street, and you have easy access to both the R5 and the R6 train lines. But parking is a hassle (worse than many Center City neighborhoods), snow removal is non-existent, amenities are limited if you are "on the hill", and its not all that quiet or family friendly. You're trapped between the city and the suburbs, without really having the benefits of either. And if you work in the suburbs, getting out of Manayunk in a car is a huge hassle.

Greater northwest Philadelphia (East Falls, Manayunk, Andorra, Roxborough - and on the other side of the Wissahickon - Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill) are generally quite nice. I'd actually look harder at Mount Airy - that's were a lot of the young families are.

[pbarry]

Got it. Broaden their horizons to other areas.. Great critique. :hello:

[nahtnoj]

Philadelphians, even adoptive ones, are neighborhood-centric to a fault.

The reason I'm down on Manayunk is largely topographical. You're living on the side of a cliff. Imagine your sister and her husband pushing a stroller up and down The Wall every day.

If you live far enough "up the hill" this is not really an issue. East of Ridge (which is Roxborough) or within a block or two would be better IMO - quieter and certainly easier to get around.

[pbarry]

Beers are on me when I visit. This is great input.

[thegunner]

Philadelphians, even adoptive ones, are neighborhood-centric to a fault.

The reason I'm down on Manayunk is largely topographical. You're living on the side of a cliff. Imagine your sister and her husband pushing a stroller up and down The Wall every day.

If you live far enough "up the hill" this is not really an issue. East of Ridge (which is Roxborough) or within a block or two would be better IMO - quieter and certainly easier to get around.

+1 on this. The reason why I'm pretty okay with Manayunk is because I went there to visit friends during my grad school stay. Nahtnoj is probably correct that it's awesome in your 20's.

[AngryScientist]

i've gone to some fantastic parties in manayunk, that's for sure.

[Ray]

Philly has a lot of nice neighborhoods (and some really depressed ones too). Manayunk has a nice Main St and commercial area, but living there would be a challenge unless you lived pretty close to the base of the hill and if you regularly need to go anywhere other than center city. I love the place, but it wouldn't be my first choice of a place to live, particularly with small kids.

-Ray

[EnginCycle]

I live in East Falls (19129)and it is an incredible neighborhood. We started in the blue collar area with the row homes and congestion which was a good starter home since it had great access to the train. Once we started the family we moved to the other side of Henry were it is more family oriented and much more trees and lawns. There are two trains Chestnut Hill west and Norristown (formerly R5 and R8). I work in Chestnut Hill (19118)and my in-laws are in Mt.Airy (19119). I have lived in Mt. Airy (for 10 years) and the biggest advantage to East Falls is we are 10-15 minutes closer to center city. The only bummer is the supermarket. We either go to Whole Foods via car or the Weavers Way co-op on my way home from work. Nothing walkable. Mt.Airy has the best restaurant scene, Chestnut Hill has the better rep but is less liberal. It is now getting a new generation. From a bang for your buck Chestnut Hill will be hard.

I have an INCREDIBLE realtor so if you want to contact me offlist I can give you her name.

Manayunk is horrible (19127) for parking and all the other things listed above. Roxborough (19128) is more common and has some nice spots but still parking is often an issue. There are a few hidden secrets in zips like 19144.

-Drew

[nahtnoj]

Drew,

I used to live on Vaux Street, and somehow forgot to mention the gem that is East Falls. Other side of Henry is really nice - glad to hear you are moving up in the world!

Jon

[pbarry]

Thanks, guys. This is all really helpful. Drew, I'll get in touch later today for your realtor's info.

[Dude]

I live in Manayunk and it is a great place. I'm 33, married, two dogs and I'm up the hill a little bit - Technically in Wissahickon, but no one calls it that so I just say Manayunk. We love it, we don't have kids (yet) so philly public education isn't a concern of ours right now. For me, it's a 10 min walk to a bunch of bars/restaurants on Main st, 5 mins to get on any N/S or E/W highways. There is a train station that is a 5 min walk but I usually use buses (stops right at the bottom of my street).

I live on a quiet one way street on top of a hill. It's quiet enough for us to sleep with the windows open.

Most importantly, the riding is great. It's about 30 secs to 15 miles of mtb trails (Wissahickon) or 10 mins to the Belmont Plateau that has 2 hours of trails. There is tons of road riding in the area as most/all of the riders heading out of the city head out through Manayunk.

I had lived in Manhattan before so I didn't need to do the Center City living, but it's close enough to Manayunk where it's not that big a deal if we want to head down there. Plus, in Manayunk you still get to explore the suburbs. There are tons of great restaurants/bars/things to do outside of the city. When you live in the center of a big city you get so absorbed with what's around you, you miss what the area has to offer.

Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill and parts of Germantown are all beautiful and charming, still in the city proper a little further away from Center City.

If your sister/family wants a guide or to chat with any questions, PM me.

PS @Engincycle, I think you used to live on Scott's lane right? My cousin bought your old place.

[pbarry]

Awesome, Dude. Thanks!