Housing shortages, increasing enrollment and the desire to move off campus have contributed to the growing number of Temple students who commute to school from many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.
South Philadelphia is just one of the areas that many students call home.
Entertainment is easily accessible in South Philly.
The Mummers, South Street and professional sporting events at the Wachovia Complex are just a few neighborhood attractions.
“A few blocks from my house is the Vet, the Linc and both the Spectrum and the Center,” junior Andrea Caines of South Philadelphia said. “The Lakes (FDR Park) is practically a spit away from my house.”
For those who are not familiar with the area, the Vet is Veterans Stadium, home of the Phillies and former home of the Eagles.
The Eagles recently moved to Lincoln Financial Field, which is also the new home of the Temple Owls.
At the end of this season, the Phillies will be moving from the Vet to Citizens Bank Park.
The Wachovia Spectrum and Center houses the Flyers, 76ers, Kixx and Wings.
Mummery is a unique tradition that was born and bred in Philadelphia during the late 1800s.
The Mummers traditionally paraded from Broad Street and Oregon Avenue in South Philly to City Hall.
For the past four years, the parade has traveled down Market Street in Center City, but this year it will return to its traditional Broad Street route.
South Philadelphia has one of the busiest corners in the city: Ninth and Wharton streets.
Home to Pat’s Steak s and Geno’s Steaks, people patiently line up along the streets every night to wait for a good South Philly cheesesteak.
With plenty to do for leisure, the biggest problem facing Temple’s South Philly dwellers is their daily commute.
However, SEPTA makes it easy for South Philadelphians to reach Temple by bus or subway.
The Broad Street Line drops commuters off directly on Temple’s campus, at the corner of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
“The subway is easy, relatively cheap and you don’t have to pay for parking,” Caines said as she listed the advantages of using public transportation.
It’s not always easy though, as any regular commuter will attest.
One commuter said, “Sometimes the subway will stop for five or 10 minutes and if you’re running late, you’re in trouble. When it is hot outside and the air isn’t on or when it’s cold outside and the air is blasting, it’s not that comfortable.”
As any commuter can explain, traveling is an art.
Catch the right train at the right time and travel time can be reduced from 45 minutes to only 25 minutes.
Living off campus may not be as convenient as dorm life, but in a neighborhood like South Philly with such easy access to transportation and entertainment, things can’t be all that bad.
Jill Swanson can be reached at jswanson@temple.edu.
Be the first to comment