Downtown living is only a ride away

While it is not uncommon for undergraduate students at Penn to move off-campus, this generally involves heading west.

With planning and a little research, however, one can easily close the gap between Penn and downtown Philadelphia, opening a new frontier of living possibilities.

One of the main reasons students dismiss the possibility of moving east of the Schuylkill River is the perception of being an immense distance from campus — a perception which is not entirely accurate.

Walking from 41st and Locust to Van Pelt Library is a journey of about 0.6 miles and will take 12 minutes, according to Google Maps, while from 21st and Walnut, the same destination lies 1 mile away and will require 19 minutes of walking.

If walking doesn’t appeal, there are a range of different transit options for getting to class.

With the newly installed bike lanes on Pine and Spruce Streets, a brisk ride through the city and over the Walnut Street Bridge means fitting in some extra cardio before that econ recitation.

For a more sedentary experience, there are multiple SEPTA bus routes, such as the 21 or 42, that stop at convenient locations on campus and run frequently on weekday mornings.

Additionally, Penn Transit offers Penn BUS East to all students, which picks up at eight locations on campus and provides free transit to and from Center City on weekdays. The web site pennrides.com shows a live map tracking buses via GPS, allowing a student to plan precisely when to walk to a pick-up location to minimize waiting time — an option which is especially appealing in the winter.

See more articles in our off-campus guide here or return to the Housing Guide home page

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