Transportation

Being from the Midwest, I'm used to driving everywhere so coming to Philly has been a bit of a change for me. I have found that I can walk most places since I'm living just a few blocks from campus. The grocery store, CVS, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are all within walking distance in and around campus. Sometimes you may find that you need to go outside University City (Center City is the next place I frequently go) in which case you could use Philly's public transportation: SEPTA. Septa operates buses, trolleys and a subway all over the city. All you have to do is put in a token and you're on your way!

 

The University of Pennsylvania also offers some options for getting students to and from campus in the evening. For example, I have a night class which gets over at 9pm. Even if you live fairly close to campus not everyone feels comfortable walking home alone that late. In this case, Penn has buses that run East and West of campus and are free for Penn students. You can catch these buses at various points throughout campus starting at around 6:00pm. Penn also has security officers who will walk you home at night if you ask them.  Even before it gets dark Penn security are out walking, riding their bikes and driving around the area. I have found that Penn works really hard to make sure the area in and around campus is safe for students.