Oh my gosh! The “fastest route” by which our GPS took us from I-95 (exit 22 I believe, but don’t hold me to that) to the Welcome Center area was borderline horrifying in terms of some of the, ah, neighborhood scenery.
In fact later we spoke later with another parent whose family crossed the school off their list at the outset - “You are NOT going there” - based on what they drove through, I believe to the extent of cancelling their tour and high-tailing it out of there.
Please tell me there’s a more attractive, less convoluted route to drive in next time, even if it takes 5 minutes longer. Thank you.
I-95 to I-676 to 611 is as good as it gets. Looks much better than it did 40 years ago. 40 years ago Temple friends did not walk in pairs; they walked in fours. A Temple dad said it was okay to ride the much improved subways - but do you want to believe some guy? Smart kids go there because it is free. Yeah, right, some freedom!
@Burgermeister it sounds like 676 to 611 would have been an improvement. This was all surface streets, driving under bridges with cars randomly parked, bad graffiti and people who looked awfully down on their luck. The word “squalor” is too harsh but you get the idea. I’ll have to consult a map and see the route you described. Thanks.
once you get there, on campus is fine. but yes, there are some very scary areas surrounding Temple. my kid has taken subway during day which has been fine going south bound from campus.
once, he got back to campus Sunday night around 10:40 pm on a regional rail(station is about 2 blocks from campus but there are police at station and edge of campus facing regional rail station), he found that walk a bit scary for about 40 yards. there are escorts that will walk you back to campus if you call ahead. the kids who are there learn to be wise and keep an eye out. But considering that horrible murder of the U Va girl last year and i believe there was a boyfriend or exboyfriend who killed his gf/ex at millersville univ(which is a much safer part of pa a few counties west of philly) recently, there are dangers anywhere these days. the staff swear getting to and from the Temple campus is pretty safe so long as you are wise about it.
and yes, coming up from 676 is a “nicer” view and takes you through not as scary areas as coming in from other directions. it’s not a great area either but it’s a short distance from 676 up Broad Street(611) to campus. Traffic can get snarled depending on time of day. i come from 76 so i dont know the best way from 95 but 95 to 676 sounds like best option.
We take I-95 South from NJ to Girard Avenue. There are some sketchy blocks, admittedly, but my impression is that it’s busy enough during daylight hours to be fairly safe. You might want to roll up windows and lock doors, but Girard isn’t too bad. Take a right on Broad, and you should be fine. Some blocks are worse than others, but it’s not a war-zone. Some blocks are gentrifying: my son dubbed them “Williamsburg South” for their Brooklyn-style hipster vibe.
My wife will probably take S. On his Temple visit this fall. Since she worked in the South Bronx, she probably won’t be alarmed. S is a native of Williamsburg Brooklyn, but he’s grown up outside DC.
I come over the Ben Franklin Bridge to Vine St to Broad St. I don’t really find Broad that bad. D is now entering her sophomore year, maybe I’m immune to it now. Ha ha.
On our first visit to Temple (Oct. '14) we had the same reaction. Our D is also entering her sophomore year. We’ve now been to Philly/north Philly many times. This is North Philly - very colorful! We have taken various routes from Maryland there and there’s no way around it - the drive through north Philly to get to Temple is an eye-opener. I agree with the other Temple parents that though there are some sketchy blocks, the area around the campus is generally fine.
We were just at the beach with our family and a Temple friend of my D’s and they both talked about how they can’t wait to get back to Temple!
and to my fellow sophomore moms(and as encouragement to prospective parents and students), remember how eeeekk we were about Temple during our kids’ senior year of high school. and now, we are all like, meh, you can deal with it but be careful. not to say it is incident free but we all fret far less about it after seeing our kids on campus for a year and visiting them plenty while there!
The Temple area, and Philadelphia overall, remind me of NYC in the '70s, where and when I went to college.Broad Street reminds me of upper Broadway back then - seedy in parts, undeniably, but generally very safe during daylight hours. Gentrification is occurring building by building, block by block, and outsiders grossly exaggerate the actual dangers. We’re meeting our son for a concert at the Mann Center, in Fairmount Park, this weekend. Their website, and others, give more complicated directions. I asked my son whether he could conceive of any reason not to take Girard due west from I-95, he answered “absolutely not.”
great description woogzmama, for at least those who know NYC. I lived there possibly during same time frame in Brooklyn but description of upper Bway sounds like Brooklyn and Greenwich Village in those days too.
Definitely take Girard to Broad Street. Much, much faster than going all the way down to 676 and back up Broad. Even faster to go up 11th Street from Girard into the back side of the campus.
out of curiosity, any way to safely come in from the west. we usually take 76 to either higway 1 or get off between highway 1 and 676 but we have never ventured between Spring Garden and higway one between the Skchuykill river and Temple. any safe ways between Spring Garden and highway 1 from the west? thanks!
You can get off I-76 near the Zoo and the Mann Center, in Fairmount Park, and take Girard due East over the Schuylkill. One word to the wise, however: you need to get off Girard near Girard College, and it’s not well marked. A few blocks right there are pretty scary if you’re not sure of where you are. We encountered that when driving to the Mann Center for a concert recently, and my Temple son agreed. You shouldn’t have a problem in broad daylight, but keep your eyes peeled for a little detour around Girard College (east of river). The on and off ramps by bridge are a little confusing on the first try, too (we learned that on our first visit to Mann Center).