<p>I just have a few questions regarding Penn, that maybe a few current students can help answer. Is there much to do at Penn outside the campus? Do you ever feel like you are trapped inside of Penn, since Philadelphia isn't really the safest place to wander about?</p>
<p>Philadelphia for the most part is a perfectly safe city to walk around. People who say otherwise or who make comments about Penn being located in west Philly have most likely never been to Penn or spent a lot of time in any urban environment. You need to be especially aware of your surroundings in an urban environment but if you take certain precautions there is a low chance you will have problems. I doubt Philly is any different from other large cities like Chicago, LA, Boston, etc.
My friends and I walk downtown all of the time. Rittenhouse square is a 15 minute walk from campus and there are a lot of options for public transportation. There are tons of things to do in Philadelphia, there are a lot of shops and restaurants as well as events like concerts or street fairs. There is plenty to do on Penn’s campus as well, so you could just stay there if you wanted to.</p>
<p>More than half of upperclassmen live off campus, so nobody is trapped on campus! The shops on 40th Street are excellent, and between 40th and 43rd Streets, south of Chestnut, everything caters to the student demographic. As you go southwest, you will find a great many excellent things to do. Between Spruce and Woodland, 43rd to 46th Streets, you will find dozens of great restaurants and small mom-and-pop shops that are great to visit. The area has been gentrified, so you no longer need to worry about getting shot or robbed just be being there (though, of course, you should always be vigilant!).</p>
<p>Penn students go to Center City regularly. Some of the best restaurants in the world are in Center City, which is a 20 minute walk or a quick ride on the Frankford El or the Subway-Surface trolleys.</p>
<p>Realistically, Center City is perfectly safe, save for the recent flash mob incidents, and those have been massively overpublicized (mainly to get kids to stop forming large groups and wreaking havoc on society).</p>
<p>Philadelphia is my home, has been my home for my whole life, and will continue to be my home into the foreseeable future. It isn’t the safest place ever, but it is far from dangerous!</p>