My sophomore novel is centered in and around Philadelphia. I’ve made two trips to Philly, but spent too much time downtown, near U of Penn. I would sincerely appreciate help with the following:
I need to base one of the characters, a single, 60something, highly accomplished Penn professor in a single-family house in the near-western suburbs, in a somewhat upscale, but not grand, community of professionals not too far from Penn. Can you recommend a good town/setting? Originally I had tentatively chosen Belmont, Mill Creek or Cedar Park, yet am unsure of those choices.
Another family needs to reside a few miles from the professor in an okay but rather average community. Nothing fancy.
Would the drive from downtown Philadelphia out west toward Lancaster (on 30) take one through wooded countryside of gentle, rolling hills?
It wouldn’t look that way until you got pretty far out on Rt. 30, at least past Exton. I don’t know how far these days, haven’t lived down there for a long time. Rt. 30 attracts a lot of commercial use, but you don’t have to get that far away from it to see some rolling hills. Those will be more apparent in farming areas where land was cleared over the years whether still being used for farming or not. If you wanted to go to Lancaster from Philly you’d go out the Schuylkill Expwy to the Valley Forge area, and head west on other routes like 202 and 322 if memory serves correctly. Moving further north away from Rt. 30 toward the Reading area would also expose rolling hills. All along the way you just have to find the right road to see the land once used for farming.
I don’t know what you consider near western suburbs. Belmont is near Haverford, It’s a pretty pricey area but you can occasionally find a small house there for under $1,000,000.
I lived in Philadelphia for a few years. From center city I drove west, past the University of Pennsylvania. I kept driving west until I found an area that seemed just a bit safer than west Philadelphia, which was Landsdowne.
First off, it’s Center City, never “downtown”. UPenn side of the Schuylkill would be University City.
Drexel Hill or Broomall
Upper Darby or Havertown
Are you looking for the route to Lancaster or are you looking for gentle rolling hills? The direct route (Lancaster Pike/US 30) is pretty much built up until well past Downingtown, then mostly farmland, villages, and some industry (much of it construction related). Many of the farms are Amish or PA Dutch. If you a looking for gentle rolling hills head along US 1 towards Kenneth Square (mushroom capital of the US) or Brandywine area. This is fox hunting country.
Very helpful information regarding Drexel Hill and Upper Darby, thank you!
I need a route from U Penn to Lancaster. Part of it needs to be forested/wooded and rolling hills. Is Interstate 76 to 30 west realistic? I know the first 1/3 of the trip would be city driving. BTW, I am saying that it takes the driver about 70 minutes to get to Lancaster, late at night. Realistic?
You’d really have to be flying to do 70 minutes. 90 would be more realistic.
Problem is there aren’t many heavily wooded areas along the way. If the route is I76 to US222 there are some woody stretches along 76 but you are on the PA Turnpike with very limited access. Rolling farmland along 222 into Lancaster.
If you want US30, you’d have to go I76 to US202 to US30. US30 directly from Philly is 20-30 miles of surface streets with lots of traffic lights before you get into open highway. At least 2 hours that way, probably closer to 3.
There are some wooded areas during the transition from far Philly suburbs to Amish country, but US30 is a pretty busy road with a fair amount of commercial or residential development, even through Amish country. Looking at the map leaving US30 for PA340 through Intercourse is more rural (but still passes through towns) but still gives you a shot at 90 minutes.
A side trip into Valley Forge Park would give you access to rolling wooded hills but would kill your drive time.
The places you list are in the city, not suburbs. Look at Ardmore for the Prof & put the other family due west, so south of US-30 but north of PA-3; there are some beautiful rolling hills & some fabulous estates of the well heeled, genteel class, but then there are pockets of average homes in there, too. No need to go as far west as Lancaster.
The other option is to go SW from Ardmore into Chester County.