I am not very familiar with Fishtown, Northern Liberties or New Kensington. Which areas are the "good areas", which areas are the ones to avoid, and which are the "up-and-coming" areas where one might still find a good opportunity for an investment in an area that will shortly turn around? Thanks for the help!

ha ha...I love these posts!

Short Answer:Go hang out/walk around the areas you are interested in.
"up and coming" is totally relative to your particular perspective and what you are looking for in a neighborhood.

Long answer: I'm sure plenty of those will be forthcoming from other posters.

And would somebody please smack the realtor(s) who are telling people that theres a "new" Kensington?..Its Kensington;Some parts "good", some parts reeeally bad..You'll figure it out pretty quickly.

N.Libs:Is so "up and coming" that it already came and went for most people. In other words, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it now.

Oh and Fishtown is actually part of Kensington, but you aren't allowed to call it that in front of a local.

Umm,lets see, what else..Oh, PortFishington/Flatiron? Totally made-up neighborhood names..Thats just a part of Kensington that touches Port Richmond.

Well, good luck! Hope you find what you are looking for.

Does anyone know how the area of Old Kensington is near where American St and Master St intersect? I'm new to this area, what is the best way to get there from Center City via public transportation (around the 20th and Walnut area)?

I've been living a block away from that intersection for about 4 years. It's relatively safe. American Street is weird and scary at night, with its wide expanse. Also, American and 2nd Street are highways from some of the roughest parts of Philly to the wealthiest, and with it comes some trouble. You won't be without the occasional drama, ie, highspeed car chases, shootings, fights.

But... the condos are selling for $400,000-$600,000, so I guess that will make it safer (snickers).

Anyway... the 57 bus stops on American street north of Girard. You can pick it up on 3rd Street. Or you can take the el and walk over from the Girard Ave stop... about 7 minutes.

Thanks for the advice. Will that walk from either of those bus stops to and from the American St and Master St intersection be safe during the evening? I looked up the area on google maps and it looks rather sparse of people, kind of worried me a little!

It would be fine... I wouldn't wait for the bus there after dark, but getting off the bus and walking home is fine. If you take the el, I'd walk down Girard, north on 2nd, and west on Master one block. I wouldn't walk up American over there at any hour just cause there's no sidewalks.

If I was heading downtown after dark, I'd just walk to 2nd and Girard and catch the 57 there... it's a much busier corner.

With the market not being in a boom now, I'd be highly suspect if someone tells you any area will shortly turn around. Buy a home to live in it...or a place to work in it in a neighborhood you like living in now and you won't regret your decision.

So yes, I recommend visiting these places at different times of the day and getting to know the neighborhood boundaries. I'd look through this neighborhood section and read all the posts. Visit fishtown.us and read more about Fishtown. Go and hang out in our neighborhoods' coffee shops and bars.

"Up and coming" and "nice" are subjective. New homes in No. Liberties are going up to $800K and some people still don't think it's nice...and meanwhile the average priced home in Fishtown is around $250K and some people feel like it's too nice for them so it's all a matter of perspective.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Living in Philly my whole life, my 2 cents is that I sometimes find it hard to believe that some of these areas are on the rebound. Now, Fishtown and Port Richmond never really went down, but "whitey" for the most part fled NoLibs, Old Kensington and North Philly years ago. Now I see these young, fair-skinned people just livin' in these areas. That's how I can tell they're from somewhere else.

I think this diversity is good for the city. Plus, there's good eats around like Las Cazuelas.