费城之最--Wharton MBA生活必读

一，费城Wharton居住必读（Housing篇）
即将来费城就读的朋友们看过来.读Wharton的更要看过来！

Housing
Finding a decent place to live can be difficult and stressful for students, especially those not familiar with Philadelphia.
Heck, it’s stressful even for those of us who DO know Philly. There are many ways to find a good place to live, but the following tips are a good way to start.

Think about where you’re going to live and what’s important to you in terms of quality of life. Do you need a doorman?
Do you thrive in an eclectic neighborhood?
Do you want to be near your fellow students or mingle with locals?

If you like to wake up 20 minutes before your first class, and don’t want to pay the higher rents of Center City, choose something in University City. Many Penn undergrads, faculty and staff live here, and because most team meetings now happen in Huntsman Hall instead of Center City (as they did back in the days of Vance), so does a growing number of MBAs. Try:
Left Bank at 3131 Walnut (this stock is rising with Wharton students)
Walnut Hill at 4111 Walnut (managed by Campus Apartments)
The Fairfax at 4247 Locust

If you were an Upper West or East-sider, you might favor the big Center City high rises or charming brownstones. Browse the streets and bombard rental offices of buildings you find attractive. Popular buildings east of the Schuylkill among the Wharton crowd include:
2400 Chestnut
River Loft on 23rd and Walnut
The Ambassador at 2101 Chestnut,
Locust Point at 2429 Locust or
Locust on the Park (right next door),
1500 Locust
Sterling at 19th and JFK
Oakwood at 16th and Sansom
Wannamaker on 20th and Walnut

You should have received a housing guide in your Welcome packet. This guide is pretty up-to-date and has contact numbers and rental information on most of the properties in Philadelphia. You can also gather info from the Philly Inquirer (especially Sunday’s issue), Philadelphia Weekly (largest selection of apartment listings), Weekly Press, Apartment Guide, Renter’s Guide, etc.

Check their websites for the latest listings, especially if you are looking for a brownstone.
One of the most underutilized resources is Penn’s Office of Off-Campus Living
(www.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusliving).
Get the dish on Philly slumlords and if you have a landlord or roommate problem, you can talk to the retained lawyer at reduced fees.

参考链接：http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusservices/

二，费城Wharton居住必读
搬家,找搬家公司, 装CABLE和其他设施请看.

Moving Companies/ Services

Gibson’s Transport and Hauling
237 W. Godfrey Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19120
Tlf: (215) 549-3477
A current student sent us this recommendation: “Reasonable price, great service, efficient. What more do you want of a moving company?
I’ve already promised them more business when I move next in a few months, and several friends have used them too”.
Owner: James Gibson.

Allied International Philadelphia
1445 N. 32nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19121
Tlf: (215) 765-1314 / Toll free: (877) 253-0776 http://www.alliedagent.com/advance.

This is the Philadelphia branch of the Allied business.
They are a full-service, international company, offering door-to-door service, but with that you’ll likely pay more than a local firm.

Utilities

Telephone
Verizon has the monopoly. Call 1-800-660-2215 to get connected.
The best way to circumvent human interaction is to order through the website at www.verizon.com,
which you can do 21 days before coming to Philadelphia.

DSL
High speed internet is a joy! Call Verizon at 1-877-483-5898, or order through the website.
This can take a while - sign up ASAP then add 2 weeks.

Cable
Yup!
Another monopoly in Center City - Comcast.
Ask your leasing office if there is a particular deal and contact person for your building.
They will do anything to sell you digital cable; so try to negotiate some free movie channels.
After six months, cancel and go with the standard cable.
But not to worry – you’ll be so busy with school you won’t have time to watch TV anyway.
Call 1-800-COMCAST.

Cable Modem
For those who have the option for high-speed internet, sales people will appear on campus during pre-term or in your doorman building in the first couple of weeks, so you should be able to get discounts for the first few months.
Look for package rates when you bundle with digital cable.

Electric
Even in a high rise you may have to set this up yourself, so ask your leasing manager to be sure, since there’s nothing more pleasant than Philadelphia in August without air conditioning.
The local company is PECO Energy, call 1-800-494-4000.

Gas
Philadelphia Gas Works Tlf: (215) 235-2050. Most buildings are supplied with electric power but some brownstones still have gas heating and ranges.

三，费城Wharton居住必读（银行开户信息）
安顿下来就要开户转钱了,以下是主要银行的信息.

Banks & Credit Cards

Whether you choose to live in University or Center City or the ’burbs, a wealth of banking opportunities await you.
the following seem to be the favorite choices of most Whartonites.

Banks
Commerce Bank
38th & Walnut St. or 18th & Walnut St.
“Commerce Bank!!! They are good. Efficient. GREAT customer service. One on Rittenhouse square, one across the street from Huntsman.”
“I’m using Commerce Bank.
It’s very convenient, right cross the street from Huntsman Hall.
Opening an account for international students there is also very easy and fast.
In addition, it has the check card function, therefore very convenient for international students who might not have credit cards for quite a time at beginning.”
“Commerce - absolute best hours, good service...locations are great.”
If you open an account, ask about the referral program and you’ll get a voucher for $10.
If you have any problems, ask to speak with the Bank Manager, Mary Stitt, or Assistant Manager, Douglas Rowe, regarding the referral program you read about in the Wharton Inside Guide.
Commerce also has by far the best hours of business and is open on both Saturday and Sunday.

PNC
39th & Locust St. or 15th & Walnut St.
Also a good, convenient bank for international students.
You can open an account while picking up your PennCard at the Franklin building.
If you ask, you can get your Penn ID set up as an ATM card, but it’s probably best to get a regular debit card as well, since some branches don’t know much about the PennCard link.
PNC has ATMs just about everywhere, including Harnwell Hall on 39th and Locust; CVs on 39th and Walnut; Stieny D Hall and many Centre city locations – there is also one at every Wawa store.
However, if you want to make a deposit or just visit a branch, it can be a hassle, because most branches are closed on Saturdays.
The bank also provides online banking.
Problem though is that it charges for checkbooks and provides low interest on savings.

Student Federal Credit Union
The University of Pennsylvania Student Federal Credit Union is a non-profit institution that was founded in 1987 by three Wharton MBA students. Today it’s one of the largest student run Credit Unions in the nation.
Located on 34th and Walnut directly above Starbucks Cafe.
Both ATMs in Huntsman Hall are owned by the SFCU.
Shorter hours of operation than most banks.
Note from a student:
“It is run by students, and they don’t have the professional efficient quality you would find in a bank.
When I’ve tried to deposit amounts over $1000, I run into hassles. They have to have someone authorize the deposit. If the person isn’t there to authorize the deposit, you can’t deposit the check”.

Other Banks
There aare also several Wachovia, Citizens and Bank of America/Fleet branches in Philadelphia.
Whatever bank you chose, you’ll find ATM machines located in most Wawas, the Bookstore, the MBA Café in Huntsman Hall and at most other branch banks. You will usually incur a $1 to $4 service charge if you use a card from one bank at the ATM machine of another bank, so choose your bank wisely.

四，在Wharton读书基本需要熟悉的场所,（也是大家公认还不错的地方. 当然写在ESSAY里也有些亲切感.）

Best for a Romantic Date

Tangerine
Melograno
Friday Saturday Sunday

Best for Impressing Out-of-Town Friends

Buddakan
Alma de Cuba
Morimoto

Best BYO

La Viola
Audrey Claire
Melograno

Best Place for Brunch

Marathon Grill
Sabrina’s
Continental

Best Takeout or Delivery

Marathon Grill
Minar Palace
Gusto Pizza

Best Pizza