Which is more recommended for my interview - Take the Broad St. line to Allegheny and then walk or drive? Is it safe to walk (Will get there around 7 am and leave in the afternoon.)
I took the Broad Street Line from Center City to the Erie Station and walked backwards down Broad to Temple University Hospital. It seemed okay to me. Typical ghetto stuff. I wasn't terribly fearful for my life, but being a non-black man walking around in a suit and a leather-bound portfolio in one hand on your way to the hospital, well, you're likely to get more than a few stares and occasional harassment. And that area is BAD, my research later lead me to believe. Like I think all the violent crimes in all of Philadelphia are committed right there in that area. Erie Street happens to be a commercial avenue, and that's why I decided to take the train there. I figured if it's got activity, it can't be that bad, right? Suuuuuuuuuuuure...
I was later told by a native Philadelphian that the smarter thing to do would've been to take the train to Allegheny, which most TUH employees/residents take and then walk the three or four blocks north to the hospital.
Finally, I'd suggest that you just drive or take a cab. Philly, especially North Philly, is one of the country's most dangerous cities. Random violent crime happens all the time. According to the FBI something like 1,500 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 people. Compare that to Los Angeles with 1,200 incidents/100,000 people, Chicago with 1,100 incidents/100,000 people, and New York City with fewer than 700 incidents/100,000 people. And you'll be walking about in a suit or fancy dress of all things... Most people there aren't so picky about their clothing, to say the least.
And the Philly subway system is uber nasty. Smells like pee everywhere (kinda like New York), but there's a hint of dried blood too. 🙂
replace any instance of the word "walk" in the above posts with the word "run" and you have a slightly higher chance at survival.
That would be enough to scare me away from interviewing there