Stay away from Bryn Mawr, PA
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11/17/2010
I moved here about 10 years ago to get out of the horrendous city of Philadelphia. Without going into detail, "Philly" has to be one of the most alienating and depressing cities in the United States. And even though it is cleaner, "prettier," and substantially safer here in Bryn Mawr than in Philadelphia, the negatives have gradually been outweighing the positives. First off, housing costs are ridiculous for what you get. I pay $1,100/month for a one-and-a-half bedroom apartment, which I've lived in for two years. In those two years I've had mice on several occasions, constant silverfish because the humidity in this area is so ghastly and my apartment happens to be above the laundry room, there was a flood in the basement which damaged items I had in storage, there was also a fire after my cheap landlord had a new boiler installed improperly, plus I had to endure almost three months of the floors being redone in the apartment above mine. Those floors should have been finished in a few weeks, but again because my landlord hires the cheapest labor she can find, that's the kind of quality she gets. To add insult to injury, my landlord drives a very expensive BMW and her father has an antique Maserati. My point in mentioning this is that it sums up the nouveau riche mentality of this area.
Bryn Mawr is one of the towns in what is referred to as the "Main Line" area of the Philadelphia suburbs. It is called that because of the affluent communities that were built back in the 1800s along the main railroad line that ran northwest out of Philadelphia. This area was always wealthy, but most of the people were quiet about it, and had manners--think Grace Kelly. In the last few years especially, a completely different element has infiltrated the area, garish, vacuous, tasteless, snobby, nasty people. There are so many women out here with long, highlighted, platinum blonde hair and botox-ed skin wearing kitten heels, and carrying "it" bags that you'd think you were in Beverly Hills. Despite the recession, these people struggle to hang onto this lifestyle. It's pathetic.
For an area that has so many excellent colleges and private secondary schools, there is a freakish lack of independent bookstores or independently-owned anything. All we have is the ubiquitous Borders, Starbucks, CVS, Bertucci's, etc., etc. The few privately-owned shops and restaurants that are here are nothing but glitz, bling, and staffed by empty-headed, unfriendly people. Ob
Bp | Bryn Mawr, PA