Hey gals,

My attractive and talented boyfriend and I just up and moved to Philly from Tampa. Yay, I get to wear ear muffs! I love ear muffs!

We're jobless and apartmentless, but quite tickled to have escaped Florida. Any apartment finding tips/leads? We've contacted a few realtors and looked in the papers, but aren't having too much luck...because we have huge hobbies, we're looking for a place with enough space for two studios and a bedroom (we were thinking a 3br or a 2br w/basement) but because we ain't rich, we can only pay $650-ish...Any help would be appreciated.

Apologies to the glitteratti litteratti for not responding to your work--I promise I'll give it the attention it deserves once I can think straight.

Thanks!

Hey M,

Woo-hoo! I'm a Philly girl who left at 17 to spend far too many miserable years in NYC, and has finally come back to her senses -- and Philly. I absolutely love it here and have to kick myself for not settling in sooner. I swear, NYC can be addictive in that someone-get-me-some-methadone-quick! kind of way, but I'm now a happy regular visitor who loives/loves to call herself a Philly girl.

Yes, the apartment hunt is maddening, so here are my two cents. I'm sure you've looked at the Philadelphia Weekly, as well as City Paper and the Daily News/Inquirer combo. I've actually had good luck there, but here's one idea: The kind of space combined with the price you're looking for makes me think University City. Are there other parts of the city where you could find that combo? Sure, if you keep an eye out, keep checking the papers, etc. But you might want to check these listings for off campus housing at Penn found here:
>http://ocl-serv2.busi.upenn.edu/

Note that landlords around the city, not just in University City/West Phila. post here so you're not necessarily limited to one area. To search for apartments, mark off what you're looking for and be sure to note your listing category as General (open to all). I did that once last year and saw some fabulous places. One or two stinkers, too, but overall it was a good experience.

Good luck, and welcome to P-town!

~divawire