<p>My DS has received a summer internship in Blue Bell, PA. He goes to school in Philly now. What are the affordable summer housing rental options in or near Blue Bell, PA? Is there any YMCA near there that would rent rooms for summer? He won’t have a car. So, it has to have public transportation access to Blue Bell. </p>
<p>Any suggestion is great appreciated. </p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>Wow. I’d love to help, but I have no idea how. Blue Bell isn’t really a place – it’s one of those suburbs that was just open land until fairly recently. It’s mainly ritzy developments, office parks, and country clubs. There’s minimal public transportation around the edges, but it’s pretty big, and there isn’t any central hub to pull buses into the town, or where people built a train station 100 years ago. </p>
<p>I suggest the first step is figuring out how he’s going to get to work. There’s a mall just past the southern tip (the Plymouth Meeting Mall), and a cute town with a train station off the eastern edge (Ambler). If his job is near either of those, he’s in luck, because the mall is served by several bus lines, and the town by a train line, and he can look for places to live that might be convenient to the same buses or train. (For the train, he might be able to keep living wherever he lives now, if it’s anywhere near Center City, Wayne Junction, or 30th St. Station.)</p>
<p>There’s a Montgomery County Community College campus in Blue Bell. Maybe there’s a student services office that can suggest housing. If he’s interning at a big company (like Aetna), is there an office of internships that he can ask?</p>
<p>I found this through pad mapper <a href=“Apartments for Rent from the Trusted Apartment Finder | PadMapper”>Apartments for Rent from the Trusted Apartment Finder | PadMapper; which might be doable with the train to Ambler and then a bike ride to work?</p>
<p>If he’s working at Aetna, they probably have employee shuttle buses to and from various transportation hubs. Otherwise, it’s car city.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. He currently lives in a university dorm in Philly few blocks from the 30th station. Unfortunately, the company is not one of those mentioned here and they don’t have bus shuttle service from nearby stations. When he went for an interview he took the SEPTA train for an hour from Philly (30th Station) and then a cab within Blue Bell. Each way took him close to 1 1/2 - 2 hours and I am not sure if 4 hours commute each day is the best for all through summer. Also cab everyday is not an option. Since we don’t know the area we were hoping to get CC experts’ advice on any other possibility.</p>
<p>Can he take the bike on the SEPTA train? Then may be he can bike within Blue Bell.</p>
<p>I will ask my son to contact the community college and see if they have any ideas. He is planning to contact the company themselves and see if they have any suggestions. They just offered him the position and yet to get details on other things. </p>
<p>Thank you again for all your suggestions and very much appreciate it.</p>
<p>More Info: For the interview, he took the train from 30th station to Ambler and was supposed to take a bus #95 to Blue Bell. But he missed the bus and had to take the cab from Ambler to Blue Bell. The job is on Norristown Road, Blue Bell. Thanks!</p>
<p>I had to open this thread as I was curious, because when I lived in Philly years ago, I would have a thought a car was necessary there. When I read that upthread that it abuts Ambler, I thought maybe you should check out Temple University’s Ambler campus site. They have housing/apartment complexes listed on the site, as well as some “classified” type listings. I have no idea if any of them are bikeable to the internship site, but it wouldn’t hurt to get a map or ask some questions!</p>
<p>Following up on bhmomma’s tip, I found: [Ambler</a> Campus, Temple University](<a href=“Temple University Ambler Campus”>Temple University Ambler Campus)</p>
<p>I am a little confused, because I don’t think of Norristown Road as being in Blue Bell, but I see on the map there are TWO Norristown Roads in the area, one of which IS in Blue Bell. If that’s where he’s working, anything in Ambler or Fort Washington would certainly be bikable. If he was up for a bit of a challenge (riding uphill in the morning), he could look in Conshohocken, too. Norristown is the county seat and somewhat the county slum – he would find cheap rents there, but in the process learn how nice West Philadelphia really is – but there are parts of it, especially on eastern edge nearest where he will be working, that are the kind of places he might not mind subletting.</p>
<p>Temple Ambler: I don’t know if it has dorms, or if students live anywhere nearby. It’s very much a commuter school. But I suppose there are probably places in the area where students live, or at least it’s worth checking out. The college itself is several miles on the wrong side of Ambler, but not so far that it would be a problem with a bike.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure you can take a bike on the train, by the way. At least I see people doing it from time to time. There may be an issue during rush hour, although it also may matter that if he’s living in West Philadelphia and working in Blue Bell that’s a classic reverse commute. 30th Street to Ambler would be a 45 minute trip or so, with trains running about every half hour until sometime after 8 pm, then hourly until around midnight. In the end, I would think this is something he would prefer. He might be able to find a place in Ambler or thereabouts, but when it got dark he would have nothing to do there and no place he could go safely on a bike.</p>
<p>I believe the dorms at Temple Ambler closed down a couple of years ago.</p>
<p>Having lived in that area years ago, I found a car was necessary then…things no doubt have changed now. If the company is relatively large, is there someone in charge of interns? Maybe he could carpool with another intern and pay for gas or something.</p>
<p>@Wordworker – I called Montgomery County Community College campus and they do not have any suggestions for housing.</p>
<p>@bhmomma & @DeniseC- Ambler Campus, Temple University site recommends some off-campus housing and we will look into that to see if we can get any summer sublet.</p>
<p>@stradmom – It is not a big company and my son does not seem to know anyone else from his school who will be interning there this summer. Therefore, carpool is not possible. May be once he starts, he can find someone who is going there from West Philly.</p>
<p>@JHS – Thanks for the different options. I agree with you. I think he would prefer to stay in the university area around where he is now – sublet off campus housing and commute by train and then bike or bus from Ambler to his work. This gives him multiple advantages though the total time, if gets the correct connecting bus in Ambler comes to 1 hour 45 minutes each way. Advantages are - cheaper off campus summer sublet from students, spend the evenings and weekends with friends in the area, continue to use the free university gym and can go to his research lab if he feels up to it. He is also familiar with that part of the city. </p>
<p>I will pass on all your suggestions to him. He is planning to check with the company HR if they recommend any housing options and if there are other interns.</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>
<p>Ursinus college is out that way. Maybe check craigslist for sublets.</p>
<p>In addition to the suggestion above about Craigslist, you might also look for a facebook page for students from the nearest colleges (including Temple Ambler) to ask about sublets. At my son’s college, that is where most students find sublets. </p>
<p>Also, there is a new bike path along the length of the new Route 202 Parkway, which runs southwest to northeast. </p>
<p>This interactive map shows the various bike trails, rail stations and colleges in the vicinity:</p>
<p><a href=“http://connectthecircuit.org/network/branch/montgomery-county/202-trail-south[/url]”>http://connectthecircuit.org/network/branch/montgomery-county/202-trail-south</a></p>
<p>I’m guessing most SEPTA buses can handle bikes on the front of the bus. I don’t know SEPTA’s rules, but some other commuter trains don’t allow bikes during rush hours. Maybe a foldable bike might be in option if needed.</p>
<p>Hello, I wanted to thank you all for the suggestions and update you on my son’s summer housing. We have found a room to rent from a family that is 10 minute commute from Blue bell. He will be starting in two weeks. Thanks again!</p>