Oftentimes, Philadelphia is seen as the central place where students at Swarthmore get to have fun and do things! However, in this blog, I want to give a shout-out to some of the other things I have gone to near Swarthmore.
Linvilla Orchards
Last fall, my friends and I went to this farm to go apple picking. Although it is not accessible by any buses, you can split the price of an Uber among your friends for a relatively low price. The drive was around 12 minutes. While there, my friends and I also looked at their store and various food options. For apples, the farm had 20 acres that grew 25 varieties of apples. In addition, they had many other crops such as apricots, nectarines, cherries, and peaches. After picking apples during a hot summer day, my friends and I bought their highly advertised Harvest Float—a drink that was made of ice cream and apple cider slushy with a doughnut on top!
The Harvest Float
H-Mart
Swarthmore has numerous shuttle routes, including those that travel to Haverford and Bryn Mawr and the other route that only travels around Swarthmore’s campus. However, another shuttle route goes to H-Mart located near Philadelphia. The shuttle route runs every Sunday from 4 to 8 pm. H-Mart, if you are not already familiar, is an Asian-themed grocery store. In addition, above the grocery store is a small food court where you can eat Korean, Japanese, and Asian-fusion food. In the food court, there is also a Paris Baguette, which combines French pastry items with Asian flavors. Overall, the H-Mart shuttle route is a great way to get off campus and enjoy different food!
The food court at the H-Mart near campus
Springfield Mall
Although this mall may not be the biggest or have the most sought-after stores, there are some stores that help students buy essential items. For example, many people take the bus, which is around a 5-minute ride, to go to Target to stock up on toiletries and other necessities. It’s also important to note that the bus routes in the region are SEPTA buses, meaning that students can ride these buses for free utilizing our SEPTA key pass program. The mall also has some other stores, including an Aeropostale, American Eagle, and a Foot Locker.
AMC Marple 10
As a movie lover myself, I have made numerous trips to the AMC near campus. Although there are numerous movie theaters in the city, you may want to go to the movies without dealing with the city and be closer to campus. You can get to the AMC via bus or Uber. The total time on the bus is around 25 minutes or 10 minutes via Uber. Overall, going to the movies is a great way to spend time with friends or enjoy an outing by yourself. I myself recently went there to see The Odyssey (I highly recommend you see it as well!)
Media
Instead of going on the train to head towards the city, you can go the opposite way. In around a 10-minute train ride, you can go to Media—a small town that is somewhat larger than Swarthmore. There is a farmers’ market (the Swarthmore town also has one) and small businesses. Earlier this summer, I went to the town’s event called Dining under the Stars. Essentially, the main street is closed off and all of the restaurants set up seating on the streets, under the stars.
Dining under the stars in Media
