Downtown

I lived here in the Rutgers dorms for a year. I got to know the neighborhood well since I didn't have a car. You'll find the Riversharks Stadium on the banks of the Delaware River; Rutgers, Camden County, and Rowan in the "university district"; and Cooper Hospital at the corner of Haddon Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Three different police units patrol the area: DRPA, Rutgers, and Camden Police, making it quite safe.

During the day, there's plenty of hubbub, with students and professionals bustling down the street to classes and the court houses. It can be difficult to find a parking spot near the universities or court houses. As night falls, though, the busyness clears out and things really slow down. The weekends, too, can be pretty sparse. Sometimes you'll get to hear some fireworks from the Riversharks game, along with the two hour backup down Cooper Street. Or you'll see the Rutgers students walking to and from parties on Cooper Street or in Philly, though it's rarely, if ever, loud for too long.

Downtown's a great place to live if you need access to Philly or South Jersey since you have easy access to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, two PATCO stations to take you into Philly and two RiverLINE stops to take you in Southern New Jersey. Access to transportation is great and helped me escape the practically non-existant nightlife in Downtown. I've gotten home at all hours of the night (usually after drinking in Philly) and have never once had a problem walking from the PATCO or RiverLINE stations. That being said, I'd avoid the Walter Rand Transportation Center at night, just to be safe.

Otherwise, there are no less than three banks, a Rite Aid, and a ton of pizza and take out restaurants (though their hours on the weekends tend to be truncated.) Also, a new graduate Rutgers dormitory will be open in Fall of 2012, hopefully adding some nightlife to the street.