Hi, I'm an engineering grad student from Philadelphia. I've been lurking here for a couple weeks.

I have terrible handwriting. I was showing my girlfriend (also an engineer) something I was working on in my research notebook, and she couldn't read anything I had written. So, I made a new years resolution to improve it. I decided it would be more fun to practice penmanship with a fountain pen, so I ordered a Hero 100 and a Hero M189. The former was recommended on this board, and the latter just looked nice.

Can anyone recommend any good places in Philly to get ink or nice paper from? I can find it online, and the prices are probably better, but I don't mind spending a few extra dollars for the convenience of buying it locally.

Hi Bearspaw! Welcome to FPN! It's funny, I made the exact same resolution over 10 years ago because I thought it would be easier to stick to than other resolutions. That proved to be true . Anyway, it's good to have you here, and I wish you much luck with your handwriting improvement. Someone will probably come along with info for you about paper etc. in the Philly area. I'm in Baltimore, so we are kind of city-neighbors.

Welcome! My daughter is an undergrad Engineering student at Drexel.

You DO know about the Philly Pen Show next week, right?

Welcome BearsPaw.

I'm just across the river in Pennsauken, NJ.

The King of Prussia Mall has a few offerings. For just paper there is Papyrus. For paper and a few pens there is Crane Co. And for predominately pens there is Paradise Pen.

As Elaine mentioned, there's the Philly Pen show www.philadelphiapenshow.com I'm planning on being there!

I am at Drexel too. I did my undergrad at Drexel also, and then worked for a year before deciding to go back to school. My undergrad experience would have been very useful if I had decided to go into industry, because I made a lot of contacts through the co-op, and also learned about what types of jobs I was (and, most importantly, was not) interested in. Anyway, I hope she enjoys her time here.

I do know about the pen show, but I think I'm going to be out of town that weekend.

Thanks, swarden43, for the KOP mall suggestions. I don't leave the city very much, but the next time I'm there I'll be sure to check them out.

Welcome!

The Utrecht stores have Rhodia and Clairefontaine (either or both, depending on the location) paper. The AIA bookstore also has Rhodia. For ink, try Holt's Cigars on Walnut (Rittenhouse Sq. area). I think they have brands like Visconti, Omas, and Noodlers, among others. Too bad you'll miss the show.

Welcome to FPN.

Welcome. There is at least one other (than me) Drexel engineering professor on this board. There is just a new art store open on Market Street -- I think between 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th, don't recall (on the North side of the street). Looks like they have a pretty good selection of Rhodia's and a lot of art papers.

Thanks for the tip, I'll check that out. I have a Moleskine that I am using right now, but I am not too impressed with it. I plan to try something else like a Rhodia when I fill it up.