Staying in Philadelphia for cheap

[spamuell]

I will be going to Philadelphia in March next year for about 3 weeks to visit a friend in college (Bryn Mawr). I haven't been away on my own before, I've been with friends but they have sorted stuff out and I just pay them.

Does anyone know if I would want to stay in like a hotel or motel or hostel or something else? I am completely clueless about this, I want to have my own room and I don't rats running around or anything terrible, obviously. Other than that, I really don't want anything else, like freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast or a pool or anything that will cost me more money.

Also, I have a valid EU passport. If I'm coming for three weeks, are there any visa or international issues that I need to worry about?

I really have no idea how to go about this so I would really appreciate any help/advice that anyone has.