Suburbanite looking for some City Life - from the burgh with an h to Hburg (Pittsburgh: hardwood floors)

[hbgapthunter]

When are you moving? Starting a job at the end of the month, have an aunt I can stay with if I need to before making a leasing decision

Where are you coming from? Coming from the suburbs of Pittsburgh, have lived briefly in Pgh, and worked various locations in Pgh and suburbs.

Why are you moving? Starting a new job, yay!

Where will you be working? At the DEP on Market Street

Have you been here yet? Drove through for a few interviews, planning a walking visit this week.

Will you buy or rent? Rent

If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Thinking I'm looking for an apt, but not set in stone. I'm looking to spend 500-650 a month.

Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Not sure I have a preference, would prefer not to hear every conversation that goes on on the streets, so maybe a hi-rise?

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single, no kids

Do you prefer public or private schools? No preference whatsoever

Do you have pets? Nope

Do you want or need a yard? I'm from the suburbs, so yards are nice, but not a necessity.

Are you keeping a car? yes, a small one

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? I like a mixture of activity during the day and early evening, but I want to be able to sleep without interruption at night.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Are there supermarkets downtown/midtown? or are they relegated to the suburbs like good ol' pgh?

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Would prefer not to live in an area with only families/older folks, where I'd be the odd duck. But no real preference.

Phillies, Pirates or Orioles? PENGUINS!


I'm from an area where you have to drive to go anywhere, but am thinking I'd like to live within walking distance to places. Probably looking for city living over the suburbs, as I hated commuting 1+hrs into pgh. Is the traffic anywhere as bad here? I've gotten different answers depending on who I asked- some said it was AWFUL, others said not as bad as pgh. I'd really prefer no more than a 20min commute if that's possible.

I'm a mid-twenties woman, who does not want to live somewhere I have to be worried about my safety, nor do I want to have to battle vermin on a daily/weekly basis. Any tips for where I could find that for 500-650/month would be greatly appreciated!

From my research and anecdotal evidence, this is what I've gathered so far: I should avoid Allison Hill and Uptown. Camp Hill, Midtown and Downtown, esp along the river are good. I've checked out (only online so far) Grayco, TownHouse, and a few others, Grayco seems nicest so far. Other suggestions?

I know that in pgh there are a couple apartment management companies that are notoriously awful. I haven't found any evidence of those in Hbg. Anyone I should avoid?

Thanks in advance!

Oh- Almost forgot, any Pittsburgh sports bars in the area??

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Hi and welcome to Harrisburg! You'll enjoy working at DEP. Rachael Carlson is one of the more modern office buildings downtown. Mid-90s I think?

Harrisburg proper is divided into two key areas right now. Downtown is the current nightlife & entertainment district. Most of what makes downtown "downtown" is located along Second Street between Market and South streets, and some of the side streets heading towards Third. This area is about as safe as they come, and most of your crime is petty nuisance (public drunkenness, drunken 2am fights, that sort of thing).

Midtown is the city's arts & culture district. If you think of downtown as martinis and nightclubs, think of midtown as coffee and bookstores. Most of the midtown action takes place along Third St between Forster and Verbeke streets. While midtown is still safe, there has been a rise in muggings and assaults in recent years. I still wouldn't hesitate to walk along Third Street with a group of friends at 1am, but I'd be wary of wandering any side streets by myself at that time -- and I'm a pretty big dude.

A general rule for newcomers is that if you can see the capitol dome or river, you're in a "good" part of town. This unfortunately cuts out a lot of good and interesting parts of the city, but until you learn the individual neighborhoods, it's reasonably accurate.

Working at DEP, you are within easy walking distance of four major apartment buildings: The Grayco, Executive House, Towne House, and Pennsylvania Place. The Grayco is amazing. It's a lovingly-restored 1930s art-deco midrise with hardwood floors, vintage kitchens and bathrooms, and a rooftop deck with amazing river views. It lacks air conditioning, dishwashers, and parking, but includes all utilities (including electric). The area around The Grayco seems to have hit a rough patch over the last few years with crime, due in large part to a nuisance bar nearby.

Executive House is slightly newer and more contemporary. If you can get over the outdated exterior and common areas, you wind up with tremendous value. Like The Grayco, EH includes all utilities. Unlike The Grayco, EH also includes parking (via attached garage), air conditioning, and dishwashers. This particular corner of downtown Harrisburg is arguably the absolute safest.

I can't say much about Pennsylvania Place. I wasn't that impressed when I toured them.

Towne House is also a pretty good choice. You aren't exactly downtown, but you are definitely not in a bad part of town. Your daily walk to work would send you through the Capital Complex, which has its own police department. Towne House has some great floorplans, though I found their prices to be a little high.

And although it's not within walking distance of downtown, you should check out River Plaza. It's in a good area, though you should be wary of going east of Second there. The new owners seem to be working hard to erase the building's checkered past. The apartments seem a little small, but they also seemed eager to negotiate on rent / parking rates.

All in all you can't go wrong with either The Grayco or Executive House. Both have tremendous strengths and very attentive management. I live in EH myself and can vouch for how great it is here. If you do move in, the apartments facing Pennsylvania Place get less street noise than the ones facing Second.

And if this wall of text didn't answer all your questions, feel free to ask more. Again, welcome!

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by hbgapthunter

Are there supermarkets downtown/midtown? or are they relegated to the suburbs like good ol' pgh?

Is the traffic anywhere as bad here? I've gotten different answers depending on who I asked- some said it was AWFUL, others said not as bad as pgh. I'd really prefer no more than a 20min commute if that's possible.

Forgot to answer these two.

There are a few scattered groceries throughout downtown. They provide the basics (bread, pasta, snacks, lunchmeat, etc) but not much more. Midtown has an actual supermarket (Sayford), though it is very small and the selection is mediocre at best.

Then there's Broad Street Market. You will come to love this place. You can buy all your major staples here, with a wide selection of fresh meats, vegetables, breads, and dairy products, along with vendors selling full meals. It's about a 10- to 15-minute walk from downtown.

And if none of those options suit you, there are several supermarkets within 5-10 miles of downtown. The nicest is the Super Giant in Camp Hill. I used to shop at the Karns in Lemoyne, but ... let's just say I am no longer satisfied with their "freshness" standards.

I think traffic around here is probably worse than most cities our size. It's blindingly obvious that the local highways were conceived under 1950s planning. Apparently back then roads saw no more than five cars an hour. The I-83 corridor between the PA Turnpike and I-81 is slated for a complete reconstruction. Nobody knows when this will happen but it desperately needs it.