Your Opinion of why PA sucks so bad... (Pittsburgh, Reading: sales, low crime)

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

Should I move to Harrisburg? How is public transportation? Cool coffee shops and bars that cater to indy-rock hipsters? women? Let me know.

you're not going to find those things in Harrisburg. Harrisburg is a place where people work but do not live. When you live in the Harrisburg area, you live in suburbia, which typically doesn't have those sorts of thinsg.

[North Beach Person]

Detox? Never have. Even after 30 years in rural Southern MD I find that I have to spend a couple days in PA every few months. I used to have a regular schedule to go when my mother was alive but now it's more of a "I have to get out of MD for a few days".


Having said that, moving from rural, small-town PA to rural, small-town MD wasn't much of a switch. A little bit of culture shock, but that was more due to the DC attitiude and not MD.

As a note, I am, as is Mrs. NBP, one of those that moved for work.

[jeepejeep]

Yeah, I notice the OP hasn't commented since the first post. Why doesn't he just move?
I do not currently live in PA but I will be moving there within 2 years or so. I have friends in PA and visit quite often and it is overall so much nicer than Long Island NY and Manhattan it's amazing. I'm a rural kind of guy and PA suits me way better than NY except for upstate which is nice. Of course the taxes here are ridiculous and no I do NOT get back in services what I pay in taxes.
There are morons, racists, bad roads and construction here too. You want traffic due to construction or due to nothing more than unbelievably bad drivers? Try the LIE any time of day. Rude, loud inconsiderate people? try Manhattan especially the subways and buses. I've lived in NY all my 58 years and worked in Manhattan for over 40 of them. Believe me, it sucks. From what I've seen of PA, I'll be way happier there. Family is the only thing that has kept me here this long. The kids are grown so it's time.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

Should I move to Harrisburg? How is public transportation? Cool coffee shops and bars that cater to indy-rock hipsters? women? Let me know.

You might want to repeat your question in the Harrisburg forum so you get a variety of views, and so we don't jack this thread. But to quickly answer your question, public transportation in Harrisburg is fairly limited. There is a bus system, and great rail service to Philly and NY, but that's about it. Harrisburg is growing increasingly pedestrian-friendly. Downtown is the mainstream nightlife area, while midtown is the arts / culture area. You'll want to check out Abbey Bar (at Appalachian Brewing Company), Shady's, and HMAC.

Bear in mind that Harrisburg is only around 50,000 strong, so if you're looking for Brooklyn-style hipness, it just ain't here.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by Angus215

you're not going to find those things in Harrisburg. Harrisburg is a place where people work but do not live. When you live in the Harrisburg area, you live in suburbia, which typically doesn't have those sorts of thinsg.

I disagree with the "suburbia" part. Downtown is still running strong on its decade-old entertainment district. Visit Second Street after 5pm on any Thurs / Fri / Sat for proof. You've got the "OMG PARTY BAR" types catering to the just-turned-21 crowd, lounges like Privado and Red Door catering to the higher-up crowds, and everything in-between. You've got local & regional indie acts at Abbey Bar, microbrew enthusiasts at Shady's, Al's, and Anthony's, dubstep at Spy Club, and dining ranging from greasy spoon (Third St Diner) to independent steak house (Dodge City).

Midtown's self-reinvention as the arts / cultural district only kicked off a few years ago, but is doing remarkably well. Despite little to no support from the city, venues like Hodgepodgery, Cafe di Luna, HMAC, Mantis Gallery, Midtown Scholar, Soup Spot, and a dozen others have sprung up catering to niche crowds. If downtown is martinis and nightclubs, midtown is coffee and century-old townhouses. And with new redevelopment from 1500 and the ongoing reclamation of Sixth, it's looking like uptown is a year or two away from stabilizing in a healthy development cycle.

And now we're seeing the potential for artist / studio / loft / boutique retail development around the area of that glorious 1950s-futuristic post office near Tenth & Market.

Harrisburg won't give you the mass transit of Philly or the cultural exposure of NYC, but we're a tiny city compared to them. If you come looking for Seattle, Chicago, or New York, you WILL be disappointed (and laughed at for expecting a city of 50,000 to resemble a city of several million). If you want a lot of bang for your buck and the opportunity to watch a city transform first-hand, then Harrisburg is tough to beat.

And wrapping this all back to the subject at hand, this is the great thing about PA. Between established major metros (Pittsburgh, Philly), smaller cities (Harrisburg, Scranton / Wilkes-Barre), small towns (Bloomsburg, Danville), and true rural living (Huntingdon, Potter, and Tioga counties), it's extremely difficult to not find what you're looking for in the state.

[ki0eh]

My wife's younger professional co-workers at a large firm in Hershey invariably are living in either midtown Harrisburg, or Lancaster City. 10-20 years ago young professionals that age were living in suburban apartment complexes like Springford.

[RSFMomma]

The road construction/pot holes-- that kills me. Drive out of PA. When we moved in June, we drove through Ohio, and of all the states I've driven in, OH has the WORST roads, ever. We drive a Jeep-- there were multiple times I thought we were leaving a piece of it along the road in Ohio because the roads were so bad. :/

Every state has it's pros and cons. The biggest con in PA for me (a lifelong resident until 2 months ago) is the humidity. It's intense, and it makes me (and my husband) physically sick.

Carry on.

[PeterRabbit]

Ohio, Maryland and New York highways are nice, smooth, and wide compared to Pa. When you pay to ride on our turnpike they should include a life insurance policy. I-80 is nice except it serves rural communities.

[HockeyGirl]

Originally Posted by DowntownHarrisburg

...and true rural living (Huntingdon...

My mom was born & raised in Huntingdon. What an adorable little town.

Originally Posted by DowntownHarrisburg

..it's extremely difficult to not find what you're looking for in the state.

I don't live in Pennsylvania, but I definitely agree with you..

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by DowntownHarrisburg

that glorious 1950s-futuristic post office near Tenth & Market.

Wow ... I need to visit Harrisburg! I love glorious futuristic 1950s buildings.