A Walk on the Wild Side (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: violent crime, house, neighborhoods)

[Elder18]

Ever since I've gotten to know where the bad parts of Pittsburgh are, I've had this insane urge to go to them at night just to see what it's really like there.

I'm sure there are many people who live in it and would do anything to get out of it, but I'm very curious.

Have any of you ever felt like this?

[zip95]

Originally Posted by Elder18

Have any of you ever felt like this?

Uh No.....It's not some great spectacle, it's just poor people who were never socialized.

Anyway, do you mean drive down a main road, or do you mean walk past the neighborhood dice game....Two very different ways to visit.

Do you mean to visit Homewood, or do you mean to visit Highland Park....Two very different "bad" areas.

[Hopes]

When I was in my early 20s, I would ask my husband to swing around the block downtown (when we were going to the MAC machine) so I could see all the prostitutes, cross dressers, and transexuals scurrying from between Liberty and Penn avenues. If they're still there today, it's not as obvious as it used to be. Liberty Avenue has cleaned up it's act since the 70s and 80s.

I wouldn't purposely drive into the truly bad parts of town at night. First of all, your chances of getting shot are increased dramatically----even if it's just by random gunfire. It's happened to families taking short cuts through these neighborhoods. Children in car seats have been shot to death.

The other reason to not go into the dangerous neighborhoods at night is because the police will assume you're there for a no good reason. If you are a victim of a violent crime and it gets reported in the paper, people will assume you were someone who was going into the area to get drugs or a prostitute. That wouldn't be good for your reputation at all. Nobody is going to believe you were just curious.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Elder18

Ever since I've gotten to know where the bad parts of Pittsburgh are, I've had this insane urge to go to them at night just to see what it's really like there.

I'm sure there are many people who live in it and would do anything to get out of it, but I'm very curious.

Have any of you ever felt like this?

In order to get to my house off the freeway, I have to either go up one exit or drive into a danger zone.

Yep --I take my chances and go through the danger zone. Unless it's REAL late and I'm alone. Other wise -- it's up an exit.

I know what you're talking about.

[Jay_F]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Liberty Avenue has cleaned up it's act since the 70s and 80s.

I can certainly remember the boom days for Liberty Ave. All XXX, massage parlors, and a lot of "interesting" people. So all the grittiness of Liberty Ave is gone?

[nocturnal rooster]

Originally Posted by Elder18

Ever since I've gotten to know where the bad parts of Pittsburgh are, I've had this insane urge to go to them at night just to see what it's really like there.

I'm sure there are many people who live in it and would do anything to get out of it, but I'm very curious.

Have any of you ever felt like this?

I like the way you think. Naughty...

Giggity!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Jay_F

I can certainly remember the boom days for Liberty Ave. All XXX, massage parlors, and a lot of "interesting" people. So all the grittiness of Liberty Ave is gone?

Pretty much. It's entirely different now. To my knowledge there's only a toy shop left. I believe it's only open during normal downtown business hours.

[morefromcali]

Hi Elder,

You are not alone in your curiosity at all Here in Los Angeles, it actually used to be a common Saturday night passtime to drive down the seedier parts of Hollywood streets to see the strange people. This was very different from the star watching that still goes on, of course, and those people apparently wanted to be seen because it was supposedly quite the event each week. People wanted to see the transexuals, gays, prostitutes and drug dealers first hand. I don't hear about it so much any more, but people may still do it -- and I'm just too old to hear about it LOL!

[kiggis13]

I know what your talking about. The other day I was driving back to CMU from the Monroeville Mall and wanted to avoid the I-376 diversion going through Wilkinsburg/Squirrel Hill. To do this I took 130 north into Churchill/Penn Hills and made a left on Frankstown Ave. I knew this would take me through Homewood but it was in the middle of the day so I wasn't too worried. As we drove through western Penn Hills it felt safe but you could see that it was a former suburban area that had become run down (unkempt yards, Dollar Stores/Money Marts), but once we crossed into Homewood/East Hills it started getting a little scary. I never felt too in danger but the whole atmosphere just seemed extremely seedy (esp. when I saw a group of teens dressed in all red walking on the sidewalk). I've driven through other "shady" areas of Pittsburgh (East Lib., parts of the Hill, Garfield on Penn. Ave), but none of them made me feel as threatened the way I did in Homewood.

[Hopes]

Yeah, Homewood probably wins that award for the most dangerous. Interestingly, it used to be the Hill.....that's why Hill Street Blues was inspired by the Hill.