Visiting pittsburgh.. (Oakland: apartment complexes, rent, hotels)

[mdk2]

I am visiting pitt on sept 4th which is a saturday.. going to be checking out apartments and things for future living. I was wondering if anyone knew of nice affordable hotels in good locations for getting a feel of the city?? any help at all would be appreciated. thank you!

[nuwaver88]

Just remember, despite Pittsburgh's receiving many accolades in recent years, does not mean that the whole metro is sqeaky clean and modern. Au contraire, much of the charm lies in what many refer to as 'Rust Belt Chic." Many understand this before coming to Pittburgh and are able to accept or even appreciate that not all of the metro has been razed and/or revitalized. To those who feel the accolades mean that the whole metro has been gutted in favor of a city that resembles a city in the Sun Belt, (full of chains and new apartment complexes) should look elsewhere.
The accolades come highly from the fact that Pittsburgh gives you a lot of bang for your buck. This includes much of what one would expect in a big league city, only better and less expensive than most. Maybe the grit is what keeps Pittsburgh affordable. Is that necessarily a bad thing? I guess it could be a drawback to those with no artistic sense and have different priorities. I respect that Pittsburgh may not be for you. Pittsburgh is still a work in progress. It is not "there" yet. It is an old city whose #1 prioriy was pumpimg out steel and industry in general. This built us grandiose houses and cultural amenities. Unfortunately, industry also hogged up mostly all of the riverfront property. Thus, it takes longer and is more expensive to get things done. Upstart cities can build their riverfornts the way they see fit.
I guess my point is to understand and respect Pittsburgh before you knock it. Sure Pittsburgh can do a better job with abandoned houses and buildings in the city. It is all about the Benjamins. It is time for a commuter tax and for the city and county to merge so we can have the capital to continue to have big city amenities and help Pittsburgh grow. Of course, that is a controversial subject and a whole new thread.

Note: This does not necessarily answer the OP's question. It was just something that I felt needed to be said given the fact that Pittsburgh has been on the radar for many like the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco was in the Summer of Love, 1967. You may find your Utopia or you may be dis-illlusioned..."What's so great about this place?" It all depends on your personality, what you are looking for, and what your expectations are.

[BrianTH]

What do you consider affordable?

The hotels around Downtown or in Oakland are great for exploring because they are centrally located. But while some of them are a lot less expensive than others, none of them are supercheap.

[AaronPGH]

Based on your other thread about neighborhoods you were looking at, I'd go with the Courtyard Marriott in Shadyside. It's super close to everything and a short walk from the East Busway –*one of the most convenient transit routes: Courtyard Pittsburgh Shadyside hotel: Pittsburgh Hotels

If you want something cheaper, there's that website airbnb.com that lets you actually rent people's apartments. There seemed to be a good amount of options on there the last time I checked.