Please tell me something good about Pittsburgh!

[minthotchocolate]

Originally Posted by happywithbraddock

If Brian is right and this is a done deal, my advice would be to go out into the forest on a soft rain day and take a couple thousand breaths of air so sweet you wish you could bottle it. Then wrap your arms around one of those beautiful doug firs (literally) and kiss it goodbye. If you look for Vancouver in Pittsburgh, you'll be heading back to Vancouver sooner or later. If you're coming here regardless, just close your eyes and come here. Understand that Pittsburgh will change you. Some good, some bad. But you will not be the same person you are now. Open yourself up to that change and you'll do fine. Sure, there is much you'll miss. But you will find things to value here, as long as you're truly looking.

Thanks...

[minthotchocolate]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I get the sense this is a done deal, and the OP is just looking for some help getting psyched up for the move, not looking for reasons to reconsider.

Of course it is true some people move here and it doesn't work out for one reason or another. But I also think a lot of people move here thinking it will be temporary, and end up falling in love with the place (if you really engage with the area in the ways you find personally compelling, it can be strangely addictive). In fact, I've encountered a decent number of people over time who were here for a while and then had to leave for one reason or another, and either that leaving was very reluctant, or they soon became very wistful about their time in Pittsburgh.

Again, as always, your experience could be anywhere on that spectrum. But if you are open to it, you might find yourself not just tolerating Pittsburgh, but actually loving it to a degree that right now seems implausible to you.

It is a done deal at this point. I had many opportunities to change my mind but I decided to proceed, for professional reasons, and for them alone we certainly have better opportunities in Pittsburgh than in Vancouver. Vancouver is in fact not the best place to work on your career in pretty much anything except service and retail. But it is so bloody gorgeous that you forget about real life problems.

[minthotchocolate]

Originally Posted by sskink

Actually if you're coming from Vancouver, I'd be more concerned about the diversity of food options. There's not nearly as much good Asian here as in the PNW, salmon isn't big here and for the most part, good seafood options are limited although they exist. While a number of good restaurants have opened here in past 5 years, the culture is still very meat and potatoes.

However, there's a lot of the DIY culture around here - artisans of all sorts, microbrewers, distillers, small coffee roasters, etc. (there's even a shop that sells 49th Parallel!) and localvore stuff is in. Lots of diversity in culture and entertainment (an incredible amount, actually) for a city our size.

Pittsburgh is what you make of it. You'll have to give a little to get back. But it does grow on you. While I miss Boston and New York, I no longer think of moving back.

And with the money you'll save by living here vs Vancouver, you can fly to Paris and go skiing and biking in Chamonix :-)

Thanks!! 49th parallel made me smile, I was seriously going to stock up on this coffee and ship it to Pittsburgh.

Yes, I am concerned about food options, especially Asian and seafood. Here I can go to a fishing village and buy sashimi quality sockey salmon for $20-40 per fish. It's amazing. And the food scene is quite unique. But I've heard that Pittsburgh is evolving, so I hope the dining scene will be improving.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by minthotchocolate

Yes, I am concerned about food options, especially Asian and seafood. Here I can go to a fishing village and buy sashimi quality sockey salmon for $20-40 per fish. It's amazing. And the food scene is quite unique. But I've heard that Pittsburgh is evolving, so I hope the dining scene will be improving.

Pittsburgh can evolve for eternity and the ocean won't get closer. Even great seafood restaurants won't compare to what's available in a coastal city. But maybe you'll find you like foods available here that isn't available there.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by minthotchocolate

Hi all! I am moving to Pittsburgh from Vancouver, BC, and I am not very happy about the move... It is an excellent opportunity for my husband, and this is the only reason why I agreed to move. I've been to Pittsburgh once so far and even though I generally liked it, my heart is not in the right place. I love everything about Pacific Northwest, particularly our beautiful nature and numerous opportunities for outdoor sports. I hike, snowboard, bike, and climb weekly depending on the season, and do various other outdoor activities. It is so easily accessible in Vancouver, I am worried that I won't be able to continue this lifestyle in Pittsburgh... Is there anyone here who was in a similar situation? Please share your experience! I really need some positive input from you!

Vancouver is hands down my favorite city in North America, so I totally understand your concerns. While Pittsburgh offers most of those out door activities, realize Mt Washington is no Grouse Mountain, Point State Park is no Stanley Park, and Seven Springs is no Whistler. But its not that Pittsburgh is lacking as much as Vancouver is in a league its own. You'll have the feelings you're having if you move to anywhere from YVR.

Having said that, Pittsburgh is my second favorite city in N America. You're moving from "The World's Most Livable City" to "America's Most Livable City". Most US cities would love to have what Pittsburgh has to offer. There's not many places I haven't been worldwide several times over, and my job allows me to live anywhere in the US. I've made a conscious decision that Pittsburgh will be home after all things were considered.

[BrianTH]

The dining scene has come so, so far in the last 10 years. Because local sourcing is a big deal with a lot of the top young chefs, it will definitely be a change in terms of emphasized ingredients, but they are doing some really cool stuff these days. One nice thing is that the new generation is very accessible--if you want to get to know them a bit it is no problem whatsoever.