I am tired of hearing how great Pittsburgh is! (Philadelphia: middle-class, crime)

[okaydorothy]

I totally agree with the fact that when you live in a more reasonable place, you will do the things you enjoy more. We lived in NY and the last two years, we didnt go to see much ; it took us over an hour to get anywhere, and then we had to pay thru the nose for things.

Here, we are so busy, not from doing lots, but from going lots of places. And its affordable. Interstates are close so one can go further quicker (if that makes any sense). I dont mind taking my kids to a game 20 miles away ; in NY, I wouldnt do that.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by juliegt

$6 or $7 each, not anymore. More like $9 each or more unless it's happy hour at a dive bar. SF is expensive. Although oddly enough, there are a lot of places where you can eat out rather inexpensively.

SF is like any major city, in that nice (and some not so nice) downtown bars are expensive. I was there last week and in the t21st Amendment brew pub, near Giants stadium, beers were 5-ish each. And good. And remember a beer a at Penguins game is $8-9. But of course, in general, SF and CA make this area look very friendly on the pocket. I like that

[Caladium]

I totally agree with you guys and think TigerBeer made a very good point. At the same time I can also see the OP's point of view since his interests are hiking and other outdoor activities. In which case living in a city where the weather is good for outdoor activities all year 'round makes sense, and I can see why he'd want to live in a city with the sort of hiking trails he likes nearby. Plus, hiking is generally a free activity so it's not going to be more expensive if you live in a pricier city.

If scenery is important to you, it can be argued that even if you don't go hiking everyday you do tend to look at the mountains (or the ocean, or the interesting architecture, or whatever it is that attracts you to a city) everyday. I live right next to a river and can hike from my house to a national park--and even though I only do that once or twice a year I really like knowing that I can do that and I really love walking down to the river just to watch the rapids run or see the sunset. I love driving home and making the turns leading up to my street where I start seeing the trees and hills in the distance and the little hint of the river that you can see from the street.

ps. If scenery is important, the OP might consider moving to a more scenic part of Pittsburgh. Plenty of amazing views can be yours every day if you pick the right place--and the cool thing about Pittsburgh is some of the best views are in some of the most unexpected neighborhoods.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by gortonator

SF is like any major city, in that nice (and some not so nice) downtown bars are expensive. I was there last week and in the t21st Amendment brew pub, near Giants stadium, beers were 5-ish each. And good. And remember a beer a at Penguins game is $8-9. But of course, in general, SF and CA make this area look very friendly on the pocket. I like that

Beers in the stadium are a lot more than $5 at a Giants game. You were at a bar near the stadium. They're about $10 each at the game if memory serves. I was referring to mixed drinks when I said around $9 other than happy hour in most places, especially if it's not a well drink.

[ThumbingMyWay]

Originally Posted by Caladium

If scenery is important to you, it can be argued that even if you don't go hiking everyday you do tend to look at the mountains (or the ocean, or the interesting architecture, or whatever it is that attracts you to a city) everyday. I live right next to a river and can hike from my house to a national park--and even though I only do that once or twice a year I really like knowing that I can do that and I really love walking down to the river just to watch the rapids run or see the sunset. I love driving home and making the turns leading up to my street where I start seeing the trees and hills in the distance and the little hint of the river that you can see from the street.

ps. If scenery is important, the OP might consider moving to a more scenic part of Pittsburgh. Plenty of amazing views can be yours every day if you pick the right place--and the cool thing about Pittsburgh is some of the best views are in some of the most unexpected neighborhoods.

I agree with your first point 100% and don't know if I could have said it better myself.

As for your second point, I do think that if I lived/worked in a different part of Pittsburgh I may have a different view on things. Although I do work in Oakmont, considered one of the more scenic/walkable neighborhoods, and although it is a nice town I personally would prefer a trail in the mountains over a stroll through oakmont any day of the week.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by ThumbingMyWay

I agree with your first point 100% and don't know if I could have said it better myself.

As for your second point, I do think that if I lived/worked in a different part of Pittsburgh I may have a different view on things. Although I do work in Oakmont, considered one of the more scenic/walkable neighborhoods, and although it is a nice town I personally would prefer a trail in the mountains over a stroll through oakmont any day of the week.

there's these things called cars .... (sorry, couldn't resist)

More seriously, I'd be keen to know what trails you've hiked and your opinions, as I want to get out there this summer and hit a few good ones. I'm overwhelmed with choice and limited by weekends.

[ThumbingMyWay]

Originally Posted by gortonator

More seriously, I'd be keen to know what trails you've hiked and your opinions, as I want to get out there this summer and hit a few good ones. I'm overwhelmed with choice and limited by weekends.

This would probably make a good topic for a new thread. I think I may start one.

Anyway I don't think I am the right person to talk to if you are trying to find great hiking as I either haven't found it or just haven't been too impressed. Also, just to clarify I am not a guy who likes to backpack and hike 15 miles at a time. I enjoy a nice hike up a mountain that can lead to some nice scenery (and haven't really found that). Either way here is a short list of some trails I've been to, and my opinion.

- Ohiopyle: only been there once because it was a good 1.5 hr drive. I did a (I believe ~3 mile) loop trail that went past the waterfalls (was told it was a great place to go as a first timer there). Probably my favorite trail I did since moving out here. Trail wasn't too crowded despite a full parking lot. I thought most of the trail was an average wooded path, but the waterfalls made it unique. Even got to take a quick swim in the river to cool down. I am interested in where others like to hike in Ohiopyle?

- McConnells Mills: almost a poor man's Ohiopyle. Did some hiking near the river there. Nothing to me really stood out.

- morraine state park: similar and close to McConnells mills. An okay place to get away but no outstanding features.

- Rachel Carson trail: did a small portion (a few miles) of this trail starting in Harrison Hills park. A nice walk/hike but not much scenery.

As for parks, I've done trails at Harrison Hills, Deer lakes, Boyce park and South Park, and found them to be mostly comparable - trails to walk on but nothing spectacular.

Obviously this is just my opinion and I know there are many trails I haven't hiked near Pittsburgh. Someone mentioned North Park as being one of the best in the county, and great hiking in Slippery Rock I believe.

I would be certainly be interested upon hearing what you think of some trails once you get out there this summer.

[ThumbingMyWay]

To get things back on topic, this thread has brought up some good points. Here are some random thoughts I have:

Although I still stand by what I said in my original post, I can understand the appeal that Pittsburgh has. A lot of people are comfortable here and that's fine. I personally think Pittsburgh (and PA for the matter) is a "jack of all trades, master of none" place. It seems to me a lot of people here are fine (and some even happy) with that, because Pittsburgh gives them many options at an affordable cost. (kind of like Walmart ).

While I know this is an obvious statement, so much of a person's opinion on a place comes down to where they are at in their life, and what they want moving forward. For example, I can understand why someone is happy moving from SF to Pittsburgh bc of cost of living. And I can see why someone would be happy coming to Pittsburgh from Cleveland, Detroit, etc.

These forums are interesting yet unreliable because everyone's past experiences, current needs, and future expectations are so different.

What I am about to say is 100% subjective coming from a lifetime PA resident, but stay with me on this. Looking at the state of Pennsylvania, I think most people on this forum/thread would agree that PA probably ranks somewhere in the top 10 on most people's list of most desirable states to live. For those of us who want to move and/or think Pittsburgh is overrated are ready to try to tackle a place that ranks #1, 2, or 3 on their list (which for me is California, Colorado, and NC currently). I believe the ones who are happy here are content with what PA (and Pittsburgh) offers them, which is a place with many positives (already discussed by others) at a very reasonable price (even if say SF is #1 on their list of places to live).

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by juliegt

$6 or $7 each, not anymore. More like $9 each or more unless it's happy hour at a dive bar. SF is expensive. Although oddly enough, there are a lot of places where you can eat out rather inexpensively.

If I pay 3 bucks or more for a beer, I'm either at a ballgame or a strip club.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by ThumbingMyWay

I think most people on this forum/thread would agree that PA probably ranks somewhere in the top 10 on most people's list of most desirable states to live.

I would disagree. I could live anywhere, and if I told most people that I was considering Pennsylvania, the majority of people would ask me 'why?'

Most people want to live in FL, HI, CA, OR, WA, CO, or most anywhere out west. Than another subset of southern states for warmer winters. Then exotic states like Alaska or Montana and such. Than 'more interesting East Coast destinations such as NY, VT, ME, MA.

In short, I wouldn't put PA in the Top 10 mot desireable state to live on most people's lists. It's definitely a very overlooked state, in my opinion.

I'm personally very interested in PA, but if I tell most people I'm interested in PA, I will generally be asked 'Why Pennsylvania?' 9 times out of 10.