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Old 10-28-2013, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Squirrel Hill PA
2,195 posts, read 2,570,749 times
Reputation: 4553

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Hi All.
So I am excited today because I have officially taken a job working at Pitt in Oakland and will be starting this new job on Nov 11th. This is going to mean a big upgrade in my means of living for me.

However I now need to work out the parking. Right now I live quite a ways outside of Pittsburgh and since I have aikido classes in Squirrel Hill three nights a week driving is really going to be my only option until I am well settled in and start looking for apartments closer by. So I need to find a parking permit/lease arrangement that will work and be within reason expense wise. I need to be at BST 3 on 5th ave by 7 am. I finis work at 3:30 pm. Once in the general area I can just grab a buss so it need not be very close as long as there is a buss route that will take me to or near the building work at. I have knee problems so as much as I would not mind walking there are some days when I can't do long distances. I know that the closer lots are pretty full so getting a permit is not going to be such a simple matter. I am told the wait list for staff parking is pretty long and could take a year or more. So I need options that will work right now.



Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 10-28-2013, 02:19 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
510 posts, read 900,208 times
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Parking is pretty difficult and expensive in Oakland. How would you feel about parking on the street in Squirrel Hill and taking a bus in since you need to be there three nights a week anyway? You would have to leave your house earlier but you are travelling slightly off-peak so traffic won't be too bad. You can rifde the buses for free with a Pitt ID.
Oh, and congratulations on the new job!
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Old 10-28-2013, 02:21 PM
 
Location: North Oakland
9,150 posts, read 10,821,269 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shadowfax View Post
Hi All.
So I am excited today because I have officially taken a job working at Pitt in Oakland and will be starting this new job on Nov 11th. This is going to mean a big upgrade in my means of living for me.

However I now need to work out the parking. Right now I live quite a ways outside of Pittsburgh and since I have aikido classes in Squirrel Hill three nights a week driving is really going to be my only option until I am well settled in and start looking for apartments closer by. So I need to find a parking permit/lease arrangement that will work and be within reason expense wise. I need to be at BST 3 on 5th ave by 7 am. I finis work at 3:30 pm. Once in the general area I can just grab a buss so it need not be very close as long as there is a buss route that will take me to or near the building work at. I have knee problems so as much as I would not mind walking there are some days when I can't do long distances. I know that the closer lots are pretty full so getting a permit is not going to be such a simple matter. I am told the wait list for staff parking is pretty long and could take a year or more. So I need options that will work right now.



Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
I don't know what BST 3 is. But would you be able to drive to Squirrel Hill and park on a street that doesn't require a permit, and take the 61 to Oakland and back?
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Old 10-28-2013, 02:30 PM
 
Location: southwestern PA
22,249 posts, read 47,165,320 times
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BST 3 = Biomedical Science Tower 3
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Old 10-28-2013, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,603 posts, read 77,247,404 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EveKendall View Post
Parking is pretty difficult and expensive in Oakland. How would you feel about parking on the street in Squirrel Hill and taking a bus in since you need to be there three nights a week anyway? You would have to leave your house earlier but you are travelling slightly off-peak so traffic won't be too bad. You can rifde the buses for free with a Pitt ID.
Oh, and congratulations on the new job!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jay5835 View Post
I don't know what BST 3 is. But would you be able to drive to Squirrel Hill and park on a street that doesn't require a permit, and take the 61 to Oakland and back?
This is going to be your best bet. For a while I was working two jobs---an "office" job on the UPMC Presbyterian campus in Oakland (right next to BST3) and a delivery job in Squirrel Hill, which requires a vehicle. I was able to walk from my Polish Hill home to Presby in about 30 minutes via the Hill District, but on days where I'd have to immediately be at the second job right after leaving my first job I'd park near my second employer in Squirrel Hill in the early-AM, take the bus to my first employer in Oakland, then take the bus back to Squirrel Hill to my car, which I'd take to work at the second job.

Oakland, from my experience, is much more difficult to secure guaranteed parking than Downtown, where you have other options such a parking at Station Square, the Civic Arena site, or North Shore and walking or taking the "T" closer into the city. I've also found Oakland's parking rates, on average, to trend a bit higher, too.
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Old 10-28-2013, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,532,157 times
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Forbes-Semple is a Pittsburgh Parking Authority garage in Oakland. I'm sure you're not going to get a lease in there though (I suspect long wait list) and when you have to arrive to have it not be full I have no idea. The rate is cheap given the general scarcity of parking, so I can only assume it fills fast. The walk to work would be uphill, very uphill, but it's not really that far.

There are other garages, though the cost may add up fast. If you'd rather save money than time then what these guys are suggesting about parking in Squirrel Hill, at least on the days you're going there anyway, makes sense, but it will add significantly to the overall time in the morning before you get there. Not my favorite choice, but it may work for you.
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Old 10-28-2013, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Awkward Manor
2,576 posts, read 3,072,910 times
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Parking in the immediate area of BST 3 will be tough, as the hospitals are all there, and they don't let lease holders use the whole garage. I agree with everyone else, if you can park in Squirrel Hill and catch a bus, you will be better off. They will tell you all about parking during your orientation.
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Old 10-28-2013, 03:06 PM
 
Location: Squirrel Hill PA
2,195 posts, read 2,570,749 times
Reputation: 4553
Quote:
Originally Posted by EveKendall View Post
Parking is pretty difficult and expensive in Oakland. How would you feel about parking on the street in Squirrel Hill and taking a bus in since you need to be there three nights a week anyway? You would have to leave your house earlier but you are travelling slightly off-peak so traffic won't be too bad. You can rifde the buses for free with a Pitt ID.
Oh, and congratulations on the new job!

I would actually be fine with that. I just need to figure out where...

Now I do have to be at the Carriage house on Solway regularly so I know that street is free. I could probably park there and grab a buss on Wilkins. Anything else in the vicinity I could consider? I just don't want to get myself in trouble before I learn my way around....

Last edited by shadowfax; 10-28-2013 at 03:16 PM..
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Old 10-28-2013, 03:26 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,522,436 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doo dah View Post
They will tell you all about parking during your orientation.
I think maybe it's gotten worse. When I came to Pitt years ago, it took only a few months on the waitlist before I had parking in the OC lot (about three or four blocks from the BST, but straight up the hill). Now I see that the wait is about a year. The garages are worse. I think when the city raised the meter rates, on-street parking to be more than university parking so the waiting lists got longer.

Parking in Squirrel Hill and taking the bus is a good idea, but if you block my driveway, I'll poop on your car's hood. You can also park in places in Schenley Park. This may serve as a useful backup plan, but it is a long walk.

As soon as you are able, I'd get on the waiting lists for the OC lot and, if you're planning on making a career of it and driving, the SO (Soldier's and Sailors) garage. Parking (for cash) in the SO garage is also a possible fall-back plan.
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Old 10-28-2013, 03:27 PM
 
Location: North Oakland
9,150 posts, read 10,821,269 times
Reputation: 14503
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadowfax View Post
Now I do have to be at the Carriage house on Solway regularly so I know that street is free. I could probably park there and grab a bus on Wilkins. Anything else in the vicinity I could consider? I just don't want to get myself in trouble before I learn my way around....
Most buses run down Forbes Avenue (anything 61), but you can get the 67 or 69 on Wilkins. The way the Port Authority's website works, I can't give you an exact link, but go here, click "Schedule Finder," and look up 67 or 69. Use the time for the intersection of Dallas and Reynolds to plan your trip from Wightman School. The 61 buses run much more frequently, so you might find it easier overall to walk up Wightman Street to Forbes Avenue.

Port Authority of Allegheny County > Schedules & Maps > Trip Planner
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