Commuting to Youngstown from Pitt (Pittsburgh: 2014, condo, attorney)

[TheYO]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

I'm not in need of bars or restaurants. As I said, I'm interested in the arts community, specifically the maker movement. Pittsburgh has things like the Center for Creative Reuse, TechShop Pittsburgh, Hack Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, lots of artists' spaces...I know of nothing that comes close to these activities in Youngstown. I'm looking for places where I can make art and meet artists.

(Inner Circle is vastly over-rated and I'd hardly call Jimmy John's something to boast about having in the downtown area.)

I actually despise Jimmy John's (is it that difficult to toast your sandwiches?!?). I was just trying to think of places that have opened up recently.

Check out the Knox Building. I know they just opened a gallery. I don't know much about it, but maybe if you get involved there you'll find some other art-related events and artists' spaces.

[pman]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

I'm not in need of bars or restaurants. As I said, I'm interested in the arts community, specifically the maker movement. Pittsburgh has things like the Center for Creative Reuse, TechShop Pittsburgh, Hack Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, lots of artists' spaces...I know of nothing that comes close to these activities in Youngstown. I'm looking for places where I can make art and meet artists.

(Inner Circle is vastly over-rated and I'd hardly call Jimmy John's something to boast about having in the downtown area.)

if you'd like to eventually locate to pittsburgh you might want consider housing there. condos make the best pied a terres since there is little maintenance you have to perform. that way you can spend your weekends in pittsburgh without spending a ton of money on it. you can offset the cost, if you wish, by using something like vacation rentals by owner or air bnb.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

I'm not in need of bars or restaurants. As I said, I'm interested in the arts community, specifically the maker movement. Pittsburgh has things like the Center for Creative Reuse, TechShop Pittsburgh, Hack Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, lots of artists' spaces...I know of nothing that comes close to these activities in Youngstown. I'm looking for places where I can make art and meet artists.

It does seem like you're a candidate for moving, although I would reiterate that you'll want to be in or pretty close to the city to take advantage of most of these. We live out near Cranberry right now, took a class at TechShop once, very cool facility to have for sure. I've thought about signing up for membership but don't feel like I'd get enough use out of it with living so far out. Perhaps, though, much of that is the upkeep I have with the house eating the time. Perhaps with a rental I wouldn't feel that so much. So maybe you would benefit from moving even if you lived out that way, but I still think you'll be immersed more if you are in or very close to the city.

If you moved here and kept your Youngstown job I don't think you'd get a lot of use either. You'd be closer on weekends but likely pretty beat on weeknights after an hour or so of drive home. Maybe that's the right split for you though. It just feels like to most of us that it would be iffy unless you are planning to look for a job closer to Pittsburgh.

So I would say, if you're going to look to live here and keep the job for now, look to north areas most obviously. For best city immersion, stick to places off I-279, perhaps no farther than West View or Ross Township. Heading farther north to the Cranberry vicinity will help your Youngstown commute at the expense of being less close to the arts community that you crave. The maker-type folks are almost all going to be in the city. City neighborhoods that would slightly position you better for commute include places north of the Allegheny River such as Brighton Heights. But commutes from places like Lawrenceville or Bloomfield wouldn't be awful either, or well, not more awful than say being even farther to the east. It's still over an hour. But those are neighborhoods that will get you truly right into the thick of such things.

If you really think it's important to you, go ahead and try it. Just bear in mind how much time and energy (and $$) the commute will take.

[Evergrey]

Just do the move. You can either be unhappy everyday with living in Ohio... or you can live in a place you love with the burden of a long commute. I know what it's like being unhappy in Ohio... and it was a soul-crushing experience.

As greg says... no point in splitting the difference in a suburb. I would suggest the lower North Side or Lawrenceville... which will still offer easy access to the highway infrastructure that can whisk you away to Youngstown.

I would also suggest looking for an equivalent job in Pittsburgh if you can.

[CoffeeMilk]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I wanted to give a special "thanks" to the anonymous coward who left the following comment on my reputation: "Or you could really be avant garde and participate in the arts and culture of Youngstown. Support your local community!"

I'd love to know how this person thinks I can go out and establish a public art studio. Sure, after working over 40 hours a week I'll sit down, research and write a grant, maybe (probably not) get grant money, do fundraisers to make up for the lack, buy an empty building, and run an art studio. Let me get right on that. In a community that has, let's be honest, bigger things to worry about than artists, I'm sure it will be a roaring success and there will be loads of support. /sarcasm

And how do you know I DON'T support the local arts community? Thanks for assuming the worst about me, I appreciate that.

Look, Youngstown is a fine place to live, it's certainly affordable. And I appreciate those Youngstown boosters who look for posts on this website so they can come along and say what a terrific, wonderful, happy, super place this is. But leaving anonymous, catty comments on someone's account here is not going to win you supporters. The fact is that Youngstown is not for everyone, some people need the resources and facilities of a larger town. It's not a crime to not fit in here.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by speagles84

He lives in a variety of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Whichever fits his argument for the day.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

Thanks to everyone for your input. I wanted to give a special "thanks" to the anonymous coward who left the following comment on my reputation: "Or you could really be avant garde and participate in the arts and culture of Youngstown. Support your local community!"

I have fond memories of Y-Town when I attended college nearby in the 70's. Back then Ohio served 18 year olds. woohoo. The first bar I ever walked into was there. We would drive over for cheap beer and fill our VW up with 23 cents per gallon gas. Damn, the good old days!

[TheYO]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I have fond memories of Y-Town when I attended college nearby in the 70's. Back then Ohio served 18 year olds. woohoo. The first bar I ever walked into was there. We would drive over for cheap beer and fill our VW up with 23 cents per gallon gas. Damn, the good old days!

Shhh...some bars in Youngstown still serve 18-year-olds. Senior year of high school was a fun time.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

Thanks to everyone for your input. I wanted to give a special "thanks" to the anonymous coward who left the following comment on my reputation: "Or you could really be avant garde and participate in the arts and culture of Youngstown. Support your local community!"

I'd love to know how this person thinks I can go out and establish a public art studio. Sure, after working over 40 hours a week I'll sit down, research and write a grant, maybe (probably not) get grant money, do fundraisers to make up for the lack, buy an empty building, and run an art studio. Let me get right on that. In a community that has, let's be honest, bigger things to worry about than artists, I'm sure it will be a roaring success and there will be loads of support....

Us regulars here have a good guess of which poster said that. He loves ohio
And hates Pittsburgh and loves to push people away from here to get a rise out of us who love it here. Good luck on your decision!

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

Thanks to everyone for your input. I wanted to give a special "thanks" to the anonymous coward who left the following comment on my reputation: "Or you could really be avant garde and participate in the arts and culture of Youngstown. Support your local community!"
...

Typical. Most of Youngstown isn't even safe for a woman to go around by herself. LOL I don't go over there anymore, for anything. And the small-town people do have an expectation that all women should be family-first, and then, if they manage to have any leftover free time, they can maybe devote just a scrap of that to pursuing their own interests. How dare you have ambitions!

What about Kent? It's a more manageable drive.