What do I need to know before moving to Pittsburgh? (York: universities, living in)

[Der Schwabe]

Originally Posted by Goodjules

Thanks, I'll check it out. Traffic between my place and Dormont can be sluggish. I would still love a few good Asian options in my neighborhood for those nights when I don't feel like cooking and don't want to drive far. Dormont is just far enough away that it feels like a bit of a trip to go there. I will try those places but I'm still hoping for some new places within walking or very short driving distance. A girl can dream...

I hear ya, another option is on Banksville, so nominally closer, but a good option if you like Indian food: Home

And now that I'm thinking about it, have you tried Angkor Restaurant on Noblestown Road? I went there years ago. Seems like people seem to like it well enough, but I can remember reliably enough to give an opinion.

[Goodjules]

Yes. Angkor is very close to my house but the food is just so-so. Not terrible, but not memorable. I've eaten there a number of times and tried to order something different each time. Nothing stood out. It's too bad because the restaurant is in a good location and has a little nicer decor than many places around here. I tried to order Thai iced coffee once and they told me they were out of the mix they use. Really? A mix for iced coffee? Not the best indicator of made from scratch food.

[Goinback2011]

The best Chinese I've had in Pittsburgh is Silk Road at Caste Village in Whitehall. They sell Sushi too and it is fantastic.

[chickenfriedbananas]

Originally Posted by steph919

Hi everyone,

We are a family of 4 (our kids are ages 5 and 1) currently living in the Bay Area and considering a move to Pittsburgh. The cost of living is too high in the Bay Area, and with our oldest starting Kindergarten in the fall, we are looking for an easier, more affordable lifestyle. We have family in Fox Chapel, but we would like to live in the city. I have been browsing the Pittsburgh forums and am impressed by how friendly and helpful you guys are. (Goodjules and J-Church: thank you for all of your help! I've tried to message you back but have reached my limit for direct messages.)

What are the things that I need to know about Pittsburgh, good and bad, before we move there?

For example, I've never lived in a place that had snow. How long does it take to shovel your driveway in the morning before you leave for work?

How is the public transit system?

What's an average gas bill in the winter for a 3 BR house?

Where can you get good dim sum and other Asian food?

I've heard Pittsburgh Public Schools are bad...are they unsafe? Low performing? I want to know your thoughts.

Are my kids inevitably going to be Steelers fans?

Tell me what other things you think I should know before moving to Pittsburgh. Thank you!

Stephanie

You'll miss the Bay Area - take it from someone who used to live in South Bay. Dim Dum? You won't find it here, and contrary to what locals say, the ethnic good sucks here. You will like the cost of housing and the people are nice, and the drivers are not complete sociopaths like in the Bay. Maybe youll like it, maybe not

[steindle]

Originally Posted by chickenfriedbananas

the ethnic [food] sucks here.

This is a ridiculous overstatement. If you can't find any good "ethnic" food in Pittsburgh, either your definition of that very vague term is far too narrow, or you haven't looked very hard.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by steph919

For example, I've never lived in a place that had snow. How long does it take to shovel your driveway in the morning before you leave for work?

The worst part of winters in Pittsburgh is the lack of sun. There will be days of cloud banks. We are almost equal to Portland with the amount of sunshine.

[chickenfriedbananas]

Originally Posted by steindle

This is a ridiculous overstatement. If you can't find any good "ethnic" food in Pittsburgh, either your definition of that very vague term is far too narrow, or you haven't looked very hard.

Let me clarify: relative to what the OP is used to finding in the Bay Area, in terms of the availability, the quality and quantity of good ethnic food in Greater Pittsburgh is nowhere close to the Bay Area. In Cupertino alone, there were four or five Dim Sum places within a few blocks. Same for Indian food and Middle Eastern cuisine. I'm not saying Pitt doesn't have good restaurants, and I would agree with you, I probably haven't found all of the hot spots for good restaurants yet. But I know enough to know that the OP will miss the Bay Area for that reason alone.

The OP will NOT miss the traffic, the rude drivers, the high costs of rent/housing, the never-ending urban sprawl and a host of other things about the Bay.

[charisb]

Anyone who moves to Pittsburgh and expects it to be like San Francisco, NYC, L.A., Chicago, Miami, etc. is not using their critical thinking skills.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by charisb

Anyone who moves to Pittsburgh and expects it to be like San Francisco, NYC, L.A., Chicago, Miami, etc. is not using their critical thinking skills.

Unfortunately I have ran in to a few people IRL that think exactly like this.

"Back in New York we had...", "In New York it was this way....", "Well in New York this was better...". Stahp.

[theta_sigma]

Originally Posted by charisb

Anyone who moves to Pittsburgh and expects it to be like San Francisco, NYC, L.A., Chicago, Miami, etc. is not using their critical thinking skills.

Word. Especially talking about Chinese food and SF or NYC? Those are the top two places to get Chinese food outside of China in the world, come on now.

Pittsburgh has a lot of Chinese students (both PRC and Taiwan) and there is servicable Chinese food here--look around and see who is eating at a particular restaurant. If it's mostly Chinese grad students, you've struck paydirt. (Funnily enough, Szechuan Express in Oakland has terrible reviews on Yelp and it's a completely filthy hole int he wall, but 90% of the clientel are Chinese. I studied abroad in China and it's my favorite Chinese in Oakland.) There's more than your average amount of Taiwanese food here, too, but I am not a fan of that cuisine, so I can't go into specifics about where the best is.