Considering a Move to Pittsburgh (Liberty, Bloomfield: car rental, apartments, rental)

[sld2002]

Hello. I'm considering taking a job in downtown Pittsburgh and I'm looking for apartments to rent. At the moment, I'm looking at places in Bloomfield. Can anyone tell me what the vibe is? Is it a safe place (I understand that pretty much every urban area has crime, but compared to the rest of Pittsbugh)? Is there a nice bus service (I won't have a car)? If I had to work evenings should I worry about taking the bus by myself (I am a single female)?

The lack of a car is really the issue here. I can't afford and I don't want to bother with it in the city. Are their safe areas, or is it just the 'burbs.

[fleetiebelle]

Several of my friends are single women who live in Bloomfield, and don't have cars. They really like the neighborhood, and it's pretty easy to catch a bus on Liberty Ave that'll take you downtown (or elsewhere.) And like you said, you just have to take the same precautions anyone does when living in an urban area.

[sld2002]

Thanks! I was only wondering because I found some places in the area I could actually afford and I thought it was too good to be true!

[suzeeq521]

If you live in Bloomfield, you will probably use the 86A (which was cut back a lot in the last round of cuts) or the 86B (which actually runs down Penn, but is walkable to part of Bloomfield), plus some of the 77s, for trips downtown.

The 54C will serve you well to get to Oakland and the North or South Side.

The Port Authority has a website which has all of the schedules (portauthority dot org). On the hand schedules, there are small maps that would give you an idea of what they serve - you could compare the places you found to the route maps on the 86A & Bs.

[fleetiebelle]

This might be of interest to you: Walking Bloomfield « Walking Pittsburgh

The people who run the blog are walking Pittsburgh's neighborhoods in alphabetical order.

[BVH]

I lived in Bloomfield for many years. I found it to be safe and convenient to the Universities (I went to Pitt) and downtown for work if you do not have a car. It has been a few years though. I drove through there a few weeks ago and it doesn't appear to have changed much...

[Geeo]

Bloomfield is a great neighborhood that still has an Italian influence from the early immigrants to the area. I live in the adjacent neighborhood called Shadyside. The whole area is very nice, and you won't need a car. If you do, there is a car rental service where you can rent by the hour if you need one.

[sld2002]

Thanks for the help! I've been to Pittsburgh many times before, but I don't really know the area.

[Windwalker]

Bloomfield is cool, quirky with some decent restaurants, great Italian food and two Italian grocerias along with a regular grocery store. A few blocks down to Friendship Ave. or over to Penn and you can catch buses all over the place.

It's a traditional Italian immigrant working class neighborhood that's turning into a scene for young artists moving in who can't afford much else.

Bloomfield has some crime, but when it does happen, there'll be 2-4 Steelers fans who'll chase a mugger down the street, get your purse, and hold the guy until the police arrive. Really. I've seen this happen. But crime is low compared to many other places. In the main streets of Bloomfield you'll be quite safe at night. Down some back streets, you may need to be cautious, but where is that not true?

And chances are you'll know your neighbors and they'll know you and watch out for you. It's that kind of place.

It's the kind of neighborhood where old geisers stand out on the corner in front of Mariani's Pleasure Bar (which isn't what it sounds like--actually a very good Italian restaurant) and shoot the breeze on Sat. a.m. just like their Dads did forty years ago.

My bank is in Bloomfield and when a contractor we hired to do some work for us while we were on vacation came in to cash a check we'd given him, the teller--who knew us--called us on our cell phone to see if the guy was legit because she didn't know him.

Really--folks know you and will look out for you.

[suzeeq521]

Wow, that is totally not the experience that I had living in Bloomfield. Not at all.