Best Places to See the Pittsburgh Skyline (Bloomfield, Spring Hill: homes, closing)

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Where are the best neighborhoods to look to rent or buy that would also have good views of the skyline?

Observatory Hill and Fineview are probably the two best values, view-wise. Although Observatory Hill's views are more panoramic of the whole area than being centered on the skyline itself. Still, go up to Radium Street sometime to see what I'm talking about, or Brashear Reservoir Parklet in the winter. From there (highest point in the city limits), you can see from the Cathedral of Learning to McKees Rocks.

[BrianTH]

The views from Mt. Washington are very good and the inclines are a nice perk, but of course you are talking about expensive real estate (at least for Pittsburgh).

The South Side Slopes can be a good neighborhood for Downtown views, and it is convenient to the South Side Flats (particularly if you are in good shape). It is usually still pretty affordable but I think the secret is out, and asking prices have started to reflect that. Here is a random page I googled up:

Southside Slopes Photo Gallery by Beth at pbase.com

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The South Side Slopes can be a good neighborhood for Downtown views, and it is convenient to the South Side Flats (particularly if you are in good shape). It is usually still pretty affordable but I think the secret is out, and asking prices have started to reflect that.

I did see some stuff from around that area, and I like it! Actually sounds interesting after reading the complains about lack of parking, etc. regarding South Side Flats. I am in good shape, and the idea of walking to a cool area, but having a 'be in shape' to walk over, I guess on steep inclines, sounds very promising and interesting! Good way to keep in shape too! Plus seems like maybe from there, could walk across a bridge into downtown as well? Perhaps?

How is South Side Slopes compared to Observatory Hill and Fineview? Neighborhood-wise, conveniences, and for kids safety or whatnot, etc.?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Plus seems like maybe from there, could walk across a bridge into downtown as well? Perhaps?

Sure--you are probably talking around 2-2.5 miles, which I consider walkable.

How is South Side Slopes compared to Observatory Hill and Fineview? Neighborhood-wise, conveniences, and for kids safety or whatnot, etc.?

I'm not an expert on the North Side neighborhoods so hopefully someone else can chime in.

But my impression is that safety wise all these neighborhoods are very similar, and all pretty quiet by urban standards. As an aside, there is apparently a housing project on the edge of Fineview which throws off the crime statistics there (it is small neighborhood), but no one seems to think there is a spillover problem.

I've got this impression Observatory Hill has some nice older houses--I suspect I have seen something about a house tour there.

Finally, Fineview is much closer to the action on the North Side than Observatory Hill, and in turn I think the South Side Slopes are a little more attractive on that score thanks to the Flats.

[BrianTH]

By the way, here is a description of the upcoming 2009 StepTrek:

StepTrek 2009 - Event Description at South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association

StepTrek is an annual self-guided tour of some of the many public steps in the South Side Slopes (they change the route each year in part because that means the City will help clean up and repair another set of steps). The event description contains some interesting factoids about public steps in Pittsburgh and the South Side Slopes specifically, drawn from Bob Regan, “Steps of Pittsburgh, Portrait of a City,” 2004:

The South Side Slopes may quite possibly have the most steps of any neighborhood in the United States. After all, it is home to nearly 10% of the 712 sets of steps within Pittsburgh, which has the most steps of any city in the country. The city with the next greatest amount of steps is the Ohio River town of Cincinnati, followed by San Francisco. The steps of the combined cities, however, do not equal those in Pittsburgh. Altogether, some 66 out of the city’s 88 neighborhoods have steps. These hundreds of public stairways give tribute to the many hillside neighborhoods. . . .

When tallied in full, [Pittsburgh's steps rise] 24,108 vertical feet, or over four miles in height. To put it into perspective, that’s higher than Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Here’s how the steps of Pittsburgh rank with some other well-known mountains:

Pittsburgh Steps 24,108 feet
Mt. Aconcagua 22,835 feet
Mt. McKinley 20,320 feet
Mt. Kilimanjaro 19,340 feet
Matterhorn 14,700 feet
Mt. Whitney 14,495 feet

. . . The South Side Slopes has 68 sets of public stairs with a total count of 5,447 steps.

[gallacus]

Just wanted to mention that I live in the Southside Slopes. I'm in my mid twenties, but I live like I'm in my mid thirties. I don't go out much, and I ride my bike all over the place. For me, the Southside Slopes is the best neighborhood in Pittsburgh. For some reason, the prices are still much lower than the flats, and many places have ample parking, amazing views, and there are steps everywhere that lead you down to the Flats for when you want to go out. It takes me about an hour to walk to the center of downtown, but on a bike it takes about 10 minutes. Not to mention I regularly come home to turkeys in my back yard, and deer are frequently seen walking by my front door.

Due to the topography of the neighborhood, there seems to be little pockets all over the neighborhood that all feel a bit different from one another. I live off of Brosville St., but also really like the area surrounding the little playground on Eleanor St. If you have/want kids, this area seems to be the spot in the neighborhood where most of the kids are. Every time I ride my bike past this playground, there are kids playing there. The whole area North of Salisbury Street and West of Josephine is pretty cool in my opinion.

If you're not so willing to give up the feel of the Flats, Pius Street is like a mixture of the two neighborhoods. Has kind of a Flats feel to it, but the homes come with amazing views! This street is getting pretty pricey though, if I'm not mistaken.

The best way to figure out which area of the neighborhood you like best is to drive around with a map. You'll be amazed how quirky it is, how narrow some of the streets are. You'll quickly see which parts are really neat, and which parts aren't so neat. Good luck and have fun!

[truemuck]

Heres an interesting pic I took of the skyline from the top of the Cork Factory parking garage in the Strip:


Only wish I had a better camera with me to zoom in more!

[alleghenyangel]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Spring Hill! I think the views from Spring Hill, especially along Yetta avenue, are the best in the city. To get to spring Hill, just follow the 16th st. bridge to the north side, follow Chestnut and take a right on Itin street. Itin will take you up to the top of Spring Hill and you will witness some of the best views (and most affordable, safest housing) in the city.

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

Geez, I didn't mean it literally. But if I am going to be honest, that area is really dirty looking and completely gross. There were like, 3 nice shops there and the food stores - they look like they haven't been updated or swept in a hundred years. I'm sorry, downtown has some really nice spots, but food or not -- the strip district is old, grungy and gross.

I'm a native Pittburgher and I agree with you. I try to avoid the Strip District, at all costs. Too many pigeons are down there, and I have a pigeon phobia. It smells, too. If I go down there, its only because I'm on a mission to purchase some Steeler stuff, for a Steeler party, or to get a sandwich 'to go' at Primanti's, that's it. I'm usually IN and OUT!

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Little Mizz Pittsburgh

I'm a native Pittburgher and I agree with you. I try to avoid the Strip District, at all costs. Too many pigeons are down there, and I have a pigeon phobia. It smells, too. If I go down there, its only because I'm on a mission to purchase some Steeler stuff, for a Steeler party, or to get a sandwich 'to go' at Primanti's, that's it. I'm usually IN and OUT!

LOL You have to go on a Saturday. There are too many people for there to be a lot of pigeons. (Of course, that's a whole other problem, too many people.)

As it stands, I don't go to the Strip that often. Most stuff is not open into the evening, and I don't live close enough to go often on Saturdays. If/when I move closer, perhaps I will utilize it more.

BTW, I don't understand the appeal of Feinberg's as Steelers HQ. There are other useful places to get Steelers stuff, although, true, maybe not too many that have a lot of Steelers party gear. The place I've seen with the most Steelers stuff is actually 50 States Souvenirs in Breezewood, oddly enough. You've probably never seen so much Steelers stuff in one place if you haven't been.