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Old 02-13-2008, 09:27 PM
 
89 posts, read 536,872 times
Reputation: 98

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I have never been to pittsburgh so I am curious...
Is it clean
safe- I have heard about gang problems there- any truth to that?
affordable(compared to NYC or Boston)
family friendly- we have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old
are the people nice-generally
and is it a fun place to live- good music scene, museums, good food, outdoor events?
how is the zoo/aquarium-nice, expensive?
we live in Williamsport PA now and are looking to move somewhere BIGGER and more exciting but want to stay close to family. Anything will help. What is the best time to come visit? We were thinking April or May.
THANKS!!
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Old 02-14-2008, 12:15 AM
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA
2,336 posts, read 7,779,163 times
Reputation: 1580
Quote:
Originally Posted by skhimmelreich View Post
I have never been to pittsburgh so I am curious...
Is it clean
Compared to...Philadelphia? New York? Cleveland? Yes. Williamsport? Miami? Baltimore? Maybe not so much.

Quote:
safe- I have heard about gang problems there- any truth to that?
Well reading through these forums, it really depends on who you talk to. I say no. And when I lived in Allentown, PA....oh, ages ago, I felt that place had a much more distinct "gang" problem than Pittsburgh does.

Quote:
affordable(compared to NYC or Boston)
Definitely

Quote:
family friendly- we have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old
Hmm...don't know about that...I don't have any kids. I was a kid in Pittsburgh...and enjoyed myself a lot. And I have an 8 year old sister who lives in Ft. Lauderdale and begs to come up here (and she has no immediate family here -- except me, and I've only been back for 3 months) because she has such a good time and there's so much more for children to do here than down there.

Quote:
are the people nice-generally
I think so

Quote:
and is it a fun place to live- good music scene, museums, good food, outdoor events?
Yes. Well we are not New York City (by far). But for it's size, I think Pittsburgh offers a lot. A whole lot in fact.

Quote:
how is the zoo/aquarium-nice, expensive?
Oh wow...can't help you there...I haven't been to zoo in about 7 or 8 years. I heard they have changed some things since then.

Quote:
we live in Williamsport PA now and are looking to move somewhere BIGGER and more exciting but want to stay close to family. Anything will help. What is the best time to come visit? We were thinking April or May.
THANKS!!
I don't know if I would call Pittsburgh "exciting"....really. However, most "exciting" places are notoriously non-family friendly, IMHO. Come in May; chances are the weather will be more pleasant.
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Old 02-14-2008, 12:40 AM
 
809 posts, read 2,410,079 times
Reputation: 330
Quote:
Originally Posted by skhimmelreich View Post
What is the best time to come visit? We were thinking April or May.
THANKS!!
Oh god yes, please come in the spring.

Spring in Pittsburgh is just awe-inspiring. Probably one of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see.
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Old 02-14-2008, 07:10 AM
 
2,902 posts, read 10,070,295 times
Reputation: 421
Quote:
Baltimore? Maybe not so much.
You think Baltimore is cleaner than Pittburgh?????????

*BOGGLE*

I HIGHLY beg to differ.

MissShona pretty much sums everything up nicely, though. Pittsburgh is very much family friendly. It is a great destination for people to come raise families. Also, last time I was at the zoo a couple years ago I think it was about $12.
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Old 02-14-2008, 09:16 AM
 
Location: South of Pittsburgh
4 posts, read 12,467 times
Reputation: 10
There is a ton of stuff to do in Pittsburgh that are Kid friendly to name a few-there is the zoo it's awesome they've spent a ton of money, museum, children's museum, Gateway Clipper, riding the incline, (winter outdoor skating at North and South Park and PPG Place), Kennywood Park, Sandcastle, biking trails around the city and at the county parks, baseball games. An hour and half you can be in the mountains at some beautiful state parks and one of my favorites is Ohiopyle, caverns near Uniontown just to name a few spots.
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Old 02-14-2008, 09:56 AM
 
20,273 posts, read 33,018,179 times
Reputation: 2911
Everything is relative, of course, but I think it is fair to say that Pittsburgh has all the kid-friendly entertainment options you would expect from a medium-sized city, and is also on the cleaner, more friendly, and safer end of the spectrum among comparable cities.

But where it really has an advantage for families is affordable housing, often close to your employment.
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Old 02-14-2008, 10:07 AM
 
439 posts, read 1,474,691 times
Reputation: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by guylocke View Post
You think Baltimore is cleaner than Pittburgh?????????

*BOGGLE*

I HIGHLY beg to differ.

MissShona pretty much sums everything up nicely, though. Pittsburgh is very much family friendly. It is a great destination for people to come raise families. Also, last time I was at the zoo a couple years ago I think it was about $12.
Here is info about the zoo:

April 1 through November 30

Category Daily
Adult $10
Seniors (60 years of age or older) $9
Children (ages 2-13) $8
Children under 24 months Free
Parking Free

December 1 through March 31

Category Daily
Adult $8
Seniors (60 years of age or older) $7
Children (ages 2-13 years) $7
Children under 24 months Free
Parking Free
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Old 02-14-2008, 12:08 PM
 
40 posts, read 181,871 times
Reputation: 14
My wife and I have a 3-year-old and we have no problem finding things to do when we want to take her somewhere. We live in the suburbs (South Hills) and there are plenty of community parks/playgrounds/rec centers in almost every community. As others have mentioned, the Children's Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Aviary, Zoo, etc. are what you would expect a mid-size city to have. We have also found the Heinz History Museum in the Strip District and the Natural History Museum in Oakland both have lots to do for kids.
You can also have a fun, cheap outing to Station Square or South Side Works for food and to let you kids look/play around the fountains. My daughter finds them fascinating...
The great thing is everything is within 30 minutes of where you live as long as you don't get too far away from the city.
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Old 02-14-2008, 12:58 PM
 
30 posts, read 113,146 times
Reputation: 13
The zoo recently added a polar bears exhibit. They have a large kids' play area with slides. I remember going there many times as a kid and recently the stuff they have added would make it even nicer.

Also the cost of living in Pittsburgh is significantly lower than Boston. I always think it's ridiculous when I travel there and see prices.
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Old 02-14-2008, 01:42 PM
 
2,039 posts, read 6,323,423 times
Reputation: 581
Default my opinion

QUOTE: I have never been to pittsburgh so I am curious...
Is it clean NO. Remember, the city itself is very old and is just rebounding from it's decline. Hopefully they will utilize the workers better and get them to clean up the trash, weeds and dirt.
safe- I have heard about gang problems there- any truth to that? It's safe. Even I feel safe there, including in the so called "bad" areas.
affordable(compared to NYC or Boston) IMO - yes.
family friendly- we have a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old Definately.
are the people nice-generally Yes.
and is it a fun place to live- good music scene, museums, good food, outdoor events? Good music scene? - not especially. My nephew lived with us a couple of years ago because he wanted to expand his music business and found Pittsburgh to be pretty much behind the 8-ball in almost all music aspects.
how is the zoo/aquarium-nice, expensive? Don't know, but it sure looks nice in the pictures I've seen..
we live in Williamsport PA now and are looking to move somewhere BIGGER and more exciting but want to stay close to family. Anything will help. What is the best time to come visit? We were thinking April or May. May or June, July or August. My favorite time of year in Pittsburgh is autumn because the landscape is so beautiful.
THANKS!! You're welcome.
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