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Old 12-05-2016, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Morningside)
14,361 posts, read 16,901,494 times
Reputation: 12390

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Central Lawrenceville was my home neighborhood for seven years, from 2007 to 2014. Thus I can say quite a great deal about it.

Lawrenceville is traditionally split up by the city into three neighborhoods, Central, Lower, and Upper Lawrenceville, which are evidently based upon how far up the Allegheny each neighborhood is. Interestingly, these are not the neighborhood divisions that old timers use for the different sections of Lawrenceville, instead describing them by their historic ward number (6th Ward, 9th Ward, and 10th Ward). The ward boundaries (at least within Lawrenceville) are pretty analogous to the official neighborhood boundaries. Regardless, Central Lawrenceville's boundaries are pretty tightly defined as between 40th and 51st, with Penn Avenue separating the portion near the top of the hill from Bloomfield.

Like all of Lawrenceville, Central Lawrenceville is dominated by rowhouses. Indeed, according to the last U.S. Census, Central Lawrenceville was the only portion of the city where the majority of housing units were single-family attached. Of course there are plenty of other rowhouse neighborhoods in the city, but Central Lawrenceville stood out because there was so little of anything else. Lawrenceville somehow managed to finagle protective zoning which stopped the subdivision of houses into small multi-units, which meant aside from the few apartments above commercial buildings on Butler, and the mid-century Davison Square Apartments, there wasn't much to speak of. The Foundry @ 41st apartment building now being constructed will surely add additional apartment units to the mix though, and it's safe to presume more units are coming.

Traditionally, Central Lawrenceville has been divided by residents into two different sections, "Below Butler" (by the river) and "Above Butler" (on the hillside). Below Butler was almost exclusively 19th century brick rowhouses before more recent infill projects became common. Historically it had been less desirable - probably originally because it was closer to the mills, but the flatter topography and ease of access to Butler Street seem to have made it more popular. Above Butler is a much more heterogeneous area. Some of the streets (Main, Fisk, and 40th) were where rich people lived in Lawrenceville back in the 19th century, thus having the best historic housing in the neighborhood by far. These streets began gentrifying as long ago as the late 1980s, as people filtered into the neighborhood to restore these grand old houses. In contrast, the remainder of the hillside is mixed, with much of it having pretty modest housing. Major areas were not built out until the early 20th century, which is why you have curiosities like bungalow rowhouses mixed in.

Of course, Butler Street runs right through the heart of Central Lawrenceville. As Central was more socially stable than the other portions of Lawrenceville, it never reached the quasi-abandoned states of other portions Butler. As a result, while the other two portions of Lawrenceville only have a handful of non-gentrified businesses left, Central Lawrenceville still has a lot of ordinary businesses which have remained in place. Indeed, I have noted it's more common for one gentrified business to replace another than it is for these businesses to close, although one or two do each year. Still, the mix of new and old means the business district is much more functional, as you can not only go out to eat, get coffee, and shop in a boutique - you can also go to the dentist, optician, bank, or pick up a bottle at Wine and Spirits. Central Lawrenceville also has things to do off Butler commercially. Below Butler, there are random storefronts mixed into the neighborhood, with options like Stinky's (one of the few remaining "Old Lawrenceville" bars), Cattivo, and Kaleidoscope Cafe. Penn Avenue between Fisk and 44th contains some businesses as well which contribute to the "Penn/Main" business district shared with Bloomfield - most notably Constellation Coffee.

Technically Allegheny Cemetery, along with the smaller Catholic Saint Mary Cemetery, are within the neighborhood's boundaries (which artificially lowers the neighborhood population density. I've never spent time in Saint Mary's, but I have been in Allegheny Cemetery many times - both just strolling through and as part of a bike commute (it's the quietest way to get up the hill into the East End, albeit less direct). The cemetery is not only informally used by a park by many residents, but also formally, with local events like the Annual Doo-Dah days and Memorial Day festival taking place in the lower portion. The cemetery is well known for having large herds of deer (I've counted over 30 hanging out together at times) along with a few notably odd graves, like the Egyptian-style tomb with the sphinxes, or the shark gravestone.

I suppose a thread about Central Lawrenceville wouldn't be complete without a discussion of gentrification. When I moved there in 2007, gentrification was already in full swing. Although I mostly moved there because I could buy a brick house on the cheap, I had already gone to the neighborhood for social events, including Art All Night, 80s night at Belvidires, and karaoke at the Thunderbird. The neighborhood already had a Crazy Mocha, and there were cool events taking place at the (now closed) Your Inner Vagabond (it's where Cafe Istanbul is now). That said, the neighborhood as a whole was of course much grittier and grimier, although not really unsafe (unlike Upper Lawrenceville, which certainly still was at that point). The big inflection point seemed to be around 2011, which was also when I recall the neighborhood getting direct bus service to Oakland. At that point, I started seeing a lot more normal looking/yuppie type people hanging out in the neighborhood. For me personally my enjoyment of living there dropped over time due to the alienation from what the neighborhood ended up becoming, although if we could have found a larger house in the neighborhood which was reasonably affordable I think we could have stayed and been happy.
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Old 12-05-2016, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
595 posts, read 596,074 times
Reputation: 617
Cattivo is starting to get pretty popular. With the closing of the Altar Bar in the Strip District, it's getting its fair share of touring acts that are too big for The Smiling Moose but too small for Mr. Smalls and/or the Rex Theater.
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Old 12-05-2016, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Lawrenceville
373 posts, read 376,072 times
Reputation: 358
Ah, home sweet home.

You make reference to 'above' and 'below' Butler and I find that to be pretty common, but I also sometimes hear people refer to the area 'below Butler' as the 'river side', and have started using that myself as well. I guess the equivalent for 'above Butler' would then be 'hill side'? Who knows.

I've grown really fond of the neighborhood since moving there in 2014. Plenty to do within the neighborhood (and Lawrenceville in general) and also in Bloomfield and The Strip, all of which I enjoy walking to, especially in the spring and fall.

Spirit is my new favorite spot in the city. It most closely matches my interests in music/art/creativity/fun/etc. Cattivo is fine for a show or for a drink but it's insufferably packed when they have events like 'Drake Night', for example. My girlfriend and I have grown pretty fond of Stinky's. Their food specials are pretty good, the food is perfectly acceptable bar food (do not buy into the hype about their burgers!), and they have a nice selection of beer. Good spot to watch a Pens game. And I need to give Hambone's and Thunderbird more of my time, especially Thunderbird.

Other things I really like in the neighborhood are: Dijlah, Smoke, Row House Cinema, Bierport (formerly Atlas), Wildcard, Tender, Arsenal Lanes, La Gourmandine, and Roundabout.
Used to be a bigger fan of Industry but the food either isn't as good as it used to be or my tastes are changing. And it's always so so loud in there. Also Barb's is now too expensive to justify going there anymore.
Somehow I've never been to New Amsterdam, Belvedere's (since it reopened), Kickback, or The Vandal. Anyone have any thoughts on those?

The in-fill they just did on 43rd street is pretty silly. It looks dumb and the price of those units is unbelievable to me. You can live across the street for under $1000/month.
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Old 12-05-2016, 11:57 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Morningside)
14,361 posts, read 16,901,494 times
Reputation: 12390
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProFiction View Post
Other things I really like in the neighborhood are: Dijlah, Smoke, Row House Cinema, Bierport (formerly Atlas), Wildcard, Tender, Arsenal Lanes, La Gourmandine, and Roundabout.
Used to be a bigger fan of Industry but the food either isn't as good as it used to be or my tastes are changing. And it's always so so loud in there. Also Barb's is now too expensive to justify going there anymore.
When we head back to the neighborhood, it's mostly for shopping runs at Wildcard and Bierport. We really weren't happy with the eating options in Central Lawrenceville. Gus's Cafe was absolutely horrid though, I'll say that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ProFiction View Post
Somehow I've never been to New Amsterdam, Belvedere's (since it reopened), Kickback, or The Vandal. Anyone have any thoughts on those?
We used to go to New Amsterdam fairly frequently because we didn't live that far away. I think it's a decent place with passable food. While it's certainly not "old Lawrenceville" it has more of a mix of ages than I've seen at some of the other bars on Butler Street. It's definitely nicer to go in the warm weather when the front is open. The rooftop deck is probably awesome.
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Old 12-05-2016, 12:07 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
6,327 posts, read 9,109,457 times
Reputation: 4048
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
When we head back to the neighborhood, it's mostly for shopping runs at Wildcard and Bierport. We really weren't happy with the eating options in Central Lawrenceville. Gus's Cafe was absolutely horrid though, I'll say that.



We used to go to New Amsterdam fairly frequently because we didn't live that far away. I think it's a decent place with passable food. While it's certainly not "old Lawrenceville" it has more of a mix of ages than I've seen at some of the other bars on Butler Street. It's definitely nicer to go in the warm weather when the front is open. The rooftop deck is probably awesome.
I live in Lawrenceville and have gone to the renovated New Amsterdam and enjoyed it a lot; can't talk about the food though as I've only gone there to drink. I never stepped foot in Gus's Cafe, but look on Yelp it appear that is has now permanently closed and I do agree with you the dining options in Central LV are a little more on the limited side. V3 Flatbread finally opened this month at last and I thought it was very good with a good filling portion for the price you pay.
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Old 12-05-2016, 12:21 PM
 
1,577 posts, read 1,274,444 times
Reputation: 1107
Quote:
Originally Posted by ProFiction View Post
Ah, home sweet home.

You make reference to 'above' and 'below' Butler and I find that to be pretty common, but I also sometimes hear people refer to the area 'below Butler' as the 'river side', and have started using that myself as well. I guess the equivalent for 'above Butler' would then be 'hill side'? Who knows.

I've grown really fond of the neighborhood since moving there in 2014. Plenty to do within the neighborhood (and Lawrenceville in general) and also in Bloomfield and The Strip, all of which I enjoy walking to, especially in the spring and fall.

Spirit is my new favorite spot in the city. It most closely matches my interests in music/art/creativity/fun/etc. Cattivo is fine for a show or for a drink but it's insufferably packed when they have events like 'Drake Night', for example. My girlfriend and I have grown pretty fond of Stinky's. Their food specials are pretty good, the food is perfectly acceptable bar food (do not buy into the hype about their burgers!), and they have a nice selection of beer. Good spot to watch a Pens game. And I need to give Hambone's and Thunderbird more of my time, especially Thunderbird.

Other things I really like in the neighborhood are: Dijlah, Smoke, Row House Cinema, Bierport (formerly Atlas), Wildcard, Tender, Arsenal Lanes, La Gourmandine, and Roundabout.
Used to be a bigger fan of Industry but the food either isn't as good as it used to be or my tastes are changing. And it's always so so loud in there. Also Barb's is now too expensive to justify going there anymore.
Somehow I've never been to New Amsterdam, Belvedere's (since it reopened), Kickback, or The Vandal. Anyone have any thoughts on those?

The in-fill they just did on 43rd street is pretty silly. It looks dumb and the price of those units is unbelievable to me. You can live across the street for under $1000/month.
new amsterdam might as well be in the south side now. not a big fan. the vandal looks like overpriced "hip" food, for what it's worth.
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Old 12-05-2016, 12:21 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Morningside)
14,361 posts, read 16,901,494 times
Reputation: 12390
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradjl2009 View Post
V3 Flatbread finally opened this month at last and I thought it was very good with a good filling portion for the price you pay.
I've eaten at the one downtown, and I like it a good deal. My only concern with it is hygiene related. Unlike Chipotle and other fast casual places they don't use tongs and just grab all of the toppings with their hands, not even changing gloves between pizzas. It probably leads to a lot of cross contamination.
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Old 12-05-2016, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,606 posts, read 77,329,459 times
Reputation: 19072
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradjl2009 View Post
V3 Flatbread finally opened this month at last and I thought it was very good with a good filling portion for the price you pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
I've eaten at the one downtown, and I like it a good deal. My only concern with it is hygiene related. Unlike Chipotle and other fast casual places they don't use tongs and just grab all of the toppings with their hands, not even changing gloves between pizzas. It probably leads to a lot of cross contamination.
We've eaten at the Downtown V3 roughly a half-dozen times over the course of the past year, and we've been to the Lawrenceville location once so far with plans to go again before Christmas. We were there a couple of weeks ago (around 6 PM on Light Up Night), just a few weeks after their grand opening (which featured a line down the block for free pizza!), and we were the only ones there from the time we walked in until the time we left. An employee there said they were doing "okay" business-wise, but they were hoping to be busier.

It was neat sitting and people-watching at the Lawrenceville location. First we were treated to seeing the driver of a large SUV struggling insufferably to parallel park in a narrow space in front of Mister Grooming. Then we watched as someone flew a drone around the intersection. We also saw that New Amsterdam was packed.

We really like both locations, and maybe it's because I've been known to eat food off the floor but I've never once felt concerned for my health eating at V3. I look at it as "the Chipotle of pizza". It's interesting that we love V3 so much since their parent company is Vocelli Pizza, and we think Vocelli is awful.

After V3 we walked a couple of blocks down Butler for dessert at NatuRoll. Good stuff! Our third time there! It's run by a woman from Cranberry Township, too! Who woulda thunk?!
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Old 12-05-2016, 02:08 PM
 
4,176 posts, read 2,925,028 times
Reputation: 3072
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
I've eaten at the one downtown, and I like it a good deal. My only concern with it is hygiene related. Unlike Chipotle and other fast casual places they don't use tongs and just grab all of the toppings with their hands, not even changing gloves between pizzas. It probably leads to a lot of cross contamination.
I think you just gagged me with a spoon. I cannot eat at buffet type places and I try not to look at the food prep. It grosses me out.
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Old 12-06-2016, 05:54 AM
 
110 posts, read 95,362 times
Reputation: 133
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradjl2009 View Post
I live in Lawrenceville and have gone to the renovated New Amsterdam and enjoyed it a lot; can't talk about the food though as I've only gone there to drink. I never stepped foot in Gus's Cafe, but look on Yelp it appear that is has now permanently closed and I do agree with you the dining options in Central LV are a little more on the limited side. V3 Flatbread finally opened this month at last and I thought it was very good with a good filling portion for the price you pay.
I live a stone's throw away from Gus's Cafe, and had been there a few times. It was always the last stop on a bar crawl, or something. You didn't miss much. The building was set up like they wanted to be a cool dive bar, but couldn't attract the crowd, or something.

I was at New Amsterdam last night for wing night; the wings are good!
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