Downtown Population increased 25% since 2000 (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: to move, rich, property)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by pman

munch goes to hanlon's


Read more: Munch Goes to Hanlon's Cafe

Interesting. And very convenient for moi.

[BrianTH]

Sounds like a nice addition from the perspective of giving residents some every-day-type options.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Ahh let Reston have his fun.....compare to Reston, VA vs Downtown DC...he is living on the cusp of Downtown now....

Yes. It's fun living on a cusp!

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I believe it is never too early to start indoctrinating newcomers into the mysterious ways of Pittsburgh mental geography.

I also believe that if I continue to promote Polish Hill's convenience to other areas that someday it, too, may actually have useful businesses of its own and far fewer dilapidated structures (i.e. the two unsightly abandoned rowhomes directly across from my loft).

Originally Posted by jay5835

Why?

Long story. Let's just say I ended up staying the previous night at an upscale hotel in Downtown DC after partying with three other guys (no, not in THAT way!), felt self-conscious about my image the next day, and decided to walk 11 miles or so back to my car at the parking garage in West Falls Church to start getting into better shape.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

I also believe that if I continue to promote Polish Hill's convenience to other areas that someday it, too, may actually have useful businesses of its own and far fewer dilapidated structures (i.e. the two unsightly abandoned rowhomes directly across from my loft).

I suspect you are right about Polish Hill's future. To be blunt, I think it will have more to do with other nearby areas becoming increasingly expensive than your personal efforts, but there is no harm in talking about it.

[pman]

Two expanding companies have leased space for their headquarters in the vacant Seagate Building, Downtown, but the developer of a planned center for technology companies there has reduced the overall size of that project.
..
The addition of two tenants and the proposed AMBER technology center in the Seagate Building has prompted owner Buncher Co. to resume plans to build a new office building adjacent to the nearby Holiday Inn Hotel on Penn Avenue, said CEO Tom Balastrieri. No date has been set for that project.

Read more: Seagate Building to get 2 tenants - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Seagate Building to get 2 tenants - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Long story. Let's just say I ended up staying the previous night at an upscale hotel in Downtown DC after partying with three other guys (no, not in THAT way!), felt self-conscious about my image the next day, and decided to walk 11 miles or so back to my car at the parking garage in West Falls Church to start getting into better shape.

I remember a similar walk from the Hill to Dupont Circle one Saturday morning when I was in that condition, and my feet were so sore by the time I got home, and that was only 4 or 5 miles. I had a friend with me, though, and it's one of my happiest memories with him.

11 miles, though, ack!

[pman]

Rooms with a view: Condos atop Fairmont Downtown score with luxury, location and great vistas

[BrianTH]

That really is a killer location and view. And although people in Pittsburgh might not see it that way, the pricing is really very reasonable.

[juliegt]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

That really is a killer location and view. And although people in Pittsburgh might not see it that way, the pricing is really very reasonable.

I looked at the prices for the penthouses, $1.654 - $2.5 million and compared them to roughly equivalent penthouses in SF, CA. Those in SF ranged from $2.995 - $5.2 million. Just about double the price of those in Pittsburgh.

[pman]

thought this might be of interest to some folks, written by the guy heading their equivalent of the downtown partnership.

Whirlwinds of litter blew around, broken glass glittered in gutters, and graffiti marred buildings and benches. Thirty-foot-high "cobra head" streetlights created pools of light separated by long stretches of darkness. Security gates were rolled down by 5:30 p.m. There were no outdoor cafés, only one condominium complex...The city was in the midst of recession and fiscal crisis. There really had been a 1970s ad campaign with the slogan "Philadelphia is not as bad as Philadelphians say it is." We were not only economically depressed; we were clinically depressed.As our forthcoming "State of Center City" report shows, serious crimes have been reduced by half over the last 20 years, car burglaries by three-quarters. New landscaping, pedestrian-scale lighting, and signs create a welcoming environment day and night. We can enjoy 213 outdoor cafés and 328 percent more fine dining establishments (and have the waistlines to prove it). There's been a 95 percent increase in hotel rooms,

From ghost town to bustling downtown | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/21/2011