The walkability factor of Pittsburgh (Washington, Braddock: rental, neighborhoods, buying)

[Tiger Beer]

Viewing photos, it looks like things are fairly condensed..and you can walk to stores easy enough that might be near wherever you live? Would that be accurate?

Or do most people end in their cars the mass majority of the time to do something as simple as renting a video or buying a can of coke.

WHat is the convenience factor of Pittsburgh?

[BrianTH]

It depends on the neighborhood. We have several different neighborhoods where you can easily walk to a lot of restaurants and shops, and more neighborhoods where you can walk to at least some restaurants and shops (e.g., maybe not a video store or major groceries, but a corner store and some other stuff). But we also have standard post-WWII suburbs and rural areas where you have to drive.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Viewing photos, it looks like things are fairly condensed..and you can walk to stores easy enough that might be near wherever you live? Would that be accurate?

Or do most people end in their cars the mass majority of the time to do something as simple as renting a video or buying a can of coke.

WHat is the convenience factor of Pittsburgh?

In the city, I feel there is more than ample opportunity to walk to your destination. To answer your other question, I think there are to many people that don't take advantage of the walk-ability of their neighborhoods or take advantage of public transportation. In my opinion, if you live in the city and work in the city, there is no reason to be behind the wheel of a car. But yes, people do get in their cars and jam traffic for the most ridiculous reasons. I love trying to drive through Regent Square and watching people trying to squeeze their car in to the absoloute last parking spot on South Braddock, instead of parking a few blocks away.

[tmorrisn]

Just an fyi - you may have to drive to rent a video as video rental stores are few and far between (at least in the east end)
I think most areas of the city are walking distance to a variety of stores/shops/restaurants. While people living in more suburban areas like their cars, I think there's a good amount of foot traffic in the city albeit most of my observations are restricted to the east end and most of my friends are grad students without cars.

[ajl777]

pittsburgh isn't a very walkable city except for neighborhoods

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by ajl777

pittsburgh isn't a very walkable city except for neighborhoods

That's an oxymoron.

[ajl777]

Well I mean, yes you can walk around Oakland, Shadyside, Bloomfield, Downtown, Regent Square indvidually pretty easy, but is it walkable from Regent Square to downtown or Bloomfield to South Side? no, not really. I mean living in Bloomfield, if I want to go see a movie or go to a concert I usually have to drive somewhere else. I guess it just depends on what's in your neighborhood.

[pman]

Originally Posted by tmorrisn

Just an fyi - you may have to drive to rent a video as video rental stores are few and far between (at least in the east end)
I think most areas of the city are walking distance to a variety of stores/shops/restaurants. While people living in more suburban areas like their cars, I think there's a good amount of foot traffic in the city albeit most of my observations are restricted to the east end and most of my friends are grad students without cars.

what is this video rental store of which you speak? is that an archaic term?

[Blackbeauty212]

No City is that walkable......Pittsburgh has very walkable neighborhood as is Downtown Pittsburgh which is very Manhattan-like on weekday afternoons.

[fleetiebelle]

walkable from Regent Square to downtown or Bloomfield to South Side? no, not really.

That's true of most cities, though. If it's more than a few miles you're better off biking, bussing, or driving it.

The OP was referring to neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill, where if you lived there you could walk to the library, grocery store, movie theater, etc. Not many people are ever going to be walking from Squirrel Hill to, say, Mt. Washington.