Looking to possibly relocate to Pittsburgh! Residents, what is your opinion of the city? (Philadelphia: rent, lofts)

[travelbug37]

Thanks for the advice, jazz06! Yeah, I'm definitely going to visit...

I've been there before... I stayed with my friend there for 2 weeks a few years ago... but I haven't really found any other places that really meet my criteria, so I'm pretty sure that's where I want to go...

besides the weather, (which can't possibly be worse than where I'm living right now)... it's got everything I'm looking for.

[travelbug37]

so back to my original questions,

anybody have any experience with those things? (pools, transportation, restaurants, etc)?

Your responses are much appreciated!

[BrianTH]

I'll take a whack at the questions where I feel informed . . .

Originally Posted by travelbug37

Also, how expensive is the open air market in the strip district?

Pretty darn cheap for most things, at least cheaper than the local grocery stores.

What is the nearest ccac (alleghany county community college) campus to the lawrenceville area?

There is a Downtown center and then a big campus over on the North Side. I'm not sure what is done where but both are close to Lawrenceville.

Are there many restaurants . . . close by as well? walking distance or at least accessible with public transportation?

There is a pretty good restaurant scene in Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, a lot walkable and pretty much all easily accessed with buses.

Also, last question.... how expensive is the public transportation system?

It sounds like you will mostly be using buses in Zone 1. That is $2.00 a ride, $0.75 for a transfer (often good for a round-trip within a few hours if you only need to take one bus). If you were going to use it a lot there are some discounts, but frankly they aren't great (although they might get better when and if they roll out a SmartCard system).

[travelbug37]

Thanks, BrianTH!

Extremely helpful as always!

Would you say that the strip district open air market is walking distance from lawrenceville? Or would I have to rely on public transportation if I don't drive?

I noticed that the South campus has a lot of arts programs emphasized. Being in lawrenceville would it still be pretty close for me or no?

I know it's a long shot in this economy but do you know if any of the restaurants are looking for front of the house staff? Also, if you or anybody else knows anyone in food and beverage, can you please give me an estimate of the pay?

$2.00 a ride?? Wow, that's pricey. When I lived in DC it was .75 cents and a free automatic transfer... hmm... looks like I'm going to have to depend more on my legs for transportation... I'm working on getting a car though... is parking expensive?

Thanks again!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by travelbug37

Would you say that the strip district open air market is walking distance from lawrenceville? Or would I have to rely on public transportation if I don't drive?

So Lawrenceville is a long neighborhood stretching away from the Strip. I'd say the closer parts of Lawrenceville are definitely walkable from the Strip markets, maybe less so the farther parts.

I noticed that the South campus has a lot of arts programs emphasized. Being in lawrenceville would it still be pretty close for me or no?

It is definitely drivable, but a lot farther away.

I know it's a long shot in this economy but do you know if any of the restaurants are looking for front of the house staff?

I get the sense there are more job openings here than most places for quality servers.

I'm working on getting a car though... is parking expensive?

Not by big city standards, but it can be a little expensive all-day Downtown and such.

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by travelbug37

Thanks, BrianTH!

Extremely helpful as always!

Would you say that the strip district open air market is walking distance from lawrenceville? Or would I have to rely on public transportation if I don't drive?

I noticed that the South campus has a lot of arts programs emphasized. Being in lawrenceville would it still be pretty close for me or no?

I know it's a long shot in this economy but do you know if any of the restaurants are looking for front of the house staff? Also, if you or anybody else knows anyone in food and beverage, can you please give me an estimate of the pay?

$2.00 a ride?? Wow, that's pricey. When I lived in DC it was .75 cents and a free automatic transfer... hmm... looks like I'm going to have to depend more on my legs for transportation... I'm working on getting a car though... is parking expensive?

Thanks again!

You can walk to the Strip from Larenceville. But it is better to drive or take the 91A bus. Most of the shops in the Strip are between 16th and 23rd Street on Penn Avenue. Lawrencevvile starts around 34th at Penn and Butler and goes up to the 62nd Street Bridge. So, even if you live in Lola, (Lower Lawrenceville) it will be a good mile walk to the shops on Penn past a scrap yard and warehouses predominantly. That stretch is not particularly walkable IMHO.

[fleetiebelle]

I noticed that the South campus has a lot of arts programs emphasized. Being in lawrenceville would it still be pretty close for me or no?

From Lawrenceville, CCAC South campus in West Mifflin would probably be a good 30-45 minute drive, depending on traffic.

[travelbug37]

Thank you for answering my questions everyone!

So where is the food market located in relation to the shops in the Strip District? and how far do you think that would be from Lawrenceville? Still no shorter than a mile?

Alright so basically the South Campus looks a little bit unrealistic at this point...

Also, like I was asking earlier... what pools are nice in the area? Close to or in lawrenceville? Clean? and also how expensive? This may sound odd but in the summer time I absolutely NEED to be around SOME sort of water... (except for lakes and rivers... like to look at them... not a big fan of swimming in them) and I love to lay out in the sun so this is important to me...

All in all, what do you think is more economical for the area: driving or using public transportation?

Thanks in advance!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by travelbug37

So where is the food market located in relation to the shops in the Strip District? and how far do you think that would be from Lawrenceville? Still no shorter than a mile?

There are food places scattered all over the Strip, so basically the same answers apply (I consider the distance walkable from the nearer parts of Lawrenceville, but I agree it isn't going to be the most pleasant walk).

Also, like I was asking earlier... what pools are nice in the area? Close to or in lawrenceville? Clean? and also how expensive? This may sound odd but in the summer time I absolutely NEED to be around SOME sort of water... (except for lakes and rivers... like to look at them... not a big fan of swimming in them) and I love to lay out in the sun so this is important to me...

Here is a list of city pools:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/assets/09_pool_list.pdf (broken link)

It includes one in Bloomfield and one in Polish Hill. I haven't visited them so I can't say how nice they are. Pool tags are $30 for adults.

All in all, what do you think is more economical for the area: driving or using public transportation?

If you can use public transportation for your main needs and don't have to own a car at all, that is likely going to be less expensive. I might note that if you would only need a car once in a while you could potentially use Zipcar, a carsharing service. Zipcar has a few cars parked in Lawrenceville:

find cars – Zipcar

[travelbug37]

"There are food places scattered all over the Strip, so basically the same answers apply (I consider the distance walkable from the nearer parts of Lawrenceville, but I agree it isn't going to be the most pleasant walk)."

So there isn't just one open air food market like I thought? Hmm... I guess I misunderstood?

About transportation... if I relied on public transportation for majority of my needs, but still had a car for certain occasions... how much does parking cost? Do apartments generally provide parking free or is it an extra fee?