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Old 03-14-2010, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,660,570 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onwardandupward View Post
For awhile I had a similar commute to BrianTH's, and for me the biggest issue was trying to get out of D.C. on Fridays before the mass exodus occurred. If I left before around 1:30, I could get home in 4 - 4 1/2 hrs, but if I waiting till anytime past 3, forget it - it might take me 6+ hrs. to get back to Pittsburgh.
That is correct, well, 6 hours sounds like a stretch most times, but I could see it adding an hour easily, and if you left at 5ish, yeah, then the 6 hours sounds right. It's been a while since I left that late. Heck, I think that's true of almost any day. I try to leave at noon or so on my last day when I'm down there. It's the 270 squeeze out past Germantown that really kills it. Unbelievable after all these years that it's still 2 lanes from there to Frederick. Ugh.

I don't know what time the traffic calms down, maybe 7:00? That would be rather late, though.

You can get a bus to DC maybe with reasonable times, haven't checked recently. The train, forget it, takes 7 hours even if it happens to be on time.
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Old 03-14-2010, 03:55 PM
 
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I had the same experience as everyone else driving from DC. I got on a flex schedule where I was working so I could leave early on Fridays, because otherwise 270 would stink.

Driving back on Sunday could also be an issue during the warmer months--I assume it was weekend-trippers coming back--and I would have to plan to arrive in DC earlier or later.
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Old 03-14-2010, 04:19 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
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Quote:
But you'd have to get on transit to do *anything* except shop for basic groceries in the little Foodland or Rite Aid.
There's dry cleaning, hair salons, a laundromat, a liquor store, banks, several restaurants and neighborhood bars that aren't upscale (Chinese, pizza, hot dogs, Italian,) and even a few coffee shops and a diner. I lived up there for 6 years. I totally acknowledge that Mt.W isn't as full-service as other neighborhoods, but it's close to Duquesne, and it's not like the OP'd be stranded.

Last edited by fleetiebelle; 03-14-2010 at 04:31 PM..
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Old 03-14-2010, 08:33 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,660,570 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fleetiebelle View Post
There's dry cleaning, hair salons, a laundromat, a liquor store, banks, several restaurants and neighborhood bars that aren't upscale (Chinese, pizza, hot dogs, Italian,) and even a few coffee shops and a diner. I lived up there for 6 years. I totally acknowledge that Mt.W isn't as full-service as other neighborhoods, but it's close to Duquesne, and it's not like the OP'd be stranded.
Fair enough. Although if you're counting stuff that's on the back side of, say, Virginia Ave at Wyoming St, like stuff on Bailey Ave, I'm not sure I'd want to walk there. If all of this is on Virginia or Shiloh or similar, some things must have opened in the past few years. I do remember a dry cleaner on I think Sycamore, and the banks, sure, and liquor store. And the laundromat that got damaged by the tornado. (I lived there when the tornado came through, but I wasn't at home at the time, watched it from work.) I dunno about the coffee places. The one is supposedly somewhere in Chatham Village if it's still there, and I thought one on Shiloh opened and then closed. I don't remember there being multiple bars or restaurants not counting the Grandview places. And I don't just mean 10 years ago when I lived there, I mean even fairly recently.

I may not have kept up with what is new there as much as I thought I did. But I'm still thinking I'd take some other areas over going back to Mt Washington. That said, as long as you're not right on Grandview, Mt Washington rents can be reasonable. I wouldn't expect it to be quiet necessarily though, quieter than South Side, yeah, but not quieter than a lot of other places. It was noisy to me when I lived there, just a half a block down from Grandview on Kearsarge.
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Old 03-15-2010, 08:04 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
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Since you are not in you twenties, I would probably pick Squirell Hill or Shadyside both have big business districts and have lots to offer. However, you can not walk to Duquense. Frankly, with the growth of East Liberty, Shadyside probably offers more than Squirell Hill. South Side is closer but the bar scene there is overwhelming at times. That being said, I have a friend who lives there and lives on a block full of young families. So if you want to walk to work, then the South Side is your best option. If not I would look at Squirrel Hill or Shadyside. Shadyside is more trendy, Squirrel Hill more family.
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Old 03-15-2010, 11:06 AM
 
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Well perhaps I may need to break down and get a car after my first semester. The Cork Factory lofts in the Strip District look nice, and they would be close to downtown. There also seems to be a wide variety of unique looking homes in Shadyside that I will look into when I come out.

Thanks again for your advice everyone.
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Old 03-15-2010, 11:16 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wooddale07 View Post
Well perhaps I may need to break down and get a car after my first semester. The Cork Factory lofts in the Strip District look nice, and they would be close to downtown. There also seems to be a wide variety of unique looking homes in Shadyside that I will look into when I come out.

Thanks again for your advice everyone.
I would just suggest that if you're going to live on the Strip you should really consider one of the converted building downtown. Try around Liberty and Penn, also there's one on 6th Avenue that looks great. The Strip is cool, but you couldn't walk to work from there. Also there are some buildings around Market Square which would be a direct walk up Forbes to Duquesne. They may be more expensive, though. Good luck.

Another thought: If you decide against town, check out Dormont, Mt. Lebanon right around West Liberty Avenue. You can take the T into town.
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Old 03-15-2010, 11:26 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
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The Strip could be a good spot. It's just from Cork Factory vicinity you'll be getting a bus, somehow. A single bus probably won't drop you that close to Duquesne, so it'll be a bus plus still a good walk (not a huge walk, but it's likely more than just a couple blocks), or a bus plus transfer to another bus! I don't really know the routes from the Strip, so maybe I'm missing a good option. (Plus, the routes are set to change in a few weeks.)

Cork Factory is one of the most expensive places around, so I wasn't really thinking of it. The Strip is not a very residential neighborhood, keep that in mind. It's very useful for shopping though. Also no Zipcars live in the Strip; you'd have to get back to downtown.

Mr. Humble, what's the place on 6th Ave downtown you're talking about? Haven't heard of such a thing and can't picture it. Nothing but office buildings and the Duquesne Club all the way up. Oh, and a hotel up near the arena.
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Old 03-15-2010, 11:53 AM
 
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The Granite Building at 6th and Wood was converted to condos, but last I knew they were for sale and not rent (and not selling--making this one of the few struggling condo conversion projects Downtown).
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Old 03-15-2010, 12:05 PM
 
2,179 posts, read 3,404,961 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by greg42 View Post
The Strip could be a good spot. It's just from Cork Factory vicinity you'll be getting a bus, somehow. A single bus probably won't drop you that close to Duquesne, so it'll be a bus plus still a good walk (not a huge walk, but it's likely more than just a couple blocks), or a bus plus transfer to another bus! I don't really know the routes from the Strip, so maybe I'm missing a good option. (Plus, the routes are set to change in a few weeks.)

Cork Factory is one of the most expensive places around, so I wasn't really thinking of it. The Strip is not a very residential neighborhood, keep that in mind. It's very useful for shopping though. Also no Zipcars live in the Strip; you'd have to get back to downtown.

Mr. Humble, what's the place on 6th Ave downtown you're talking about? Haven't heard of such a thing and can't picture it. Nothing but office buildings and the Duquesne Club all the way up. Oh, and a hotel up near the arena.
I found out the building I was thinking of is an overpriced condo building... Sorry.

I guess there are a lot of Condo's in town that go for upwards of 3 or 4 hundred thousand, but aren't there some nice rentals over on Penn, right around 7th and 8th? He'd be within walking distance of Duquesne, and there's a lot of activity in that area and below in the evenings and on the weekends.
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