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Status:
"See My Blog Entries for my Top 500 Most Important USA Cities"
(set 5 days ago)
Location: Harrisburg, PA
1,051 posts, read 976,625 times
Reputation: 1406
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I had an amazing time visiting Pittsburgh (Pgh) a few years ago for a Bachelor's party. Stayed at an Airbnb in Mt. Oliver. Pgh is a really neat, historical city. Not overwhelming or carniverous. It really didn't seem much busier than Harrisburg (which I find to have a balanced pace, almost pleasant). Pgh does have much bigger suburbs, and a much, much larger/taller skyline. Pittsburgh also has more of a young college vibe going on. It seemed well-suited for tourists, but not commercialized or forced by any means. There was a lot of urban grit - old clustered brick buildings, sun- and salt-worn concrete, rusty handrails, old facades. The neighborhoods were very-close knit and walkable (local restaurants and bars in residential neighborhoods). There were a few abandoned lots that did not look attractive, hopefully those get redevloped. There were a few panhandlers but they didn't seem aggressive. The restaurant scene there was amazing, just wow. One massive restaurant had an older gentleman wearing a traditional German costume singing in German playing polkas on a keyboard/accordian. Carson Street was fantastic and fun. Overall it is a beautiful setting. Pittsburgh's COL is unrivaled - such value! The house we stayed in was big (4 bed) and old with very few updates (built maybe 1910s or 20s) and for sale for just 65k!? Only 1 bath as that was the norm for houses back then. The roads and intersections are very bizarrely laid out as much of the city is built on inclines. The air quality is not good unfortunately due to the mountains trapping pollution. Lots of bridges all colored yellow, one was a double decker (top goes into city, bottom leaves). It was a really cool experience and I'm glad I got to go!
If this were 10 years ago it'd be Portland and not even close. Today it's Pittsburgh and not even close. This is coming from someone who doesn't mind constant drizzle, and I'm not a fan of Pittsburgh's steep topography or its 3% wage tax.
If this were 10 years ago it'd be Portland and not even close. Today it's Pittsburgh and not even close. This is coming from someone who doesn't mind constant drizzle, and I'm not a fan of Pittsburgh's steep topography or its 3% wage tax.
This isn't the same Portland Oregon, folks.
I have a few ideas regarding what you may be talking about, but can you elaborate in terms of how you think Portland has changed?
I think Pittsburgh is a great city of its size and I like a lot of things about living here. The setting and idea of being in the Pacific Northwest, like Portland, is pretty cool to me too though.
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