First impressions of Pittsburgh... just got here a couple of days ago (Butler: lofts, hotels)

[sahran]

Hey Guys!
Just wanted to post a thread on my experience thus far in Pittsburgh. While I've only been here a couple of days and haven't gotten to experience or see too much, I have made it a point to explore as much as I can as I unpack and get ready for work. I've checked out the following:

Downtown- Console/market square/ppg place/some of the cultural district
North Shore- walked up and down the state park area stretching from Rivers casino to Heinz Lofts
The Mall at Robinson area- not the mall but the Ikea/Walmart/Best Buy area
The Waterfront
The Strip District all the way up to Lower Lawrenceville through Butler Street
Bloomfield - some (knew I was in it with all the Italian flags)
Shadyside- Elmsworth Rd and some of Centre Avenue
Oakland- went down the road that cuts right through the Cathedral of Learning
The Hill- Centre Avenue

So, having gotten a taste of these places and solely based on first impressions,
What I liked :
1. Downtown: like a lot (except some areas near Blvd of Allies a little sketch) and think it has kind of Manhattan feel to it during the day
2. North Shore- beautiful stadiums, was actually impressed with Rivers casino, a little underwhelmed with the hotels though and lack of Retail
3. The Waterfront- Beautiful cookie cutter development which, again, I happen to enjoy mixed in with older vintage developments
4. Shadyside- for the most part, thought it was a neat place, clean and just pleasant to look at, although, besides Elmsworth st, whats another major retail artery ?
5. Oakland- University of Pitt and Carnegie are quite nice campuses
6. Bloomfield- definitely an interesting place to check out, wouldn't probably live there but def gonna get some food soon and check it out

What I didn't like:
The Hill- Don't mean to offend anyone, but I honestly felt a little nervous in my car during the day, most of it looks very run down by at least my NC/Raleigh standards
The Strip- didn't see a lot of folks there (granted it was 9:30am), when people aren't walking around and businesses all open, looked to me like an old warehouse district, not all bad though, just different from what I'm used to
Lawrenceville- this is more like a "kinda liked-kinda didn't like", I definitely can see that its in revitalization mode (saw a few businesses and houses being revamped), parts of Butler street were really neat actually and I def will swing by and check out some restaurants but other parts just a block or two away looked run down to me to the point where you question how you can be in the same neighborhood (and not just old)... I def think its transitional but I personally think its 3-5 or so years away from being a really neat place...

Also, as far as the people here... I've so far encountered very friendly folks that are more than willing to help... Not only that, but I had someone that made my day today,quick anecdote: I went to Chic-fila at the Waterfront and after ordering my meal, asked the girl at the checkout how to get to Squirrel Hill, she gave me good directions and asked me if I was new here... I replied yes and told her that I've only been here for a couple of days and went about my business, as I was eating my food, she came over and handed me a milkshake on the house as a welcome to Pittsburgh, seriously, a gesture like that, while some may see as small, completely made my day...

So far so good... Thanks so much Pittsburgh!

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by sahran

4. Shadyside- for the most part, thought it was a neat place, clean and just pleasant to look at, although, besides Elmsworth st, whats another major retail artery ?

Walnut St between Negley and Aiken is Shadyside's main shopping district. Basically Ellsworth has galleries and a few eateries and Walnut St has the Gap/Banana Republic/Williams-Sonoma places.

[AaronPGH]

South Highland is the third business district in Shadyside. It spills over the bridge now into East Liberty. Glad you're enjoying yourself so far!

[nuwaver88]

Lawrenceville is in transition but nowhere near "there yet." I am not very big on L'ville right now, but it is better than it was ten years ago. Let's just say that it is far down the list of my favorite neighborhoods. Also, you need to check out the South Side and Squirrel Hill. Did you see Walnut Street in Shadyside or just Ellsworth?

[PreservationPioneer]

Oh, I think Lawrenceville is great. It's not as yuppified as the South Side, but that might be a good thing.

[caroline2]

Yep, pretty spot-on observations for someone who has been here only a few days! Welcome.

[sahran]

Thanks guys! Ya I just drove down Ellsworth, didn't check out Walnut or S. Highland, definitely will do that soon... Looking forward to it!

[creepsinc]

You need to go to the Strip on the weekend. Totally different. I took my brother there on a Monday around midday and it was depressing, and really trashy (with litter) after the nonstop party that happens there on weekends.

[andyt4579]

Creepsinc is right. Plan on having breakfast at Pamela's or Deluca's around 11 on a Saturday then walk the six or so blocks down Penn back to town. Its something to behold.

[BrianTH]

Welcome! And it is very nice to learn you have explored so much in your short time here (you are probably already well ahead of some natives!).