The Pittsburgh Bubble

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Ah, the memories! Yes, Blackhowk Golf Course is on Blackhawk Rd, in Chippewa Twp, near my old jr. high (Highland). They used to have a great fish fry on Friday nights; don't know if they still do.

I like Chippewa Twp... but more than that I miss FISH FRYS....

Honestly, you can't get a decent fish sandwich out here to save your life.

[gibbie99]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

With tools like GPS, Google maps and/or Google Earth, there's no reason for you to get lost. I disagree with major roads not being marked. You have to look for signs, if you're not, you're not going to find them.

Just pointing out that these things are fallible. I can't count the number of times that Google sent me to a random address, or an address that was current as of 5 years ago. And GPS here in Pittsburgh can be spotty. When I was driving around looking for places to live, it would cut out every minute, and in places like Carnegie, with the streets so close together, it got seriously confused. Your best bet to finding anything is call and get directions and address, then verify with google, plug it into your gps, again verify. And just expect a fair amount of wandering. Things are somewhat decently marked, but it still takes getting used to.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

Just pointing out that these things are fallible. I can't count the number of times that Google sent me to a random address, or an address that was current as of 5 years ago. And GPS here in Pittsburgh can be spotty. When I was driving around looking for places to live, it would cut out every minute, and in places like Carnegie, with the streets so close together, it got seriously confused. Your best bet to finding anything is call and get directions and address, then verify with google, plug it into your gps, again verify. And just expect a fair amount of wandering. Things are somewhat decently marked, but it still takes getting used to.

It's only as hard as you make it. Get to know the main thoroughfares through each end of the city. It all gets much easier after that.

We went to the Aviary last week for the first time. I Googled the address and then took it to Google Earth. I of course was familiar with Ohio Street on the North Side because it's a major interchange getting off and on 279. Through use of Google Earth, I could clearly see that if I got off the East Ohio Street exit off of 28 I would just keep going until I found Arch Street. I was also able to zoom in to street level to check out parking. Putting that little extra time in it made me feel like I had been there before when we actually got there.

[CaptainObvious]

I almost wish I had the "Pittsburgh Bubble". Being extremely mobile and familiar with nearly every single neighborhood in and around the city, it makes for some very long and deep discussions with my wife about where to eat on Friday nights. When I first met with our real estate agent, he said "what neighborhoods are you considering?". I said, "Beechview, Brookline, Brentwood, Baldwin, Dormont, Whitehall, Mt. Lebo, Upper St. Clair, Castle Shannon, Bridgeville, Greentree, Scott Twp, South Fayette, Crafton, Canonsburg, Cecil, North Strabane, or Peters Township... of course, if you find something in another neighborhood, I'd be willing to look at that too". (my job centers around the South Hills). I routinely find myself in Butler, Beaver, and Washington Counties doing things on random Tuesday nights, and take weekend trips to Baltimore, Philly, and DC often. I can't imagine never leaving a 5 block radius...there's too much to see out there.

[groar]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I guess it depends on your guide. Ours told us all about the renovations, and said they're soon going to replace the roof. He was a cool old dude. My DH asked him how long he had been giving tours, and he said "4 years, but sometimes it feels like 40".

ha, i wonder if you got the guy who was leading the tour right before ours both times we went. we had a mediocre guide the first time and an outright bad one the next, and we were really jealous and wished there was a way to request that guy. he actually helped us out with the answer to a question our guide couldn't answer - he had a little notebook where he wrote down questions people asked that he didn't know so he could look them up later, and he had the answer in there. the tour varies a ton depending on the guide, and probably depending on what they feel like talking about that day - which is fine, but some of the guides are not nearly as good as others. i do think that the repairs are important to talk about though, because wright was really adamant about the integrity of his structure at the time and it turned out he was wrong.

as for the main topic, i definitely see that phenomenon here but i've also seen it everywhere else i've ever lived or spent a significant amount of time - connecticut, nyc and london. the bubble's bigger in rural/suburban ct, but it's definitely still there. people in the nw ct suburbs are terrified of HARTFORD for chrissakes!

it does kind of blow my mind that one of my coworkers at children's doesn't know a thing about the east end even though she's worked in lawrenceville for a year and a half and oakland for years and years before that. i mean, hasn't she at least been at work and had to go to the grocery store or something? i worked in greentree for a couple of years and now i know greentree/crafton/carnegie/mt lebo/dormont pretty well even though i didn't have much reason to go to any of those places besides dormont before. i just went out for lunch at various places or had to go to a drug store or grocery store or office supply store or the bank or whatever.

when my husband and i moved here about 10 years ago, we used to just go for a drive and get lost with no particular purpose. we weren't in a hurry to be anywhere, so there was no reason to worry that we were lost. somehow, we were never lost permanently or killed for going into the wrong neighborhood or eaten by river monsters or anything! if we saw something interesting on our trips, we'd stop. it was a lot of fun and now we both know the city really well. the topography does make pittsburgh more confusing than some other cities, but if you just deliberately go out and see how things connect, you will learn your way around.

[PAnewbie62]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

Just pointing out that these things are fallible. I can't count the number of times that Google sent me to a random address, or an address that was current as of 5 years ago. And GPS here in Pittsburgh can be spotty. When I was driving around looking for places to live, it would cut out every minute, and in places like Carnegie, with the streets so close together, it got seriously confused. Your best bet to finding anything is call and get directions and address, then verify with google, plug it into your gps, again verify. And just expect a fair amount of wandering. Things are somewhat decently marked, but it still takes getting used to.

OK that's good to know as far as the GPS issue.

Here's my situation - I live in Sioux Falls, SD and was just offered at job at the VA center on Delafield Road. I start Dec. 6 and will be apartment hunting starting Nov. 9.

My ex wife's relatives all lived in the North Hills area so I have some familiarity with the north side but I haven't been there since 1996. So in many respects when I come into town the week after next, it will be new to me again. In one respect, I'm looking at apartments in that area since I have some familiarity with it but I remember driving Mt. Royal Blvd., Rte. 8 and McKnightmare Road in the winter, so. . . Ah well, at least this time I have a 4 x 4.

But this discussion reminds of my ex's relations. One time I asked if any of them were going to the arts festival and they all looked right at me as if I had lost.my.mind. We NEVER go down THERE was the response. With so much so close I found it hard to believe but my then wife said it was true. They just found the city too intimidating.

As for directions, I can relate. I'm originally a Clevelander (don't hit - I'm retiring the Browns jacket before I get there), and usually every time you enter any type of burg there's a sign telling you where you are. Baffled at the lack of such signs (except for part of Shaler Twp.) I asked her: how do you know if you're in Glenshaw or Etna or Allison Park? She said: around here if you know how to get where you are going, you don't need to know where you are. After awhile you just know.

This is going to be fun.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

I like Chippewa Twp... but more than that I miss FISH FRYS....

Honestly, you can't get a decent fish sandwich out here to save your life.

Oh I love Lent with the fish frys at Assumption and St Cyril's. You get these huge fish sandwiches for $5. And it gives me a break from cooking!

[Rodeno]

Originally Posted by airwair

This is nothing native to the area. I've seen it everywhere I've lived. It runs rampant in Tennessee, as well as New York City. One of my best friends was born in the Bronx and has never left the five boroughs. He's never even been to Jersey.

I think NYC is more of a unique circumstance because leaving The Bronx for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, or Queens is like going to a whole other city.