Marshall - Shadeland - getting some TLC (2nd mortgage, houses)

[norcider]

Ferrarisnowday- You can access the river trail by heading north on Shadeland and taking the last left turn before the Shadeland bridge. just keep heading downhill until you get to the far end of Woods Run. Coming back up that hill will suck but you'll have legs of steel. Looking at googlemaps you could also turn left on Eckert and stay on it until you hit Woods Run.The better alternative is to take Brighton and use the bike lane. You can be in town in minutes if you ride fast. There are no real bars that i'd avise you checking out unless you were local to the area, meaning have grown up there and know the locals. I'd say the neighborhood is certainly walkable but you'd want to exercise caution at night just like anywhere. Kuhn's is a small grocery, better than nothing. My good friend lives at the end of Ingham, it's a beautiful quiet street and his house has a lot of character/charm. Did i mention he bought it 6 years ago for something like 60K? It was a "fixxer upper" though and he's a handy guy. Good luck!

[ebyrnes]

A week before we settled on the house, someone broke in and stole the gorgeous stained glass windows. We decided to purchase it anyway, since this seems to happen in other areas as well, but I was rattled since I'm currently living here alone. A few weeks after I moved in, someone broke the front window of a neighbor's house.

We have a large front porch, and I was nervous about coming home at night - and the mirror gives a full view of the front porch from the sidewalk. I feel a good bit more secure coming into the house at night since (theoretically!) I can see that no one is lurking on the front porch.

The neighbors keep saying that they area has become so bad - they used to be able to leave their house and car doors unlocked, but no longer feel comfortable doing that. We have a lot of elders on the block, and I try to keep an eye on them (I'm a geriatric nurse). We've also got young kids and teens, and a mixture of races.

Yes, the Kuhn's is pretty sketchy but it does fine in a pinch; the veggies are pretty bad, no idea about meat since I don't eat it, and the staff is pretty nice. The transit is great - about 15 minutes into town, and the busses run frequently. The river trail access is from Woods Run, and there is also a boat slip; once I get proficient at paddling, I can see that being a fantastic asset for me. Uniondale and Highwood cemeteries are safe to walk in. The hills can be a challenge. I agree with the other poster who takes Shadeland instead of Brighton Road.

All that said, we bought a nice 3/1.5 brick house on a double lot with four garages for $50k. It needs some work, like a new kitchen (it was remuddled - love that term!), but still retains great woodwork and two working gas fireplaces. Other than the stolen windows, we have had no problems. I spend a lot of time outside gardening, so I know most of the neighbors and am on a nodding basis with the suspected drug boys. My hope is for peace since I don't want to be run out of my home.

My guess is that most native Pittsburghers will not move into Marshall Shadeland - they see it is declining from what it once was. People from other cities who are more comfortable with crime may be more willing to tolerate the risk because this neighborhood is one in which you can live pretty cheaply without too many troubles. Oh, and Breadworks is right down the road - yum!

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by norcider

Ferrarisnowday- You can access the river trail by heading north on Shadeland and taking the last left turn before the Shadeland bridge. just keep heading downhill until you get to the far end of Woods Run. Coming back up that hill will suck but you'll have legs of steel. Looking at googlemaps you could also turn left on Eckert and stay on it until you hit Woods Run.The better alternative is to take Brighton and use the bike lane. You can be in town in minutes if you ride fast.

Thanks for the info, norcider. I was specifying the trail because I'd want it for recreational use rather than commuting. I commute to Oakland, and there's no way I can see myself biking through downtown and uptown. I've been down Woods Run, and I have to say that I wouldn't feel safe there on a bike either, there's too many blind curves and fast cars. Eckert could be a good option, but I've never been down that way. Also, the Brighton Road Bike lane ends somewhere around Oliver High School. I'm a big baby when it comes to biking in traffic!

There's nothing wrong with a small grocery, I just wish it looked more respectable. It looks worse than the Shur save in Bloomfield!

There are no real bars that i'd avise you checking out unless you were local to the area, meaning have grown up there and know the locals

That sounds intimidating. Did you mean for it to be a stern warning, or just a saying that they aren't anything special so there's no reason to be there unless you want to hang out with your neighbors? I certainly wouldn't want to move somewhere I'm not welcome.

Did i mention he bought it 6 years ago for something like 60K? It was a "fixxer upper" though and he's a handy guy. Good luck!

Price is definitely the biggest attraction to Brightwood. I'm starting to wish I worked downtown instead of Oakland so that I could have more cheap options with an easy commute. From my house-hunting so far, I think it would be easier to find a new job downtown than to find a decent sub-$80K home in the East End.

[norcider]

"That sounds intimidating. Did you mean for it to be a stern warning, or just a saying that they aren't anything special so there's no reason to be there unless you want to hang out with your neighbors? I certainly wouldn't want to move somewhere I'm not welcome."
Now that I say that I have to think about the time recently that my friends who live on Ingham went to Young Brothers for beers during a Steeler game, they had a great time and said everybody in there was friendly. But I remember going into O'Brien's on Brighton some years back. We are not from Wood's Run, we grew up in neighborhood between N. Charles, Perrysville and Marshall. I remember feeling real uneasy in there, we were definitely not welcomed and it felt like we'd eventually run into a problem if we decided to stay. We drank our beers and left. If i want to go out for a beer I usually make it the Park House, the Monterey Pub down in the War Streets, Modern Cafe, Max's Allegheny, etc but tend to stay away from the local redneck bars. That's exactly how I'd describe the patrons, urban, uneducated rednecks.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by norcider

"That sounds intimidating. Did you mean for it to be a stern warning, or just a saying that they aren't anything special so there's no reason to be there unless you want to hang out with your neighbors? I certainly wouldn't want to move somewhere I'm not welcome."
Now that I say that I have to think about the time recently that my friends who live on Ingham went to Young Brothers for beers during a Steeler game, they had a great time and said everybody in there was friendly. But I remember going into O'Brien's on Brighton some years back. We are not from Wood's Run, we grew up in neighborhood between N. Charles, Perrysville and Marshall. I remember feeling real uneasy in there, we were definitely not welcomed and it felt like we'd eventually run into a problem if we decided to stay. We drank our beers and left. If i want to go out for a beer I usually make it the Park House, the Monterey Pub down in the War Streets, Modern Cafe, Max's Allegheny, etc but tend to stay away from the local redneck bars. That's exactly how I'd describe the patrons, urban, uneducated rednecks.

O'Brien's actually looks inviting from the outside; though I've never actually been in it. On the other hand, Young Brothers doesn't look inviting, but I figured they must be since they were on the sandwich tour, and your anecdote supports that. I like the bars that you listed, and I can currently walk to them, but I hate having to drive to bars. I know people do it all the time, but it's not something that I'm careless enough to do.

[norcider]

Then you can always jump on the Brighton bus! I forgot about two more I haven't checked out yet, but could possibly suffer from "no outsiders" syndrome; the Stonefront (Witch's Stonefront) Inn and the Cantina. Been meaning to check both of those out. Further up Brighton near where I currently live there's the Brighton Inn, smokey but pretty laid back. I do not recommend Zangaroos, formerly known as Big Cat Pat's.

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by ebyrnes

We have a coffee shop run by a church...

Have you been there? I always think about getting a bagel sandwich or something, just to give those guys some money, haha. But, I'm only ever up that way riding my bike on the weekend, en route to somewhere else, so I've never stopped in.

It's so cool that they converted the problem bar to a coffee shop. That deserves a couple of bucks of support...I really gotta make a point to go there.

[ebyrnes]

It has been a while since I've been there, because I make delicious coffee. I want to go to support them as well (not the church itself as I have no love for organized religion), but for their efforts in the neighborhood - they are strong proponents of home ownership, raising responsible children, and respect for the environment. You've kicked my butt - I'll go there tomorrow!

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

Have you been there? I always think about getting a bagel sandwich or something, just to give those guys some money, haha. But, I'm only ever up that way riding my bike on the weekend, en route to somewhere else, so I've never stopped in.

It's so cool that they converted the problem bar to a coffee shop. That deserves a couple of bucks of support...I really gotta make a point to go there.

[brdst11]

Originally Posted by norcider

Then you can always jump on the Brighton bus! I forgot about two more I haven't checked out yet, but could possibly suffer from "no outsiders" syndrome; the Stonefront (Witch's Stonefront) Inn and the Cantina. Been meaning to check both of those out. Further up Brighton near where I currently live there's the Brighton Inn, smokey but pretty laid back. I do not recommend Zangaroos, formerly known as Big Cat Pat's.

Went to the Northside Sandwich event and Young Brothers had excellent cheeseburgers. They were handing out menus, and their burger and fry combo was $5. Planning on checking that place out.

Why don't you like Zangaro's? We live near there and have gone there a few times and hand no problems. Perhaps there's something we're missing?

[norcider]

"Why don't you like Zangaro's?"
When it was still Big Cat Pat's it was a notorious drug bar. I would only go in there for 6 packs to go. The last time I went in there (last time because I swore I'd nerver go back) a woman was thrown through the front door of the place and onto the sidewalk. The patrons used to be serious dirtbags, maybe that has changed but I see the people going in and out of there and they look no different. About 6 years ago a man was found dead in St. Cyril's parking lot of serious head trauma. He was reported to be seen last at Big Cat Pat's waving a gun. Maybe I'll take another look, thanks.