Pittsburgh: Is a car really needed? (Philadelphia, Liberty: rental, house, buying)

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

It is a matter of taste I guess. For me, winter riding is some of the best. I have correct clothing, so cold weather really has little meaning. Never understood why people seem to think there is some big difference in what time of year your ride a bike if you dress for the weather? One huge bonus riding during the winter in and around East Liberty is the fact that it is more quiet this time of year. I love riding when it is snowing. Might be my favorite time of year. During summer I am soaked with sweat, so I have to bring a change of clothes much of the time.

h-curtis, I have a friend who bikes everywhere (he lives in East end of course). Sure once one selects clothing accordingly the rest should be ok. However if it snows heavily and there's ice and the streets are not getting cleared quickly it is dangerous to bike, don;t you agree? As far as I know there is no such thing like winter tires for bikes (bicycles that is, not motorbikes).

[steindle]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's also worth keeping in mind that the buses don't run very late, and are infrequent on the weekends.

This seems to be a popular opinion, but it's not really true of Bloomfield.
- On Saturdays, the last 86 (Liberty) leaves Downtown at 1:45AM and gets to Bloomfield around 2. This bus actually runs more often on Saturdays than during the week, including ever 20 minutes in the middle of the day, and never more than 30 minutes apart all through the day. (On Sundays, it last leaves Downtown at 12:45AM, which I guess is inconvenient if you're Downtown after 1AM on a Sunday for some reason.)
- The 88 (Penn Ave) does run a little less frequently on Saturdays, but its last trip out of Downtown is 1:30AM, and it runs at 30-minute intervals all day.
- The last 54 (basically goes everywhere) leaves the Northside at 1:30AM on Saturdays, and leaves the South Side at 1:51AM -- so you can even chug that last beer at 1:55AM before stumbling to the stop at Carson & 18th (2:02AM departure) to get back to Bloomfield. It comes every 25-30 minutes throughout the day.
- The last 64 leaves Squirrel Hill (Forbes & Murray) at 1:04AM on Saturday, to get to Bloomfield.

[steindle]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

As far as I know there is no such thing like winter tires for bikes (bicycles that is, not motorbikes).

Studded Bicycle Tires

[pman]

Originally Posted by steindle

This seems to be a popular opinion, but it's not really true of Bloomfield.
- On Saturdays, the last 86 (Liberty) leaves Downtown at 1:45AM and gets to Bloomfield around 2. This bus actually runs more often on Saturdays than during the week, including ever 20 minutes in the middle of the day, and never more than 30 minutes apart all through the day. (On Sundays, it last leaves Downtown at 12:45AM, which I guess is inconvenient if you're Downtown after 1AM on a Sunday for some reason.)
- The 88 (Penn Ave) does run a little less frequently on Saturdays, but its last trip out of Downtown is 1:30AM, and it runs at 30-minute intervals all day.
- The last 54 (basically goes everywhere) leaves the Northside at 1:30AM on Saturdays, and leaves the South Side at 1:51AM -- so you can even chug that last beer at 1:55AM before stumbling to the stop at Carson & 18th (2:02AM departure) to get back to Bloomfield. It comes every 25-30 minutes throughout the day.
- The last 64 leaves Squirrel Hill (Forbes & Murray) at 1:04AM on Saturday, to get to Bloomfield.

bingo. bloomfield would be my first choice of places to live carless

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by steindle

Studded Bicycle Tires

I've never tried studded tires, but I know they are quite popular in snowier climates. I don't know anyone who uses them in PGH, but I'm sure someone does.

Personally, I just put a slightly bulkier 30cc all weather tire on for the winter. There are a handful of days when you get caught in a poorly timed snowfall that isn't cleared in time to go to/from work, but for most of the season, I have no problems with just that. Honestly, I could probably keep my slicks on for most of the winter, I'm just too timid to try.

This winter I have had one day that I wasn't comfortable biking home. As long as you live in the city proper, the streets are often cleaned quickly enough and well enough that you don't have major problems. I don't, at least.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

This winter I have had one day that I wasn't comfortable biking home. As long as you live in the city proper, the streets are often cleaned quickly enough and well enough that you don't have major problems. I don't, at least.

And on those days, you can take your bike on the bus or the T. I believe all buses now have racks, right?

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by ML North

And on those days, you can take your bike on the bus or the T. I believe all buses now have racks, right?

Yep!

I'm a cheater, though, since I also have a car. The one day I didn't bike this winter, I anticipated the snow and drove to work, haha.

[sin2beta]

Wow this thread grew quickly. There is so much good info. Seriously, thank you guys SO much! It will take me a while to process and map all of the neighborhood names. I have a rough idea of the neighborhoods, but not all.

I do agree that it is generational. I know a few other people my age want to ditch their cars. And the free aspect is definitely in terms of cost, maintenance, etc. I would prefer to only have to have rent and student loans as my big bills. Adding a car to that sucks up too much. I'd rather put it into savings. I think this is the "free" feeling.

For example, a friend of mine recently bought a pickup, why did he buy the pickup? So, he could buy the lawn equipment for his yard. Why did he need the lawn equipment? Because he bought a house with a big yard. Why did he buy a house with a big yard? Because that's the yard you get when you buy a house in the suburbs. Why did he buy a house in the suburbs? Because he needed to space to store everything he and his wife own. And it goes on like this. That might give some perspective of what I mean by feeling free. Stuff makes me feel tied down.

A car feels like the first step towards this. I just want a small apartment and a bicycle/bus pass.

[steindle]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

Those are the sorts of reasons for why I agree with eschaton about the East End. Are they still going to put in that store where the Garden used to be? That might improve things by a lot if it carries a sufficient variety.

The supposed low quality of the North Side Giant Eagle is another common consensus that I don't totally go for. It was totally remodeled like a year or two ago so that it's perfectly modern (if that matters), and unless you're looking for something truly weird, it's stocked like any other grocery store around. It's certainly a step up from Shur Save, which seems to suit hipsters and yuppies fine for the basic staples. And if you need more exotic ingredients, the Strip District is RIGHT THERE, literally 1 1/2 miles away. The Strip is actually closer to many people on the Northside than the Giant Eagle.

Ironically, after lodging that defense, I should say that I hardly ever go to that Giant Eagle, because it's stupidly expensive compared to Aldi or the Strip. But it does the job for last-minute ingredients, as does the Rite Aid on East Ohio.

[FreightTrainRunning]

The North Side Giant Eagle is fine for a small supermarket and way better than the lower North Side not having one at all. There are a lot of folks around here who can't afford a car and that store is a huge asset to the area for them.