Penn Ave. and Kirkpatrick - how bad, and why? (Pittsburgh: crime, neighborhoods)

[NowACityGirl]

I've heard all sorts of bad things about this one intersection, and I was wondering why it had such a bad reputation. How bad is this intersection? I'm always afraid I'm going to get lost and end up there. I live near Penn Ave. (like 6 or 7 blocks away - near Highland Park) but I was just wondering why this one intersection has so much fame in being such a scary place.

I hope none of you think I'm an idiot for asking, I've just heard people shudder when mentioning driving through this intersection and people telling me to stay away from it at night, etc. So I was curious about how bad it really was. I'm from the country and I moved to da burgh a few months ago, and I'm learning about all these places I need to steer clear of (the hill district, homewood, etc.) so I just would like to be enlightened, lol.

Thanks

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by NowACityGirl

I've heard all sorts of bad things about this one intersection, and I was wondering why it had such a bad reputation. How bad is this intersection? I'm always afraid I'm going to get lost and end up there. I live near Penn Ave. (like 6 or 7 blocks away - near Highland Park) but I was just wondering why this one intersection has so much fame in being such a scary place.

I hope none of you think I'm an idiot for asking, I've just heard people shudder when mentioning driving through this intersection and people telling me to stay away from it at night, etc. So I was curious about how bad it really was. I'm from the country and I moved to da burgh a few months ago, and I'm learning about all these places I need to steer clear of (the hill district, homewood, etc.) so I just would like to be enlightened, lol.

Thanks

Where is that? I've never heard of that intersection. The only Kirkpatrick that comes up on Google Maps is a street that crosses the Hill District and goes down to the Birmingham Bridge. The only "famous" intersections that comes to mind as far as scary stuff goes is Frankstown Ave/Homewood Ave in Homewood.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by barneyg

The only "famous" intersections that comes to mind as far as scary stuff goes is Frankstown Ave/Homewood Ave in Homewood.

I hate that intersection! Every single time.....A red light, me, and 25 thugs loitering....

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by zip95

I hate that intersection! Every single time.....A red light, me, and 25 thugs loitering....

Why do you even drive through there?

[NowACityGirl]

I heard bad things about it on here, I think it was Pimps who said he stopped at that intersection and his heart sank once, and someone else said to stay away from that intersection (Penn and Kirkpatrick). I dunno, I guess it's part of the Hill district. Funny, I got lost in the Hill district when I first moved to Pgh. and I was on the phone with someone and I said "I'll ask someone for directions." and the person I was on the phone with said "Don't ask anybody anything. Get the hell out of there." Talk about scaring the country girl. Sheesh!

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by NowACityGirl

I heard bad things about it on here, I think it was Pimps who said he stopped at that intersection and his heart sank once, and someone else said to stay away from that intersection (Penn and Kirkpatrick). I dunno, I guess it's part of the Hill district. Funny, I got lost in the Hill district when I first moved to Pgh. and I was on the phone with someone and I said "I'll ask someone for directions." and the person I was on the phone with said "Don't ask anybody anything. Get the hell out of there." Talk about scaring the country girl. Sheesh!

Centre and Kirkpatrick, not Penn. Centre Avenue, between Kikpatrick and Erin has long been the center of the hard drugs trade in Pittsburgh. It's not nearly as busy as it used to be (70s/80s), since the rise of crack in the late 80s resulted in much of the drug trade that was once concentrated on the Hill, spreading into many other neighborhoods around the region.

[Geeo]

I've driven down Centre Avenue hundreds if not thousands of times in the last 25 years, and I don't know why you all have your knickers in a knot about it. When 5th Avenue is backed up in Oakland, this is the quickest way to downtown from Craig Street. Yes, it's not the best area, but you're not going to be stopped and pulled out of your car by roving gangs of maurauders. Unless you're going up some dark alley for a drug fix, you realy aren't in any danger. And if you're that frightened, don't drive through there.

[richlady]

Originally Posted by Geeo

I've driven down Centre Avenue hundreds if not thousands of times in the last 25 years, and I don't know why you all have your knickers in a knot about it. When 5th Avenue is backed up in Oakland, this is the quickest way to downtown from Craig Street. Yes, it's not the best area, but you're not going to be stopped and pulled out of your car by roving gangs of maurauders. Unless you're going up some dark alley for a drug fix, you realy aren't in any danger. And if you're that frightened, don't drive through there.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and, Yes, there are some places that even I wouldn't want to be walking through or driving through at night. But, come on people, if you are that afraid just go another route to your destination. I think this kind of fear perpetuates the "be afraid of black people" mentality. Even though race wasn't mentioned in any of the posts I think we all know what the insinuation is since these areas that you are referring to are mostly Black populated areas. Heck, I have been on the South Side of Pgh at certain times of the day and night and I have been afraid.

[NowACityGirl]

I did not mean to insinuate anything, all I wanted to know was how bad that area really was. I didn't want to know what the race of people there were, because that doesn't matter to me. I've been afraid of white people before too, so it really doesn't matter to me what race they are. If they carry a gun or a baseball bat or whatever, they are dangerous.

I moved to Pittsburgh a few months ago from a small town in PA and I was just wondering what the hype of the one intersection was, and the one person answered my question: it used to be big for drugs. That's all I wanted to know is why it was famous for being dangerous.

I didn't mean to get things in an uproar around here. Sheesh. And I'm not a baby either, I do use caution and I don't drive through places I'm not comfortable being in. All I asked was why this particular intersection was so dangerous. That's all.

[richlady]

Originally Posted by NowACityGirl

I did not mean to insinuate anything, all I wanted to know was how bad that area really was. I didn't want to know what the race of people there were, because that doesn't matter to me. I've been afraid of white people before too, so it really doesn't matter to me what race they are. If they carry a gun or a baseball bat or whatever, they are dangerous.

I moved to Pittsburgh a few months ago from a small town in PA and I was just wondering what the hype of the one intersection was, and the one person answered my question: it used to be big for drugs. That's all I wanted to know is why it was famous for being dangerous.

I didn't mean to get things in an uproar around here. Sheesh. And I'm not a baby either, I do use caution and I don't drive through places I'm not comfortable being in. All I asked was why this particular intersection was so dangerous. That's all.

nowacitygirl....my comments weren't really directed at you. I should have clarified. It is just that I have seen so many posts on here about "bad" parts of the city or stay away from "xyz" and 99.9% of the time they are referring to areas that are heavily populated by African American people...it just bothers me when I know that SOME people, not all, when giving advice automatically refer to the areas where poor, black people live and rarely to the areas where poor, white people live (as if crime only happens in one spot). Sorry, didn't mean to cause an uproar either because you simply wanted to know about certain intersections. I am done venting.