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...another great aspect of living near Centre and Negley is that there are so many buses there. The combined 71A and 71C routes run every 8 minutes from Oakland to Penn and Negley.
That's not going to be different from Beacon and Murray. At rush hour, the 61C and the 61D each run every 15 minutes. If you add the 61A and 61B, run down Forbes instead of turning on Murray, you've got a great deal of bus coverage to Oakland. Sometimes you can't get on for crowds, but the 71's have that problem too.
I merely relayed a message from a foodie who prefers quality food and isn't interested in delis and bar food.
There's more than just delis and bar food and I think you know it. I'm a "foodie" myself and Squirrel Hill still has a nice variety of cuisines to choose from. The one thing the restaurant scene there is not, however, is adventurous. So no, Squirrel Hill is not the place for haute cuisine, but its offerings are still far and away from limited and/or monolithic.
Thank you for understanding what I'm trying to say. I'm not trying to trash Squirrel Hill as a place to live. I'm tying to say that the business district is not what it used to be and we should starting promoting other great places in addition to Squirrel Hill. If we want Pittsburgh to grow, we can't always focus on the same darn neighborhoods when the other neighborhoods have really great things going for them too!
I actually think that Squirrel Hill is being harmed in some ways by what originally helped save it - the isolation.
Look at the Walkscore map and you'll see what I mean. Downtown, South Side, the Lower North Side, the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Oakland, Shadyside, and East Liberty are basically forming a cohesive walkable core to Pittsburgh (with a big hole in the middle due to the Hill District). Forbes/Murray is off on its own - in part due to being on the far side of Schenley Park, but also because the (admittedly quite nice) residential area between Fifth and Forbes cuts off urban development.
I'd actually agree that there's really not anything left in Squirrel Hill that (as someone who doesn't live there) I find myself going to. It's probably the best neighborhood-focused business district in the city, but it's not a destination the same way Penn, Butler, East Carson, Ellsworth, Liberty, or Walnut is.
There's still not too many chains on Ellsworth or South Highland.
Orr's? .... I think you should be buying your wife more jewelry. Little's. Other than those two, I can't think of another store that would bring me to Sq. Hill.
Let's face as much as we want to bash chain stores this is where the majority of our stuff comes from.
I'll admit that I'm only ever interested in business districts for their restaurants which is probably why I like Squirrel Hill better then Shadyside (Yes I could eat Asian food every day).
I don't ever buy anything other than food in stores these days.
I'm going to step in here to defend Hopes. I've lived, worked, and played in the East End now for approximately 2.5 years. My delivery job takes me to every nook and cranny from Regent Square to Stanton Heights to Greenfield to Uptown and everywhere in between. I can most certainly tell, as a relative newbie, that Squirrel Hill's business district once offered a greater ambiance and more grandeur than it currently does, not only on the retail front but also on the dining front. I don't see this as the neighborhood "declining" as much as it is changing. Perhaps 20-30 years ago, when Hopes was more endeared to Squirrel Hill, the population was largely Jewish, white, and upper-middle-class. There has now been a large influx of students, gays/lesbians, and Asians/Asian-Americans into the mix since the mid-2000s, and that is why we're seeing the proliferation of businesses catering to those demographics.
I'm inclined to agree that Squirrel Hill's dining options are limited. Our business partners with Murray Avenue Grill, and I truly do love their atmosphere, staff, and food (the Canonsburger is quite tasty). Otherwise you have numerous Pan-Asian/noodle/bubble tea places such as Sun Penang, How Lee, Silk Elephant, Rose Tea Cafe, Coriander, the new eatery in the former Aseoma space, Bangkok Balcony, etc.; bars like the Squirrel Hill Cafe, Silky's, Fannatics, etc.; coffeeshops out the wazoo; and not much else. Gullifty's is way past its prime, and I have no idea how it stays in business. Eat 'n Park is pretty much just shoveling mediocre food into your mouth at a reasonable price point---great if you have kids or are trying to nurse a hangover. There are a TON of pizzerias in Squirrel Hill: Lucci's, Mineo's, Aiello's, Italian Village Pizza, Pizza Bellino, Napoli's Pizza, Pizza Amier, and I'm sure I'm missing one or two more. Otherwise if you're looking for a good place to take a date for steak, seafood, Italian, etc. you're really out of luck and are better served heading to Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Downtown, South Side, or East Liberty. Even Regent Square has some good dining options, even though its own business district is pint-sized.
On the retail front Squirrel Hill is immensely disappointing. I happen to like Avalon Exchange and have bought several great shirts there. The Exchange (not to be confused with Avalon Exchange) is another business catering to the student demographic. GameStop, where I typically bought the select few new XBox 360 games I wanted each year, closed (the one in East Liberty will now be garnering my business). The Barnes & Noble on Murray closed and has been replaced by an office, not exactly adding much vitality to the streetscape in the process. A little variety store right next to Murray Avenue Grill has also gone out of business. Orr's Jewelers is indeed one of the city's premier jewelery stores. Otherwise you have a few real estate offices, a FedEx Office store, Dunkin' Donuts, a martial arts studio (or two), a yoga studio (or two), fro-yo places, smoke shop (perhaps factoring into Hopes's low-rent comment?), and little else (okay, Pamela's IS good for breakfast!)
If I were to compare the Forbes & Murray of today to the Forbes & Murray of Hopes's bygone era then I, too, would be disappointed. It offers pretty much every basic need you would want for living nearby on a day-to-day basis, but if you want something a bit different you're out of luck. Squirrel Hill direly needs a better variety of restaurants and retail (any retail!!!).
I actually think that Squirrel Hill is being harmed in some ways by what originally helped save it - the isolation.
Look at the Walkscore map and you'll see what I mean. Downtown, South Side, the Lower North Side, the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Oakland, Shadyside, and East Liberty are basically forming a cohesive walkable core to Pittsburgh (with a big hole in the middle due to the Hill District). Forbes/Murray is off on its own - in part due to being on the far side of Schenley Park, but also because the (admittedly quite nice) residential area between Fifth and Forbes cuts off urban development.
Excellent point. Squirrel Hill, to me, feels like a "suburb in the city". Ditto Regent Square, Park Place, Point Breeze, Highland Park, and Stanton Heights. The homes, generally speaking, are more spread apart, lot sizes are larger, many roads are wider, etc. Shadyside, Lawrenceville, the Strip District, Lower North Side, Friendship, Oakland, East Liberty, Polish Hill, South Side Flats, and Garfield feel decidedly much more urban and contiguous with Downtown. Squirrel Hill does feel "tucked away" all by itself, along with those other neighborhoods I mentioned.
I'm inclined to agree that Squirrel Hill's dining options are limited. Our business partners with Murray Avenue Grill, and I truly do love their atmosphere, staff, and food (the Canonsburger is quite tasty). Otherwise you have numerous Pan-Asian/noodle/bubble tea places such as Sun Penang, How Lee, Silk Elephant, Rose Tea Cafe, Coriander, the new eatery in the former Aseoma space, Bangkok Balcony, etc.; bars like the Squirrel Hill Cafe, Silky's, Fannatics, etc.; coffeeshops out the wazoo; and not much else. Gullifty's is way past its prime, and I have no idea how it stays in business. Eat 'n Park is pretty much just shoveling mediocre food into your mouth at a reasonable price point---great if you have kids or are trying to nurse a hangover. There are a TON of pizzerias in Squirrel Hill: Lucci's, Mineo's, Aiello's, Italian Village Pizza, Pizza Bellino, Napoli's Pizza, Pizza Amier, and I'm sure I'm missing one or two more. Otherwise if you're looking for a good place to take a date for steak, seafood, Italian, etc. you're really out of luck and are better served heading to Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Downtown, South Side, or East Liberty. Even Regent Square has some good dining options, even though its own business district is pint-sized.
Don't forget Aji's http://ajipicantepgh.com/. It is a really good neighborhood restaurant and a BYOB.
So it is true that aside from Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, American, Middle Eastern, Peruvian, and pizza, Squirrel Hill does not have many food options.
And with respect, newcomers to Pittsburgh aren't going to care much about how things 'used to be'. It is interesting from a historical perspective but no one is going to say "I like X neighborhood, but it used to be so much better, so I will probably live somewhere else".
Getting back to the OP, one of our regular clients resides in those rowhomes at 5535 Centre Avenue, along the courtyard across the street from the Giant Eagle Market District. They are an elderly couple, and I believe their adult son may live with them (or frequently checks in on them). They are very friendly people, and they seem happy living where they are. I've also bumped into a young woman walking her dog around the courtyard a few times, indicating you wouldn't be the only pet owner there. My only ax to grind about living there would be the rush-hour congestion along that stretch of Centre Avenue, which could make it very difficult to turn left out of the alley. There's a traffic "choke point" caused by the Hertz Car Rental office's very awkward location in the middle of Roup, Baum, Centre, and Negley, and this causes congestion on all surrounding blocks. This has recently been exacerbated due to the closure of nearby Highland Avenue for the replacement of a bridge over the East Busway. If I'm not mistaken the Negley Avenue bridge over the East Busway is also slated for reconstruction (replacement?) in 2014 or 2015, which will cause many traffic snarls. The Giant Eagle Market District itself causes gridlock, and that is one of numerous reasons why I shop at another nearby Giant Eagle location on Shakespeare Street.
As far as safety is concerned be advised a crime of opportunity can happen anywhere. It was either last summer or Summer 2011 that Ellsworth Avenue through Shadyside experienced a rash of muggings. My best friend's ex-roommate's girlfriend's friends (got that?!) had their apartment burglarized last year in Friendship. I myself live very near to one of the city's worst neighborhoods, and while I've never felt threatened I'm always aware of my surroundings. My car was vandalized last year in a break-in attempt while I was parked along Centre Avenue in North Oakland, behind the VA Hospital. I don't foresee any reason to write off the Friendship/Shadyside/East Liberty area for fear of the outside chance of rare crime to occur.
Don't forget Aji's http://ajipicantepgh.com/. It is a really good neighborhood restaurant and a BYOB.
So it is true that aside from Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, American, Middle Eastern, Peruvian, and pizza, Squirrel Hill does not have many food options.
And with respect, newcomers to Pittsburgh aren't going to care much about how things 'used to be'. It is interesting from a historical perspective but no one is going to say "I like X neighborhood, but it used to be so much better, so I will probably live somewhere else".
Sarcasm aside I think Squirrel Hill, for as large as it is (it IS the most populous neighborhood in the city, after all) just shocks some of we "foodies" due to its lack of a "draw" restaurant that would attract people from other neighborhoods. We very infrequently find ourselves "going out" to Squirrel Hill and instead favor Downtown, Lawrenceville, or Shadyside. Downtown now has foodie magnets such as Meat & Potatoes, Seviche, Six Penn, NOLA, and soon Burgatory to draw people in. Lawrenceville has foodie magnets like Cure, Franktuary, Piccolo Forno, Round Corner Cantina, Tamari, Industry, and more on the way. Shadyside has Girasole, Mad Mex, Harris Grill, etc. East Liberty has BRGR, Spoon, Union Pig & Chicken, and Salt of the Earth (just over the border in Garfield). All of these places draw in hundreds of people each day from other areas, and these people add foot traffic. That foot traffic gawks at nearby storefronts and buys stuff. Right now not even Murray Avenue Grill, for as much as I like the atmosphere there, could draw me to Squirrel Hill from Polish Hill, and Polish Hill, with its growing population of younger people with discretionary income coupled with a dearth of businesses of our own, is a prime neighborhood that a place like Squirrel Hill SHOULD be looking to draw from. We do like going to Sun Penang. With that being said Squirrel Hill could use a few more "power-players" like those other neighborhoods have in terms of restaurants.
I mean, Piccolo Forno's success ultimately led to Lawrenceville becoming the emerging foodie paradise it is today. Squirrel Hill needs a catalyst like Piccolo Forno. A zillion Asian restaurants and pizzerias with one or two "take it or leave it" restaurants thrown into the mixture for good measure is not going to help draw the foot traffic back to Squirrel Hill that will propel its retail sector again.
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