East Liberty question - safety and parking (Pittsburgh: 2014, rental)

[Uptown kid]

Originally Posted by CaptainPittsburgh

East Liberty is perfectly fine these days, assuming you have the tiniest amount of street awareness. Honestly, I don't even think you need that anymore. I am in the neighborhood on a pretty infrequent, but regular basis, for what it's worth.

Excuse me but does your "East Liberty," include the East Liberty Gardens Apartments, the Enright Court Townhouses, Omega Place, Black Street, Hays Street, or the 600 blocks of Mellon St/Negley Ave/N Euclid Ave/N St. Clair Street?

Yes the Penn Avenue-Central East Liberty shopping and residential areas are fine, but behind Target & north of the blvd there's still places to avoid.

[selltheburgh]

There are some rough spots but northern east lib and southern highland park but it still isn't that bad. I walk many of those blocks and while at night there might be some loud teens out, but most people on those blocks out at night are walking their dog or going home or sitting on their porch. The OP has no reason to be on these blocks unless she/he has friends there.

A pizza delivery driver was telling me how different those blocks are now versus 15 years ago. I only know them from walking them 7 years ago and living there now. Huge difference. I didn't want to walk on most of those streets day or night in 2005 or prior and now I live there.

East liberty gardens and omega are very isolated and there's no reason to go there if you don't know anybody who lives there. They are scheduled for the bulldozer soon enough.

[I_Like_Spam]

East Liberty was very problematic, particularly before the 3 New Jack City hi-rises were razed.

When I was driving a cab, and turning in at 3 a.m., the walk over to my personal car with a pocket full of money was always a bit intimidating.

[selltheburgh]

Spam - was that the 90s?

[I_Like_Spam]

Yes, I drove in the 1990's, nights and weekends only, part time.

It was pretty interesting, when you drove out of the garage, you never knew where you'd end up.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by selltheburgh

East liberty gardens and omega are very isolated and there's no reason to go there if you don't know anybody who lives there. They are scheduled for the bulldozer soon enough.

Yeah, I saw the plan on making the Omega Place area into a park. Dunno how those houses lasted as long as they did in the middle of a vacant superblock. Somebody must have had some pull back when Penn Circle was made.

[gg]

Remember "selltheburgh" owns property in East Liberty. I stated that area in particular isn't bad, but lets not get carried away. You need to be looking around and there is foot traffic around that COULD pose a problem. There is still plenty of crime in East Liberty and I have encountered some bad things around Home Depot/Target areas, but it is pretty rare. I work in that area 5 days a week and it isn't like I am in a nice suburb. When school is in, it is a bit worse as far as the hassle goes. People getting punched for fun and kids trying to show off to classmates that they can pick on someone. It isn't a shooting, but still, it is a drag. Then there are shooting in that area now and again. Very bad areas are around and those losers walk through there. Sort of luck of the draw, but I would still park there and walk to a car at most hours of the day and night. I just don't want people to feel too comfortable. That wouldn't be wise.

[selltheburgh]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Yeah, I saw they plan on making the Omega Place area into a park. Dunno how those houses lasted as long as they did in the middle of a vacant superblock. Somebody must have had some pull back when Penn Circle was made.

Where did you see that about the park?

There's a tunnel that goes under East Lib Blvd and a paved trail that connects to Negley Run from near Omega Place. It is over grown and goes behind the Auburn St projects in Larimer (that are slated for demo). Then it has to cross Negley Run to connect to Highland Park, but it would be a fantastic connector from the park to the business district. I think that in 5-10 years traffic on Negley Run will be the bigger setback for that connector than the sketchiness of Auburn St in Larimer. RIght now there's less dumping and garbage that I would have guessed. It may have been cleaned up in the last year or two.

There are bike lanes planned for Broad St near Station Street / East Lib Gardens.

http://goo.gl/maps/BEVMz

The trail / road is even noted on google maps.

[selltheburgh]

No, it definitely isn't the suburbs. It is an urban neighborhood.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by selltheburgh

Where did you see that about the park?

Check out the PDF. Note page 8 (numbered, page 10 of the PDF). That whole area is marked for "Parks Planning/Greenway."