Commuting to Youngstown from Pitt (Pittsburgh, Ross Township: fit in, best city, rentals)

[CoffeeMilk]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I think the downtown Youngstown suggestion is a great idea. I would much rather have fewer arts things to do then be faced with a brutal commute every day.

I'll just stay put in Boardman. Fewer arts things? There are zero things going on in downtown Youngstown. No nightlife, no shopping, no nothing. My spouse works from home so he needs space for a decent sized home office. Might as well stay in the burbs here if the drive would be that bad.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by Goinback2011

Does Zman live in Ohio?

He lives in a variety of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Whichever fits his argument for the day.

[TheYO]

Originally Posted by CoffeeMilk

I'll just stay put in Boardman. Fewer arts things? There are zero things going on in downtown Youngstown. No nightlife, no shopping, no nothing. My spouse works from home so he needs space for a decent sized home office. Might as well stay in the burbs here if the drive would be that bad.

Have you been to Downtown Youngstown lately? There are bars and restaurants all along W Federal and the nearby streets. Sure it's nowhere close to Carson Street or any other nightlife area here in Pittsburgh, but to say there's no nightlife whatsoever is just wrong.

[youngabe]

I get where the OP is coming from. Even if there is one street in Youngstown that has a few restaurants and bars, he or she lives there and is used to it all, therefore, it's all a wash. For someone who lives in a place, something would have to change majorly, right before his or her eyes to really see a "difference." We all are guilty of that as well. That would be like someone saying to me, "Hey, Apollo opened a few new establishments in the past few months--what's wrong with Apollo?!" Growing up near the area, it's just a very run down, isolated community to me. Nothing major has really happened and it seems like the OP feels the same way about Youngstown.

Of course zman mentioned it gets the same way around Pittsburgh--of course it does, because when you live in a place and see the same sights daily, you get bored over time. That would be the same in every single livable city in the world. Even in NYC, I'm sure once you have a "9-5" responsibility, you could easily get disinterested with your own little daily route. "Ugh, {insert event} is clear across town. I'll just stay put." <--- Make that whatever variable you want, point is, staleness can happen in any city, even the "coolest" of cities. When I start to feel a little "blah" toward my surroundings, I have an out-of-town guest come visit. Seeing everything through someone else is a great pick-me-up. A lot of my out-of-town friends really love Pittsburgh and I like seeing them enjoy the area.

I kinda feel for the OP because it sounds like a rock and a hard place. The drive would suck to just move to Pittsburgh proper and commute, but the OP doesn't sound too happy with their community. Unless you can find a new job within the Pittsburgh area, it's definitely a tough thought. Best of luck either way!

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by TheYO

Have you been to Downtown Youngstown lately? There are bars and restaurants all along W Federal and the nearby streets. Sure it's nowhere close to Carson Street or any other nightlife area here in Pittsburgh, but to say there's no nightlife whatsoever is just wrong.

I'll second this. The last time I was in downtown Youngstown, there was a big street festival and all of the bars were packed. A friend took me to a martini bar called Imbibe and another place for food. It felt very urban and upscale, and there were lots of young people and professionals. I was impressed!

I was also lucky enough to see a performance of the Youngstown Symphony (or the local symphony, whatever it is called) in a beautifully restored movie palace downtown.

[pman]

holy depopulation! you can see it from google maps right away, lots of green. so PP you're saying there is more than the draught horse which is the only sign of life on federal st in google street view

[SorryIMovedBack]

Yes, but Y-Town is not that way all the time. Most of the time it's pretty dead. Just read Vindy.com and you'll get a snapshot of what's happening. I've been in downtown Y-town during the day, and I think it's rough, creepy, and pretty well deserted, unless maybe you're there at lunch hour when people come out of the buildings. Uninsured drivers is another problem.
Youngstown News, Judge says driving without a license is No. 1 crime in Youngstown

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by pman

holy depopulation! you can see it from google maps right away, lots of green. so PP you're saying there is more than the draught horse which is the only sign of life on federal st in google street view

My guess is the Google street view was done before downtown Youngstown revitalization really kicked off. A lot has changed in the last two years or so.

[TheYO]

Originally Posted by pman

holy depopulation! you can see it from google maps right away, lots of green. so PP you're saying there is more than the draught horse which is the only sign of life on federal st in google street view

There's a lot more than the Draught House on Federal now. Off the top of my head I know of Imbibe, O'Donald's, 9ine, V2, Liquid Blu, Avalon and Knox Building just on Federal Street. There's a new bar/restaurant where Buffalo Wild Wings used to be in Federal Plaza. There's a bodega-type place on Federal now too that serves hot Middle Eastern food late night. One Hot Cookie (bakery) opened on Commerce, a block north of Federal and is also open until 2:30AM on the weekends. Rust Belt Brewing opened their Tap House on Commerce as well. Los Gallos, a wildly popular Mexican restaurant with five other locations, just opened on Boardman Street, a block south of Federal.

Go a little further north to Lincoln Ave near YSU's campus and there's Coyoacan Mexican, Jimmy John's, Inner Circle Pizza and University Pizzeria.

I'm sure I'm missing some places as well, but downtown Youngstown has a good variety of nightlife now. I don't know when Google Street View was there last, but it must have been a while ago. I go back home one weekend every month or two, and I always spend at least one night downtown. It's usually pretty busy and I always have a good time.

[CoffeeMilk]

Originally Posted by TheYO

There's a lot more than the Draught House on Federal now. Off the top of my head I know of Imbibe, O'Donald's, 9ine, V2, Liquid Blu, Avalon and Knox Building just on Federal Street. There's a new bar/restaurant where Buffalo Wild Wings used to be in Federal Plaza. There's a bodega-type place on Federal now too that serves hot Middle Eastern food late night. One Hot Cookie (bakery) opened on Commerce, a block north of Federal and is also open until 2:30AM on the weekends. Rust Belt Brewing opened their Tap House on Commerce as well. Los Gallos, a wildly popular Mexican restaurant with five other locations, just opened on Boardman Street, a block south of Federal.

Go a little further north to Lincoln Ave near YSU's campus and there's Coyoacan Mexican, Jimmy John's, Inner Circle Pizza and University Pizzeria.

I'm sure I'm missing some places as well, but downtown Youngstown has a good variety of nightlife now. I don't know when Google Street View was there last, but it must have been a while ago. I go back home one weekend every month or two, and I always spend at least one night downtown. It's usually pretty busy and I always have a good time.

I'm not in need of bars or restaurants. As I said, I'm interested in the arts community, specifically the maker movement. Pittsburgh has things like the Center for Creative Reuse, TechShop Pittsburgh, Hack Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Glass Center, lots of artists' spaces...I know of nothing that comes close to these activities in Youngstown. I'm looking for places where I can make art and meet artists.

(Inner Circle is vastly over-rated and I'd hardly call Jimmy John's something to boast about having in the downtown area.)