Live and Enjoy the city without a car?

[fleetiebelle]

See, I don't find much about the South Side to be arsty nor funky. The East End is where you find that.

Totally agree. The South Side has some decent shops and restaurants, but on the weekends it turns into a giant bar crawl for frat boys. The artsy, funky people tend to live in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, and Friendship, like suzeeq said.

I have a car, but I have several friends who don't drive at all, and they get around just fine.

[Geeo]

Lawrenceville is at the point in development where the South Side was maybe 20 years ago - getting more of a critical mass without losing its original identity. True, South Side has changed. It always happens that way: the artists and creative types find a cheap and funky area, make improvements, and the whole world follows and it gets expensive. I like the feel of Lawrenceville, and it's a huge neighborhood with great architecture. It even has a bowling alley.

[Merge]

I have to throw my word in with the rest- there is almost nothing 'arty' about the South Side anymore. That neighborhood had a short-lived window of time in the early to mid-nineties when it might have been the kind of place you are looking for. The only "funky" thing about it is all the urine on yuppie doorsteps during the weekends. The place is overrun with suburbanites, frat boys and ex-sorority sisters. Avoid it.

Most things with any cultural import happen in the many neighborhoods north of the Monongohela. As others suggested- Lawrenceville is the best "funky" and "arty" neighborhood currently. The North Side is running second. The Penn Avenue Corridor (Garfield, East Liberty, the edge of Friendship, etc.) is worth checking out, but if you are afraid of black people, then you need not apply. Regent Square is a bit precious, and Shadyside hasn't been hip, "arty" or "funky" for thirty years. It's a good place to be appalled by conspicuous consumption and the antics of a homogenous population with a ridiculously inflated sense of entitlement.

[suzeeq521]

The North Side is another good area, I think, as far as transit goes.

And, well, the 54C goes there too.

(As does the 500, which is another choice for getting to & from Oakland.)

[gameguy56]

Originally Posted by suzeeq521

The North Side is another good area, I think, as far as transit goes.

And, well, the 54C goes there too.

(As does the 500, which is another choice for getting to & from Oakland.)

North Side as in Mexican War Streets? I've always been intrigued by the area.

[suzeeq521]

Well, North Side is an umbrella term for a lot of different neighborhoods.

The Mexican War streets are a North Side area. However, they aren't their own recognized neighborhood (There are, I think, 90 recognized neighborhoods - but if you talk to people around, they will list 95 or more, by including sub neighborhoods too.)

Here is a link to the neighborhoods all together:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/...ittsburgh.html

And here is a link to maps of the individual neighborhoods:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/..._map_list.html

[gameguy56]

Originally Posted by suzeeq521

Well, North Side is an umbrella term for a lot of different neighborhoods.

The Mexican War streets are a North Side area. However, they aren't their own recognized neighborhood (There are, I think, 90 recognized neighborhoods - but if you talk to people around, they will list 95 or more, by including sub neighborhoods too.)

Here is a link to the neighborhoods all together:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/...ittsburgh.html

And here is a link to maps of the individual neighborhoods:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/..._map_list.html

Hmm, looks like the mexican war streets are in what is called "central northside"

I'm thinking Lawrenceville might be the best if I can find a bike/walk route to Oakland easily so I'm not totally dependent on the whim of PAT.

[suzeeq521]

If you are looking for biking options, I'd actually probably look at Bloomfield, Friendship, or North Oakland (particularly where it borders Bloomfield). Central Lawrenceville might be OK too.

But the downfall of the maps are they don't show topography. And much of Lawrenceville is on the side of a huge hill (not ideal for biking). However, the parts of Lower & Central L-ville that border Bloomfield are less hilly/on the hill top, so they would be worth considering, too.

I really like the area around Millvale St. where North Oakland & Bloomfield meet. You aren't too far to walk, bike, or bus to either of them (well, once PennDOT finishes the bridge repairs they are doing there.)