apt for young family commuting to downtown business district (Pittsburgh: house, neighborhoods)

[skidmore06]

Hello! Been reading lots of older threads about Pittsburgh and all the neighborhoods...since y'all give such great info hoping you can lead me in right direction.

Moving to town early sept and will be working in heart of downtown. Would prefer neighborhood in walking distance to the t, or very short drive to t parking. DH and 1.5 yo DD will also be with, so prefer quiet neighborhood within walking distance of parks and shops. So far we've been focusing search on dormont, mt Lebanon and mt Washington. Prefer 2+ BRS (ideally 3), max budget 1300+utilities. And we have 2 dogs. DH will be stay at home dad at least temporarily, then might look for EMT jobs part time.

Any other neighborhoods we should look at?

Also thoughts on t vs bus? Seems like most are saying t is more efficient...I hate waiting and I see the bus as a potentially huge frustration. I don't want to waste $ parking downtown tho.

We are from York/Lancaster area so moving to the "big city" is simultaneously really exciting and anxiety producing for us!

Thank you for any ideas you may have!! :-)

[I_Like_Spam]

Buses can be frustrating, but so can the LRT cars.

If you're in Dormont, and an LRT car breaks down in Beechview or Mt. Lebanon, a lengthy delay is certainly possible and has happened in the past. It can also cause other cars to back up behind it. I don't think they have a good way to move LRT cars around disabled vehicles, although I would think there should be. If they had occasional crossing tracks, connecting the north and southbound tracks, the moving cars would be able to move onto the other side and back over in the event of a breakdown.

[guy2073]

I took the t for years, backups do not happen much, when they do busses are called out. Bethel park and castle shannon are nice areas. I lived in alvern gardens in castle shannon, it was a short walk to the t. That area is nice because the red, blue, and library lines all travel that section of track. There is No waiting in town, just grab first car.

[PghYinzer]

Brookline, is a city neighborhood, but blends seamlessly into Dormont, so it has almost the exact same vibe. The bus in Brookline is very dependable, and is a direct route to downtown via the south busway. I have been taking it daily to downtown for four years now and can’t complain. During the weekdays it runs every 10 mins, so if you miss one, the next one is not far behind. I leave my house at 7:02, catch the bus at 7:05, and am sitting at my desk at 7:40. Not to bad if you ask me.

[UKyank]

whats a DH & DD?

[onwardandupward]

Dear Husband and Dear Daughter

[Hopes]

Or Damned Husband and Damned Daughter, depending on the tone of a post.

[wpipkins2]

oh! I thought it was da husband......a slang meaning my husband...lol

[TheYO]

Designated Hitter and Designated Driver.

Ban the DH.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Buses along a busway route ( basically a highway limited to only buses) are generally just as reliable as the T. In my case, buses to downtown are actually more frequent along the West Busway, where I'm almost guaranteed to catch a bus within 3 minutes in the morning. The non-city neighborhoods directly along the West Busway include Ingram, Crafton, and Carnegie.