NYC Native to Pittsburgh Transplant - Advice Please! (York, Ross Township: sublet, rent)

[joco]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Some people say it is hard to find friends here because everyone tends to keep to their circle of friends, even though we are outwardly nice to everyone (although some will cite examples of how we are not).

What are you interests outside of work? It usually helps to find a group that is interested in a particular thing and you have an immediate group of people with a common interest. I can only provide insight into running groups in the area, but most runs end with beers at a bar so it is great chance to socialize.

we do keep our circle of friends, and I'm an outsider via 30 years ago. Now I'm in the cliques, but we tend to let nice people in. I would think anywhere would be the same and with the influx of outsiders I think there's a whole new way to make friends in Pittsburgh than when I moved here. I like making new friends .

[nycgirl1102]

I like hanging out at bookstores, libraries, and museums. I also love places that sell tea. I bike a lot, too.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by nycgirl1102

I like hanging out at bookstores, libraries, and museums. I also love places that sell tea. I bike a lot, too.

Oakland has the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, and the main branch of the Carnegie Library, as well as Phipps Conservatory. The Warhol (also a Carnegie Museum) and the Carnegie Science Center are in the North Side, along with the Mattress Factory and the National Aviary.

[Mr.BadGuy]

Originally Posted by nycgirl1102

I'm moving to Pittsburgh to try and stray away from the Williamsburg/LIC multimillion dollar daddy warbucks apartments. But I do know they are an unavoidable part of urban life.

Not always. You're not going to find a ton of those high-rises in Pittsburgh. As others have mentioned, the housing stock is older, and in the neighborhoods you're looking at, will tend to be either divided rowhomes or divided Victorians. It was mentioned previously in the thread that Queens has the same density as the Pgh city neighborhoods popular with young people (chiefly, East End), which isn't true. The two cities are very different in scale, with all of Queens neighborhoods clocking in at approx. 2.3 million and all of Pittsburgh's city neighborhoods comprising approx. 0.3 million total.

Long Island City, for example, is a sort of financial center with high-rises and a feel similar to Pittsburgh's Downtown, which has also become more of a financial center in recent years — for example, the PNC Bank headquarters reminds me very much of the Citigroup Building in LIC. The rest of western Queens is far, far denser than any residential neighborhood in Pittsburgh, which offers more of a suburban-urban mix. Even eastern Queens, which is generally more suburban, is quite dense compared to much of Pittsburgh. This will come as good news for anyone who likes urban living but doesn't care for huge crowds or who wishes to avoid those high-rises. (Another pleasant surprise for you will be traffic; if you can drive the BQE during AM rush without losing your mind, Pittsburgh will be easy!) Likewise, the suburbs of Pittsburgh are pretty spread out compared to where you come from. The portion of the North Hills that was mentioned previously, for example, is more like West Islip, in Suffolk County out on Long Island than anything in the 5 boroughs.

Have you ever visited the Victorian Flatbush section of Brooklyn, along Beverly Rd and the B/Q lines? Friendship looks a lot like that, but is smaller, so the shops and such aren't as far of a walk. Bloomfield is closer in feel to Greenpoint or "East" Williamsburg, but is less dense. It also has some things in common with Ridgewood, Queens, which is where we live, although Bloomfield is an Italian neighborhood, whereas Ridgewood is currently tipping Puerto Rican, East Asian, Polish, and Russian. The media paints both as "hipster meccas," but in reality, they are old-school ethnic enclaves with lots of nice walkable restaurants, cafes, and shops, and believe me, there are plenty of people over 30 — and over 40, 50, and beyond — in these neighborhoods.

You might also check out Lawrenceville. It's not as yuppie as Williamsburg — you won't find a throng of Wall Street dudes in suits, thank god — and the population is older overall, but Pittsburgh's population of 20-somethings is growing, especially there. So it's a great place for a young person to make friends, particularly since it is the current center of youth nightlife and boasts a decent number of clubs, bars, and cafes (along with a nice little counterculture scene), all within walking distance of the rowhomes.

[nycgirl1102]

Originally Posted by Mr.BadGuy

Have you ever visited the Victorian Flatbush section of Brooklyn, along Beverly Rd and the B/Q lines? Friendship looks a lot like that, but is smaller, so the shops and such aren't as far of a walk. Bloomfield is closer in feel to Greenpoint or "East" Williamsburg, but is less dense. It also has some things in common with Ridgewood, Queens, which is where we live, although Bloomfield is an Italian neighborhood, whereas Ridgewood is currently tipping Puerto Rican, East Asian, Polish, and Russian.

I've been to all the areas mentioned. I love the brooklyn rowhouses but not the prices gentrification has brought to the area. I think bayridge and sheepshead bay area are still reasonable since the hipster scene hasn't infiltrated. Ridgewood is now a hipster haven, being called Quooklyn *mega eye roll*.

[Mr.BadGuy]

Again, I live there. It's really not anything of the kind (and no one calls it Quooklyn, save for the douche who edits the Real Estate pages of the Times). It's a nice, affordable working-class family neighborhood, where you'll see multiple generations of Puerto Ricans and Poles out with the kids. The biggest migration so far has been of working-to-middle class Polish families who were priced out of Greenpoint in the past 5 years. The same hype about hipster nonsense is being applied to Bloomfield and Lawrenceville in Pittsburgh, and is much overblown, and mostly not real.

Did you know that the NY Times has been speculating on Ridgewood turning into a hipster mecca since the early 80s? They called them yuppies back then, and reporters were predicting an explosion of cafes serving quiche. You can check out the archives online and read all about it (or stroll down Myrtle Ave. and ask the storeowners). And even Bay Ridge isn't safe. Some weekend tourist has been snapping pictures of the three tattooed guys they saw strolling around and claiming it the "next Williamsburg." The biggest mistake people make when deciding where to live is taking New York Times real estate section as gospel, and that goes double for moving to Pittsburgh, since you'll get a reporter spending 12 hours there and deciding he knows the city.

As I advise people who are planning a move, spend time on the ground and observe the place with your own eyes. Reporters have an agenda, and it mainly revolves around convincing you to pay twice what something is worth.

[nycgirl1102]

I love Queens and New York but 23 years of it feels like long enough. I'm thinking of making three trips to Pittsburgh before fully deciding on making the move. Once over mlk weekend to experience the Rust Belt cold at its prime. Then again in March and June.

Originally Posted by Mr.BadGuy

Again, I live there. It's really not anything of the kind (and no one calls it Quooklyn, save for the douche who edits the Real Estate pages of the Times). It's a nice, affordable working-class family neighborhood, where you'll see multiple generations of Puerto Ricans and Poles out with the kids. The biggest migration so far has been of working-to-middle class Polish families who were priced out of Greenpoint in the past 5 years. The same hype about hipster nonsense is being applied to Bloomfield and Lawrenceville in Pittsburgh, and is much overblown, and mostly not real.

Did you know that the NY Times has been speculating on Ridgewood turning into a hipster mecca since the early 80s? They called them yuppies back then, and reporters were predicting an explosion of cafes serving quiche. You can check out the archives online and read all about it (or stroll down Myrtle Ave. and ask the storeowners). The biggest mistake people make when deciding where to live is taking New York Times real estate section as gospel, and that goes double for moving to Pittsburgh, since you'll get a reporter spending 12 hours there and deciding he knows the city.

As I advise people who are planning a move, spend time on the ground and observe the place with your own eyes. Reporters have an agenda, and it mainly revolves around convincing you to pay twice what something is worth.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Mr.BadGuy

The same hype about hipster nonsense is being applied to Bloomfield and Lawrenceville in Pittsburgh, and is much overblown, and mostly not real.

With all due respect you no longer live here and aren't in Lawrenceville on a daily basis, as I am. Many new apartments are now fetching rents north of $2,000/month, and these are being snatched up by 20-somethings with cash to burn from sources I'll probably never truly understand. Just because we're a fraction of the size of NYC doesn't mean we can't still have an influx of hipsters on that smaller scale to account for the much smaller population here.

[nycgirl1102]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

With all due respect you no longer live here and aren't in Lawrenceville on a daily basis, as I am. Many new apartments are now fetching rents north of $2,000/month, and these are being snatched up by 20-somethings with cash to burn from sources I'll probably never truly understand. Just because we're a fraction of the size of NYC doesn't mean we can't still have an influx of hipsters on that smaller scale to account for the much smaller population here.

I would prefer to hear from people who are currently living in Pittsburgh, since I need to base my decision on real time tellings of what is happening in the area.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by nycgirl1102

I would prefer to hear from people who are currently living in Pittsburgh, since I need to base my decision on real time tellings of what is happening in the area.

Mr. Bad Guy gave you some excellent advice overall otherwise. I just took issue with his insinuation that an uptick in hipsters in Lawrenceville is poppycock, more or less. For heaven's sake a dually-employed college-educated professional couple on this sub-forum just got priced OUT of Lawrenceville into Morningside because of the rapid gentrification there.