Pittsburgh apartment hunting for adventurous boomer (Bloomfield, Lawrenceville: sale, credit rating, house)

[abracq]

Hello,
I am moving to Pittsburgh in July, and would love some apartment-seeking advice. I know this is a short window, but it has to do with my house sale timing. (If I don’t find something immediately, I might just get short term housing somewhere and look around more).
I am a 61-year-old widow with a successful freelance business I can do anywhere, great credit rating and no pets. I am looking to live in a pretty safe neighborhood (I understand it’s the city but I’m pretty streetwise) on a good bus line, with a vibrant shopping district and a diverse population. The background to this is that I grew up in 2 big northeastern cities, but I have lived in a small northern new England town for 20 years. I want to live in vibrant a walkable neighborhood and have access to culture, arts, intellectual life.
I’m drawn to Squirrel Hill and Regent Square, but do you have suggestions for other neighborhoods? The main thing is I want to be able to take advantage of the city via public trans. For now, I’m looking for a studio or one bedroom under $1K monthly. I don’t want to be in a student ghetto but don’t mind students. I’m not deterred by older housing stock, pretty used to it but also don’t mind complexes. Also wonder what the best route is to find apt—rental companies? Craigslist?
I plan to come down as soon as my final closing details are hammered out, probably in a week or so. Any help you could give me is very appreciated, thank you!

[Moby Hick]

I think you're right to go with Squirrel Hill. Regent Square is nice, but doesn't have much of a downtown and the buses aren't as frequent. It has one bus line (depending on how far you consider reasonable to walk) to Oakland/downtown instead of four. Shadyside has what you want, but is more expensive. You could also try downtown, but the shopping (for basics especially) is a bit lacking.

[Lost_In_Translation]

1 bdrm in Southside or lawerenceville sounds reasonable for $1k. Walkable, interesting neighborhoods that are easy walks downtown to cultural district and/or Oakland museums.

[guy2073]

Availability | The Pennsylvanian maybe look into living in downtown.

[abracq]

Thank you, very helpful! Good to know about the bus line issue; I'm bringing car, but just want to walk as I did so much when I lived in city. I was down a couple of months ago and liked Squirrel Hill so much. Will look into all of these suggestions...

[ferraris]

South Side, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside stick out as options. Maybe Bloomfield or Lawrenceville depending no the vibe you're going for. If you're planning on visiting you could hit all of those places in a weekend, or even in one day if your ambitious.