10 things I hate about Pittsburgh! (Smithfield, Lawrenceville: movies, landlords, university)

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by raubre

I haven't been there since last month (I think) and it was closed then. Very likely still vacant.

thanks

Wendy's had been there since at least the early 90's and perhaps even earlier than that.

[Urban_HillBilly]

complaining about a wendy's not being near by, or a walmart for that matter? I love not having fast food options in Squirrel Hill. Eat and shop healthy and use Schenley park for recreation. It's healthier. You find your fun if your active and look. You can even find fun on a budget. Find friends to play sports with in the parks, go to those little underage poetry readings or music in coffee shops, etc.

Considering the places where the entertainment is, like the southside, oakland, the Strip, etc scary and dangerous is just out there. Where you from, like Patton, Pa? WOW. I never heard an actual urban person consider the south side the dangerous section of town.

Why is the Golden Triangle sh*ty? Look, I did my night clubbin days for sure. I bar hopped in way to many cities way to many times. I did the 4 am partying and everything. I realize our downtown isn't for that. However, what is Sh*ty about one of the coolest dense, architecturally impressive, downtowns in America? Must not have an eye for architecture or history I take it. Hopefully you're here for college and willing to open up your mind a little.

Jesus.

[greg42]

I haven't read too many things in this thread that are uniquely bad in Pittsburgh. But other places look greener when your situation isn't close to your ideal. (That is also not unique to being in Pittsburgh.)

[Urban_HillBilly]

Originally Posted by caroline2

5. A bit of an anti-social attitude as compared to other cities. The reckless and aggressive driving, the throwing your butts on other people's property... definitely too much of an "I don't give a f@$#" attitude for my taste.

Have you ever driven anywhere one the East or West Coast?? Pittsburgh is a pretty chill city compared to more than half the population of America's urban centers. You must be from where that metalforever girl is from and use to the simple old life with Wendy's as the main street restaurant, the trailer park as the "bad part of town", downtown as the Walmart, and Amish buggy crossing signs to get there.

[TelecasterBlues]

I'm going to add a #11 to my list...and that's going to be the people who believe that Pittsburgh is the be all/end all despite the fact that it does indeed have many shortfalls. For every "our city sucks" type of doom and gloom personlity that exists, there's about twice as many people who absolutely refuse to admit to even the most obvious of our city's problems being a factor in any way. These people tend to isolate themselves to Pittsburgh and only Pittsburgh, and then refuse to believe anybody else's insight or oppinion when making references to other cities. Any suggestion to make our city a better place usually gets written off immediately by these types and then the attitudes start to flair. I mean really...we're a recovering city that's been through hell and back and was once in an economic situation similar to present day Detroit. There's going to be some problems and a few things that can be fixed or changed with time, nothing wrong with pointing them out and trying to make a difference.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

When people say there's nothing to do in Pittsburgh it makes me curious--what would you like to be doing that you're not doing or you can't do here?

I really think that when people say there's nothing to do they mean they don't have many people to do things with.

[metalforever]

You think South Side is dangerous? I've never had a problem there.

I thought I saw someone dealing drugs on the street. I didnt even see that where I was from, and that place had huge drug busts all the time.... A lot of drunks(thats to be expected). Drunks come up to girls and start talking......same with town.

Blech!! Wendy's is gross anyway!

Addicted to their junior bacons from high school... My mom bought fast food constantly.

The economy is awesome here compared to Bum****ville, PA (I should know...I'm from there...), but it still isn't good nor has it been in 40 years.

Lol! I am glad someone understands. However, I think the job situation here is ****ing awesome...but i could have just gotten lucky..... I have a good enough job (as a 18 year old) that last paycheck covers my rent, utilities and food for the month, and I get paid weekly. Its also a work at home(legit deal- its programming). Im psyched! I couldnt get hired back home.... ANYWHERE! I can use a lot of this money towards food for the school year.

When people say there's nothing to do in Pittsburgh it makes me curious--what would you like to be doing that you're not doing or you can't do here?

Well, I dont know whats around because im a transplant. Maybe you could give me some ideas? I dont get the paper because during the summer, it isnt free for me, and during the fall, I dont really have free time.

the schools

I went to one of the worst schools in the state. TRUST ME, it doesnt pay to be poor. I paid for it BIG TIME when I got to college(CMU). I came in without a trig class(my school, not me), knowing zero chemistry and very little bio, having very big holes in my algebra, etc. Its a huge disadvantage at school.... Sometimes I have to miss class to get the work done because of the **** background, while other kids get to chill. It pisses me off....., I feel robbed of a high school education.

3. Infrastructure. It's not just the roads, it's the sidewalks, the sewer system, the utility poles... Everything is falling apart, rusted, dangerous, and leads to a giant waste of our time.

I really dont notice it.. sorry, it was just way worse back home. There were pieces of sidewalk on the block that i lived on that were so crumbled, that they didnt even begin to resemble a sidewalk. If youd like me to pull up pictures, I will. Dirt was also 10x worse.

4. Regional water pollution due to industry and mine seepage

This was also a problem where i was from. The mine drainage leaked into the creek that flowed through town and a lot of the neighborhoods. So, almost everywhere you went, you couldnt miss this orange stanking cesspool, that has signs in front of it that say "please avoid contact with water until 24 hours after raining". Cant be safe.

complaining about a wendy's not being near by, or a walmart for that matter? I love not having fast food options in Squirrel Hill. Eat and shop healthy and use Schenley park for recreation. It's healthier. You find your fun if your active and look. You can even find fun on a budget.

Yeah, I want the walmart around(i live in squirrel hill) because I want to be able to buy toilet paper easily >_>. The giant eagle doesnt carry it. I looked like, 3 times..... They carry feminine products, why not toilet paper? What is this "fun" on a budget you speak of?

Where you from, like Patton, Pa? WOW. I never heard an actual urban person consider the south side the dangerous section of town.

Somewhere pretty shady actually. I dont know, I consider an area pretty shady when i see people dealing on the street...... Also- the strip is dangerous too. I was walking there with a male friend after sunset, and this guy came out of a bar with a club right in front of us, and some other person in this car almost ran us over(we were on the sidewalk) on purpose. We ran to get the hell out of there! holy ****.

Must not have an eye for architecture or history I take it.

Couldnt be further from the truth. Infact, I was almost swayed to go to pitt because of the lovely architecture- im an architecture buff. I actually really do think this is the best city since sliced bread, I had a very hard time coming up with bad things, truly. We also have some pretty classic buildings back home, such as churches that are pre-civil war, etc. Thats all i miss about that place, and I think I will be making pittsburgh my permanent home, because it reminds me of all the good parts of where i grew up, but none of the bad. It really is the perfect city(or as perfect as a city is going to get). I think the place is beautiful and geographically diverse. I was a poor kid, not an ignorant kid, christ.

Wendy's as the main street restaurant, the trailer park as the "bad part of town", downtown as the Walmart, and Amish buggy crossing signs to get there.

Yep for everything except the bad areas..... People got shot across the street from my old house. People got clubbed down the street(as in, clubbed dead). It was all row houses that caught on fire that the city couldnt afford to knock down(bankrupt- people dont pay taxes). No jobs, people stealing stuff out of my backyard, drug houses on every corner. Oh, and my next door neighbor was a squatter who happened to be schizophrenic- he gave us death threats. Dont assume.....

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by TelecasterBlues

I'm going to add a #11 to my list...and that's going to be the people who believe that Pittsburgh is the be all/end all despite the fact that it does indeed have many shortfalls. For every "our city sucks" type of doom and gloom personlity that exists, there's about twice as many people who absolutely refuse to admit to even the most obvious of our city's problems being a factor in any way. These people tend to isolate themselves to Pittsburgh and only Pittsburgh, and then refuse to believe anybody else's insight or oppinion when making references to other cities. Any suggestion to make our city a better place usually gets written off immediately by these types and then the attitudes start to flair. I mean really...we're a recovering city that's been through hell and back and was once in an economic situation similar to present day Detroit. There's going to be some problems and a few things that can be fixed or changed with time, nothing wrong with pointing them out and trying to make a difference.

Actually, it seems like most of the people here with a positive attitude about Pittsburgh are people who have lived in several other cities and recognize the uniqueness of Pittsburgh while still recognizing the flaws (the trash problem seems a little better these days, if the potholes aren't) as opposed to natives who have been to Seattle or Austin a couple times and think those places are the be all/end all because they were written up in Details or Maxim or something and then come on the internet and continually trash where they live.

[creepsinc]

Also, I have to agree with anybody who has said most of these complaints aren't remotely unique to Pittsburgh. Especially the entertainment options not being concentrated in the financial district. Except for the Cultural District, of course. Oh, and the state park. And the ballpark/field right across the river. Oh, and the Strip and South Side right down the street and across a bridge, respectively. "Drug dealers" and closed Wendy's notwithstanding, of course.

[neurodistortion]

Since when did this thread turn into a Wendy's closing issue? Every city has its issues, not just Pittsburgh.