My trip to PITTSBURGH! (Scranton, California: neighborhoods, live, restaurants)

[RachelleP]

Hi All,
As some of you know,I am from So.Cal and have been considering moving out to Pittsburgh.My first visit finally came and went!I spent 5 busy days in your beautiful city!I found Pittsburgh to be many things.I was happy to see that the city itself and (most)surroundings were very clean.And felt safer,I wasn't afraid to walk the streets of Downtown as I am at home.Everything was hipper than I had heard it would be.And I found a neighborhood that I loved(visually)! There were a few down sides to the trip.I spent alot of time being lost.It seems as if you miss and exit on the freeway,you are in big trouble.You won't find another exit for miles and when you do,you'll be crossing a bridge going who knows where!But getting lost is probably the best way to get to know a place.I guess my biggest complaint was Pittsburghers attitude towards their own city.EVERY person(minus one)I met,asked me why the Hell would I be considering Pittsburgh.Big turn-off.
Not sure just yet if Pittsburgh is for me,but it is certainly not off the list!I look forward to visiting again soon!

[tktez]

I think anyone who lives someplace that is cold in the winter and gets snow is surprised to hear that someone from a warm weather place is moving there. I imagine that's the reason for there reaction. Pittsburgh is a great town (if you don't mind getting lost, as you mentioned - don't ever miss your turn and think "I'll just go around the block." Hah!) If you think you like it, I'm sure you will.

[Hopes]

I agree that those reactions were due to the weather more than anything else. California is known for it's beautiful weather and sunshine. Pittsburgh isn't known for it's weather. If you loved everything else about Pittsburgh, don't let those reactions keep you from moving here. You'll get those reactions from anywhere in the United States where there are cold winters. People just don't understand why someone would move from perfect weather. But the reality is that having four seasons is really a wonderful thing!

[morefromcali]

Hi Rachelle,

We are moving to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles this summer, and when we were investigating whether or not we wanted to make the change we were greeted with the same reaction. We learned to just say "it's wonderful here, why wouldn't we be moving" and as Hopes said, people would then say "you're right . . . but you'll freeze" . Once they got past it, the welcome we've received has been truly amazing. I really can't believe how people in our new neighborhood have reached out to us. I think it's going to be a really wonderful change for our family Good luck with your decision.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by RachelleP

I guess my biggest complaint was Pittsburghers attitude towards their own city.EVERY person(minus one)I met,asked me why the Hell would I be considering Pittsburgh.Big turn-off.
Not sure just yet if Pittsburgh is for me,but it is certainly not off the list!I look forward to visiting again soon!

Here in Northen California, we have a little town in Marin called Bolinas.

Every time a stranger asks where is Bolinas -- no one knows. They take the state town signs down -- the best way to protect the wonder of Bolinas to act like it's not there...

Maybe that's what the Pittsburgher's are doing....

[kettlepot]

Rachelle and MorefromCali,

Would you consider giving the board an outsiders perspective on some of the neighborhoods you saw? Sometimes non-residents see things that locals no longer notice or appreciate.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

Rachelle and MorefromCali,

Would you consider giving the board an outsiders perspective on some of the neighborhoods you saw? Sometimes non-residents see things that locals no longer notice or appreciate.

Agreed. The same happens here in Scranton. Some of the homegrown native gripers, like WeLuvPA, can't see any of the benefits of their own city until they are pointed out by visitors.

[DonOrkoskey]

Not everyone here feels that way - I think that you will find a lot of those people are folks who never left here. They watched a lot of other people leave and can't seem to see how great a town this is.

I love this town - if you get out and see it on a bike, on foot, on rollerblades, or on a motorbike you will love it too. It's hard to enjoy it in a car but it is such a "small city" in terms of physical size that you can see it all without a car.

I'm a member of the Three Rivers Inline Club and we rollerblade all over the city every Friday and Sunday, we do between 12 and 18 miles and see a ton of the city, downtown, the north and south sides, oakland and all over.

There are a lot of people here that love this city, if you choose Pittsburgh, and you should because it is a great town, just tell them:
"Get aht a tawn, yinz don't know what yer talkin baut".

They'll leave you alone. :0)

[Maaz]

I agree with the others that the climate is the main issue. People who have lived here all their life think that places like California or Florida are great because they don't have to deal with the cold and snow in the winter. What they don't realize are all the deficiencies that these other places have.

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, I got used to the idea of 4 seasons and always appreciated the mountains, hiking trails, lake beaches, and other recreation. The food here is excellent with many local restaurants charging reasonable prices and many local shops catering to my needs. When I visit the 'warm' places, all I can ever find are the usual chain places overcharging for inferior quality.

Maaz

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Here in Northen California, we have a little town in Marin called Bolinas.

Every time a stranger asks where is Bolinas -- no one knows. They take the state town signs down -- the best way to protect the wonder of Bolinas to act like it's not there...

Maybe that's what the Pittsburgher's are doing....

That's hillarious! I love it!