Any Pittsburghers here?

[buckylarue]

We are thinking of moving to Pittsburgh, but have not been there yet. Anybody from there have any advice on good neighborhoods, near transit? We have been researching on the net and Beechview looks pretty good; any feedback? Also, we are planning on one or both of us getting there for a recon trip later this summer or early fall. Any suggestions on places to stay, things to see and do, etc. would be appreciated! You can PM me here or just post in the thread. Thanks!!

 

[Minnesota!]

Aww...and leave good old MN? The horrors!!! Best of luck in your research :O)

 

[Swimnoid]

I lived in the "Burgh" from age 14 to 28. Pittsburgh is great! I lived in Mt Lebanon but that is near Beechview. I love those little city neighborhoods like Beechview and Brookline and Dormont. Those are all in the South Hills and there are many more neighborhoods all over the city. I'm sure you can find tons of info on the internet if you google.

 

[safetymom]

The North Hills is very nice. I think the South Hills is a little better for transportation though. Pittsburgh was home for many years till I moved here to Orlando.

Lots of museums to visit, the three rivers, always plenty to see and do. The Strip is a great place to visit also.

 

[safetymom]

You might want to learn to talk Pittsburghese before you move.

http://www.pittsburghese.com/

 

[Amy]

I'm a Pittsburgh-er, born here and still living here. How about a little more info? Will you/DH/SO be working downtown or in one of the suburbs? Do you like a "small-town" feel, or suburbia?

I live about 12 miles east of downtown and take public transit to work. The commute is about 25 min. on an average day. Beechview and Mt. Lebanon are south of downtown, closer to public transit.

Things to see and do: don't miss the Zoo, Station Square, Mt. Washington, the Point downtown, if you're here before Labor Day, Kennywood Park, Idlewild (if you have small kids).......

 

[marymrg]

We lived in the North Hills for a few years. We settled there because it was less congested and route 279 made for an easy commute.

When we went there for our house hunting trip, we stayed at the Sheraton at Station Square.

My DS might end up going to college there. He learned to talk in Pittsburghese so he'll fit right in.

 

[buckylarue]

I'm a Pittsburgh-er, born here and still living here. How about a little more info? Will you/DH/SO be working downtown or in one of the suburbs? Do you like a "small-town" feel, or suburbia?

I live about 12 miles east of downtown and take public transit to work. The commute is about 25 min. on an average day. Beechview and Mt. Lebanon are south of downtown, closer to public transit.

Things to see and do: don't miss the Zoo, Station Square, Mt. Washington, the Point downtown, if you're here before Labor Day, Kennywood Park, Idlewild (if you have small kids).......

We're both retired; I don't drive, so being close to the 'T' is a big plus for Beechview. For years, we lived in or near downtown Minneapolis, and San Francisco, and Portland, OR, but in 1999 we bought our first house in South Minneapolis, almost out of the city limits, and us and the cats have gotten spoiled by our fenced-in yard and garden, so that is a big selling point for us as well.

Thanks everyone for the help so far; keep it coming!

 

[amy4bruce]

We moved to the 'Burgh in 1997, and lived in Beechview (which, by the way, has neither) for about six years. Transportation is ideal, and the area is undergoing a slow renaissance. Alas, one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever eaten in closed, but there's a new one opening in the same spot. The legendary nuiscence bars have all been closed.

To be honest, we moved to Brookline, which is up the road. I like it a lot more, but it doesn't have the T. It's still in the city limits, though.

Go warsh up and c'mon over 'n'at. Grab an Arn and look around.

 

[pennst8r]

Oh, to be back in PGH!!! When we moved here, I went to the store and asked for chipped ham and brick cheese! I got chopped ham...not as good, and was told "we don't sell imported chesse"!! IMPORTED? With a name like BRICK?

Can't help with where to live, tho, since I was about 20 miles S.
You'll love it!


My car needs warshed...where's my pierogies and halupki?
(Thank God for Mrs. T!)

 

[buckylarue]

OK, I jumped on a cheap airfare sale, so I'll be in Pgh 9/14-9/19. Hope to see some of the sights, go to some open houses, get a little feel for the city, and see what comes next! Meanwhile, any suggestions of a good, economical place to stay near downtown or at least centrally located close to transit? Also, anybody have any realtors they would recommend?

 

[phisigprincess]

Glad to hear you're thinking about moving to the 'Burgh!! DH and I have both lived here our whole lives and don't plan on leaving. Currently we live in Mt. Lebanon. It's a very nice neighborhood right by Beechview and we live within spitting distance to the T. We don't have neighbors across the street, we just have the T rails. It's great for commuting!! Plus you can ride into town and catch a bus nearly anywhere from there.

I grew up in the North Hills, but since you don't drive, that might not be the best for you. It's a great area, but the transportation isn't so great.

As for sight seeing definately check out Kennywood if you like amusement parks, Sandcastle for a waterpark, any of the museums (we have a ton) - the Carnegie Science Center is very cool, walk around the Strip District in the morning - preferably a Saturday - it's a big market place, not anything naughty. They have a ducky tour that takes you on a tour of the city by land and water that is supposed to be pretty cool, the South Side has some really neat shops and the new South Side Works is a great place to visit, ride the incline up to Mt. Washington for a great view of the city, catch a Pirate game - general admission is only $9 and most people around here go to hang out at the stadium due to the Pirates abismal record... wow, I'm sure there's a lot more that I'm leaving out!!

There are bunches of hotels in the city, but I think they're all more expensive... it's worth checking in to though. That way you can catch a bus anywhere.

PM me if you ever have any more questions! Good luck!

 

[amy4bruce]

There are some reasonable motels on Banksville Road, which is the street that leads into the Fort Pitt Tunnel, which leads downtown. There are buses on Banksville that go downtown.

If you want to stick to the T, the only hotel I know of is on Ft Couch Road in Bethel Park, down by a mall called South Hills Village. It's kind of far from downtown, and it's a two fair zone, but it will take you right into the Golden Triangle, through Mt. Lebanon, Dormont and Beechview.

I'll be honest - your best bet is to rent a car. This will give you the opportunity to stay either by the airport or in West Miflin, and still be able to get anywhere.

Good luck.

 

[Magalex]

Hi! We live in Dormont. Dormont is a boro that neighbors Beechview(is considered city). I am not sure you will be looking into school systems but the surrending boro school systems seem to attract more families. The city areas do have their finance problems(including taxes and school system). Someone mention the south hills "T" is great if you will work Downtown. When you do your research just make sure you look into boro vs city areas. We love living in the Dormont Boro/ Mt. Lebanon Boro area. Brookline is also city limits. Good Luck! You are welcomed to send a PM with any questions also.

 

[safetymom]

Be sure you get a Primanti sandwich. Yum yum.

 

[swea_pea1]

We moved here from Pittsburgh 6 years ago. As others have said, Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park are also on the T with the advantage of lower tax rates. I'm not sure what they are now, but when I lived within the city limits, the tax rate was something like 4.25% and the suburbs were all around 1 or 1 1/2%. You can get a lot of bang for your buck in the city though for your housing dollar.

And yes, have a Primanti's sandwich while you're there (don't forget the cheese boat...yummmm!). Beechview also has one of my favorite pizza spots in Pittsburgh - Fiori's, second only to Mineo's in Squirrel Hill.

P.S. to pennst8r....I say "terno"!

 

[amy4bruce]

Beechview also has one of my favorite pizza spots in Pittsburgh - Fiori's, second only to Mineo's in Squirrel Hill.

Excuse me, as a former resident of Beechview and a current resident of Brookline, I'm here to say that Fiori's is in Brookline - it's on the wrong side of West Liberty Avenue to be in Beechview.

An unsolicited rant. Sorry.

I do recommend the Primanti Bros. sandwich, but have know out-of-town visitors to stare at it and ask if they could use a knife and fork to eat it. Don't. You'll be laughed out of the restaurant.

 

[poohandwendy]

Born and raised in the "burgh...there are ALOT of areas (townships or boroughs) along the T line...just depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a school district? Then my suggestion is go further away from the city than Beechview.

Are you more 'urban' or 'suburban'? If you want country, that isn't far either, but you would be out of the public transportation route. My sister lived in Beechview for about 5 years and loved it. I live in South Park which is very, very convenient to the T. I don't know much about the North Hills because I have always lived in the South Hills. I grew up in Peters Twp and Upper St Clair and then in Baldwin, Bethel Park as a young adult and now South Park (for 17 years).

Let me know of any specific questions you have. As far as realtors, I would have to ask around about that because we have not been in the market for so long.

 

[poohandwendy]

Excuse me, as a former resident of Beechview and a current resident of Brookline

My great aunt and uncle lived on Queensboro Ave for like 50 years...I have great memories of staying over their house and my aunt taking me up to 'the boulevard' to window shop and go to the bakery...way back when!

 

[poohandwendy]

I do recommend the Primanti Bros. sandwich, but have know out-of-town visitors to stare at it and ask if they could use a knife and fork to eat it. Don't. You'll be laughed out of the restaurant.