usa :: pittsburgh :: general

[cyberPUNK]

There's a possibility that I'll be moving to Pittsburgh in August and I'm absolutely clueless about the city.

Anyone have any input? Shopping? Food? Atmosphere? Pitt? Would I need a car?

Any information is appreciated.

[landstander]

hey man..i lived in the pittsburgh area for about 10 years.

where at in pittsburgh are you planning to move?

theres not too much shopping to brag about but i guess it depends what kinda brands/fashion your into.

while living there i did most of my shopping online for my stuff..i think i even had you help me with an order a couple years ago while living there lol

there are good food joints of course depending on where youll be staying.

I would definitely recommend a car though if at all possible..the public transportation in pitts isnt the greatest.

if you do end up moving to the area id be glad to meet up and show ya around a bit.

[cyberPUNK]

thanks for the info! haha, funny about having proxied for you too.

i'm not sure where i'd be living yet, but i was accepted to pitt law, so ideally somewhere around campus. so far it's either pittsburgh, or santa clara california...which would you choose? thanks for the offer to show me around, if i end up going to pitt i'll have to take you up on that.

[radiator]

i live there currently, going to grad school at CMU (which is right next to Pitt). i moved here from rural missouri so my perspective is certainly a bit different than most here, but it's an OK town. as mentioned already there isn't much in the way of stores - its basically h&m and this one place in shadyside that carries a few decent brands.

if you end up moving here, i'd suggest the shadyside, bloomfield, or lawrenceville neighborhoods (friendship, garfield, etc. too but they're so tiny i just lump them in with the aforementioned). sq. hill would probably be fine too but its a bit further and not really my personal cup of tea. i live in bloomfield and it's pretty ok, and i can walk to campus in about 20 mins (probably closer to 30 for pitt) or take the bus straight there (same bus goes to pitt). most bars i go to are walking distance from my apartment, and you can catch the 54C down to the south side if you're into more of a club scene.

feel free to hit me up if you got any questions.

[watt]

Eat at Primanti's. The Southside for bars. The Strip for eating/markets. Shadyside/Sq. Hill/Ross Park for some shopping. Pittsburgh is a really underrated city with a lot of great things to do so be sure to message if you need any information.

[cyberPUNK]

bumping this, my chances of going to pittsburgh have grown lately. thanks for all the info by the way.

[cyberPUNK]

Been looking into housing...anyone have any thoughts on the Strip District? Seems like a cool place.

[IchHeisseWILSON]

The best men's boutique in Pittsburgh is MODA. The last few times I went they carried Raf Simons, Lanvin, Nom De Guerre & tons of Y7.

Food wise: Yes, eat at Primani's, burgers at Tessaro, tacos at Yo Rita, Lunch/Dinner at Casbah or Eleven. Andy's Sushi, Delucas, Pamela's Pancakes at the Strip.

The Strip sounds like a pretty good place to live. They have tons of new renovated lofts (Cork Factory/Heinz Lofts). It does get pretty empty by 5PM though, like any metro downtown.

Lower Lawrenceville is the Williamsburg/Silverlake of Pittsburgh. Hipstersville. Good food here too.

Eat at Tamari, Piccolo Forno, Dozen's Bake Shop.

[abaer]

Back from the dead. I recently moved back to Pittsburgh and need help. Food, shopping, things to do.

[scitsilyts]

stumbled across this thread and had a bit of nostalgia for home. i grew up there and stayed until 21 or 22. i really probably know less about pittsburgh than others as growing up there i kind of fell into routine/comfortable habits but here are a few of my fonder memories (if they still exist...i haven't lived there for five years now):

-the harris grill in shadyside: great place for drinks (and food) with a pretty diverse/welcoming crowd. they have a nice big patio out front which is nice in summer. in shadyside but not quite a "shadyside bar" if that makes sense

-the william penn tavern in shadyside: a bit of a "sports" bar with a bit more drunkards than the harris, but a good vibe and again, a nice outdoor area out back which is nice in summer

-gooskis in polish hill: a bit of a hipster haunt, but it's a nice local bar with a good beer selection/good beer specials and occasional live music.

-mineo's or aiello's in squirrel hill: every city needs a good food rivalry. either one probably gets my vote for the best pizza in pittsburgh. there's definitely a bit of hype feeding the popularity, but you can't deny that either one is great. just down the street from eachother.

-kazansky's deli in squirrel hill: good jewish deli/restaurant and six-pack shop with a good menu and a decent selection of beer.

-spice island tea house in oakland: good thai food and a nice mellow vibe afternoon/night in a neighborhood filled with drunk college kids. that was a nice safe haven for lunch when i was a student at pitt

-pamela's in squirrel hill or the strip district: just a nice local neighborhood breakfast spot. nothing fancy, nothing too "cool" either. the one in the strip gets pretty packed. the squirrel hill location usually isn't bad.

it's pretty evident that most of my time was spent in the squirrel hill/shadyside area, but that was for good reason. squirrel hill was a great place to live...fairly central, good neighborhood vibe, quiet but entertaining at the same time. shadyside was good for nights...just far away enough from the college madness, cute girls, a good mix of bars with good style and atmosphere. there are lots of other great areas that i never explored though because i was sort of stuck (in a good way?) in my little circles. but i always liked my route in shadyside/squirrel hill because everywhere i went, there were always people i knew and it was always a good mix of styles i'd say...

either way, it's a great city and damn, after typing this, i think i'd love to get back there...

it's been said already that the shopping isn't great...which i can vouch for that. however, i haven't been there for five years, so i'm sure a bit (if not a lot) has changed in that time.

[raddy]

Mineo's for life.

Spice Island is awesome. Pamela's is pretty good -- I wish I could remember the spot in SqH with the huge crunchy pancakes.

Church Brew Works is definitely worth hitting. Super garlic-y pizza if that's your thing. It might be my thing.

[abaer]

I know all about every spot you guys are talking about. Pittsburgh is a great city, It's really hard to find meet ups or groups of people around here I feel. Everyone is stuck in there own little groups/circles and don't branch out quite well. I have the same group of friends I did in high school which I graduated from in 02, they are all still friends and don't have many new if any new friends in their groups.

The food aspects of the city are up and coming, there are more and more small restaurants opening up. However I still feel that they aren't unique in there flavors. Everything tastes the same. Or has french fries on it...

Shopping pretty much sucks here, I am working on that with a friend of mine. Hopefully within the next year or so we will have a store open here that brings some life to the shopping in the burgh.

[kelleydenham]

Gonna be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Thursday. Going to Primanti's for like the 3rd or 4th time, the food is so awesome. Any other good places to eat in the strip district? Also, Any good places to shop? All the posts talking about good stores are a few years old.

[Sean9]

Anyone help me out going to be in Pittsburgh for the next few days. Looking for food, shopping, coffee, bars, museums, music - anything worth checking out really. Probably won't have a car if that makes a difference.

[jok52]

//

Edited April 18, 2013 by jok52

[magister]

I live in Pittsburgh. That being said, here are a few pointers on the city:

 

There are lots of different areas, both in the city and the suburbs, and each has its own unique feel and culture. It's a pain to get around due to the lack of a true beltway, which has to do with the city's three rivers, strange terrain, and the fact they keep buildings up forever because some condemned church or whatever is significant to one person who happens to have power.

 

A few places in the city worth checking out: South Side (nightlife), Cultural District (if you're into theater), North Shore (sports), Mount Washington (great views and a few decent bars), Shadyside/Oakland (where you'll find most of the hip young folks). All around the city you'll find some awesome architecture and lots of history to go behind it. There's even an entire museum devoted to local history, which is worth a visit.

 

Looking at the earlier recommendations, there are lots of good restaurants listed. We don't have a ton of them, but there are some standouts. The Pamela's recommendation is a good one, as is Primanti Brothers. An up-and-comer in the Cultural District is Meat and Potatoes--went there last year shortly after it opened and enjoyed both the food and the dining experience. If you're taking your lady along, treat her to Le Mont. It's expensive but the experience is worth it. Also, if you're in the Oakmont suburb, be sure to grab some goodies from the Oakmont Bakery.

 

If you're more into cooking, good luck. The Strip District (which is NOT strip clubs for those curious) has most of your fresh markets for meat and whatnot. There are some decent farm markets around too (I frequent Shenot's in Wexford, which has both produce and meat). Mancini's bread is a must-have item. Sadly, the grocery options aren't that great. We do have a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, but they aren't convenient for everyone. You'll have to make do with Giant Eagle (which has a lot of good natural/organic products but overcharges for them) or a bunch of awful value chains.

 

For things to do--I've lived here most of my life and have never really been bored. Like all cities, there's your typical bars (everyone has one or two they prefer, find one you like) and lots of standard options. I know a lot of guys who are getting into dancing, which seems to be nearly everywhere here. If you're a theater geek, you're in the right place. PNC Park is the best baseball stadium in the country.

 

If you want to shop--check out Shadyside and Ross Park Mall. Downtown has nothing but Macy's these days (although the store is historic and worth visiting; this includes the Tic Toc restaurant for a quick bite to eat). Sadly, many Pittsburghers don't have a good sense of style. As much as I love football, I'm not really a fan of people wearing jerseys for anything other than game day--yet they do it all the time in Pittsburgh. American Eagle has their headquarters here so you can only imagine what even the 20-somethings typically dress like.

 

To reply to abaer's comment about friend circles--although there are lots of little groups which have been together forever, Pittsburghers can be accommodating of new folks. You just need to find the right group to fit in. Yes, there are some who still keep in touch with their high school buddies (I actually still talk to about ten of them) and plenty who met their spouse in middle school, but there are far more who came in to go to college (with Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Carnegie Mellon, La Roche, Carlow, and others I'm forgetting in town, lots of folks do come here for that reason) who decided to settle down in a city rapidly turning to technology and medicine as its two leading industries. (We really don't have steel anymore--forget the stereotype of Pittsburgh as a blue collar town of smoky mills).

 

If you're actually moving to Pittsburgh, I recommend the northern suburbs so you don't have to deal with ridiculous city politics. They're the easiest to access downtown and other urban areas from plus they have some cool history behind them.

 

Oh, one last thing--public transit gets cut every year. Make sure you have a good car if you come to Pittsburgh since things don't look good for the bus routes in many parts of town.

[drgitlin]

2nd the recommendation for Meat and Potatoes - we were in town a couple of weekends ago and had dinner there, it was excellent.

[herpsky]

does anyone live in pittsburg? i asked some of my sufu OGs but didn't really get any positive comments.

i honestly prefer to live in philly than pittsburg but any opinion would be appreciated. 

 

all i wanna know is if the city is a decent place for a twenty something single asian du to live in. my guess is no. 

how about the weather. does it get really cold and overcasty?

 

most places in the us are a wasteland for brus like myself. 

 

work would be near allegheny center

Edited October 14, 2013 by herpsky

[jok52]

the weatherrrr

Edited March 27, 2014 by jok52

[herpsky]

thanks doe. feeling shadyside / lawrenceville. LOL @ the potential employer stressing how HIPSTER it is in that area. 

"OH YOU KNOW COFFEE SHOPS AND SMALL RESTAURANTS. HIPSTER. YEAH HIPSTERS GALORE."

[PaperTiger]

I went to college in the Burgh (U Pitt).

 

It's a fun city but it's America's Beirut, at least where the campus is, in Oakland.  Lots of crime, really skeezy.  Fun place to slum it up for 4 years and smoke a lot of weed though.

 

I need to go back, apparently the city has changed a lot and it's like mini-Williamsburg now, like what herpsky is saying.  Probably some cool shit there now.

 

Wouldn't want to live there though.  If I'm going to a small city then it's going to be somewhere warm.  If I'm going to get snowed on, I may as well be in Boston, NYC, or DC.

[fads]

tell me about the scrump in pittsburgh please