Relocating to Pittsburgh area. ?

Question

I'm being promoted, and am relocating from the Northeast to Pittsburgh. I know NOTHING about the city or its surroundings. Can anyone tell me what areas to avoid when looking for apartments? How about entertainment? Local hangouts? Food? Any help will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Check out previous person's links. You can also check out http://www.visitpittsburgh.com for some information as well.

As a Pittsburgh-area native, I can tell you a few things.

You don't say your budget. If you must have an apartment in the city of Pittsburgh and have an average person's budget, check out Highland Park, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square and South Side. If you have a little more to spend, check out Mt. Washington, Downtown, Strip District and Washington's Landing.

I like the areas outside of the city for living, though. These would be places in the North Hills (McCandless, Shaler, Ross Twp., etc.) and South Hills (Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, etc.). These are more the suburbs, so it really depends on what you like.

You should be able to tell the places to avoid just by looking around the city when you get here. But the general areas would be the Hill District, Homewood, Hazelwood, Mt. Oliver, North Side, etc.. Most of these areas have a good section, too, so you just have to look. A good example would be the Mexican War Streets on the North Side. I would also avoid Oakland just because that is where all the college students live. Oakland isn't bad, though. If you don't mind all the students and partying and such, then more power to you.

Entertainment depends on what you like. The website I mentioned earlier will help you with that. Pittsburgh has three major sports teams, a world-class symphony and the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the country. So, it really does depend on what you like.

I don't know how to answer local hangouts because it would depend on what neighborhood you are in! Every neighborhood in Pittsburgh has its own flavor and favorite spot. And there are something like 86 neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh!

There are a lot of great places to eat in Pittsburgh. The typical first-time-to-Pittsburgh meal, though, is Primanti Bros. There are several locations, but the first is in the Strip District. Other places I enjoy are: The Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland (The "O" to locals...try their fries, be careful, a small will do you!), LuLu's Noodles in Oakland (Asian), La Phillapina/My Sweet Basil (Phillapeno and Thai) in Lawrenceville, Piccalo Forno (Italian) in Lawrenceville, Lemongrass Cafe (Cambodian and Thai) in Downtown, Grand Concourse in Station Square (for a fancy meal), Peppi's (sandwich shop in several locations), Burgh's in Bridgeville (great pizza), Vincent's in Green Tree (more great pizza), Taco Loco in the South Side (Mexican), Kabab's in the South Side (Lebanese), Nakama in the South Side (Japanese), Max's Allegheny Tavern in the North Side (German)

There's many more, but these are the one's I've come up with of off the top of my head.

Good luck with your move and new job. I'm sure you will love the city!