My friends that have gone to CMU all say the same.
What are the ideal neighborhoods for someone coming from SF or NYC? I'm thinking with bars and restaurants and a general nightlife-ish, walkable vibe.
What are the ideal neighborhoods for someone coming from SF or NYC? I'm thinking with bars and restaurants and a general nightlife-ish, walkable vibe.
* Oakland is where Pitt is at. It's got tons of college kids running around everywhere, with tons of bars and places to eat.
* Shadyside is where all of those kids go after they graduate. It's where I'm sitting right now. More families, but still a bunch of stuff to do. Can be expensive (oh wait, you're coming from NYC/SF, it's dirt cheap, nevermind) if you don't look around.
* CMU is located on the border between Shadyside, Oakland, and Squirrel Hill.
* Squirrel Hill is where most CMU students live. It's a very family oriented neighborhood, lots of quiet streets, but still has a quite bustling 'main street.'
* The South Side is a bit far from those three neighborhoods, but it's got a _crazy_ nightlife. The number of bars would be illegal if they weren't grandfathered in, no joke. This is where AlphaLab is, along with a bunch of other tech companies, and lots of families, punks, etc. Reminds me of the Mission a bit, though I was only there for a day or two, so that could be a slightly poor characterization.
What you have to remember about Pittsburgh is that each neighborhood is a totally viable mini-city. They all have a 'main street' where most of the commerce is, and then housing around it. So there's at least something to do everywhere, though some places are obviously more bustling than others.
I've lived here all my life, so if you have any more specific questions, ask away.
You can seriously buy decent houses for well under $100k.
I have a friend who bought a fixer-upper for $10k in Polish hill, and another who bought an abandoned house in Larimer (actually nicer than you'd think... both the house and the neighborhood, then again, I have a high tolerance for this) for $5k.
If you're willing to, y'know, take a bus or walk a few more blocks to a neighborhood center, and you can do some work on the house, a house costs ε dollars in Pittsburgh.
The distinct neighborhoods and main areas are very true. I think my largest complaint about Pittsburgh has been learning where stuff is going and what's going on. Knowledge about the city seems so hidden and not well organized online. Yelp usage is lukewarm.
The other problem with all the distinct areas is how spread out they are, having a car is critical IMO to get around. Public transit (only busses basically) seem terrible.
In terms of food, there definitely is a good variety of cultures and has kept me busy sampling things. Huge amount of German culture foodwise and beerwise, having the Hoffbrau Haus around is excellent.
Girls seem pretty normal, plenty of em around, I found a girlfriend without much trouble.
Overall, the city has grown on me through the pains I've taken to learn what is fun to do.
> The other problem with all the distinct areas is how spread out they are, having a car is critical IMO to get around.
Busses are horrible, but bikes are still better than cars. I can actually beat a car from Downtown to Shadyside around rush hour...
I went to Carnegie Mellon for graduate school, and a number of my friends started companies in Pittsburgh afterword. It is definitely a good place to get a venture off the ground.
But... at least two of those (4+ year old) companies have since moved out here to the Bay Area for growth reasons. This is where the money, talent, and clients are based.