It's called suburban life, nothing to do with north hills. And yes, it sucks. Stay young and pull out, best advice I can give you
OT: Il Pizzaiolo coming to Warrendale......
- Thread starter pitt-girl
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I like to support Montecello's - they are Pitt fans. Montecello's is not upscale by any means, but good for what they do. Bella Fruttetto was average for someone trying to be more upscale. It is a Nitter hangout as well.
There are happy mediums between the two in most major metro areas--relatively inner ring to the major city, family friendly but with a real and walk-able small central business district, mature neighborhoods with actual trees, sidewalks, diversity of architecture, etc. etc. etc.
Outside of Mt Lebanon, not sure I know of any Pittsburgh suburb that fits that criteria.
Good point, but then you're at the mercy of the Pittsburgh Public school system. Allderdice is a fantastic school - the rest, not so sure.
LaTavola is still good. Redbeards is at least clean, but just a bar.....all brown food. Bella Frutetto jumped the shark.
The North Hills has really changed since I got here in 1969. We now have amenities, but the woods have been decimated for banks and about 14 "wellness" ops. Not as many deer.....or turkeys running around. Our 'hood was fabulous for 20 years, now the kids are out of college, newbies coming in haven't bonded with the neighbors. I miss the hoops guys in the driveways, the Halloween party for 100 kids, Winter Proms for the adults, progressive dinner, etc. All places change.....look at Larryville...Bloomfield next??
That was 45 years ago. Of course it has changed. I look at some of the towns, where I first grew up and see houses dilapidated and dirty, disrepair and then I think, "I lived here 40 years ago". So I put it to the test. 40 years prior to 1969 was 1929. Imagine what the place looked like then? I am obviously not as young as you think I am NTOP. I use this a lot sometimes trying to calibrate "change". 40 years is a long time. I can remember 1984 fairly well. 40 years prior, it was 1944, in the middle of WWII, and I couldn't fathom what it is like then. Now, 40 years ago is 1976 (scary) and I can remember as a kid celebrating the Bicentennial and stuff like that that summer. Again, just a personal sanity check I apply when I go back to old neighborhoods and look on with disappointment.
redbeards, have gone there when it was very "divey" circa 1995 (ish) and it was been fixed up quite nice. Last time I lived in Mt. Washington was '06 so haven't been in there since but in that 10 year period, it has gotten much nicer. Still just a typical bar though but as far as Mt. Washington goes, not too many options. There was a bar that we used to frequent, Bigham Tavern I think but it changed names.. Those two were pretty much it for mt. Washington.. Anything else was something you probably didn't want to frequent..
Actually went out one night in Allentown with a buddy, we thought we'd brave it over there. got a knife pulled on me when I told the dude (white dude too) to quit playing "d*ckhead Songs." , still there but not sure it's open. He didn't like my tone I guess. Needless to say, haven't been back..
Actually went out one night in Allentown with a buddy, we thought we'd brave it over there. got a knife pulled on me when I told the dude (white dude too) to quit playing "d*ckhead Songs." , still there but not sure it's open. He didn't like my tone I guess. Needless to say, haven't been back..
Allentown has one of my favorite restaurants Alla Famiglia. It is awesome. But the neighborhood is not good and I think the restaurant has been robbed several times. So.....so much for local business trying to operate in distressed neighborhoods and hopefully build them back up.
went to a bar right on main drag, actually think it was a biker bar at the time.. all white dudes.. if it's still open and you see a dude wearing a jean jacket with no sleeves, and he is about to play a song on the jukebox, don't make any recommendations to him..
I live in metro Detroit, so I don't have the local knowledge, but isn't Shadyside like that as well? I understand the very real issue of the city schools, services etc. I'm sure most in those neighborhoods send their kids to private schools. Sewickley and Oakmont come to mind as well, nice little downtowns with mom and pop businesses, real neighborhoods, etc. But again, this is an outsider's point of view, I don't have the real 411 on those communities.
The Burgh area may have less of those kinds of burbs due to its topography--all the hills, rivers, etc. really chop up the area.
shadyside has a nice little strip to walk, couple bars, restaurants, even some retail stores. Walnut st.. not to bad, some tree lined roads as well.. Used to be a bar in Shadyside called Mardi Gras, their mixed drinks were beyond dangerous. YOu order a screwdriver there, they give you about 9 oz of vodka and squeeze an orange over it.. Regent Square I think could fit into this category as well..
SH is a city neighborhood, not a burb, and it certainly isn't the only neighborhood or burn that has a walkable business district. SH, Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Regent Square off the top of my head in the city. But in the Pittsburgh region, there are certainly fewer walkable main street type burbs compared to many other cities.
I actually hate that commercial. That dude doesn't follow through with any of his promises. Then, at the end, he lovingly promises his two little girls that he will never let them go. However, given his track record, why should anyone believe him?
I like that commercial, mom is ridiculously hot.. a nice little competition between AT and T girl, the redhead from Wendy's commercials and her..
I have no idea what that poster was talking about?
There are plenty of neighborhoods that are walkable and have lovely restaurants and bars. I visit them all the time.
In addition to Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, Regent Square is positively lovely. Aspinwall and Sewickley look like they were created by a Pottery Barn set designer.
Have you been the Carnegie lately? There are some high-end restaurants and cool bars popping up in Carnegie. With any luck they could become the next Bridgeville - which is one of the cutest towns in Western Pennsylvania.
As far as the walkable neighborhood thing goes, it is a little bit overrated. You don't have to live there. Most people drive to those business areas and then shop, eat, drink, etc.
Take Mount Lebanon as an example because it's walkability is its primary selling point. Believe me when I tell you that I know that community extremely well.
What percentage of Mount Lebanon homes do you think are within legitimate walking distance of Washington Road (19S)? I mean I get that it is feasible for almost anyone who lives in Mount Lebanon to walk to Washington Road. However, how many people are actually going to do it? I would say less than 10%.
However, all of those bakeries, bars, bistro's, pizza shops, etc. stay in business. So how do they do it? They do it because people like me drive there, park, and then spend the next few hours eating, drinking, shopping, etc.
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not really in the suburbs, more so neighborhoods in the city. Not in south hills at least..
Maybe I'm not understanding this issue? If so, I certainly apologize.
I was just making the point that there are plenty of places in and around Pittsburgh to park your car, grab a bite to eat, do some shopping, have a beer if you like, etc.
Take all the city neighborhoods out of it. Are you telling me that Carnegie does not have a lovely business area? If so, I would be inclined to disagree with that. To my absolute amazement, that community has come a very long way in a very short period of time. I used to see it as the South Hills' answer to Millvale - A cool and close-knit community that is unfortunately located right next to a flood prone creek which has repeatedly devastated it.
However, that comparison no longer holds up. Carnegie now has high-end Italian restaurants, cute little Irish pubs, hoity-toity art galleries, theatres, pizza shops, etc. It's a nice place to spend Friday night in the summertime. I would love to see Millvale follow suit.
The same is true of Bridgeville and Mount Lebanon - as I expounded upon in my earlier post. I am told that Brentwood is also developing something like that as well but I haven't been there so I'm not sure?
And that is just the South Hills. I have lived in a lot of places and for a city the size of Pittsburgh, that's pretty good for one quadrant of the city.
What am I missing here? Are people really upset because Pittsburgh doesn't have as many flourishing neighborhoods as much larger cities like Philadelphia, New York, Boston, etc.? That seems a bit odd to me. Again though, maybe I am misunderstanding this entire conversation?
The way I have always looked at it is the North Hills and the West Hills are newer than the South Hills and the East End. Therefore, they have better infrastructure. It is easier to get around in those places. However, the other side of that coin is that their restaurant areas are all in strip malls and actual malls, so that's kind of the trade-off.
It's all good though because it all belongs to all of us. Just get in your car and drive for a maximum of 15-20 minutes in any direction and you'll likely encounter one of these places...but you may have to cross a bridge to get there.
I was just making the point that there are plenty of places in and around Pittsburgh to park your car, grab a bite to eat, do some shopping, have a beer if you like, etc.
Take all the city neighborhoods out of it. Are you telling me that Carnegie does not have a lovely business area? If so, I would be inclined to disagree with that. To my absolute amazement, that community has come a very long way in a very short period of time. I used to see it as the South Hills' answer to Millvale - A cool and close-knit community that is unfortunately located right next to a flood prone creek which has repeatedly devastated it.
However, that comparison no longer holds up. Carnegie now has high-end Italian restaurants, cute little Irish pubs, hoity-toity art galleries, theatres, pizza shops, etc. It's a nice place to spend Friday night in the summertime. I would love to see Millvale follow suit.
The same is true of Bridgeville and Mount Lebanon - as I expounded upon in my earlier post. I am told that Brentwood is also developing something like that as well but I haven't been there so I'm not sure?
And that is just the South Hills. I have lived in a lot of places and for a city the size of Pittsburgh, that's pretty good for one quadrant of the city.
What am I missing here? Are people really upset because Pittsburgh doesn't have as many flourishing neighborhoods as much larger cities like Philadelphia, New York, Boston, etc.? That seems a bit odd to me. Again though, maybe I am misunderstanding this entire conversation?
The way I have always looked at it is the North Hills and the West Hills are newer than the South Hills and the East End. Therefore, they have better infrastructure. It is easier to get around in those places. However, the other side of that coin is that their restaurant areas are all in strip malls and actual malls, so that's kind of the trade-off.
It's all good though because it all belongs to all of us. Just get in your car and drive for a maximum of 15-20 minutes in any direction and you'll likely encounter one of these places...but you may have to cross a bridge to get there.
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DVY, great call with Carnegie. I used to live in Carnegie, real nice main street. Now I used to just go to the Pour house, pound some jameson and listen to the dude in corner play some irish songs but some nice restaurants there now.. Also, they used to do a nice summer festival, close streets, fair, bands, beer etc.. Good call with that. We've talked about Lebo already. Not sure about Bridgeville though, you got the garbage strip mall up on the hill and on other side of town, you got that burger place on corner and the horrible Mexican bar and a hardware store.. Pizza place across street isn't bad, not sure there is much right there on that block worth walking too.
Great call on Carnegie though, definitely fits the category..
If I could - double like. We love Alla Famiglia, but I have to give them credit for staying there. It was awful when they first opened up and it still is up there.
Agree about Mt Lebanon. I also agree with the previous post that compared to many other metro areas, Pittsburgh really does not have a lot of "walkable, centralized" communities that are very attractive to young, growing families. It's one thing to have nice shops and businesses, but if the school system sucks, it takes a lot away. We are in Chicago a lot. I could rattle off so many communities that fit the original description (with the knowledge that real estate in Chicago suburbs wherever you turn is usually dramatically higher compared to Pittsburgh). My husband is from Barrington - lovely downtown, walkable areas and very strong schools. I also agree with the other post about the challenges of the Pittsburgh topography. I still remember my first trip to my in-laws. Riding back from O'Hare, my MIL pointed out that Barrington is a bit more "hillier" than other areas in the region. Literally it was just tiny bumps compared to Pittsburgh.
Bigham Tavern still there, same name. Great wings, crap decor. Have a Wlat poster just inside the door.
yes, think it was called Kaibs or caibs when I used to frequent it. Damn I miss being young with nothing better to do than go drink 14 beers at a local bar for no reason whatsoever..
I had the perfect day for this thread. Ate a great lunch. At lunch time seen walking the streets and patrons were whites, whites in suits, blue collar whites, blacks, including one who could have been Flava Flav, Asians of all denominations, People of Arabic descent, people of Indian descent, and Jews, including Hasidic Jews. There. That is diversity. All within 30 minutes. I was in Squirrel Hill.
Then driving through the North Hills, anyone know where Wallace Rd, and one of the cul de sacs off of it, right behind the Pine Shopping Center, a big giant turkey is walking right down the sidewalk. I kid you not.
We have it all here folks.
Then driving through the North Hills, anyone know where Wallace Rd, and one of the cul de sacs off of it, right behind the Pine Shopping Center, a big giant turkey is walking right down the sidewalk. I kid you not.
We have it all here folks.
I'm half a mile from there. Once counted over 30 turkeys in my back yard (No, not a family reunion.). Two big flocks criss-crossed in two directions as precisely as the aTm marching band. Fewer nesting places as the commercial explosion caught up with the housing plans.
squirrel hill has the real hard core jews, Not these uptight old ladies in mt. Lebanon bitching about their salad forks being dirty.. That's what I like about that part of town, 100% real ethnicity.. I don't want jew-lite, which is all I see in south hills, I want the black silk coats, the long sidelocks waving around in the wind, Keep it real..
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I did like your post lots of thought went into the post.
But.
North Hills is my my kind of place!
Actually we know quite a few 28-35's in the North Hills some who purchased their first home there and dont have kids yet. Practising and working on the kid thing but kids are being created later these days!
They even have streets with a Steelers logo on the street! Great neighborhood!
And by the way my wife and I ride a bicycle every day ( Trek Madone 2.1 & Ladies Trek Pilot 2.1) and we ride the North Hills when we visit friends and family! A bit hilly but a nice riding area! A nice 20 mile ride is perfect prior to the barbeque and makes more space for the adult beverages.
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north hills is beautiful, especially the northview heights neighborhood.. A lot of young single people. None of them work during the days either so i'll assume they are all so wealthy and retired already. I recommend riding your bike or taking your lovely white girlfriend for a walk in that area, especially after dark, wonderful view of the setting sun up there.
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My grandfather bought a house on Brandt School Rd back in the 30's. They lived and worked on Mt. Troy & the north hills home was their country home where they would spend their weekends & summers.
So, we live on a private Lane and next door is the original "summer" home of Judge VanderVort. He built small cottages for each of his children to vacation but only the one structure remains. Two of my neighbors homes are over 115 years old. This section of the North Hills is very old. In fact we also have a functioning oil derrick on our property (although it hasn't been pumped in over 15 years). At one time it heated 8 homes in this area. (We don't own own it nor is it our responsibility but we do own the mineral gas rights.)
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