I lived in a Mozart building, the Dakota on Melwood Ave, which was one of my favorite apartments ever. Staff was friendly and absolutely professional... down to where they billed me the preset amount for breaking the no-pets rule. I got what I walked into on that one. :-)
The Big Burrito Group (bigburrito.com) is the large upscale restaurant chain in the city.
Crazy Mocha is the corporate-ish local coffee shop chain, but they hire with tattoos and let you play whatever music you tend to like while you work.
I work for Crazy Mocha, and it isn't really corporate, it's a locally owned business that's expanding in the area. If you end up living above us, we'd love to have you :)
Also, check out ratings on Landorslum.com, I'm all about that website. Are you looking to have pets?
I currently live in a Mozart building in North Oakland and I really like it. I would highly recommend them!
Also, definitely don't live in the North Hills. Rent in the city of Pittsburgh is so cheap and living in the actual city is so much easier and more fun than living on the outskirts. You'll hate yourself if you end up living in one of the mediocre places surrounding the city itself.
Alright, thanks for the advice! I was kind of hoping to live in the city until I get more acquainted with the area at the very least. You're right, it is outlandishly cheap and hopefully I'll be able to save a bit on gas, too.
After looking more at the Mozart website, it seems like they make the "moving in from out of town" experience incredibly easy so I might just have to go with them. Thanks again! :D
As someone who has lived in both Buffalo & Pittsburgh, I've noticed a lot of similarities. I guess that's why I liked Buffalo so much despite living in a "sketchy" neighborhood (Colvin & Kenmore Aves to be precise).
Similarities: Lots of colleges love of sports unpretentious people lots of local business can be heavy on the drinking (think of Carson St. as the Elmwood Strip) corrupt city/county government (I'm only kinda kidding on that one... flame all you want :-p)
Differences: no Wegmans... for about 100 miles. many more cultural activities in Pgh nicer people, but no less strange ;-) you probably won't find a pizza you like... anywhere. I couldn't find one I liked while in Bflo.
I think of Pittsburgh as what Buffalo could be if it really wanted. At times, I miss Buffalo... but I love it here more. Welcome to the Burgh!
Haha! This is probably one of the most entertaining comments I've seen in a while. You've really pinned it down a lot more than I ever could. Did you grow up in either of the cities, or somewhere else entirely?
I can personally deal without Wegmans.I'm sure I'll change my tune when I actually have to figure out how to live without it, but that's what trips home are for, right?
I like Buffalo but I've really found that people can get downright snotty about living within city limits and I've never really encountered that in anywhere else, which I think falls under the "nicer people" category.
I'm not a huge pizza fan in the first place, but what about the chicken finger subs? I might have to have those imported. :/ Is there anything comparable to Jim's Steakout at all? haha.
Luckily I've been able to stay away from the politics. I'm off in Cheektowaga where the vote is pretty much pointless if you're under 50.
It's good to hear that you're sticking with Pittsburgh, and I don't doubt that I will, also.
Look up "Primanti Brothers" for some of Pittsburgh's unique food options.
As far as Wegman's, we have the Strip District, which is a bunch of 50+ year old ethnic groceries and meatmarkets right next to each other. It works out. :-)
I lived in a Mozart building for 2 years, and they were great. The downside is that they're pricey. They also do a credit check, so you may be out of luck.
ES Management is awful. Check out landlordslum.com for reviews for them and other companies.
If you have lousy credit, you'll probably have better luck with non-company landlords. The best way I've found to find rentals in Pgh is to drive around neighborhoods you like and find "for rent" signs.
If I were you, I'd rule out the north hills unless you like the 'burbs. Like je_dors said, living in the city is full of awesome and can be dirt cheap (without being in a shady neighborhood, either).
If your first choice is Lawrenceville, I'd also check out Friendship, which isn't too far from Lawrenceville. The housing may be of better quality in Friendship, and they're pretty much all victorians. In Lawrenceville, it seems that there's a good amount of former tenement housing, which is absolutely miserable in the winter.
Avoid the North Hills unless you like suburbs. If you really like suburbs, I'd also consider Mt. Lebanon, in the South Hills. I'd avoid things out along the trolley line; come live in the East End.
I live in Friendship; A++ to the area. Lawrenceville is fun, but houses are old/uninsulated. Garfield - between the two - is *not* fun, without knowing what you're getting into. Bloomfield is Little Italy, and kind of next to those two. That's the area I'd look at, were I renting again. Other consideration would be Regent Square or Point Breeze, somewhere near D's Six Pack & Dogs or over by the East End Co-op. (If I were buy the Co-Op, avoiding Homewood.) The South Side is largely a loud drinking neighborhood in my head, although there are some serious winning spots in there, and it's absolutely a walking neighborhood. Squirrel Hill merits a look as well.
Uninsulated housing is fairly common, and impossible to confirm/deny remotely...
Boo to uninsulated houses! We bought a house north of the city... it was built in the 60's, the year before it was mandatory to put insulation in the outer walls. We think the guy built it just to sell. We systematically pulled out, insulated, and re-drywalled all the interior walls, and it made a big difference, as well as a big mess. =]
:/ Yeah, I will be making a bunch of trips before I move so I will definitely make it a point to explore a bit more. I was just told by someone I'd met that the North Hills were nice, didn't even know that was considered the 'burbs until you guys pointed it out. And while I don't particularly mind the suburbs, I'd like to get acquainted with the city which is something I probably wouldn't do if I lived so far apart from it.
I will definitely keep my eye out for Friendship as well. While I'm used to the chilly weather, I wouldn't mind avoiding it if it's possible. :D
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The Big Burrito Group (bigburrito.com) is the large upscale restaurant chain in the city.
Crazy Mocha is the corporate-ish local coffee shop chain, but they hire with tattoos and let you play whatever music you tend to like while you work.
Curious, why Pittsburgh?
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For smaller shops, Tazza d'Oro never does me wrong, and the Beehive is the traditional icon for the 20 somethings.
Big Burrito is pretty darn good; Eleven is easily one of the best restaurants in the city. It's full of win.
And yeah, I hear you on LA; the people here are friendlier, to start with, although we do have weather for good and bad.
Welcome.
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Also, check out ratings on Landorslum.com, I'm all about that website. Are you looking to have pets?
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Also, definitely don't live in the North Hills. Rent in the city of Pittsburgh is so cheap and living in the actual city is so much easier and more fun than living on the outskirts. You'll hate yourself if you end up living in one of the mediocre places surrounding the city itself.
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After looking more at the Mozart website, it seems like they make the "moving in from out of town" experience incredibly easy so I might just have to go with them. Thanks again! :D
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Similarities:
Lots of colleges
love of sports
unpretentious people
lots of local business
can be heavy on the drinking (think of Carson St. as the Elmwood Strip)
corrupt city/county government (I'm only kinda kidding on that one... flame all you want :-p)
Differences:
no Wegmans... for about 100 miles.
many more cultural activities in Pgh
nicer people, but no less strange ;-)
you probably won't find a pizza you like... anywhere. I couldn't find one I liked while in Bflo.
I think of Pittsburgh as what Buffalo could be if it really wanted. At times, I miss Buffalo... but I love it here more. Welcome to the Burgh!
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I can personally deal without Wegmans.I'm sure I'll change my tune when I actually have to figure out how to live without it, but that's what trips home are for, right?
I like Buffalo but I've really found that people can get downright snotty about living within city limits and I've never really encountered that in anywhere else, which I think falls under the "nicer people" category.
I'm not a huge pizza fan in the first place, but what about the chicken finger subs? I might have to have those imported. :/ Is there anything comparable to Jim's Steakout at all? haha.
Luckily I've been able to stay away from the politics. I'm off in Cheektowaga where the vote is pretty much pointless if you're under 50.
It's good to hear that you're sticking with Pittsburgh, and I don't doubt that I will, also.
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As far as Wegman's, we have the Strip District, which is a bunch of 50+ year old ethnic groceries and meatmarkets right next to each other. It works out. :-)
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ES Management is awful. Check out landlordslum.com for reviews for them and other companies.
If you have lousy credit, you'll probably have better luck with non-company landlords. The best way I've found to find rentals in Pgh is to drive around neighborhoods you like and find "for rent" signs.
If I were you, I'd rule out the north hills unless you like the 'burbs. Like je_dors said, living in the city is full of awesome and can be dirt cheap (without being in a shady neighborhood, either).
If your first choice is Lawrenceville, I'd also check out Friendship, which isn't too far from Lawrenceville. The housing may be of better quality in Friendship, and they're pretty much all victorians. In Lawrenceville, it seems that there's a good amount of former tenement housing, which is absolutely miserable in the winter.
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I live in Friendship; A++ to the area. Lawrenceville is fun, but houses are old/uninsulated. Garfield - between the two - is *not* fun, without knowing what you're getting into. Bloomfield is Little Italy, and kind of next to those two. That's the area I'd look at, were I renting again. Other consideration would be Regent Square or Point Breeze, somewhere near D's Six Pack & Dogs or over by the East End Co-op. (If I were buy the Co-Op, avoiding Homewood.) The South Side is largely a loud drinking neighborhood in my head, although there are some serious winning spots in there, and it's absolutely a walking neighborhood. Squirrel Hill merits a look as well.
Uninsulated housing is fairly common, and impossible to confirm/deny remotely...
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I will definitely keep my eye out for Friendship as well. While I'm used to the chilly weather, I wouldn't mind avoiding it if it's possible. :D
Thank you so much for the advice!
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