Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Tiger Beer]

Anyone from Pittsburgh or lived in Pittsburgh? Your city is sounding pretty cool on the skycraper forums...great skyline, and condensed urban environment, etc.

[Smee]

I'm from Pittsburgh, was born there, and lived there for all but one of my exo-Korea years, and will likely be going back, at least for the short-term.

It was named the most liveable city in the US. Several times, actually. It has a lot of old, quaint neighborhoods, and plenty of attractions both in the city and in the neighboring counties.

The wikitravel page is an excellent resource.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Pittsburgh

The one thing I don't like about Pittsburgh is that it's urban sprawl gone wild. The downtown is dying, and is basically a commuter neighborhood. It's dead after dusk. There are buses, but nobody uses them. If you want to get anywhere you need a car. Since I don't really like driving---and since I don't like spending thousands of dollars on a car---I'm not looking forward to that.

But living in Korea has helped me appreciate history, and appreciate all the history Pittsburgh has. Hell, the oldest house in Suncheon is still younger than my grandparents' neighborhood.

[Are they the lemmings]

♪♪ Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit? Heard about Pittsburgh, PA? ♪♪
♪♪ You oughta know not to stand by the window. Somebody'll see you up there. ♪♪

[djsmnc]

I went to Pittsburgh for a few days and was pretty bored. There was a nightclub built into an old church though. It felt divine!

[the oak llama]

I grew up there.

Left for uni and never moved back. It's definitely awesome to visit as I have friends there. Having moved to a larger city, I can identify where things are lacking. In the more cultured areas, things aren't terribly cultured. I think that is the case with any small - med city though. It's just not as deep. Around the universities there are a lot of young people --> music --> good things you would expect.

At the same time, since I left at 17 or whatever there's a lot that I left unexplored.

Public transport is almost never an option. There's not much going on in the city proper. The surrounding areas is where the things happen. Having a car is terribly necessary.

It definitely has it's unique character, which I love. Cost of living is amazing! My buddy had a 3 story row house in a decent neighborhood for 600 USD a month.

It's definitely worth checking out. Best description I can offer: There's a lot of awesome stuff, but it's very far apart and thus not immediately obvious. Pretty conservative from my experience. Lots of working - middle class neighborhoods up and down the rivers. Geography is pretty nuts.

Talking about it makes me miss it a bit.

[lopez]

I'm going to Pittsburgh this weekend to check out the ballpark. It looks great.

[Tiger Beer]

[alphakennyone]

Even though it's not set in Pittsburgh, indeed in the other side of the state, "It's Always Sunny..." gives me a good image of the state in general. I feel like I'd fit in in these working class cities.

How about a Philadelphia thread?!

[the oak llama]

In that case...

I have been living in Philadelphia since I left Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia is pretty effing rad and I am going to miss it.

Cost of living is not awesome, but it's not NYC either. I'm in a two bedroom apt for 825/mo and that's on the cheap side of things for my neighborhood.

Transportation is pretty easy. It's an incredibly accessible city by bike which is the only way to live as far as I'm concerned.

In order of increasing hipness:

West Philly (where I've been) has an awesome vibe and it's own kind of gravity. There's a huge DIY scene that brings touring and local bands through to play in basements all over the neighborhood. Can't spit without hitting a coffee shop / artist / musician. Large Ethiopian / Eritrean population which makes for an interesting mix of people at a given bar.

South Philly's got the same thing going, except more so. That's where the "It's Always Sunny" neighborhoods are for the most part.

Northern liberties and Fishtown (north) I am not as familiar with but are up and coming real quick. Lots of artists in lofts and warehouses. Gets a bit snarky in those parts.

Any scene you can imagine (within predominantly white counter culture) you can find. I hate the word "bohemian" but it's a strong undercurrent. Large biking community, pretty awesome music scene, it's among the top cities in terms of spending that goes towards the arts. Authentic. I will call it authentic.

Can't say enough about it. Perhaps it can be compared to Austin (never been)?

Down side: Terrible amount of violent crime. Some really unfortunate neighborhoods. At the same time, I've lived in some "bad" areas, which weren't that bad, and that kind of changed my outlook. It's an American city.

[the oak llama]

[Tiger Beer]

[lopez]

I live in Philadelphia too. Great place. It's dirt cheap - I have a 3 bedroom house in South Philadelphia for $900/mth that's a block from the subway. Compared to DC, Boston, New York it's a steal.

If you're into indie/punk/hardcore/whatever there's plenty of shows and venues. It's bike-friendly and easy to get around. Also, people here honest and don't pretend to be anything they're not. Crime can be a problem, but you'll be fine if you keep mind of your surroundings.

I'm going to miss it.

[lopez]

PS - It is tougher than New York. If you can hang with Detroit, you'll be fine here. Or anywhere else honestly : )

[AJR]

My girlfriend is from Pittsburgh and we both live in Philly- she in W. Philly and I in South Philly. I can only agree with the all the Philly love on this thread. I bought a two-story/ two-bedroom row-house and pay $850 a month in mortgage/taxes/insurance and just built myself a new kitchen. The frozen lasagna I buy at the Italian market is grandma-level deliciousness, unreal. Sausage butchers, farmers markets, ethnic enclaves- sometimes I am on a crawl thinking " the true name of this place is food city". The default setting for the neighborhood hipster bar is Belgian: beer (locally brewed belgian-styles, ales, i.p.a's) frites with exotic mayo. Asian super-markets, and all the things other posters have mentioned.
We went to Pittsburgh in January. What a confederacy of 3-5 block neighborhoods strung out along askew country roads! It has great stuff but is a mini L.A. in terms of layout. My girlfriend told me of giving gigantic dinner parties in low-rent manors. It has a emerging/ booming technology sector (Carnegie Mellon) and some key art-museums such as the Mattress Factory and the Andy Warhol Museum. And a fantastic vinyl lp store...
My impression though is that if you are not a football fan and a Steelers fan you will have to forge a special relationship with the city.

[the oak llama]