Moving to Pittsburgh! What do I need to know?

September 10, 2011 11:24 AM

Got my Fulbright award and moving to Pittsburgh! What do I need to know?

So, just found out at the beginning of the week that I've been awarded a Fulbright scholar's award (huzzah!). If everything is approved, me and my partner will be moving to Pittsburgh next July for 10 months (from the UK).

It looks like we'll have a monthly income of around $3000 - $3500, and I'm wondering if this is enough to live on for two adults in central Pittsburgh (or close to University of Pittsburgh campus, Cathedral of Learning part) who are used to good living? We might have to get a car, but this will depend on if we can get a trasher for 10 months and dump it on Craig's List or something.

Anything else I need to know? Places to eat? Neighbourhoods to stay? Best shopping places? Places to avoid? Give me the skinny on making our 10 months in Pittsburgh the best time that it possibly can be!

posted by Scottie_Bob to travel & transportation around Pittsburgh, PA (39 answers total)

Pittsburgh has very few truly bad neighborhoods, and none of them are particularly close to Oakland, where the Pitt campus is. A lot of this has to do with your definition of good living. The nicest neighborhood in the immediate area is Shadyside. Oakland is fine, but you'll be roommates with campus kids. To put the Pittsburgh cost of living in perspective for you, $3000-$3500 a month is enough for a mortgage on a 2-3 bedroom in all but the top tier neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, albeit with limited disposable income afterward.

Really, though, the easiest answer is just find a nice place in Shadyside. Most of the best eats in the city will be within walking distance. Urbanspoon is your friend. Groceries and boutique shopping will be within walking distance. Mall shopping is ~20 minutes northeast (Pittsburgh mills), or 25 minutes west (Robinson). The location to the west has an Ikea for your furniture needs.
posted by bfranklin at 11:33 AM on September 10, 2011

Thanks BFranklin. By 'good living', I mean we like to eat out a few times a week, enjoy getting nice groceries and visiting places outside of Pittsburgh, generally having enough disposable income to be able to relax a little bit. Of course, everyone's definition of 'good living' is different, but I don't want to have $200 at the end of the month and the rest of it all go on bills and necessities.

I've heard good things about Shadyside, so need to investigate that a little bit more :)
posted by Scottie_Bob at 11:40 AM on September 10, 2011

I don't know how it is in your country, but from a U.S. Fulbrighter's perspective, do not forget to budget for any taxes that you have to pay on the money.
posted by k8t at 11:44 AM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah k8t, I'm not sure what the deal is on tax or what rate it will be at. If I am taxed, then it'll be less than $3500. How much less, I'm not sure, but it's something that should be covered at the orientation thing I need to do in a couple of weeks.
posted by Scottie_Bob at 11:46 AM on September 10, 2011

If you select a neighbourhood well located for restaurants, groceries, etc on foot, you can avoid the need to buy a car by filling with Zipcar. Also remember that for road trip territory, you will find car rentals and petrol in the US comparatively dead cheap.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2011

Pittsburgh is cheap. $3000 a month is more than enough to have a pretty great life while living in the city center. Very nice rentals can be had for less than $1000 a month.

Oakland is the neighborhood where the Cathedral of Learning is located. If you can live with a slightly longer commute, I would recommend living in one of the surrounding neighborhoods instead. Oakland is overpriced, noisy, crowded and a parking nightmare if you intend to have a car. Most graduate students live in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill or Greenfield instead (in descending order of expense).

You should receive a discounted or free bus pass, so your best bet is to find something along a mayor bus route, primarily anything starting with the number 61.

I'm partial to Squirrel Hill due to the close proximity of tasty restaurants, frequency of buses, and number of nearby libraries and parks. Shadyside is quite nice and has a luxury shopping district, but I think it is overpriced for what you get, inconvenient if you have a car (poor access to highways and sparse parking), and there is more property crime than in other, cheaper neighborhoods (though crime levels in Pittsburgh are low overall).

I live in Greenfield and walked to Oakland through Schenley Park while I was a graduate student at CMU. Greenfield is a bargain for rent, but there are fewer restaurants and bars. However, it is quiet and cheap.

Good food:
Park and Point Brugge
Food, Glorious Food (only on Saturday mornings)
The Library
Chaya
Rose Tea Cafe
The Cafe at the Carnegie Museum
India Garden
Tamari
Franktuary
posted by Alison at 11:55 AM on September 10, 2011 [2 favorites]

Welcome to Pittsburgh! You'll do just fine on $3000-$3500; it is not an expensive city. I make somewhere in that range, and even with a car payment and a slightly hedonistic lifestyle, I'm very comfortable, financially.

Shadyside is all right, but not my cup of tea; there are a lot of younger students, and parking is a bitch. I'm an advocate for Squirrel Hill. There are still a lot of (graduate) students, but you can get a beautiful apartment for cheap and the environment here is great - quieter, safer, friendlier. You can just roll on down the hill to Shadyside when you want to. Plus, we have the awesome ethnic restaurants, and a place devoted to Belgian waffles.

Both neighborhoods are super close to Oakland; you could walk. The buses in this part of town run frequently. You could get by without a car, but take a look at zipcar - if you want to take day/weekend trips, this would be a good option. (On preview: DarlingBri beat me.)

Definitely do not live in Oakland itself. No good would come of that. Ditto East Liberty, Friendship, most of Bloomfield, and Uptown. Lawrenceville is chancy, and it's inconvenient to get to Oakland from there.

The food scene in Pittsburgh has gotten surprisingly good in the past few years. There's more variety, and chefs are starting to really come into their own. And it's still cheap!

As for things to do: join Venture Outdoors. You'll meet a great group of people and have the opportunity to see a lot of the city.

And, of course, you should come to the Metafilter meetups.
posted by punchtothehead at 11:57 AM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, and if you're a football devotee, you can head to Piper's in the South Side for matches.
posted by punchtothehead at 11:59 AM on September 10, 2011

The neighborhood you'll want to look most closely at is Squirrel Hill. You can easily bus to the Pitt campus or to downtown, and on nice days you can walk it through Schenley Park if you're so inclined. If you like to run or walk, Squirrel Hill is bordered by Frick Park and Schenley Park. You can walk to just about anything you want to do in Squirrel Hill--groceries, bars, shopping, restaurants (and when I was there, movies). It's convenient enough to downtown. Rents are cheaper than Shadyside and it's not as crowded. Also, for Pittsburgh, Shadyside feels a little snotty, which is hilarious, considering it's Pittsburgh. I've got just one restaurant recommendation for you--Ali Baba, on North Craig Street in North Oakland a few blocks from the Cathedral of Learning. Although I understand the food scene in Pittsburgh has greatly improved in the last decade--there is a group of restaurants owned by the people that run a joint called "Mad Mex" that are supposed to be pretty decent.

Hail to Pitt! ('96, '00)
posted by MoonOrb at 12:14 PM on September 10, 2011

Fourthing Squirrel Hill, very nice and convenient and buses go everywhere.
Don't miss Falling Water if you come all this way.
And the Warhol museum. I thought he was a yahoo till I saw a bunch of his work all at once. More creative than I'd believed.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 12:22 PM on September 10, 2011

I stayed in Squirrel Hill briefly while doing some research at the university and really enjoyed it--easy public transportation, good restaurants, very walkable. If the cathedral of learning gets too oppressive, head to this church instead. Well worth it in terms of food, drink and ambiance.
posted by BlooPen at 12:43 PM on September 10, 2011

Oh, and if you're into beer, can I recommend East End Brewing? Good beer, good guys, and if you like that scene, you can get into a bunch of beer-oriented social things (like this afternoon's Big Pour.)
posted by punchtothehead at 12:49 PM on September 10, 2011

Wherever you end up, give a shout when you're in town and I'll buy you a pint. You're going to find that us Pittsburgh folk are a friendly bunch! :)
posted by bfranklin at 12:52 PM on September 10, 2011

Bloomfield and Friendship are both fine places to live. Lawrenceville looked interesting, but I didn't spend enough time there to be any more specific. I'd skip Garfield - in the Bloomfield/Friendship/Garfield area, you want to stay south of Penn Ave and west of East Liberty, at least as places to live and to hang out at night. Shadyside is pricier than it needs to be. Squirrel Hill didn't do much for me, largely because it's less convenient to the colleges: too far to walk, hilly on a bike. But there are a lot of buses that go out that way. $3000 will go far. I lived in a roomy, charming two-bedroom in Bloomfield for 700-something a month (1-2 years ago).

If you like beer, go to Sharp Edge in Friendship, it's amazing. Also Thai Cuisine in Bloomfield. "Oh Yeah!" ice cream shop in Shadyside. Watch the first Steelers game of the season in a sports bar with the rest of the city. Frick Park. Schenley Park. Phipps is a sweet place to get some quiet time, and you'll probably get a free pass as a student. It's a beautiful city, see how many bridges you can walk over in 10 months.

I miss you, Pittsburgh. Don't tell Boston.
posted by orangejenny at 1:16 PM on September 10, 2011

Go to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and see the dinosaurs!

Also, try not to be shocked when the immigration officers at the airport greet you with, "Hi, how are you?" Pittsburghers are friendly.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 1:29 PM on September 10, 2011

Ah, some of you have read my mind! Definitely into beer (so thanks for that punchtothehead!), and I do my own homebrewing so it'll be good to sample some great brews :)

Will definitely consider meta meet-ups since me and my g/f won't really know that many folks. Be good to meet up with locals and I'll pop you a message when we get settled in bfranklin!

Keep 'em coming folks, this is great stuff!

Bob
posted by Scottie_Bob at 1:58 PM on September 10, 2011

If you like beer then you will like Pittsburgh. There are plenty of local, well-regarded breweries.

Greenfield has Hough's which has many, many beers on tap and now has an annex where you can brew and store your own beer. Plus, you can buy a freshly baked cookie with ice cream on it. It's lovely.

Additionally, there is the Penn Brewery, the Sharp Edge, Church Brew Works, and a Hofbrauhaus.
posted by Alison at 2:05 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

...there are Pittsburgh Metafilter meet-ups?

I'm going to suggest you also look into Highland Park, since no one's mentioned it yet. It's a bit further out and mostly residential (i.e., you'll have to go to those other neighborhoods people are mentioning for restaurants and things), but everyone I know who lives there has a really cool house or apartment!
posted by unannihilated at 2:19 PM on September 10, 2011

Also, I'll second the drop me a line and I'll buy you a pint...I work right in Oakland.
posted by unannihilated at 2:27 PM on September 10, 2011

Seconding Bloomfield if you prefer a gritter, more urban setting. It also has some great restaurants and a Crazy Mocha. A two bedroom row house set us back around $500 a month. Squirrel Hill is lovely and very convenient to Oakland.

The group of restaurants MoonOrb is referring to is the Big Burrito Restaurant Group. I've eaten at four of the six places they own and never had a bad meal at any of them. I'm also partial to Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville, and the Sonoma Grill, Seviche and Six Penn Kitchen in downtown Pittsburgh.

And, as a hardcore hockey fan, I would be remiss if I did not encourage you to take in a Penguins game if you get an opportunity.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:40 PM on September 10, 2011

...there are Pittsburgh Metafilter meet-ups?

Not enough but we've had three so far this year and maybe seven total. I don't think that I've missed one yet.

Not much to add to what other folks have suggested about places to live but Squirrel Hill is probably the easiest place in the city to live car-free although Shadyside, Friendship or Bloomfield wouldn't be bad either and it's easy to get to the Universities from any of those.
posted by octothorpe at 4:24 PM on September 10, 2011

Not enough but we've had three so far this year and maybe seven total. I don't think that I've missed one yet.

Oh my, I don't know how I managed to miss every single one of those!
posted by unannihilated at 5:04 PM on September 10, 2011

Not to derail this ask-me too much but if you set your email address, location and distance preference in your profile Matt will send you an automatic email saying "[MeFi Mail] IRL: New Event Near You" whenever there's a meetup near you.
posted by octothorpe at 6:01 PM on September 10, 2011

I lived in Pittsburgh for a year in Shadyside and if I had to move back there, I would choose either Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. Shadyside is nice; there's a TJ's, Whole Foods, and both a "fancy" Iggle and liquor store. One thing to note about Pennsylvania is that you can't buy beer in a liquor store; only in a bar or beer distributor.

I can corroborate that it's an easy walk from either neighborhood to Oakland. I found Oakland to be a bit of a wasteland and too "student-y" for me.

Restaurants that we liked were Point Brugge, 6 Penn Kitchen, Dinette. There are a few others, but I can't recall. In general, I found the level of restaurant quality to be low compared to larger cities. Most restaurants were disappointing and we didn't go back. But, it'll probably depend on your frame of reference.
posted by reddot at 6:44 PM on September 10, 2011

One thing to note about Pennsylvania is that you can't buy beer in a liquor store; only in a bar or beer distributor.

Or a pizza place as I found out the other day. Sounded like the liquor store clerk got that question a lot.

I'm fresh to the city and just moved out to the border or Greenfield and Squirrel Hill right off the 61. I can attest that it is a most convenient and respectable neighborhood that has enough going on that it doesn't make this New Yorker desperately want to flee back home. I'd say you could probably get away without having a car, but last week I got stuck waiting for the bus 20 minutes during the middle of the day, so that wasn't pleasant. Apparently there were some draconian budget cuts and the bus system has felt it hard, but for the most part, it's been reliable. If you're into biking, I highly recommend it. It's all downhill through Schenley Park on the way into campus; having the wind whip you in the face is a great way to start the morning. Unfortunately, biking back uphill home from class--not as much fun.

Look forward to future meetups and seeing you all!
posted by jng at 7:12 PM on September 10, 2011

jng: "One thing to note about Pennsylvania is that you can't buy beer in a liquor store; only in a bar or beer distributor.

Or a pizza place as I found out the other day."

Well, it's more complicated than that-Pennsylvania's liquor laws are arcane, to put it charitably. You MAY be able to buy beer at a pizza place, if it is a six pack store.

There are some recent changes that are starting to blur the edges a bit, but essentially:

• Hard liquor and wine are only available from state run liquor stores.
• Beer [case (24-30 cans/bottles) and keg quantities] is available from beer distributors.
• Beer [1-2 six packs] is available from six pack shops. Six pack shops frequently, but not always, double as bars or cheap restaurants.

posted by Chrysostom at 7:22 PM on September 10, 2011

Yay lucky you! I just moved away from the 'Burgh after living there for seven years.

Where to live? We lived right on Greenfield Ave. and were fairly happy, rent is pretty cheap in Greenfield and it's quite easy to get to Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and downtown from there. Nowadays I would rather live in Bloomfield or Friendship than Shadyside, because Shadyside is full of noisy undergrads and no parking. Also, you should keep in mind that Squirrel Hill is a relatively large neighborhood with lots of housing variety; I would look for somewhere closer to Frick Park than to Murray Ave to live in.

A lot of my friends have been migrating eastward towards Regent Square, Edgewood, Swissvale and even Wilkinsburg. General wisdom seems to be: live west of the busway and south of Penn Avenue. People's fears about East Liberty (and some parts of Wilkinsburg) are kind of overstated; the real issue is convenience of bus routes between there and campus.

If, on the other hand, you want to move into a quirky and isolated neighborhood with lots of interesting weirdness, you might try Polish Hill or under the Bloomfield Bridge. If you are a ginormous hipster, you probably want to try Lawrenceville; if you're a hardcore, must-get-there-first-and-revitalize-the-place hipster, try Millvale.

I second all of Alison's restaurant picks, and add:
Del's Bar for Sunday brunch;
Tessaro's for hamburgers;
Avenue B for fancy date night;
this place called Notion way the heck out in Aspinwall for super-mega-fancy-birthday date night;
The Beehive Cafe;
the Tamarind in Oakland;
those two Ethiopian places in East Liberty;
D's Six Packs and Dogs in Regent Square.
The Indian place on Murray Ave. is okay, but don't ever go to the Mexican place. Don't bother with Primanti's, but do go to Klavon's Ice Cream parlor at least once, and Oh Yeah! Ice Cream on Highland Ave.

Pennsylvania liquor laws are as Chrysostom describes. I was shocked this month to discover that every third item in Illinois grocery stores is wine or beer.

I never got around to going there, but there's a nifty food co-op on Penn near Braddock. Also a Trader Joe's at Penn and Shady. Also, a farmer's market Wednesday afternoons at the Phipps Conservatory during the summer. Also, the weekend market in the Strip District, but that is insanely crowded. Wholey's has great fresh fish.

Riding a bike in Pittsburgh is a little difficult. Drivers tend to be aggressive and somewhat erratic about which traffic laws they actually obey. As a pedestrian, beware the Pittsburgh Left, because people have actually been killed by it; also, never ever ever move a parking chair/table. If you don't like football much, go grocery shopping Sunday afternoons while the Steelers are on, it's nice and quiet.

Think I've gotten carried away with this reply. Um, I miss Pittsburgh a lot.
posted by daisystomper at 7:49 PM on September 10, 2011 [2 favorites]

I got stuck waiting for the bus 20 minutes during the middle of the day, so that wasn't pleasant.

Yea, that's a pretty standard wait for a PAT bus. It'll be even more fun a couple of months from now when it's ten degrees and sleeting. Love the 'burgh but the transit system and the weather aren't exactly optimal.
posted by octothorpe at 8:38 PM on September 10, 2011

Welcome (eventually) to the city! I've lived in New York, London, Cambridge (Massachusetts), DC, and a few other places, and Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill, specifically) is the place I wanted to settle down permanently. There's some pretty sweet living to be had. As others have, I also recommend Squirrel Hill for a good combination of relatively inexpensive real estate and a decent little business district.

There are some other helpful tips in other Pittsburgh threads on AskMe which you can look up, and other folks here have given some good recommendations.

As for places to eat, let me just say I just went to a bad ass Sichuan restaurant at the corner of Murray and Forbes called How Lee. This place used to be a complete dive, but it has changed owners recently and is a completely different place. Recommended if you like that numbing, tingly sensation in your mouth from Sichuan peppercorns.
posted by chinston at 9:04 PM on September 10, 2011

In my opinion, the best espresso in the city is 21st Street Coffee, which has locations in the strip district and downtown.
posted by chinston at 9:06 PM on September 10, 2011

Pittsburgh - A drinking town with a football problem.

Don't bother with Primanti's - uhhhhhhh, what?! GO TO PRIMANTI'S!

I live in Greenfield. Where I'm at on the avenue, I have a 24hr convienience store, a local pizza shop (that sells beer), a bar with 300 beer selections (Hough's), a pool, a basketball court, and a baseball field all with-in a block. No fast food, but there is a Subway, as well as a laundromat, and a chinese restaurant. I like my location. A LOT. And the rent is very do-able. With your finances, you would have no problem navigating Greenfield. Also, it takes about 20 minutes or so to walk to Pitt's campus from my house. There is a direct busline to Oakland and downtown (the 58). Your Pitt ID will get you free bus fare. Also, The Waterfront is down the hill from Greenfield and has a shit load of retaurants and stores.

Our alcohol laws are slowly loosening. You can now buy beer and wine in some Giant Eagle's, such as the Market District one on Centre Ave. in Shadyside. Otherwise, beer distributors and state liquor/wine stores. Six-packs in bars.

DO NOT live in Oakland. Nthing what everyone has said about it so far. I went to Pitt, I lived in Oakland. It gets old really fast with all the drunk college kids. However, there are plenty of bars to check out, but probably not so much since you have a girlfriend.

I wouldn't live in Shadyside. I won't really bash on it, but it's not my cup of tea. And you'll pay too much. There are plenty of other respectable places in Pittsburgh. To me, Shadyside is a pissing contest.

Lawrenceville - first of all, there is a direct busline from there to Oakland (the 93). So it's not hard to get to and from. This is an art-collective section of town. Lots of bars and cool kids to go around. There are shady parts (like the closer to the river you get, the worse), but no worse than other decent sections of town.

Places to NOT live: Uptown, Garfield, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington, the Hill District, the North Side (just don't). I wouldn't live in East Liberty either. Highland Park requires going through East Liberty to get anywhere, and I'm not really aware of a night-life happening in HP. But HP is close to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Also, Very Deep South Oakland is not great at all. There are still plenty of students that live in that area, but I personally wouldn't. I'm talking about across the Boulevard of the Allies. With your finances, you won't have to worry about this. Don't bother with Millvale unless you want to deal with Route 28 in the morning. Lots of construction and congestion.

If you can manage to get your hands on Steelers tickets (albeit probably expensive), GO. It's electric, boogie woogie woogie. Ditto for the Penguins. I personally like the Pirates, and if for no other reason, go to a game because PNC Park is by far one of the nicest stadiums in Major League Baseball. The view of the city is ridiculous, and if you go on a fireworks night, the way the light reflects off of the disco-ball (buildings) is breath-taking.

I haven't seen anyone mention the South Side yet. You probably don't want to live there, but you will go there. There are too many bars to list, and frankly I don't really dig the South Side. I did live there for a year, but we had a nice corner on 9th and PJ McCardle and didn't have to deal with the crowds. There are tons of local shops along East Carson St. that are worthy of checking out. There are some smaller music venues (and bars) that have shows. Attached on one side of the South Side is Station Square - restaurants and clubs. On the other end of South Side is the South Side Works. Shopping, restaurants, and movies.

More shopping and dining - The Strip District! Lots of shopping for good eats.

Go up on Mount Washington. It's fuckin' sweet. Also, there's lots of restaurants and bars up there.

If you see a blind dude sitting outside of a Rite-Aid on Forbes Avenue in Oakland with a boom-box singing gospel, give him some money. He's a hell of a guy.

I'll have a beer waiting for you. :)
posted by XhaustedProphet at 9:51 PM on September 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

Don't bother with Primanti's - uhhhhhhh, what?! GO TO PRIMANTI'S!

Okay, go to Primanti's ONCE. Just so you can have the thrill of fries on a sandwich, I guess. And I was kidding about Millvale. Don't live there. Live in Greenfield, it rocks.
posted by daisystomper at 12:01 AM on September 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Guys, I just can't thank you enough for all the hints and tips, it's really going to make a difference when we get out there.

I really hope there'll be a meet-up when we're over there, it would be great to meet some folks and hit the ground running! My girlfriend won't be working either (H1-B2 co-habitation visa), so the more folk she can meet, the better :)
posted by Scottie_Bob at 2:34 AM on September 11, 2011

Welcome to Pittsburgh! It's a great city, as you can see from the suggestions.

I live in Shadyside - it's a great neighborhood. I like and have friends in Squirrel Hill, but I find it's a little too quiet and low key for my tastes. However, both neighborhoods are a lot of fun.

Near us in Shadyside is my favorite restaurant, Harris Grill (which I misheard as 'The Hairy Squirrel' on my first visit, and thought that was the name of the restaurant for w while). Bites N Brews (pizza only, I find and they have great beer), Sharp Edge, Bagel Factory and La Feria on Walnut St.

Buffalo Blues is great for a big game, if that's your thing.

This is a really friendly town, and you will enjoy it here. And I'm bummed I haven't gone to any Meetups, so I will have to start going. Hope to see you there.
posted by glaucon at 6:48 AM on September 11, 2011

Not to derail this ask-me too much but if you set your email address, location and distance preference in your profile Matt will send you an automatic email saying "[MeFi Mail] IRL: New Event Near You" whenever there's a meetup near you.

Octothorpe: I did not know that, thank you.

A couple follow-up things: Yes, the public transportation situation is horrible. Never count on it being on time or on you being able to board a particular bus. Depending on where you are on a particular line (i.e., if you're on a line going to Oakland and you're getting close to Oakland and it's rush hour), the bus may be full and pass you by.

Also, East Liberty is not THAT bad. I might not jog through it at night or something, but I wouldn't be afraid to drive through it! It's also where Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are, the new super-Target, and some cute restaurants. So if you tell someone you want to avoid East Liberty they may look at you funny.
posted by unannihilated at 8:02 AM on September 11, 2011

Loved living in Pittsburgh. Good places to eat: Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville (a good Italian spot with extremely reasonable prices for things like braised boar fettucine, duck and rabbit ragu, polenta with mushrooms and tomato, etc.; not at all snooty atmosphere with BYOB no corkage fee; that area of town seems to be becoming vaguely hip too), Yo Rita in the South Side (hipster taco bar with stuff like huitlacoche and st. germain cocktails; website at yoritasouthside.com), Pamela's Diner (dingy and cash only but a local institution and the pancakes are pretty good when you do want a greasebomb), Primanti Brothers (infamous fry sandwiches--this is sacrilege but i recommend going to the oakland one, not the famous strip district one; it could just be my imagination but the food's slightly better and the people are WAY nicer; get the capicola and wash it down with tap beer); Salt (highfalutin vaguely molecular gastronomy-ish hip spot in Garfield with good drinks and tons of sous vide, popcorn injected whipped cream, etc.; eat at the kitchen bar and watch the crazy line cook precision ballet); if you like total holes with goofy charm you might like Gooski's bar in Polish Hill (the jukebox has amazing stuff on it but has been broken alas, the bartender is hilarious and puts on awesome forgotten bad movies like My Demon Lover, regulars discuss the merits of different kinds of pierogies, there are a zillion beers from old grandpa swill to craft hip things, the place has red upholstery and is funny looking and smells, people can still smoke and do, a lot). One of the best things about P is how it's really a zillion little distinct enclaves. Which ones are popular and thriving has changed a little since I left, but I used to love Bloomfield, the Strip (visit the chocolate shop, Italian imports, and Greek imports spots), the South Side (seems sadly in decline right now, there used to be some good Middle Eastern spots and more barcrawling late night show charm), Polish Hill, Squirrel Hill (where all the grad students and CMUers used to reside, where flyers around town will be like "take a modular synth/circuit bending workshop!", and to a much lesser extent Shadyside (was a little yuppie for my tastes, and I lived there). Garfield and Lawrenceville seem to be gentrifying so there's art and show stuff there now. Make sure to get to the top of Mount Washington for the awesome view. Pitt's museums etc. are fun--check out the Warhol, the Carnegie, the Frick, Phipps, the Mattress Factory. Last I checked the opera was actually doing some pretty cool innovative stuff, and PSO was great (I used to go a lot when Mariss Jansons was the conductor). WRCT (CMU's) was my favorite local "know what's going on that might be cool" radio station.
posted by ifjuly at 10:17 AM on September 11, 2011

You guys (yinz?) are making me seriously regret not ponying up the five bucks last fall when we moved here. I wound up out in the boonies of Bellevue, which is a DRY BOROUGH for pete's sake. Remind me to check back in when our lease is up in the spring.

So that's the sum of my advice: Don't wind up out in the boonies. The prospect of having to find one's way home after partaking of these fabled craft-beer spots is not fun and has kept me at home.
posted by MsMacbeth at 6:04 PM on September 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Congrats on the Fullbright! $3000-3500 is PLENTY to live on for two adults in Pittsburgh...I live on ~$1700/month myself (grad student stipend) and I live close walking distance to The University of Pittsburgh. I would say you should look in North Oakland/Shadyside/Squirrel Hill. Feel free to MeFiMail me if you would like to chat about the area/grad school at Pitt/etc.
posted by stevechemist at 7:38 PM on September 12, 2011

Just wanted to add on here, since I didn't see them mentioned: if you have a car, or a friend with a car, don't miss the Jean Marc Chatellier bakery in the township of Millvale, on the North Side. Real french baking by a real frenchman. The croissants are the closest to the French version of any I've tasted anywhere outside of France. Just unbelievably good. (And you have to get there before noon on a Saturday to score any-- they sell out fast.) I can't believe I lived in Pittsburgh for four years before discovering this.

Also, Ryan's Pub in Point Breeze is kind of divey sports bar, but they had the most amazing wings. I know, you're British, and you're thinking, "how good could wings be?", but I'm telling you that these are fantastic. I took an Aussie friend there while he was visiting, and to this day he still talks about those wings. Not sure if they still do them, but they also used to have hand-made potato chips (crisps) that were seriously dangerous in that can't-stop-eating-them kind of way. They pour a half-decent Guinness too. Just avoid using the toilets while you're there.

I lived in the 'Burgh for 6 years, and left in 2005, so I'm probably not totally up-to-date, although judging from the number of familiar mentions above, it hasn't changed that much. You can live really well in Pittsburgh for not a lot of money, so you'll be fine with your stipend. I worked at CMU and lived in Friendship, Highland Park, and Point Breeze. Shadyside is nice, but you don't get much for what you pay-- relative to other neighbourhoods-- because it's very desirable. I always found Squirrel Hill a bit too heavy on students, but it benefits from the most frequent bus service. Bloomfield and Lawrenceville were more working class areas that were lower on the gentrification curve but rapidly changing. I'd probably check them out now.

For the first four years, I didn't have a car and got around by bike and bus. The bus isn't bad if you get familiar with the main routes and find an apartment nearby. But the buses can be undependable at times, so I usually cycled unless the weather was bad. (I used to get a free bus pass from the University. Not sure if Pitt does this.) Even if you have a car, parking near the universities can be a nightmare, if not an impossibility. As DarlingBri mentioned, Zipcar is a great option for casual car use and would allow you to take care of shopping and the odd trip around town on the weekends. (It has the advantage of including gas and insurance in the rental fee.)

Loads and loads of great recommendations in this thread. Pittsburgh is really a hidden gem among American cities. Enjoy your time there.
posted by amusebuche at 2:01 AM on September 13, 2011 [1 favorite]