Scenes from my approx. 25-30 min. walk to school (Bloomfield to University of Pittsburgh) ... sometimes I bike or take the bus

 

my home (at right)

 

looking down Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield

 

starting towards school... the Cathedral of Learning looms in the distance

 

typical Bloomfield housing

 

 

crossing the bridge on Millvale Ave.

 

looking down at the East Busway

 

 

Baum-Centre corridor

 

the western edge of Shadyside

 

 

 

 

I apologize for the pinkness of the next few photos... my photos tend to turn out pink during precipitation events... just pretend they're supposed to be artistic

 

 

 

new condos u/c

 

now we're entering Oakland... a branch of the Rand Corp. in the distance

 

St. Paul's

 

Craig St.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carnegie-Mellon University

 

 

The Carnegie

 

 

The Cathedral of Learning

 

 

Heinz Chapel

 

 

 

 

 

and finally i arrive at the 1970s abomination that houses my department

 

:clap:

Have you ever seen this sculpture?

I'm working on a project where this artist will do something similar in a Cleveland neighborhood. (Oh, Pittsburgh is so cool. I've always been impressed with its architecture and landscape)

 

Thats a pretty good walk (20-30 min)...just out of curiosity:  If you had the option to take a streetcar to each day instead of walk...would you?  Or would you just use it on bad weather days...or what would your take on it be??

Wow, looks like an enjoyable walk! I thought you lived in Wooster, however?

I spent 14 months in Wooster... I moved from there in December and returned to my home state to begin grad school in urban studies. 

 

 

Uncle Rando:  There is a bus stop right in front of my place... the bus comes 3 times an hour.  I use it sometimes if I'm running short on time.  A 20-30 minute walk is nothing... I quite enjoy it and usually choose to walk... even when it was 0 degrees the other day.  Most Pittsburgh neighborhoods are extremely walkable and visually stimulating.  I don't think this pattern would change if there was a streetcar in front of my house. 

 

wimwar:  Yes, I've seen that statue... it's on Liberty Ave. downtown.

Fascinating walk! It must be wonderful as the seasons change!

Very nice....it's hard to imagine that walk getting old. 

Nice tour of E. Pitt, Bloomfield to Oakland 8-)...  man we could have done without fast forward to the 1970's  :-o

Craig Street looks like my kind of area. I will have to add that as a destination the next time I'm in the 'Burgh.

 

looking down at the East Busway

 

And what was the Pennsylvania Railroad's mainline between Chicago - New York City (via Wooster!). Now it's the Norfolk Southern mainline between those cities but via Cleveland (with Amtrak serving that route, too).

 

 

The pink-tinted photos I like!!!

^Those pink-tinted photos reminded me of that Dr. Seuss "Cat-in-the-Hat" book where a small pink stain, stains all the snow...

 

Nice job, though...Much as I love my Cleveland, there's just no way the home town can out-character Pittsburgh's hoods with their old, tight brick buildings and hills... 2 things always amaze me about Pittsburgh: 1) that, given such neighborhood density, this city isn't many times larger than its census lists and, 2) why rapid transit hasn't been developed more here -- this town, esp given its typography, esp with the rivers...

 

... which reminds me:

... isn't the plan to convert this silly busway into the rail rapid it should be, connecting East Oakland to the PAT "T" stub at Penn Station?  Why is PAT dragging its feet with this?

Nice job, though...Much as I love my Cleveland, there's just no way the home town can out-character Pittsburgh's hoods with their old, tight brick buildings and hills...

 

^ Lets not try to compare apples with oranges. Growing up with Cleveland & Pittsburgh both sixty miles apart, they have their unique neighborhoods: Mt. Washington, Oakland, Shadyside, Tremont, Little Italy, Slavic Village, Ohio City.

 

All though just 130 miles apart, each have their own identities that are so far apart. One not better than the other, just unique.

you have a powershot?

Wow - that Heinz Chapel thing is stunning!!!  Makes me crave a burger or some meatloaf, anything to help support those elongated windows!

 

^but of course...

^ One of the best skylines.

^Those pink-tinted photos reminded me of that Dr. Seuss "Cat-in-the-Hat" book where a small pink stain, stains all the snow...

 

Nice job, though...Much as I love my Cleveland, there's just no way the home town can out-character Pittsburgh's hoods with their old, tight brick buildings and hills... 2 things always amaze me about Pittsburgh: 1) that, given such neighborhood density, this city isn't many times larger than its census lists and, 2) why rapid transit hasn't been developed more here -- this town, esp given its typography, esp with the rivers...

 

 

... isn't the plan to convert this silly busway into the rail rapid it should be, connecting East Oakland to the PAT "T" stub at Penn Station?  Why is PAT dragging its feet with this?

 

 

Well, I do think Pittsburgh (and Cincinnati for that matter) have much more neighborhood diversity structurally than Great Lakes cities like Cleveland.  Topography certainly helped in creating very strong self-sufficient neighborhoods.  As for the population... I wish Pittsburgh would follow Cincy's example and challenge those Census Estimates... major cities tend to be undercounted and the methodology for estimates are developed in a way that penalizes our older core cities.  Pittsburgh certainly does feel much larger than its population, however (though certain areas are really "in the woods")... it has a very small area... about 55 sq. miles... which is about 2/3s the size of Cleveland's area... but if you add in the populations of every municipality that borders the city proper... you get a population of 900,000... which is a bit more of an accurate reflection.  Pittsburgh is also one of the Top 5 "daytime population surge" cities (along with cities like Boston and DC)... which means a lot of people come to the city to work. 

 

 

...

 

And yeah... a much more developed rapid transit system would make sense for a city like Pittsburgh... but you must remember... WE LIVE IN AMERICA.  PAT can't support its current operations as it is... despite serving a higher percentage of commuters than any other core county besides counties in DC, Portland, SF Bay Area, NYC, Chicago, Boston and Philly... it is threatening to reduce 25% of its bus hours due to massive debts due to a lack of permenant funding from America's "largest and most expensive full-time legislature", mounting legacy expenditures and its own blunders.  PAT is, however, extending the light rail to the North Side... a 1.2 mile extension that will tunnel under the Allegheny River at a cost of $393 million.  While I'm glad to see any extension of the rail network... this is a misguided move... PAT should've went East to Oakland first.  But the Federal Government apparently thought this was a good project and is paying for 80% of it... so it must go forward.  Unfortunately, PAT had a lack of vision for its rail network.  It opened the system as it exists now in the 80s... and pretty much sat on it... opening a small section in the south a couple years ago and beginning preliminary studies on the North Side link in 1999.  It is only now beginning discussions of an Eastern line.  However, considering the 1.2 mile segment to the North Side will take 4 years to complete... I wouldn't get your hopes up on riding the rail from Downtown to Oakland any time soon. 

 

 

the percentage of workers who commute via public transit in America's top 100 counties– Census 2000

 

NY, New York County 59.6%

NY, Kings County 57.4%

NY, Bronx County 53.7%

NY, Queens County 47.4%

NJ, Hudson County 33.6%

DC, District of Columbia 33.2%

CA, San Francisco County 31.1%

MA, Suffolk County 30.9%

PA, Philadelphia County 25.4%

NY, Westchester County 20.4%

NJ, Essex County 18.6%

IL, Cook County 17.3%

NY, Nassau County 15.7%

MD, Montgomery County 12.6%

MA, Norfolk County 12.3%

MD, Prince George's County 11.9%

OR, Multnomah County 11.1%

NJ, Bergen County 11.0%

CA, Alameda County 10.6%

PA, Allegheny County 10.5%

 

...

 

WI, Milwaukee County 6.9%

OH, Cuyahoga County 6.2%

OH, Hamilton County 5.0%

NY, Erie County (Buffalo) 4.1%

OH, Franklin County 3.1%

 

 

highest daytime population surge amongst cities over 250,000 (really a function of being an artifically small city proper in a large metro... and having a very healthy downtown/inner city economic base)

 

Washington, DC 71.8%

Atlanta, GA 62.4%

Tampa, FL 47.5% (small city in a big metro... but still wasn't expecting this)

Pittsburgh, PA 41.3%

Boston, MA 41.1%

 

...

 

Columbus, OH 11.6%

Cleveland, OH 24%

Cincinnati, OH 31%

Detroit, MI -0.1%

 

 

Nice job, though...Much as I love my Cleveland, there's just no way the home town can out-character Pittsburgh's hoods with their old, tight brick buildings and hills...

 

^ Lets not try to compare apples with oranges. Growing up with Cleveland & Pittsburgh both sixty miles apart, they have their unique neighborhoods: Mt. Washington, Oakland, Shadyside, Tremont, Little Italy, Slavic Village, Ohio City.

 

All though just 130 miles apart, each have their own identities that are so far apart. One not better than the other, just unique.

 

They are different cities, by far even though geographically close (Pittsburgh much more Northeastern, architecturally; Cleveland, Midwestern)... but I stand by my comment.  Pittsburgh feels smaller and denser, and the constant hills heighten that feeling.  Pittsburgh's homes are more often brick, which tend to have more architectural detailing and give neighborhoods more of a substantial feel of permanency. Cleveland, meanwhile, is flatter and more spacious with a generally wood frame housing base and, along with it, more of a rural feeling in certain areas.  Plus, given our generally flat typography, and abundance of wood-frame houses on wide-deep lots, there's considerable space between many of Cleveland's best neighborhoods..  The vast, serveral-mile region on the East Side -- from downtown to U.Circle, is mainly still a wasted, industrial area we're still a long way from rejuvenating... Let's face it, that hurts our city a great deal.. .. We obviously have great nabes, don't get me wrong (I live in one, Shaker Square), but it's much different that Pitts hoods.  Perhaps the Cleveland nabe that most mirrors a Pittsburgh one is Little Italy, which is tight, sits on a hill, mainly brick with a number of mulit-unit dwellings... Cleveland areas have their own beauty and, on many levels, are not quite as suffocating as many Pittsburgh areas are...

 

Hey, I prefer living in Cleveland over Pittsburgh on many, many different levels... But fair's fair, when it comes to the character aspect, I'd give the nod to the Steel City... sorry.

PAT is, however, extending the light rail to the North Side... a 1.2 mile extension that will tunnel under the Allegheny River at a cost of $393 million.  While I'm glad to see any extension of the rail network... this is a misguided move... PAT should've went East to Oakland first.  But the Federal Government apparently thought this was a good project and is paying for 80% of it... so it must go forward.  Unfortunately, PAT had a lack of vision for its rail network. 

 

I hear you, and to Pittsburghers suffering transit woes, I'd tell them: "welcome to the club... and did you, btw, meet Mr. Calabrese?"

 

Contrary to your belief -- and I understand why extending toward Oakland (preferably more along the Forbes corridor rather than the East Busway where the ROW exists), but the North Shore project under the river, sets up PAT for a massive extension (roughly 20 miles) out the river corridor to Pitts Int'l airport, which would be very worthwhile... But I agree, Oakland is such a populous, lively, academic, tourist/native destination spot (which should, btw, serve as a model for our very nice, though largely dead, University Circle... Given Pittsburgh's population density and typography, you'd think it's "T" would be a lot more like Boston's, in its comprehensiveness.  Can you imagine would Pittsburgh would be like if it was?

^ I appreciate your candor clvlndr. No need to apologize, your points are well taken. My sister lives in Pittsburgh and brother in Cleveland. I love to visit both cities as they have their charms.

 

All though I can assure you my second home will be in Cleveland. It is simple for me, not quite the ocean but the city by the lake.

Here is a map of the alternatives being considered for transit investment in Pittsburgh's Eastern Corridor:

 

http://www.spcregion.org/ECTS/pdf/RecAlt.pdf

 

More information about the Eastern Corridor study, which is near to determining a preferred alternative, can be found at:

 

http://www.spcregion.org/trans_trans.shtml

 

And part of the rationale of the PAT extension under the Allegheny to the stadiums is to be the first phase of LRT service to the airport:

 

Pittsburgh is very alluring. They are creating a green neighborhood I read about the other day.

Pittsburgh is very alluring. They are creating a green neighborhood I read about the other day.

 

I assume you are are referring to Riverparc... which is being developed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in an under-developed section of Downtown.  It will feature 700 residential units and loads of other amenities... and is designed to meet LEED "green" standards. 

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06192/704890-53.stm

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I'm the minority on this one but I never saw much in P-burgh. It has a beautiful downtown but it's suprisingly dead after 6. It has dense housing on certain streets. But ALOT of streets resemble Cleveland and Detroit where housing has pulled down to nothing. Cincy has done better job of keeping it's older housing stock in better shape than P-Burgh. It many not have as much as Pitt, but there's less sense of loss in Cincy.

 

The biggest drawback for me is that alot of areas in P-Burgh and almost all the burbs are very Amrapesque.  Not in architecure obviously, but in diversity. There's no Dearborn or Lakewood in P-Burgh. No Clark Ave. No Chinatown. Hell even Amrap has a mosque. I realize the Duq and Oakland have diversity, but mainly due to the college population. Once you move away from the center of the city most areas are blue-collar white/black. Most of the burbs are almost exclusively white.

 

It's a Northeastern city in terms of architecture, but most cities that surround the Burgh from the east and west are just more diverse. That's a big problem for Pitt. It's not something you can 'build' your way out of.

 

 

 

Thanks for your input, AmrapinVA.  I could say that I think your statements are idiotic... but it won't change your mind... so I'll refrain from doing that.  Glad you liked my thread.

RE: Green 'hood.

 

Looks super neat!

Thanks for your input, AmrapinVA.  I could say that I think your statements are idiotic... but it won't change your mind... so I'll refrain from doing that.  Glad you liked my thread.

 

Ask yourself, at what point am I supposed to care what you think? Aw hell, you can think P-burgh is as diverse as NYC....it's not my problem, I'm never gonna live there. ;)

I just find it interesting that you're so obsessed with writing a small essay on how Pittsburgh can't compare to NYC, Paris, Munich, Northern Virginia and CLEVELAND whenever my city is mentioned on this forum.  Now try and make a real contribution to the forum sometime instead of torturing the rest of us with your personal traumatic legacy of a Parma upbringing.

^Pound for pound Pittsburgh is probably the most interesting city in the country so far as infrastructure and physical layout is concerned...why the place suffers such relentless ridicule from outsiders and disturbingly its own citizens is unclear. 

It's historically odd that, at the moment, Cleveland has developed a slightly larger rapid rail network than Pittsburgh while, clearly, Pittsburgh is much more a natural transit city than Cleveland, with regard to the above.  Cleveland, with wide streets and accessible typography, is much easier to drive in -- which, historically, has surpressed transit use as compared to other rail cities.  But Pittsburgh is catching up and, probably, surpass Cleveland, esp with a regressive transit head like Joe Calabrese running RTA... Think of the opportunities lost by the retardation of Pitts' transit development, esp in terms of high-density residential development downtown (which is why, to date, despite its interesting nature, it is so dead at night; much deader than Cleveland's btw) ... Maybe it's a reach, but I think had rail been developed earlier, Pittsburgh could be a Boston; Pittsburgh, given its downtown narrow streets and tightness hard against the hills, wide rivers on a narrow peninsula, is even more challenging than Boston... but without the transit development, it's hard to really conceptualize 'what if' w/r to Pittsburgh...

I too love the look of Craig Street. Imagine, a university neighborhood with actual STORES! ;)

I just find it interesting that you're so obsessed with writing a small essay on how Pittsburgh can't compare to NYC, Paris, Munich, Northern Virginia and CLEVELAND whenever my city is mentioned on this forum.  Now try and make a real contribution to the forum sometime instead of torturing the rest of us with your personal traumatic legacy of a Parma upbringing.

 

Just to clarify...I've never been to Paris or Munich...I have been to Tokyo and Osaka.

 

This is only the second thread I've said anything about P-burgh. The other time I said I have love for the 3 C's and Detroit, not so much for Pitt, it was a little too W. Va. for me. Again that was about diversity.

 

BTW, I spend most of the time here complaining about Cleveland, posting articles about Hopkins and Akron/Canton Apt. or arguing KI vs. CP. So tone it down a bit. It's not like you have a positive attitude about C-land. Your knocks are bit more back handed than mine, but they are knocks nonetheless. I don't sit there and say you don't make 'real contributions' to the forum. We can agree to disagree without you going nuts.

 

I'm not trying to hurt people's feelings, I'm just saying a city is more than about buildings and layouts...it's about people too. The more diverse your city is, the better off you'll be in the future. Think I'm alone in that thinking? Pittsburgh city leaders seem to agree with me:

 

http://www.diversecitypittsburgh.org/

 

^Precisely, Amrap... There's something about the atmosphere in Pittsburgh that, well, is a turnoff -- there is a kind of down-'n-out hillbilly thing going on there -- although physically, building-wise (and even culturally, if you really consider Oakland and the Carnegie stuff), it's a very interesting town... I feel similarly about Boston: awesome city to look at, shop in and, even, hang out in the college-y districts near downtown or in Cambridge (which is as urban as Boston), but the locals suck imho; cold, mean, closed and bigoted, and I hate that accent.  And the college aspect I like is usually b/c most of the people associated with the famous universities are form elsewhere, anyway...

there is a kind of down-'n-out hillbilly thing going on there

 

I wouldn't say the city per se has that but I can see what you mean in a regional perspective, perhaps due to the little towns along the blue-collar rivers of the Mon, Allegheny, and Ohio that give it an "Appalachian" appearance.  They are quite similar to towns in south-central Ohio (Ripley, New Richmond, Maysville KY, etc, though perhaps less regal in architecture).

hey nice job. thanks for taking your camera along your daily way. i love threads like this, ones with an action oriented theme like 'my daily commute.' its kind of like we are right there and we get to go along with you.

 

funny tho when i think of your handle everygrey i think you should be doing this thread for ever gray cleveland....i am surprized it was for pitts - lol!

there is a kind of down-'n-out hillbilly thing going on there

 

I wouldn't say the city per se has that but I can see what you mean in a regional perspective, perhaps due to the little towns along the blue-collar rivers of the Mon, Allegheny, and Ohio that give it an "Appalachian" appearance.  They are quite similar to towns in south-central Ohio (Ripley, New Richmond, Maysville KY, etc, though perhaps less regal in architecture).

 

The city is Appalachian. No point in arguing about that. The only difference between Clarksburg (WV), and Monessen, is that one is 20 miles from Pittsburgh, and the other 90.

Wow, I have never heard such warped comments about Pittsburgh before.

 

:? :-o :?

there is a kind of down-'n-out hillbilly thing going on there

 

I wouldn't say the city per se has that but I can see what you mean in a regional perspective, perhaps due to the little towns along the blue-collar rivers of the Mon, Allegheny, and Ohio that give it an "Appalachian" appearance.  They are quite similar to towns in south-central Ohio (Ripley, New Richmond, Maysville KY, etc, though perhaps less regal in architecture).

 

The city is Appalachian. No point in arguing about that. The only difference between Clarksburg (WV), and Monessen, is that one is 20 miles from Pittsburgh, and the other 90.

 

Just trying to be nice ;).