Rank Pennsylvania's Cities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington: amusement parks, theater, vs.)

[pman]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I definitely agree! One of the main things I dislike about Pittsburgh is the big city traffic. I am scared to drive in this city. Between the steep hills, icy roads in the winter, and general congestion, driving can be a nightmare in Pittsburgh. Maybe my small town roots are showing. I grew up in a small, flat town. Maybe four years in a big city is enough for me.

perhaps you'd be more comfortable in a thread ranking the state's towns rather than cities

[Evergrey]

I live 1 mile from Downtown Pittsburgh, and I never have to deal with traffic. Living and working in the heart of the urban core... instead of the suburbs... allows one to largely avoid highways choked with suburban motorists.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

I live 1 mile from Downtown Pittsburgh, and I never have to deal with traffic. Living and working in the heart of the urban core... instead of the suburbs... allows one to largely avoid highways choked with suburban motorists.

Everygrey I agree with you in some ways, but just living downtown does not stop the traffic. I lived and worked in St. Paul for several years, but I often found myself traveling to Minneapolis for business meetings or to visit friends. Despite living in the urban center less than 1 mile from where I worked I dealt with traffic on a daily basis. Additionally, in the Twin Cities area the bus service is much better to the suburbs than it is in the city. I often found myself riding the "Limited Stop" bus that stopped every block and took hours to go 10-15 miles. I am actually kind of jealous because I left the Twin Cities and now they are building light rail between the two cities. The same thing applies to Pittsburgh and many people live and work downtown but have to battle the traffic if they have a suburban meeting or they want to go to a different area for a drink, etc.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by track2514

Everygrey I agree with you in some ways, but just living downtown does not stop the traffic. I lived and worked in St. Paul for several years, but I often found myself traveling to Minneapolis for business meetings or to visit friends. Despite living in the urban center less than 1 mile from where I worked I dealt with traffic on a daily basis. Additionally, in the Twin Cities area the bus service is much better to the suburbs than it is in the city. I often found myself riding the "Limited Stop" bus that stopped every block and took hours to go 10-15 miles. I am actually kind of jealous because I left the Twin Cities and now they are building light rail between the two cities. The same thing applies to Pittsburgh and many people live and work downtown but have to battle the traffic if they have a suburban meeting or they want to go to a different area for a drink, etc.

I'm sure many Erieites find themselves battling traffic on Peach Street on their way to Cracker Barrel.

[trackstar13]

Now that is some funny stuff, Peach Street can be a little crazy in the summer, but most locals just avoid it and take the back roads. Erie has much less traffic than I am used to and I am enjoying it. The traffic is not really that bad in Pittsburgh when compared to similar size cities, but it is not fun driving to the airport or the North Hills during rush hour. It would be nice if Pittsburgh had some kind of train that went to the airport.

[Evergrey]

I go to the North Hills... never. And I also take "back roads" and "side streets" here in Pittsburgh. It doesn't matter how big Pittsburgh is compared to Erie... it matters how you choose to live. Some of it is luck... I'm lucky to have a job Downtown instead of Moon Township... but I choose to live in a location where I can walk to work... walk to Pirate games... walk to bars, restaurants and shops... and take low-stress short drives to other parts of the city when I want to visit Shadyside, Lawrenceville, South Side, etc. If I'm leaving the city for some reason... I'm likely doing it during off-peak hours. I never find myself stuck in traffic with the rare exception of a car accident or intrusive road work.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

It doesn't matter how big Pittsburgh is compared to Erie... it matters how you choose to live.

The size of the city definitely matters when it comes to traffic so I have to disagree with you here. I agree with your second point and when I have lived in Pittsburgh, the Twin Cities, etc. I have chosen to visit my friends in a variety of areas of the cities including the suburbs and take advantage of all of the amenities. Most U.S. cities are relatively car dependent and since there are only so many routes you are bound to deal with traffic in one form or another unless you plan your life around the traffic times. I prefer not having to deal with the traffic, but if I get a decent deal on a flight or want to meet a friend for dinner in the suburbs, I am not going to change my life in order to avoid it.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by pman

perhaps you'd be more comfortable in a thread ranking the state's towns rather than cities

Well, I started the thread to discuss PA's other, smaller cities (not Pittsburgh and Philadelphia).

[PreservationPioneer]

I used to live in Shadyside and found that I still had to drive all the time to get things I needed. Sadly, the neighborhood I work in is not walkable or pleasant, and I do not want to change jobs in this economy.

The suburbs have all of the convenient things, like car washes, grocery stores, dollar stores, Wal-Mart, malls, movie theaters, etc. Part of the reason I like living in an older inner suburb is because we have the suburban amenities and the older architecture, whereas I feel in some city neighborhoods you have to pick between one or the other.

[Evergrey]

I haven't felt compelled to shop at Wal-Mart in 12 years... somehow I've survived. The other things you mentioned are all available in Pittsburgh city limits, most available in or near Shadyside... one of the city's most convenient and amenity-rich neighborhoods. But let's not allow reality to interfere with talking points.