Why We Moved to Downtown Pittsburgh

We were living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about 30 minutes away from Ocean City, MD.  The people are nice, and it’s a great place to be if you’re into water, beaches, and flat landscapes. Our town had a small main street, but the main action was on a strip similar to McKnight Road, minus a few stores.  We were living the quintessential suburban lifestyle: half acre lot, a four bedroom house with a two car garage, and at one point, four cars sitting in our driveway. Our neighbors were friendly, but conversation typically focused on lawn fertilizer and preschool waiting lists.  Although the Eastern Shore had some great qualities, we knew we just didn’t fit in.
 
My husband, Eric, is an architect, and I was a sales manager before becoming a stay at home mom to our son Mason, who is now two.  We often halfheartedly discussed finding a new place to live, but our priorities really changed the day Mason was born.  We wanted him to grow up with a broad range of experiences and culture, so when a neighbor quipped, “Who is Warhol?” during a get-together, I knew it was time for a change.  

The Big List
We compiled a list of criteria in our quest for a new place to call home:  Cost of living, family activities, urban safety, proximity to museums, arts, sports, green living, and walkability were paramount.  Eric likes to say he grew up “on some rural route between Ellsworth and Cokeburg,” so “some topography” and swift country escapes were forced onto our list, much to my chagrin. Since we both went to college in upstate New York, I could, at the very least, appreciate the sentiment.  

We knew this much--we wanted to live in an urban area so we considered all the usual progressive suspects, such as Portland, Seattle, Burlington, Austin and Asheville.  Proximity to extended family was important so we ultimately narrowed our search to the eastern half of the U.S.  With this in mind, we also looked at Madison, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philly, Baltimore, and DC.  Burlington and Asheville were too small.  Madison was too cold.  Chicago and DC were too expensive.  Crime stats knocked out Philly and Baltimore.  To quote Goldilocks, one city seemed just right: Pittsburgh.
 
If it sounds surprising to you, you’re not alone.  Despite our own initial shock, it seemed to make sense on paper.  Could Pittsburgh be the city we were looking for?   Crime was lower than other comparable cities.  The downtown neighborhood seemed compact and walkable, and there were plenty of public transportation options to keep us connected to the places that weren’t.  If my calculations were correct, we could walk to three major sporting venues, at least four museums, multiple theaters, the Strip District, Macy’s, Saks, and Point State Park. Plus, the cost of living was low compared to the other cities with similar amenities.  Could this be right?

With a toddler in tow, our suburban mindset was a little tough to shake.  The more traditionally family-friendly neighborhoods of Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Shadyside, and the Mexican War Streets were very enticing.  While they all looked like great places to be, we knew we wanted to be in the heart of it all.  And I must admit… I wanted a few bright lights and big buildings.

The Big Test
Of course we weren’t going to make this life-altering decision on paper alone.  Eric, Mason and I drove up to Pittsburgh on a typically balmy weekend at the end of January (you know, 15 degrees or so).  While we certainly did our homework, we tend to make major life decisions primarily on intuition.  Despite the temperature, Downtown still felt very warm and inviting.  We decided to take our tour on foot.  We passed the mural at the corner of Seventh Ave. and Liberty, the James Simon statues on Liberty Avenue, Katz Plaza,  Theater Square Garage, and the rink at PPG.  The streets were clean, the people were nice, and the buildings were beautiful.  I vividly remember walking down Penn Avenue, turning right on Seventh and landing at Crazy Mocha for a quick breakfast before our appointment to see a loft. 

It just felt right.

As we drove around the city and beyond, Eric, forever the architect, said he was drawn to the “interesting blend of urban fabric and landscape rendered in distinct neighborhoods.”  Frankly, I think he was just excited to be in Steelers country.  Soaking it all in, we knew we were home.

In April 2008, we packed our bags, sold our home, and downsized to our very comfortable two bedroom loft on Penn Avenue in the Cultural District.  Eric now works for Desmone and Associates in Lawrenceville, and I am working from home and taking care of Mason.  Drives to Target were replaced by walks to the Aviary and the Warhol.  Chain restaurants gave way to the many restaurants within blocks of our loft, including our current favorites:  Palate Bistro, Six Penn Kitchen, and Tonic Bar and Grill. 

Eric has already walked to four Steelers games.  I’ve been to Macy’s, Saks, Larrimor’s, Chick and Burlington Coat Factory more times than I can count.  Groceries are easy to come by at Rosebud, Right by Nature and the rest of the Strip.  We probably end up at Point State Park or Mellon Green every day during the summer.  We haven’t given a second thought to lawn fertilizer, but we do agonize over whether we should take Mason to the Carnegie Science Center or the Children’s Museum on any given weekend.  We can fit it all in.

We absolutely love our new neighborhood.
   
I get a lot of questions about living Downtown, especially with a toddler.  What do you do?  Where do you buy groceries?  Where does Mason play?  My answer:  "How long do you have?"  We’ve found so many amazing places here, and we continue to learn more every day.  I am proud to call Downtown Pittsburgh my home, and look forward to finding all the family friendly venues this great city has to offer.

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Captions: Rachel Booth with Mason; PPG rink; Rachel Booth; Liberty Avenue Musicians; Children's Museum

Photographs of Rachel and Mason courtesy Rachel Booth.
All other photographs copyright Brian Cohen