On the first truly stinking-hot day of summer in Pittsburgh this year, I suddenly remembered a summer a long time ago when I rented a third-floor apartment in an un-air conditioned, 100-year-old home in Squirrel Hill. Instead of just sitting there and sweating, I usually just walked to Rita’s Italian Ice (or one of like four other ice cream shops in the neighborhood) every night to cool off.
When choosing a place to live, we tend to dwell on the big things: schools, crime, commute, condition, etc. But sometimes it’s something smaller (even kind of stupid), like proximity to ice cream, that makes all the difference.
Of course, the actual ice cream is almost beside the point. Any place with four (or more) ice cream shops is likely a pedestrian’s paradise, designed for lively foot traffic and serendipitous discovery. Walking to Rita’s, I often ran into friends on the way, digressed into the bookstore or record store, and would occasionally get something substantial to eat. Most of these nights were somehow both uneventful and wonderful.
Those days eventually melted away like the layers of custard in a Rita’s Gelati. A lot has changed, but ice cream remains the undefeated king of summer. Now, I have a little kid at home who loves to eat ice cream, and going to get ice cream shop is one of our favorite things to do together. So, it’s still oddly important to me. Where would I want to live right now if it was the most important thing?
(Hey, it was either write about the plague of out-of-state corporate landlords buying up Pittsburgh houses, or ice cream. The sun is shining, so I chose ice cream).
SOUTH
For sale: 1340 Methyl St., Beechview $179,950
This three-bedroom 1920 home is the color of a melted cherry popsicle and looks a little bit like budding Buccos ace Paul Skenes (it appears to have a mustache). It’s also close to the main business district on Broadway, home to Alquisiras Paleteria — a Mexican popsicle shop. They’ve got homemade ice cream, as well as tacos, pozole, and tortas, but the colorful popsicles — with unique flavors like eggnog, spicy pineapple, and red currant — make for a delicious sample of one of Pittsburgh’s most diverse neighborhoods.
The tracks of “the T” givie Beechview the kind of transit connectivity that East End neighborhoods can only dream about, yet the neighborhood remains a surprising oasis of affordability. In fact, if you’re looking for low rents, great transit, and walkability, Beechview is your best (and perhaps only) option. Okay, so this place isn’t terribly easy on the eyes – with a random blob of tan bricks between the upper windows (did they just run out of red ones?). But that’s a decent rental price for three bedrooms and looks spacious inside, with polished hardwood floors and a gas fireplace, and a very spacious covered deck out back.
WEST END
For rent: 9 Mueller Ave., Westwood, $1,800/month
The West End neighborhoods of Pittsburgh are a bit obscure to East End-centric Pittsburgh. And that’s fine. But here’s a reason to discover the mostly-residential Westwood — it’s home to Antney’s Ice Cream, the best ice cream shop in the region (though competition is tight). These ice experimentalists have tried more than 700 flavors in the past few years, and rarely miss (never in my experience). Oh, the house? It’s got four bedrooms for $1,800; it’s bright and clean, has central air, and even a few architectural flourishes in the woodwork.
For sale: 1907 Warriors Rd., Westwood, $120,000
Well, this is a great price for a … wait, where’s the door? Aren’t houses supposed to come with doors? What’s going on here? Is that to keep the marauding bands of wasteland warriors guessing about what awaits them on Warriors Road? Do you enter through the roof, and then they pull up the ladder? Normally, a door is kind of important, but I have no idea what goes on at Westwood besides ice cream.
SOUTH SIDE
For sale: 1402 Bingham St., South Side, $139,900
I lived in Columbus for a few years and honestly the best thing about it is Jeni’s Ice Cream, a Midwestern pioneer of creative, distinctive flavors that nobody else had considered. So, it’s great to see them make it a little more competitive around here, with new locations at South Side Works (and Bakery Square). Inexpensive housing left the South Side Flats decades ago, but there are always exceptions. As expected, this red brick rowhouse looks good on the outside but needs a ton of work everywhere else. However, if home restoration is your thing (and you have multiple contractors in the family), this could be a worthy challenge.
For rent: 2724 E. Carson St., #2A, South Side, $1,150/month
Living above a shop on a busy main business district is fun, actually. It’s nice to walk out your door and just be somewhere instead of having to get in a car to get there. But a vape shop? Yeah, that probably doesn’t count. Still Jeni’s is a block away, as is that wild sushi place with the robots and conveyor belts (Kura), and the giant pinball and bowling place (Pins Mechanical), so it’s kind of a wash.
