DH in Pitt

[Eden]

My hometown too, but I haven't been back there in so long I don't really know how to answer your questions! I don't recall anywhere where I felt was unsafe to ride when I lived there. I used to ride out on the roads all of the time and I was just a teenager. If he only wants to ride on trails all of the county parks have them. I think there's some new rail trails that have been built since I lived there too.
http://www.traillink.com/TL_Active_P...ch/default.asp
(looks like there's a lot of new rail trails!)

[Velobambina]

Thread hijack alert!
Eden--What part of the 'burgh are you from? I spent my infant/toddler years in Monroeville. IBM transferred my dad to NY, where we lived two years. I spent the rest of my childhood/adolescence in Murrysville. Rode a lot as a kid/teenager. That's why I'm such a good climber, all those hills in Western Penna. I miss it--living in DC makes me appreciate the sense of community and the kindness/unpretentiousness/good "blue collar" manners of Pittsburgh folks.

[Eden]

I'm from the city proper myself. I grew up in Carrick from about 4 until I left for college. I guess we lived out in Castle Shannon near my grandparents for a while, but I was too little to remember it. My cousins live out in the Murrysville/Monroeville area so I spent some time out there too.
I used to ride a lot as a teenager too. No matter how you sliced it I had to climb a big hill to get home! Too bad we didn't have anything like this forum when we were teenagers huh. I always used to think I must be just about the only cyclist in the city... 70 mile rides and I'd rarely see anyone else out on the roads (this would be back in the late 80's). All the kids at my high school thought I was pretty weird.... I don't think they could imagine much more than riding a loop around the lake at North Park on a bike...

[bike4ever]

Oooh I'm going to jump in on this hijacked thread: We lived in Mt Lebanon for 10 years before moving out west. All of our boys were born there.

[Velobambina]

bike4ever---you're lucky you went to the mid-west. I think it's probably similar to Pgh in a lot of ways. Mt. Lebanon is a nice area! Do you miss it? Probably not the potholes!! LOL

[Eden]

Interestingly enough way out here on the other side of the country, Seattle, is actually quite similar to Pittsburgh, just with Scandanavians and Asians instead of Italians, Irish and Germans..... Seriously though, Seattle is a hilly, neighborhood based town with a compact downtown and lots of green spaces due to the terrain. Everything's a little newer out here - not too much that goes back beyond the 1900's (a lot of what did exist burned down.....), so the look is not quite the same, but the feel is still quite similar.
(oh, but better weather - I don't miss the cold and snow, or the heat and humidity....)

[bike4ever]

Velobambina - Yes we miss the 'burgh. No we do not miss the potholes. Odd thing about Pittsburgh - crappy roads, very nice drivers. Now we have nice roads in St. Louis - terribly mean drivers.

We also used to live in Manassas - definitely do not miss NoVa. I do miss VA - grew up in Roanoke.