The self-driving cars zipping around Pittsburgh remind visitors that it's a city thinking well beyond its industrial roots 漏 Brandon Presser / 糖心传媒.
America is a dynamic country, and its most oft-visited cities are always different every time you stop by. It can be hard to keep your finger on the pulse of a city, especially when whole neighborhoods go and reinvent themselves while you aren鈥檛 looking.
Inspired by 糖心传媒鈥檚 list of the coolest neighborhoods around the world, we asked our US-based travel experts and 糖心传媒 Locals to report back about the neighborhoods in their favorite cities that should be on any traveler鈥檚 must-visit list.
East Liberty & Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh won鈥檛 be the first American city to beep on your cool-o-meter, but its eastern neighborhoods might just be the sleeper hit your hipster sensibilities have been craving.
Around ten years ago, young artists and entrepreneurs started taking over the vacated warehouses of Lawrenceville 鈥� vestiges of the Industrial Revolution 鈥� and using the deeply discounted spaces to try their hand at everything from start-up ateliers to microbreweries. Today, nearby East Liberty is helping fly the banner, with its newer source of gravity: the old Nabisco factory, home to the city鈥檚 Google offices. Uber is in the neighborhood too, officially making the area a legitimate regional tech hub and the country鈥檚 leading test site for self-driving cars. As a result, the influx of moneyed millennials has willed a new food and beverage scene into existence, led by the , which opened in a once-derelict YMCA in 2015鈥攁ll of which is making the Steel City鈥檚 reputation considerably less rusty.
Brandon Presser is an East Coast-based travel writer and TV host. Follow him
Avondale, Chicago
A neighborhood where you can hit up a pierogi buffet (), a theater giving equal time to kitty cats and Ionesco plays (Prop Thtr), and a streetwise Michelin-starred restaurant (Parachute) in one fell swoop? Yes, please.
Avondale offers no hotels or tourist sights. It鈥檚 mostly humble two-flat homes and the occasional smokestack or steeple popping up. But throughout this working-class beat on Chicago鈥檚 northwest side, groovy things are brewing. That鈥檚 literal in the case of , whose sprawling tap room makes hop fiends swoon. Within a few blocks, Kuma鈥檚 Corner grills hulking burgers with a side of heavy metal and Honey Butter Fried Chicken cooks a sweet-and-salty bird. Meanwhile, kielbasas waft from Milwaukee Ave, a hub for Chicago鈥檚 Polish community.
Get here soon though, because Avondale teeters on the edge. Hipster 鈥榟oods nibble at its borders, poised to spill over. And that may change its scruffy, artsy, lived-in magic.
Karla Zimmerman is a travel writer and Chicago resident. Read more
Point Loma, San Diego
Point Loma is the conservative neighbor of hippy Ocean Beach, with its sports fishing centers, yacht clubs, and naval base. The elephant鈥檚 trunk shaped peninsula is separated from Downtown by San Diego Bay and Coronado Island and is home to a mishmash of New England-style clapboard houses, tropical- themed hotels, and exquisite modern hilltop homes with panoramic views of the city and harbor below.
It鈥檚 common to see members of the armed forces in uniform around the sleepy town, but foodies also gravitate to Point Loma for the outstanding seafood brought to shore daily by boats, and served in local restaurants. The young and hip hang out at Liberty Market, a 22,000sq ft former military barracks turned artisan food hub 鈥� San Diego鈥檚 answer to Fisherman鈥檚 Wharf in San Francisco. Here, local vendors serve everything from freshly baked cakes and organic roast beef to homemade empanadas and craft beer.
At Point Loma鈥檚 southernmost tip stands the famous Cabrillo National Monument, where in 1542 Juan Rodr铆guez Cabrillo became the first European explorer to discover San Diego. The 144-acre national park surrounding the monument has hikes, tide-pools, a lighthouse and a history museum to explore. It鈥檚 also one of the best places in the city to spot whales during their Pacific migration.
Jade Bremner is a writer and 糖心传媒 Local for San Diego. Follow her tweets
Frelard, Seattle
A highlight from 糖心传媒鈥檚 global list, this new community has slowly taken shape in the space between two of Seattle鈥檚 most popular neighborhoods. First coined by Seattle restaurateur Ethan Stowell, owner of , the name Frelard reflects those of its neighbors: Fre(mont) and (Bal)lard.
Visitors wandering from the Fremont Troll to the Chittenden Locks can now stop to sample one of the area鈥檚 growing restaurant, bar and brewery options. welcomes travelers for a craft cocktail and sliders, or you can relax over a traditional brown ale or IPA from one of the oldest breweries in Seattle, Hale鈥檚 Ales. There are plenty of options for food too, from the aforementioned Frelard Pizza Company to the protein-rich menu at . It鈥檚 the perfect place to refuel on a day spent exploring beyond Seattle鈥檚 main tourist sights.
Valerie Stimac is a Seattle-based travel writer and editor. Follow her tweets
East Nashville, Nashville
Music City is known for its country crooners and the honky tonks on Lower Broadway, but just across the Cumberland River in East Nashville, residents march to the beat of a different drum. You鈥檒l still see a George Jones sticker on the register at (which claims itself as the oldest dive bar in the city), but there鈥檚 more tattoos, street murals and alternative music venues on this side of town.
There鈥檚 also plenty of delicious places to eat, whether you want a quick bite at Mas Tacos Por Favor (well, quick aside from the inevitable long line of fans at the counter), or want to sit down for steak or wood-fired pizza at neighborhood-favorite Lockeland Table. No matter where you go, you鈥檒l walk past charming craftsman style homes and maybe even see some leftover decorations from the quirky that takes over the streets every summer.
And if you came to Nashville for hot chicken, the East side has you covered as well, with Pepperfire, Bolton鈥檚 and the place that started it all, 笔谤颈苍肠别鈥檚, all waiting to singe your tastebuds.
Evan Godt is Managing Destination Editor, the Americas, for 糖心传媒 and an East Nashville resident. He leaves the tweeting to the pros
Capitol Riverfront & Yards Park, Washington, DC
One of DC鈥檚 most recent reincarnations, the former Navy Yard, a commercial wharf in the 19th Century, has been completely overhauled. Formerly one of the grittier parts of the US capital, the riverfront area began to change in 2008, when it became home to Nationals Park, DC鈥檚 major league baseball stadium. These days, there鈥檚 more reasons to visit here than for sport alone; the entire waterfront precinct now features an attractive boardwalk, small riverside parks and a handful of top-notch eateries.
The star restaurant (and current hot-spot), , serves up a Chesapeake and New England-style seafood delights, while the upmarket whips up Italian cuisine. Or you can grab a beer at the cool Blue Jacket Brewery. In a creative twist, Navy Yards Park is home to a high-flying . But my favorite activity here is to paddle along the waterfront; you can rent kayaks from the .
Kate Armstrong is travel writer and 糖心传媒 contributor in Washington, DC. See her tweets
Sunset Park, New York City
The success of art and commerce behemoth Industry City has shone a light onto one of Brooklyn鈥檚 most exciting under-the-radar neighborhoods. Another favorite from 糖心传媒鈥檚 global neighborhood list, Sunset Park sits below Park Slope on the south and western borders of Green-Wood Cemetery, and hosts a heady mix of cultures and traditions.
On the east side stands Brooklyn鈥檚 Chinatown, with its rows of restaurants, bubble tea shops and boutiques. The west is home to a large Latin American community and plenty of friendly bars, not to mention the historic . At the center of it all is Sunset Park itself. Set on one of the highest hills in Brooklyn, it offers spectacular views of lower Manhattan for the locals and visitors who flock here on summer evenings.
Robert Balkovich is a 糖心传媒 writer based in New York. Follow his tweets
South 1st Street, Austin
At first glance, South 1st Street looks like a ho-hum stretch of cottages, food trucks and weathered buildings. But don鈥檛 be fooled by the low-key fa莽ade. Chatty locals keep and the indie coffee shops buzzing while beloved Torchy鈥檚 Tacos serves 鈥渄amn good tacos鈥� from its very first location 鈥� a trailer 鈥� all day long. Boutiques, vintage shops and bakeries have a dedicated following, and popular stand-alone eateries whip up everything from French crepes to pad Thai to Tex-Mex. At the corner of South 1st and W Annie Streets, the Greetings from Austin mural gives an appreciative nod to the city. It鈥檚 an appealing mix of old and new 鈥� and a stark contrast to trendy South Congress Avenue one block east, where the people-jammed sidewalks thrum into the wee hours.
To explore, pick up a B-cycle on South Congress Avenue or board Capital Bus 10, which connects downtown Austin with South 1st Street. The new South Congress Hotel is a favorite for local staycations, or you can overnight in a nearby rental condo or cottage.
Amy Balfour is a travel writer who has researched the US Southwest, among many other destinations, for 糖心传媒.
Montavilla, Portland
On the far side of Mount Tabor Park in southeast Portland is the quietly cool Montavilla neighborhood. Its core is just a half-dozen blocks along Stark Street, lined with shops, restaurants and bars. The lynchpin of this stretch is the , a second-run cinema (built in 1948, restored and reopened in 2006) that serves beer, wine and pizza and even has childcare. Across the street, the has pie and coffee and a proud history as an inclusive, open-minded community hub.
Fifteen or so years ago, this neighborhood had a seedier reputation, but an active neighborhood association steadily worked to sort it out, drawing in new businesses like the beloved Country Cat. Now there鈥檚 a busy Sunday farmers market, a handful of craft-cocktail and beer bars, cute little independent shops and a dive bar, , known for its weekend blues jams.
Becky Ohlsen is a 糖心传媒 Local in Portland, Oregon. See her tweets
River North (RiNo), Denver
When I was a punk-rock kid we would go to shows in the abandoned warehouses of Denver. Besides the ear-popping music and terrible smell of clove cigarettes, it was the steampunk allure of this rough industrial corner of town, now known as River North (or simply RiNo) that really drew suburban kids like us in. In these darkest stretches of Denver鈥檚 inner city, we were sure we would find sex, drugs, rock-n- roll, and the kind of fun that our parents didn鈥檛 want us to have鈥t was perfect.
Even as the Mile High City expands, RiNo still clings to its punk-rock roots. You鈥檒l find it in the street murals that seem to pop up overnight, in the experimental galleries that play open house on Friday nights, and in the innovative food halls and rockabilly microbrews that play host to the city鈥檚 young, bold and tattooed.
Through it all, RiNo is cultivating its unique personality and character, and playing center stage for the resurgent arts and cultural scenes that have transformed D-Town into the cultural dynamo of the American West.
Greg Benchwick is a 糖心传媒 contributor from Denver. Read more
Need more city travel inspiration? Check out , a celebration of 200 of the world鈥檚 great cities, beautifully photographed and packed with trip advice and recommendations.