Had the pleasure of stopping there overnight on our drive up to Detroit so the kids could see grandma's house finally...

I always imagined Pittsburgh to be nothing but grimy, dusty, factories & nothingness... .WOW..was I wrong. It's now on my A list. (A for Architecture & Artsy, Appealing).

I dig the yellow bridges....
I dig the gothicXbrutilist architecture....
I dig the "realness" vibe that it gives off....
I dig that the whole city feels like it was painted onto the side of a cliff and molded from clay onto a valley floor....

Went to the Carnegie Science Center which was epic for the kids...that model train set??? FAM!!!! ... yes... we need more of that in our lives...

Ate at Pork & Beans (https://www.porkandbeanspgh.com/) for dinner and Pamela's (http://www.pamelasdiner.com/) for breakfast ...

Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown...

Overall I was impressed...

Also we hadn't been back to my wife's home in Detroit in well over 6 years...and for some reason this trip made me seriously question WHY THE HELL NOT????
Detroit has either gotten way better as of late, or we just couldn't appreciate it back then. She moved away for college and never moved back. Every time we'd visit it was in winter so that was no good. We got married there and everything....but for whatever reason, Detroit never stuck with me. I never cozied up to it... Last week though...was pretty dope. The kids loved visiting grandma and seeing the city. Did the Detroit Zoo, Did Belle Isle, Did Eastern Market, wife and I did opening night at the Jazz Fest... VIP access even! got to see Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock (Terrace Martin is his sax player, keyboardist, vocoder now btw) live and up close... all in all a dope time in Detroit... Hung out down by Wayne State at the Detroit Historical Society and visited the Detroit67 exhibit (GO SEE THIS IF YOU ARE THERE!)....

Yeah...so that's what's up with FLUIDJ...
y'all bama's ain't even miss me...


"Get ready....for your blessing....."

out. Maybe I'll take the wife for a quick three day weekend in October. Was thinking about surprising her with a quick trip to Seattle but these options may be better.

and the P I imagine.....




"Get ready....for your blessing....."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/travel/august-wilsons-pittsburgh.html

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

spent a week there for work a few years back. same as you, thought it would be way more grimey.

client was nice. took us, me and co-worker, up in the mountains just to see a lil bit more of the mountains. took us to a fancy golf spot. I'm not a golfer and prolly never will be. but the whole trip was pretty dang cool.

made our first long trip as a family there
stayed in a hotel and basically did the tourist thing
really dope....then thought about being black there and had flashbacks

appreciate it alot more

showing my wife around opened my eyes to some new shit but we haven't been back since my Dad passed.

Walking across the bridge. Showing her the point. We even got shaved ice from the Northside. That was a big deal when we were kids.

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

the strip and south side is where to go out

(on the opposite side The Strip is on) up until the Warhol Bridge, kind of stays open late and is eventful, that last several times I've been out there.

All the cool spots are on the North Side, Strip district, Shadyside, Southside, etc

Beautiful with the hills, diverse neighborhoods, and the bridges.

My only view of Detroit was during your wedding weekend. Would love to see it from another angle. Glad that idea of "why not" is in your head.

Portland is dope! If you ever get the chance...


Kev

want to go...
Kids should be old enough to fly by next year...(& us brave/not broke enough to fly with them).

>Beautiful with the hills, diverse neighborhoods, and the
>bridges.

We going back. In the spring though...the hawk was chasing us all the way home...

>My only view of Detroit was during your wedding weekend. Would
>love to see it from another angle. Glad that idea of "why not"
>is in your head.

We'll meet you there whenever. I should do a 20 year anniversary reunion

>Portland is dope! If you ever get the chance...

Cali >>> Disney >>> Hawaii >>> back to Paris >>> Portland... < in that order lol...

>Kev


"Get ready....for your blessing....."

..i was just talking to a friend about this recently.

good food, solid arts/entertainment options, great architecture.

HOWEVER.

winter is coming! © got

that picturesque description you gave about the city being built on the side of a mountain gets REALLY real when the snow falls. those winding hills in winter are no joke.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I stayed at an excellent hotel there over the weekend. I was left impressed by the place. Considering property costs, versus D.C., I'm thinking.

I don't remember the logic of how it happened, but my understanding is that it became a thoroughly modern city just as the decay was starting to take over in Buffalo, Rochester, Cleveland, Detroit...

I still haven't been there, but I've only heard good things. I wanna go see Fallingwater.

mid 2000's is when the recovery started but there was a brutal economic downturn from the early 80's to the early 2000's
i had to explain to people why steeler fans travel
they dont ex pittsburghers just live everywhere lol

But good to hear that it's largely recovered.

I try to tell people that Cleveland isn't as bad as they think it is. That's usually true, but that doesn't mean it isn't beat to hell.

..but you were on the right track in terms of how they managed to breathe life back into the city.

honestly, the rest of the midwest was simply too stubborn to adjust to evolution.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I was there for work and didn't get to see that much, but I had never given it a second thought before. I walked around the lakes, got walleye tacos, went to the Rhymesayers store and went to an awesome bookstore. I don't know if I'd make a special trip just to go back, but I definitely have a new respect for it.

I really enjoy the twin cities every time we have a show there..

St Paul neighborhoods feel much more east cost than I thought

I was there in -20 degree weather this winter, I still had an excellent time even though it was too cold for me to snowboard as planned.

Similiar to Pittsburgh, lots of bridges and a nice hill that overlooks the city.

Ground floor was kind of depressing tho.

Always said lthe Nati" was beautiful from the 2nd floor up.

The way UC and Xavier U. are in proximity of each other--up the hill, is near exactly the same way Pitt and Duquesne U. neighbor each other. Clifton and Oakland are very similar neighborhoods. Over-The-Rhine's proximity to Cincy's downtown is just like PGH's The-Hill-District in hood type and location. The stadiums both have fantastic river views...with new casinos built upon them. The way historic industrial locations buttress the city. Cincy's Fountain Square and PGH's Market Square both attract the same type of bums.
There's more, but yeah, you're right!
Pittsburgh is a better city though...even though Paul Brown Stadium is far better then Heinz Field.

most of the food is greasy and flavorless but you can get good prices on stuff to cook at home in the markets and the corporate sector has brought some nice restaurants to the area. i like the baseball stadium a lot and the new penguins arena is also pretty nice. it's a pretty fun place to go out drinking. it has a little bit of a towny vibe in the surrounding area but oh well so does philly, i guess (especially once you get to WBS lol). i think if you have low expectations you will be pleasantly surprised, yeah. i would go back under the right circumstances.

It's nothing special but the drinks are strong and cheap, the people are cool and it's like a hood nuetral bar. You will see suit and tie negros next to hood dudes.

Don't go to Primanti's, that shit is nasty.

O fries too up in Oakland.

I know there are a shit load of foodie places but I still hit up the old spots.

.

I'm sticking with my general rule about not living in places mentioned in Death Row records. But I have made an exception for Long Beach bc it feels like 'home'. Well, it reminds me of Oakland in several good ways.

But I'm not fucking with that area over by 21st and Lewis.

Really I could put the idea of living in LA at all on this list. Bc b4 last year I would've said no way I'd be on this. I was blinded by Bay Area/Nor Cal bias. My mother still is. She's visiting soon and has said there's 'nothing' to do in LA. I lol'd. And I reminded her it's the 2nd biggest city in the USA and one of the most important cities in the world. There is SO much to do. We won't even scratch the surface during her visit. Lol

from what I've seen

say what's up to Sneezy Tweet lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDFt1vUWfyA

Yeah when I go back to visit LA I feel completely helpless trying to get back into the swing of things and have a meaningful visit within 5 days or whatever, it's too big to experience fully

When I used to go back to work in the summers after 3 months I would finally feel like I was back in the groove

It's tough for people who are impatient.

lmaooooooooooooo

thass where I saw my first body, on some Boyz in tha Hood shit. I just moved back and I don't even go over there. I keep all my activities south of 7th street.

Nobody realizes how huge LB is. If you ask an out of towner, they would think Inglewood and Compton are bigger than LBC, but nahhhhhh, it's almost a half million people!

And LB is really a hub for the surrounding cities...to the point that MANY people from LB/Lakewood/Cerritos NEVER come to L.A. and can't even tell you how to get to Crenshaw or Baldwin Hills!

San Jose is larger than LBC and ATL. so what?

ATL is the anchor city for a major metro area.

LBC is not.

neither is SJ.

i like LBC but only b/c LA is right up the road. if LBC were a standalone city it'd be Sacramento. and i ain't finna live in Sacramento.

major port cities obviously, next door to their respective "big" cities. They have also vied with each other for most diverse city over many years, and have alternated between the #1 and #2 spots many times

oakland has more of a global identity, but lbc is cool af

oakland is going to shit way faster too tho

LBC's are blue and Oakland's are green.

LOL

I'm surprised, after the Googles showed it to have a larger populace than Oakland.

they are just chiller and more down to earth than LA chicks. same for women from the bay, esp san jose.

my coworker from there told me to hit Andy Warhol Museum and the Duquesne Incline, so I'll probably do those plus the Convervatory, the Water Steps little shit like that

Pamela's for breakfast, Fat Heads to maybe catch Giants / Cowboys at night.

Anybody have any recs let me know

mad hills tho.. a lot of walking.

also walk around The Point if you get a chance.

Strip district is also nice for good food and cheap tshirts

but my coworkers was like 'at the same time though... a zoo is a zoo'

I was like true

But will definitely check out the strip and the point

good....
I got the ribs, wife & kids ate the BBQ.

If you have kids...the Carnegie Science Center was dope, especially the indoor ropes course.

"Get ready....for your blessing....."

No games this weekend, but the Baseball park is my favorite in MLB.
Also, on that side of town, aside from the an Aviary is the Mexican War Streets neighborhood, the homes over there have my favorite architecture in the city.

The view once you get to the top. The only thing to go to Mt. Washington for is that view.

Where are you staying?

The Carnegie Museum of Art, on Pitt's Campus, is great but if you only go to one museum, the Warhol!

Aside form Pamela's, those pancakes are the shit, another great local chain is Mad Mex, they have two happy hours--half off almost everything including drinks. Primanti Brothers, and that disgusting sandwich with those bland french fries on it, is a tourist trap. The best sandwiches in the city are at Peppi's, or their ex-wife Uncle Sam's.

The South Side, on Carson Street, is where to go at night. It's an approx 1.5 mile strip in between The City's HS Football Stadium and the Steelers/Pitt practice facility.

Lawrencville is the city's burgeoning answer to Williamsburg.

Pitt and Carnegie Mellon's campuses are right next to each other , in another walkable neighborhood, Oakland--not far from downtown--with plenty of things to see.

not down to spend a lotta paper on food when pittsburgh seems like it has great food at reasonable prices

>The view once you get to the top. The only thing to go to
>Mt. Washington for is that view.
>
>Where are you staying?

Kinda near Downtown / Cultural District

>
>The Carnegie Museum of Art, on Pitt's Campus, is great but if
>you only go to one museum, the Warhol!

Yeah, I kinda want to make sure I hit this up. I been on a museum kick lately, even here in NY.

>Aside form Pamela's, those pancakes are the shit, another
>great local chain is Mad Mex, they have two happy hours--half
>off almost everything including drinks. Primanti Brothers,
>and that disgusting sandwich with those bland french fries on
>it, is a tourist trap. The best sandwiches in the city are at
>Peppi's, or their ex-wife Uncle Sam's.

Will check for Peppi's for sure.

>The South Side, on Carson Street, is where to go at night.
>It's an approx 1.5 mile strip in between The City's HS
>Football Stadium and the Steelers/Pitt practice facility.

I'm looking at the map now. Is there public transportation at night? I'm near Steel Plaza Station I see I can take the train across to Station Square Station (wtf?) and walk?

Also I don't fuck with Uber but I heard Lyft is not really poppin in PGH right now. Is that true?


>Lawrencville is the city's burgeoning answer to Williamsburg.
>
>Pitt and Carnegie Mellon's campuses are right next to each
>other , in another walkable neighborhood, Oakland--not far
>from downtown--with plenty of things to see.

Cool I see they are both relatively close, hopefully we can do all that on the short trip.

Are you flying in? The bus from the airport to downtown is not much longer then a Taxi, but $40-$50 less expensive.

I think it's still in play

>The Carnegie Museum of Art, on Pitt's Campus, is great but if
>you only go to one museum, the Warhol!
>Yeah, I kinda want to make sure I hit this up. I been on a museum >kick lately, even here in NY.

Cinematographer Bradford Young has an exhibit there right now. I need visit PGH to check it out before it ends. https://cmoa.org/exhibition/bradford-young-rekognize/

>I'm looking at the map now. Is there public transportation at
>night? I'm near Steel Plaza Station I see I can take the train
>across to Station Square Station (wtf?) and walk?

The walk across the bridge from Downtown to Station Square is easy, about a city block long, instead of that little T subway they have. That thing is designed for people going to the South Suburbs, not really built for in city travel. The South Side's strip is a bit of a hike from Station Square, but it's possible, the initial stretch from Station Square is very industrial, once you pass the High School Stadium you're good.

>Also I don't fuck with Uber but I heard Lyft is not really
>poppin in PGH right now. Is that true?

I only use Lyft now, and coincidentally got put on in Pittsburgh, a hotel concierge gave me a voucher a couple years ago, I've used them ever since.

Basically PGH's version of Windows on the World, the rest of the restaurants up there are regular bar and grill spots, from the places I've been.

shit was on point.

When I was on the Northside, for similar reasons, the food tasted nearly identical. I didn't know until my final days there that the two were once one.

Saturday we flew in, got some history and info on the area from the cab driver who was australian. I was like man I know they have an accent but this shit is extra. Turns out he was just fuckin australian.

Yo we chilled then went to the strip and damned if mad shit wasn't closed by a little after 3pm. But it was at this point where I realized black and yellow is phenomenon. Black and yellow is a state of mind.

We were at an event for like all day and night so were out of pocket after that. Got to try some crazy breweries that they don't have in NYC. DC Brau, Rock Bottom, Grist House and a lot more.

Sunday we went back to the strip to get Pamela's. BRO. Let me tell you I got the hotcakes with bacon and a side of Pittsburgh hash and smashed it. She got the Morning After Breakfast Special and smashed it. Fucking incredible food and I dug the vibe.

Had to walk it off so we walked down the strip over the closest bridge then down the river to the Water Steps. Didn't hit the Andy Warhol unfortunately. But it was a beautiful walk. Crossed back over and hit The Point, chilled a little near the fountain, then walked over to the Duquesne Incline.

Later on that night we hit up The South Paw to watch the Monday Night Travesty. Talked to some local cats, one transplant from Brooklyn (white dude that said he was from Bed Stuy but I didn't buy it). He said he hated Pittsburgh cause of the people at first, but now he loves it cause of the people, something about not speaking very well etc. whatever. Local dude from the hood (said him and his brother and cousin there with him were from the hood anyway) was very talkative about Pittsburgh, being 40 and still getting in fights etc. Weird cause dude had the LA accent with the hoard oars and shit.

Driver on the way back asked if we were Puerto Rican and told us we had accents.

That's it though! Would have liked a couple more days to see the rest of the city.

They even dress like LA dudes with the Dickies and shit.

Made me an instant fan of Pittsburgh.
Black and Yellow is definitely the city's unifying theme, even police cars and the old City Hall logo use the colors.

Sounds like a good trip.

Made me an instant fan of Pittsburgh.
Black and Yellow is definitely the city's unifying theme, even police cars and the old City Hall logo use the colors.

Sounds like a good trip.

straight shot down 20, quiet, no traffic. Used to go outside of Birmingham to this planned community/resort development, Ross Bridge.
Would park the car for days and me and my ex would just ride bikes around and enjoy the scenery and drink local beers.

Gonna catch a Pirates game, really want to go to the Oyster House.

in the Original Oyster House, if oysters are the reason you're going. Beers are cheap though.
So grab a beer, and for oysters go instead to Wholey's Fish Market. It's in the Strip District, about a mile and a half from downtown, east on Penn Avenue. Though it's a fish market/distributor, they have a good kitchen. Not only will they shuck/steam/cook whatever fish you purchase fresh--for immediate consumption, they also have good prepared food. https://wholey.com/kitchen-menu/

And if you happen to be in The Strip around breakfast time, Deluca's is a couple blocks down the street from Wholey's. It's the 2nd most popular (but best) breakfast institution in the city, Pamela's is the first (but it has multiple locations). It's basically just a diner, and I can't pin-point why it's so good, but it is.

Those few blocks in The Strip District have arguably the best food in Pittsburgh.

And as a Phillies fan, I can admit that the Pirates have the best ball park in the National League.

Have a great time.