The Place That Changed My Life

I've talked about a lot of beautiful places in Pittsburgh. Sports, food, shopping, and most importantly memories. But, I've saved the best for last. It may not be the place that everyone finds interesting or everyone visits. To me, it's the place that helped me develop my passion, the place that makes me excited, the place that I'll spend hundreds of dollars to go to just for a few hours: the Cultural District.

http://www.trustarts.org/about/explore/

The Cultural District features six different theatres, a performing arts school, galleries and probably anything else you can think of dealing with "culture." Pittsburgh also has tons of major arts organizations, including: ballet companies, dance companies, opera groups, theatre troupes, and other production companies.

I don't remember the first show I saw there. Or even the second, but somewhere during the countless hours spent at the Benedum Center and Heinz Hall, I fell in love. Fell in love with the stage, with acting, with singing, the technical aspect-- I fell in love with it all.

http://www.ksanti.net/free-reed/essays/fiddler.html

Nothing in Pittsburgh has shaped my life more than those two places. You walk into those two places, and you're transformed to another time. No building built today looks like the Benedum Center and Heinz Hall. The lights, the gold, the detail. It's all so beautiful.

Each year I anxiously await the announcement of the new shows visiting and immediately decide on the ones that I want to see. Shows are expensive, but nothing makes me feel quite like being in that audience.  Every dollar that has been put in to those tickets, every cent spent on t-shirts and original soundtracks has been worth it.

Everyone has that one thing that they are passionate about. If you don't, go find it in your city. If I haven't proved it here, it's going to be a pretty hard thing to understand.  Cities, no matter how big or how small, can provide you with amazing experiences.  Experiences that you'll look back on and cherish, things you'll be telling your children about, things that you'll want them to experience.

http://www.tripadvisor.com

So go look for that adventure. Find that dump that turns out to have the best pizza, the cheap milkshake shop, the great shopping area. Then maybe you can love your city as much as I do.

I've Got a Million Dollar View

There really aren't too many feelings like the one when you see a truly breathtaking view.

Picture from: incline.pghfree.net

Back in the day, Mt. Washington was known as "coal hill," but by 1876 had been changed to Mt. Washington. A year later, the first photo of the skyline was taken there, and almost every photo you see of the skyline, was probably taken from one of the "lookouts," places that are specifically designed for people to take pictures at.  There really isn't much history to the place. It's literally just a mountain, with a really good view of the city. Today, there are neighborhoods existing on Mt. Washington, but most visitors don't go past the very edge to see the view.  Also, guys, if you want to impress your girlfriend, take them to eat on Mt. Washington. I hear girls are into those types of things.

Prom with the city lights

I remember my first visit to Mt. Washington during the summer after sophomore year. At least that's the first time I remember being there.  I won't lie, the incline (the OLDEST in the world) is possibly the scariest thing I've ever been on.  The incline is one of the few ways to make it up Mt. Washington. It's a rickety, old, trolley-like means of transportation--one of the few things that is still cheap too. Some of those memories that will never leave me happened up there. Going up the incline with my German exchange student and seeing a look of absolute amazement on her face when we got to the top, or driving up at 10 pm on prom night, in a beautiful dress, and taking pictures, feeling like I was on top of the world.

It's one of the few places when people can stop all their thinking, their stress, their worries and can really focus on and lose themselves in what is in front of them: an amazing, gorgeous city.

Don't believe me? Well, Mt. Washington was named the second most beautiful vista in the world by USA weekend. And they definitely speak the truth.

The City of Champions

The first thing a lot of people ask about when you say you're from Pittsburgh is the sports. I'm the first one to say "So how many rings does your team have?" or "Yeah Sidney Crosby? I have a signed jersey," and of course I try to defend the not-so-talented Pirates.

If you're one of those Philly, Denver, Cleveland, or really any other city fan, you might just want to stop reading now, cause your teams, they do not have ANYTHING on Pittsburgh Sports.

View from press box in Heinz Field

There is nothing like a Sunday in Pittsburgh.  Unless it's a Superbowl Sunday.. then that's just something else. A sold out crowd at Heinz Field, the beautiful Pittsburgh skyline, the cheering crowd... or so that's what I'm told it's like. I've never been lucky enough to score tickets to a game, there's a crazy waiting list and I don't have hundreds of dollars to buy any. But I have been to Heinz Field for other events, and I can only imagine what it's like to enter those gates on a Sunday. I do know what it's like to watch (and win) a Superbowl though. And unlike many of you haters, I've witnessed a few of them.

Inside of Heinz Field

In fact, I got to experience a year where not only the Steelers won the Superbowl, but the Penguins took home the Stanley Cup.  Let me tell you, that was crazy. I won't lie, I pretty much worship Sidney Crosby.  I literally almost died when I got my signed jersey.

Mellon on top; Consol on bottom. Picture from pittsburghhockey.net

That's yet another sport I've never had tickets for (seriously hint hint mom and Vince if you're reading this).  Mellon Arena was a landmark, a place I've visited more times than I can count, but Consol, now that's an arena. It's beautiful on the inside (yes, I've only been there for a Pitt game, but whatever).  It's a great team, playing in a great place, and there's just about nothing better than a hockey night in Pittsburgh.

Picture from about.com

Last but not least are the Pittsburgh Pirates. I've had enough lectures from you full of yourself Philly's fans this year about "how awful Pittsburgh is." Yeah, I get it, they suck. But you've obviously never gone to a game. You pay less than 20 bucks, get some Primanti's, and sit next to the river. It's beautiful and so much fun.

So I don't care if my teams aren't the best, in my mind--and a lot of other peoples-- they are. It's not about if they're good, because in Pittsburgh, no one is a bandwagon fan. We're there, through the good and the bad. But we rarely see the bad, we are the City of Champions after all.

No, Really, it's NOT a Red Light District

So maybe the Strip District isn't the best name for a neighborhood, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with strippers..or anything even similar to that.

The early Strip District

Back in the day, the Strip District, located along the Allegheny River, was the economic center of Pittsburgh. Early tenants included U.S. Steel, Westinghouse, and The H.J. Heinz Company (if you aren't familiar with the first two, you definitely know the last one. Hello, Heinz Ketchup!) By the early 20th century, the Strip District became a network of wholesalers, selling mostly fresh produce, meat and poultry. With business booming in the area, many restaurants and grocery stores were built to feed hungry workers.

Wholey's, a fresh fish market

Although some of these wholesales (some estimates say 80% of the produce industry is left there) still exist in the Strip District, the area has developed into a historic market district with many ethnic food purveyors, art studios, antique dealers, boutiques and specialty stores.  Nothing beats a summer morning wandering the streets of the Strip District. A delicious breakfast at Pamela's or DeLuca's, street vendors that sell basically nothing but Pittsburgh related things, and tons of specialty shops makes for a perfect day.

The inside of Pittsburgh Popcorn

Luckily for me, I got to spend one of my (very boring) spring break days at the Strip enjoying one of my favorite places: Pittsburgh Popcorn. Now I'm probably one of a few people that doesn't actually like popcorn, but Pittsburgh Popcorn changed that for me. They have all kinds of amazing flavors, my favorite being Reese's. Everyone loves Reese's peanut-butter cups, but peanut butter and chocolate on popcorn are even better. Yes, it's incredibly expensive ($5.49 for a small bag), it's totally worth it.  The rest of the afternoon was spent walking Smallman Street, Penn Avenue, Liberty Avenue, and many other back streets.

If popcorn isn't your thing, try hitting up the chocolate store that's about a 30 second walk away. Mon Aimee sells only specialty chocolates, and is pretty pricey, but the have chocolate from all over the world! I have a slight addiction to German chocolate so I love knowing that there is somewhere I can buy it all from. If you need something to accompany your morning cup of joe, Enrico Biscotti has delicious flavors of biscotti-- and it's actually cheap. Another morning favorite is doughnuts, and the Strip just happens to have somewhere that sells these too, Peace, Love & Little Doughnuts.

Walking the Strip with my exchange student

I never visited the Strip much, except for the visit over spring break and once before when my exchange student was visiting. It's not somewhere I have a lot of memories from, but I already have plans to make them there this summer.

I Live for Little Moments like That

Although many Penn Staters are born to hate Pitt, Oakland happens to be one of my favorite parts of town.  Located right in between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, Oakland reminds me a little bit of State College, even though they're completely different, but it is busy and full of college students. Although I know little about CMU, my knowledge about Pitt is pretty high. 

The Cathedral of Learning

My favorite part of Pitt's campus is the Cathedral of Learning. I guess I don't know the 'real' Cathedral, since I'm not a Pitt student, but the parts that I do know are beautiful. The largest part of the first floor is the "commons room," where students go to study, but part of the first floor is also a large tourist attraction: the Nationality Rooms. I've visited the rooms more times than I can remember, and they're all beautiful. Some of my favorites include the German, the Irish, and the French room.  All together there are 27 rooms, each representing a different culture that had an influence on Pittsburgh's growth. Pittsburgh, as it exists now, could not exist without the help of these cultures, and the nationality rooms are a way to show how thankful the current residents are because of these immigrants' help. The nationality rooms were a common field trip during my elementary school years, all the way up until my senior year of high school.

The stairs of the Cathedral

Oakland is not just the University of Pittsburgh and other universities, it has museums and hospitals, as well as shopping, restaurants, and obviously tons of students. The area has two city designated historic districts, the residential area of Schenley Farms and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center.

The part I'm most familiar with is North Oakland; it's also the area I spend the most time. Right near the Cathedral of Learning is a street called South Craig Street. It's full of restaurants and cool shops that you can't really find anywhere else. I've spent many a late night in Oakland eating at Lulu's Noodles and Razzy Fresh.

Places in Oakland are actually open past dinnertime on weeknights, unlike most of the places by my house. So when we want to grab a late dinner, we automatically drive down to Lulu's. As one can tell by the name, it's a noodle shop and the food is really cheap. Dinner is probably around eight bucks, which is a price you can't beat. Plus the food is delicious.

Even though you'll be completely full by the time you're done there, there's always room for Razzy Fresh, a frozen yogurt place a block away. There are TONS of flavors and toppings there. Luckily, you get to make your dessert yourself and can pick and choose as much as you want-- just be careful, the price is based on weight.

Goodbyes the day before I left for college at the Carnegie Museum

I spent way to many late summer nights stuffing my face with the delicious places mentioned above. After taking our normal seats across the street on the steps of a cute little apartment building we talked about everything. We cried about break ups, went on double dates, said our goodbyes on the stairs of the Carnegie Museum, and talked about our scary future that was fast approaching. This summer will be different; same places, different topics. We won't be scared of college, and we'll have become pros at goodbyes at this point. Lulu's and Razzy will just be another reminder of what high school was, and what college is becoming. The places are the same, but the people have changed. But even though all of my friends, including myself, have become different people, it's nice to know that our order at Lulu's and favorite flavors are Razzy are still the same.

Burgers and Shopping and Bessemers, Oh My!

If it hasn't become obvious, I love going downtown.  Whether it is to eat, shop, see a show, or just walk around, I love taking in the sights of the city. Station square is one of the places I've probably spent the most time.  I've been hanging out there for as long as I can remember. Anytime someone wants to go out to dinner for their birthday, we ALWAYS end up at Hard Rock Cafe, ordering nachos and burgers. 

Like I said, delicious burgers.

Hard Rock is one of 65 restaurants, shops and entertainment venues in Station Square.  Although I love me a good burger from time to time, the absolute best place to go in Station Square is the Gandy Dancer/Grand Concourse. Same place, but the Gandy Dancer is the the bar side, while the Grand Concourse is more of a fancy place. 

Not a shabby setting, right?

Not only does the Grand Concourse have delcious food (poppyseed rolls are to die for, let me tell you), but it is built the old Lake Erie Railroad Station.  Walking into the Station for the first time is beautiful, and it goes right along with the area, which has perserved a lot of Pittsburgh's Steel City past.  I've been to the Grand Concourse more times than I can count on my entire families hands and feet (and I have five siblings). We use everything and anything as an excuse to go there for dinner.  I remember running up to look at the lobster tank as a child and being able to watch them for hours, my dad always ordering the same meal (pasta in red clam sauce), and the birthday I celebrated there with my mom and step-dad.



fatherpitt.com

I remember going to the Hard Rock Cafe before senior boat ride, for both of my best friend's birthdays and finally learning what the huge steel thing in the middle of Station Square was (yeah... it's a Bessemer converter).  The plaza connects and the area behind them is called "The Fountain at Bessemer Court." I wouldn't be lying if I said every single person I know from Pittsburgh has at least one photo on this court. Not only is it frequently visited, it has a beautiful view of the city skyline. 

As mentioned earlier, at Mt. Lebanon, we have a tradition called "Senior Boatride."  Station Square is also home to something called the Gateway Clipper Fleet, which gives tours of the city and sails around the three rivers. 

My beautiful friends, my beautiful city

Station Square is one of those places I'm able to call  part of my home.  I know it like the back of my hand. Yes, there are parts I'm not familiar with, such as the club scene, but that's not the Station Square I know.  One day it will be, but until then my version of Station Square is one where I've spent years growing up, running through the tunnel connecting the Grand Concourse to the parking lot, eating burgers, celebrating birthdays, questioning what the Bessemar converter was, and reuniting with friends during breaks from college.

And frankly, I wouldn't give up those memories for anything.

Good Eats, Better Memories

As much as I love good old Lebo, there’s no denying that it gets boring. So, on weeknights when looking for something to do, I quickly learned that you have to venture to the city. The Southside is probably my favorite place to go.  It’s a really cool part of the city that has recently been built up over the past couple of years. Although it’s more of a place for "young adults" and those in their twenties, there are definitely places for adults as well.

South Side Works

Restaurants, clubs, cafés and great shopping are just a few of the things that define South Side.  It’s the best place to go on a calm summer night when nothing else is going on…and everything else is closed in Mt. Lebanon.  It’s also not a bad place to go for a piercing or tattoo if you’re into that kind of thing.  South Side Works is the nicest part of the area, as it was recently built up. It has a ton of really great places to eat, like Cheesecake Factory, this cool Irish Pub, and even authentic German food at the Hofbrӓuhaus. Pittsburgh is one of the few Hofbrӓuhaus locations outside of Germany, which is pretty impressive.

I can remember many summer nights when we had nothing better to do than to drive down to South Side to grab a bite to eat and do some shopping. No night in South Side is completed without a few things:

1. A trip to the Double Wide Grill, they honestly have the BEST hamburgers (well I don’t eat hamburgers, but hey, their turkey burgers are good too!). Plus it’s cheap food, there isn’t anything better.

2. Some quick shopping at Urban Outfitters, H&M, and Forever 21 (along with a lot of other stores).  It’s like a hipster dream come true. Just come with your wallets full if you actually want to be able to afford something at Urban. 

3. The Milkshake Factory. I don’t even think that needs explaining. Who doesn’t love a good milkshake? You can make all sorts of flavors and they all taste amazing. My personal favorite is the Cajun chocolate shake. 

I spent at least one night a week grabbing milkshakes, stopping by the Rex Theatre to see my best friends play a gig (The Numbered Feathers, check them out), or just walking around aimlessly, taking in the summer night. One of my favorite parts of the summer were spent driving to the city, windows down and country music blasting. We always promised ourselves we wouldn’t end up back on the same bench outside of the Milkshake Factory, slurping down another 500 hundred liquid calories (every single one of them was totally worth it though), but we usually did. Nights with my best friends at Double Wide, Nakama, a Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar that is consistently rated as one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh, looking for a Steeler or Penguin, and spending every last cent of your sad looking paycheck from Panera Bread expensive dresses from Urban pretty much defined a typical week for me.

East Carson Street, the main drag of Southside

It isn’t just about my friends though; I've had plenty of awesome experiences there with my family. I remember moving my brother into his first house in the South Side, or the dinner at Cheesecake Factory with all of my siblings that still sticks in my mind as one of my favorite times with them, especially now that two of us are in college, even though it was years ago or that time I begged my step dad to take me to South Side to get my nose pierced. 

Each and every memory sticks out to me and I’m sure when May comes, I’ll be spending many nights doing the same thing as last year, reminiscing about how much different things were then.  Freshly out of high school, ready for some change, but not realizing how hard it would actually be. New school, new surroundings, new everything.

And it's true, things changed a lot this year, but it’s nice to know that my favorite things never will.

Pittsburgh: Home of the Yinzer

Living in the same place my whole life, I came to college 100% positive that I DO NOT have an accent.  Well, apparently I do.  I can't hear it, nor can most of my friends, but I've been told certain words I say sound weird to other people. 
In fact, some words go over people's heads all together:
"Guys, watch out it's slippy!"
"Anyone want to go grab hoagies and pop?"
"You should probably redd up your room"
"Come on guys, quit jagging around!"

Any of that make sense?

Here's the translation, for you non-Pittsburghers:
"Guys, watch out it's slippery!:
"Anyone want to go grab subs and soda?"
"You should probably clean up your room" "Come on guys, quit messing around"

I've heard each and everyone of those statements for as long as I can remember.  Realizing people don't understand me sometimes seems so weird. Realizing so much of my speech is slang from my hometown, I decided to look up some other Pittsburghese words:

 jimmies: sprinkles
nebby: trying to pry into the affairs of others
spicket: faucet
sweeper: vacuum cleaner
gumband: rubber-band

I won't lie, I say all of those.  But I am not an Yinzer. Urban dictionary defines a yinzer as "A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for their love of all things Steelers and Donnie Iris and extreme hatred of Cleveland. Consists mainly on Primanti Brothers and ethnic cuisine. Yinzers can be easily identified by their one-of-a-kind, ridiculous accent."

So yes, a lot of those things apply to me, but that "one of a kind" accent they refer to, I do not have.

I don't say yinz, aka "you guys".
I have never said the word "stillers," aka steelers.
N'at (and that) has never passed my lips.
Or Sliberty, which actually means East Liberty, a urban area of the city.

I am guilty of possibly the WORST Pittsburghese though: I leave out "to be" in sentences.
Example:
Instead of "the car needs to be washed," I would say "the car needs washed"
Yes, that is not proper English. I wasn't actually aware of that until a few years ago. 

Thanks to my crazy city, I may say some stupid things, leave out basic words in English sentences, and people can't understand me. Frankly, I don't care. I'm proud to have an accent that makes me distinct from everyone else, represents my city, and has partially made me who I am.

Long live the Yinzer.

PS here is a video showing some of common Pittsburghese (Yes, the girl is so annoying):

Also, here's a website dedicated to everything Pittsburghese:

http://www.pittsburghese.com/

Looking Back Now, It Makes Me Laugh

If I'm going to talk about somewhere in Pittsburgh, I might as well start with what I know best: good ol' Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of the city about 15 minutes away from the heart of downtown. 
Lebo, as residents call it, has been my home for as long as I can remember. Seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. Even with that many schools- and that many students- the municipality still seems small to me, maybe because it's all I know... or maybe because when you live there, you don't really ever leave, hence how the school earned the nickname "The Bubble." 

For at least the last two years of high school, students spend everyday complaining about Lebo: "Man this place sucks, I can't wait to be out on my own." "Yeah college is gonna be crazy, dude, I'm totally getting out of here." We talk big game about how we're going to go to college in California or Arizona or even Florida. The truth of the matter is, most of us go to Penn State or Pitt. I can shamefully admit that I was one of those kids a year ago. 

Looking back, I realize:
1. how much I complained and
2. that if I was in my parents shoes, I probably would have hated me.
I mean, how ungrateful can a kid be? Mt. Lebanon provides a great education, is a safe, beautiful town and honestly has everything a high school student could want. I think something else Mt. Lebanon instills in people is a sense of entitlement, something that needs to stop. We think college will be the easiest transition ever and that we won't ever struggle. I guess Lebo protects you from a lot of the bad stuff a good amount of school districts face. I know I felt like that and college was a pretty big culture shock. Yes, I still live in a college town, but this isn't anything like the class of 500 and some affluent, white kids that I graduated with. 

Lebo made me who I am today. It gave me my best friends, my education, helped me realize my passion of acting, my home, the best and worst memories of high school really.  I remember that first time I went on a date at Sesame Inn (the BEST Chinese restaurant ever), or that time we spent all night at the galleria, a mall for old people, waiting for multiple Harry Potter releases drinking coffee and running around. So many of the memories I'll be telling my children and grandchildren about occurred in the town that I desperately wanted to leave.

I told you we push each other around.
Yes, this was about a month ago.

So what if our field had MRSA and our pipes were infected with asbestos and the school is falling to pieces? I still love every single piece of that broken town. There's a reason the surrounding school districts HATE Mt. Lebanon and to me it's quite obvious: we're the best.
Late nights on Washington Road eating at Aladdin's or drinking coffee from Aldo's, Homecoming, Prom, Snowball, boatride, running around bird park, way too much Starbucks coffee, spending hours in Market District or Trader Joe's pushing each other around in carts, the Greek Food Festival, Panera dates, stalking Emma Watson in the summer of 2011 and getting kicked off of school property because it's after ten (the cops literally have nothing better to do) define my four years of high school-- and I wouldn't take any of it back. 

Yes, I'm leaving out the bad parts, like the time the third floor lockers flooded, or the mouse that lives in the theatre department, or that time someone drop kicked the principal, but that's all in Lebo fashion: ignore the bad. We don't want anyone bursting our bubble after all.

Mama Said "Home is Where the Heart is," When I Left that Town

New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia. Say what you will, none of them are better than my hometown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Yes, I understand that it’s not somewhere tourists go out of their way to see, but as a native Pittsburgher, I think it should be number one on everyone’s list. The city has everything: food, theatre, sports, music, college life, and probably anything else you could ever think of. To me, there’s nothing better than going downtown some random night to do something fun. Really, there’s nothing better than driving into the city. The skyline, well, it’s gorgeous-and pretty underrated. Although I go to Penn State, nothing gives me worse stomach butterflies than when I come home from school, drive through the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and am suddenly surrounded by the lights and buildings of my beautiful hometown. It honestly takes my breath away, and I just can’t help but smile when I see my city reflected off of the three rivers that make up the point. What could really be better?

So maybe none of the buildings are recognizable to those outside of the city, and maybe no one discusses how amazing the Pittsburgh skyline is. Thankfully I know that out there, there is an entire city that backs up these beliefs. I also know there are tons of people that probably think I’m crazy.  Well you know what? I don’t care. That’s what being a Pittsburgher has taught me. I’ve learned that it’s okay to cry when your beloved Steelers lose the Superbowl, that it’s perfectly acceptable to carry a Terrible Towel anywhere and everywhere you go during football season, to scream “IT’S A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH,” to eat french fries and cole slaw on a sandwich and to have school canceled because the Steelers or Penguins won the Superbowl or the Stanley Cup (let’s face it, we’d all skip school anyway). We’re one crazy melting pot that can basically be brought together by anything—and Pittsburghers can be found anywhere. Wear a Steelers jersey in Florida? It’s likely someone will chant “here we go Steelers” at you. Travel to Arizona? You could probably find a bar revolving around Pittsburgh sports. Us Pittsburghers, we’re everywhere, and each one of us is just as passionate as the next. 

Yes, we may get a little out of hand when it comes to certain things, and yes, we have a crazy accent, with some seriously strange slang, and maybe we’re a “drinking town with a football problem,” but were also the City of Bridges, the Steel City, and most importantly, the City of Champions. So say what you want about my city, all I know is I’m proud to be a Pittsburgher. 

And I hope all of yinz are too.