I have an Aunt and Uncle who live in Pittsburgh so I've been here a couple of times - but rarely as a tourist exploring neighborhoods and taking in the attractions. Like just about every location, Pittsburgh is worth visiting both as a family and as an adult - both providing vastly different travel experiences. Do you visit the Andy Warhol Museum or John Heinz History Center? The Frick or the Carnegie Museum of Natural History? Take an incline up to Mt. Washington or a self-guided brewery tour in Lawrenceville? The "Adult" trips came to an end in April 2024 but looking forward to the family phase in the years to come.
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PITTSBURGH GENERAL THOUGHTS
I’ve spent thirty-five-plus years in Pennsylvania. I’ve spent less than a week in Pittsburgh. A seven-day sample size doesn’t provide enough data points to truly understand a location even if it’s located in your same state. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have always had different personalities – it’s difficult to take lifetime experiences in Philadelphia and equate it with Pittsburgh. Conversely, instead of learning more about Pittsburgh during my latest visit to the Steel City, I left with more knowledge about Philadelphia.
In the most simplest terms, Philadelphia is a major city. A city built to handle a large population – a city that could welcome an even significantly larger population. An infrastructure to move that population through the metropolitan area. The ability to add housing. Add services. Add jobs. For a population growth that admittedly will never materialize. But Philadelphia could. The three-and-a-half-million residents living in the suburbs? They could all move into Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh is a minor city. There is no scenario in which the one-and-a-half-million residents living in its surrounding suburbs could relocate within the city’s limits. That is all I’m saying between the major and minor comparison. From a cultural, recreational, athletic, and to an extent, culinary perspective, Pittsburgh, along with similar minor cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Portland, and San Diego, punch well above their weight with much stronger “personalities” than their younger Sun Belt siblings such as Charlotte, Raleigh, and the cynic in me would even include Nashville and Austin in that mix. I’d take Pittsburgh over Nashville and Austin six out of seven days a week.
By this major vs. minor delineation there’s only three major city’s in America: New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. This places Philadelphia in an awkward position, as while it is capable, it never quite reached the apex of New York and Chicago. When I visit those cities, I always feel like I’m “looking up”, figurately, at Philadelphia’s potential never reached. However, when I visit the minor cities, like Pittsburgh, I don’t feel as though I’m “looking down” but rather viewing a parallel universe that makes me wonder what Philadelphia would be like if it never attempted to be a major city.
A Pittsburgh drive through Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Oakland, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, the Hill District, and the Strip District, reveal distinct neighborhoods, each with aesthetically pleasing architectural styles – and that’s before you cross any bridges to the North Side, the South Side, or Mt. Washington, which are similarly distinct. Philadelphia likes to say it’s a “city of neighborhoods” but as a life-long resident, who’s seen a few other cities, it’s splitting hairs to call Old City, Society Hill, Washington Square, Queens Village, and Bella Vista different “neighborhoods”. They aren’t. Is that side of Broad really that different than the neighborhoods surrounding Rittenhouse Square? Is Fishtown really that different from Northern Liberties, from East Passyunk, from Fairmount? Brick Colonial and Federal row homes. Block after block. You know you are in Philadelphia. Maybe not whether you are in Society Hill or Logan Square. University City, Chestnut Hill, and Germantown bring a different flair. Otherwise it sort of all looks the same until you reach the outer neighborhoods, which rather than a pivot to a pleasing architectural aesthetic, reflect more of a slip-shod approach, not in the actual homes, but in the neighborhood planning. Built to accommodate early-to-mid twentieth century population growth not to create fun exploratory weekend neighborhood drives for Jim Hamill in 2024.
Northeast Philadelphia is fifty square miles of rowhome block after rowhome block accommodating a population of 450,000. Pittsburgh is fifty square miles of distinct neighborhoods accommodating a population of 300,000. There’re no true comparisons between the two cities considering there’s a Philadelphia neighborhood larger than all of Pittsburgh. When you stand atop Mt. Washington viewing the skyline below, Pittsburgh looks like a major city, but it isn’t. It’s tough to draw conclusions on Pittsburgh but as we left the city I found myself not disappointed that Philadelphia never reached its full major city potential but rather contemplating the what ifs of the parallel minor city universe. What if South Street was Squirrel Hill? What if Rittenhouse was Shadyside? What if Fishtown was Lawrenceville? What if the Navy Yard was the South Side?
I’ve spent thirty-five-plus years in Pennsylvania. I’ve spent less than a week in Pittsburgh. A seven-day sample size doesn’t provide enough data points to truly understand a location even if it’s located in your same state. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have always had different personalities – it’s difficult to take lifetime experiences in Philadelphia and equate it with Pittsburgh. Conversely, instead of learning more about Pittsburgh during my latest visit to the Steel City, I left with more knowledge about Philadelphia.
In the most simplest terms, Philadelphia is a major city. A city built to handle a large population – a city that could welcome an even significantly larger population. An infrastructure to move that population through the metropolitan area. The ability to add housing. Add services. Add jobs. For a population growth that admittedly will never materialize. But Philadelphia could. The three-and-a-half-million residents living in the suburbs? They could all move into Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh is a minor city. There is no scenario in which the one-and-a-half-million residents living in its surrounding suburbs could relocate within the city’s limits. That is all I’m saying between the major and minor comparison. From a cultural, recreational, athletic, and to an extent, culinary perspective, Pittsburgh, along with similar minor cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Portland, and San Diego, punch well above their weight with much stronger “personalities” than their younger Sun Belt siblings such as Charlotte, Raleigh, and the cynic in me would even include Nashville and Austin in that mix. I’d take Pittsburgh over Nashville and Austin six out of seven days a week.
By this major vs. minor delineation there’s only three major city’s in America: New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. This places Philadelphia in an awkward position, as while it is capable, it never quite reached the apex of New York and Chicago. When I visit those cities, I always feel like I’m “looking up”, figurately, at Philadelphia’s potential never reached. However, when I visit the minor cities, like Pittsburgh, I don’t feel as though I’m “looking down” but rather viewing a parallel universe that makes me wonder what Philadelphia would be like if it never attempted to be a major city.
A Pittsburgh drive through Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Oakland, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, the Hill District, and the Strip District, reveal distinct neighborhoods, each with aesthetically pleasing architectural styles – and that’s before you cross any bridges to the North Side, the South Side, or Mt. Washington, which are similarly distinct. Philadelphia likes to say it’s a “city of neighborhoods” but as a life-long resident, who’s seen a few other cities, it’s splitting hairs to call Old City, Society Hill, Washington Square, Queens Village, and Bella Vista different “neighborhoods”. They aren’t. Is that side of Broad really that different than the neighborhoods surrounding Rittenhouse Square? Is Fishtown really that different from Northern Liberties, from East Passyunk, from Fairmount? Brick Colonial and Federal row homes. Block after block. You know you are in Philadelphia. Maybe not whether you are in Society Hill or Logan Square. University City, Chestnut Hill, and Germantown bring a different flair. Otherwise it sort of all looks the same until you reach the outer neighborhoods, which rather than a pivot to a pleasing architectural aesthetic, reflect more of a slip-shod approach, not in the actual homes, but in the neighborhood planning. Built to accommodate early-to-mid twentieth century population growth not to create fun exploratory weekend neighborhood drives for Jim Hamill in 2024.
Northeast Philadelphia is fifty square miles of rowhome block after rowhome block accommodating a population of 450,000. Pittsburgh is fifty square miles of distinct neighborhoods accommodating a population of 300,000. There’re no true comparisons between the two cities considering there’s a Philadelphia neighborhood larger than all of Pittsburgh. When you stand atop Mt. Washington viewing the skyline below, Pittsburgh looks like a major city, but it isn’t. It’s tough to draw conclusions on Pittsburgh but as we left the city I found myself not disappointed that Philadelphia never reached its full major city potential but rather contemplating the what ifs of the parallel minor city universe. What if South Street was Squirrel Hill? What if Rittenhouse was Shadyside? What if Fishtown was Lawrenceville? What if the Navy Yard was the South Side?
PITTSBURGH APRIL 2024 TRIP
In one of his last episodes, Anthony Bourdain, dined with John Fetterman at Superior Motors in Braddock, PA. Braddock sits just east of Pittsburgh and is easily accessible either on a drive in or out of the city. Superior Motors closed (apparently the chef liked taking out loans and not repaying them), however, in it's place, a new "destination" popped up via Google Maps, a microbrewery called Brew Gentleman. One publication ranks Brew Gentleman's flagship beer, General Braddock IPA, as a "Top 25 Favorite Beers of the 2010s". As skeptical as I am about rankings, and as cautious as I am to not oversell something, General Braddock IPA, is a phenomenal beer. It's remarkable how smooth and flavorful the beer is - I've generally stopped drinking IPAs because every microbrewery has their version that doesn't seem to standout and they all start tasing the same after a while. Then General Braddock IPA comes along and it just hits harder - "best", maybe, maybe not, I don't like dwelling on that specific superlative, but memorable? Yes. It stand out.
As for Braddock, the drive in was reminiscent cross between drives through West Virginia and SEPTA rides through North Philadelphia - hilly, Appalachian architecture in an abandoned urban landscape. Braddock is a ghost town. A 1920s population peak of 20,000 residents to a century later under 2,000. The town feels like a 90% population drop. Not safe but there's also no one here to hurt you. Wait. A population below 2,000? That's less than Conshohocken. What exactly was John Fetterman "mayoring" here? Nothing? Fetterman was more of a cheerleader for Braddock than a mayor and in a political butterfly effect, does Fetterman ever become a Pennsylvania senator without the likes of Anthony Bourdain swinging through the town and elevating Fetterman's platform. There's nothing to show what Fetterman actually did as mayor. No success story. Fetterman is a poor-man's version of Cory Booker, who is the poor-man's version of Gavin Newsome, who is the poor-man's version of Barack Obama. Essentially all cheerleaders that never fully executed their societal visions. His is a similar rise to Sarah Palin's in that they both served as mayors of nothing towns to springboard to governorship levels then to national prominence. Begging a question of how exactly are our political leaders identified? Anyways, Brew Gentleman is awesome and I'll likely return on a future trip to Pittsburgh - the brewery is even expanding opertions moving into the space formerly occupied by Superior Motors. At least someone is doing something for Braddock.
In one of his last episodes, Anthony Bourdain, dined with John Fetterman at Superior Motors in Braddock, PA. Braddock sits just east of Pittsburgh and is easily accessible either on a drive in or out of the city. Superior Motors closed (apparently the chef liked taking out loans and not repaying them), however, in it's place, a new "destination" popped up via Google Maps, a microbrewery called Brew Gentleman. One publication ranks Brew Gentleman's flagship beer, General Braddock IPA, as a "Top 25 Favorite Beers of the 2010s". As skeptical as I am about rankings, and as cautious as I am to not oversell something, General Braddock IPA, is a phenomenal beer. It's remarkable how smooth and flavorful the beer is - I've generally stopped drinking IPAs because every microbrewery has their version that doesn't seem to standout and they all start tasing the same after a while. Then General Braddock IPA comes along and it just hits harder - "best", maybe, maybe not, I don't like dwelling on that specific superlative, but memorable? Yes. It stand out.
As for Braddock, the drive in was reminiscent cross between drives through West Virginia and SEPTA rides through North Philadelphia - hilly, Appalachian architecture in an abandoned urban landscape. Braddock is a ghost town. A 1920s population peak of 20,000 residents to a century later under 2,000. The town feels like a 90% population drop. Not safe but there's also no one here to hurt you. Wait. A population below 2,000? That's less than Conshohocken. What exactly was John Fetterman "mayoring" here? Nothing? Fetterman was more of a cheerleader for Braddock than a mayor and in a political butterfly effect, does Fetterman ever become a Pennsylvania senator without the likes of Anthony Bourdain swinging through the town and elevating Fetterman's platform. There's nothing to show what Fetterman actually did as mayor. No success story. Fetterman is a poor-man's version of Cory Booker, who is the poor-man's version of Gavin Newsome, who is the poor-man's version of Barack Obama. Essentially all cheerleaders that never fully executed their societal visions. His is a similar rise to Sarah Palin's in that they both served as mayors of nothing towns to springboard to governorship levels then to national prominence. Begging a question of how exactly are our political leaders identified? Anyways, Brew Gentleman is awesome and I'll likely return on a future trip to Pittsburgh - the brewery is even expanding opertions moving into the space formerly occupied by Superior Motors. At least someone is doing something for Braddock.
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We ate dinner at Chengdu Gourmet, a multiple-times James Beard restaurant serving authentic Sichuan cuisine. To put succinctly, non-Americanized Chinese food. If you are a fan of "Chinese" food, you likely don't like Chinese food. Sweetness is replaced with heat. Overall a different flavor pallet that is simultaneously more focused on the individual ingredients yet more complex. I ordered Chongquing chicken, which is nothing more than fried chicken with a few chilies. I thought it was the best Chinese food I've had outside of Chinese, because I think it's the only Chinese food I've eaten since leaving Hong Kong in 2015, my wife thought it was the worst Chinese food she's ever eaten. The environment is similar to Hardena, Philadelphia's James Beard-awarded Indonesian restaurant - a hole-in-the-wall sort of place that gives you a pause as to whether or not you even want to order a meal here, then you take the first bite, and say, ok, I know why James Beard flagged this place for recognition.
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From Chengdu Gourment we drove through the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. I planned to stop and see a memorial at Tree of Life but the synagogue was in process of demolition. The fencing around the demolition offered inspiration messages. We continued on to Prantl's Bakery Shadyside location. Prantl's toasted almond torte has been called the "best cake in America" by Huffington Post. We opted for the junior version, which, again, not a fan of the "best" superlative but wow, wish I had purchased a few more. Their Shadyside location is also on a lively block with restaurants that were hopping even on a Wednesday night.
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Two deserts on our first night in Pittsburhg? Why not when the options are Prantl's and Millie's. Cake followed by ice cream is always the correct decision. We went from one busy Shadyside neighborhood to another.
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We started the next morning at Randyland is an artistic interpretation of "one man's trash is another man's treasure". I wasn't sure what to expect at this "museum" - a 4.7 rating with 3,000+ reviews on Google for "folk artist Randy Gilson's landmark building, filled with vividly colored, upbeat murals and objects". I didn't get it. The "museum" is similar to Philadephia's Magic Garden except where Magic Garden sort of turns the trash into art (according to some but not me) Randy Land seems intent on preserving the trash in its natural form. I've been to junkyards before, and I see how Randyland isn't a junkyard, but I don't see how it makes the leap to a museum either. I'll be polite and won't tarnish the Google ratings.
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Next, to an actual art museum, the Andy Warhol Museum, which for a museum dedicated to an artist that created thousands of pieces of artwork seemed relatively light on housing that artwork - I assume most of Warhol's work is in private collections or other art museums rather than his namesake museum. What the museum lacks in collections, it tries to fill in explaining Warhol's life and how that influenced his artistic style. Warhol was a creative type who found himself in the marketing industry and explains most of his artwork being pop-culture influenced and experimentation with new mediums.
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We spent the most time in the museum in a room that recreated a "Silver Cloud's" immersive experience. Charlotte loved pushing the giant helium-filled balloons through the black-walled room.
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From the Warhol Museum it's a short drive over to Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh's oldest microbrewery. Their Penn Pilsner is a "must-have" when visiting Pittsburgh on the same level as a Primanti Brother's sandwich and pierogies.
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We stayed in Lawrenceville, a cool, hip neighborhood. A bit "grittier" than Shadyside but no Philadelphian's going to mistake Lawrenceville for Fishtown. Lots of microbreweries. Lots of coffeeshops. Lots of shops. Lots of restaurants. Fun street to walk up and down. A good, central location to spend a few nights in Pittsburgh.
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On the way out of town we made a stop at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. When he wasn't breaking worker strikes, Andrew Carnegie was busy buying dinosaur bones. This Museum puts Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Science's to shame. Multiple, massive, dinosaur rooms with all the classics - T-Rex's, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops. A few "wows" from Charlotte.
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A quick loop through the "plaza" area of the University of Pittsburgh - the Cathedral of Learning and the Soldier's and Sailor's Memorial Hall. Lots of university tours taking place.
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I mentioned in the Pittsburgh Thoughts section that Pittsburgh punches above its weight in various areas with an "extent" on the culinary front - Pittsburgh breadth of dining options match any city, however, the peak and depth of the cuisine doesn't compare to say, Philadelphia. That said, if you are visiting the city for a few days, there're a number of places you'll want to eat but won't have time for. I think it's best to stick to eating Pittsburgh distinct cuisine, its traditional Polish items, it's notable food like crepe pancakes (having eaten these at a few places, I think Pamela's are the best), and its established restaurants that have been around for years. No reason to try and eat at the new and hot places when the city has such a great "base" of restaurants serving city-centric meals.
Commonplace and Yinz are two local coffee chains and each neighborhood has its own spot as well. Lots of great microbreweries but also lots of great local bars as well.
Commonplace and Yinz are two local coffee chains and each neighborhood has its own spot as well. Lots of great microbreweries but also lots of great local bars as well.
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