Visited my wife’s family. They’re mostly in and around Pittsburgh, so that’s really the only section I saw more than the side of roads.
But I loved it. I’m not a city boy at all, to the point I outright hate most of the ones I’ve been to for any length of time. Pittsburg is a rare exception. If the rest of the state is like that city, it’s fine by me!
You know how you enter most cities and the air starts to kind of abrade your sense of smell, even if it isn’t exactly bad smelling? Pittsburgh mostly smelled nice, even by the river. River + city normally = stink in my experience. Downtown is bloody gorgeous. The typical touristy spots (like the cathedral of learning) were all fairly unbusy since the visit was around Christmas, but because of the time of year, there was a lot of traffic by car and by foot, but the people were still way nicer than I’m used to in a city.
Like, compared to Baltimore, where I’ve visited a friend a few times, there was just a different vibe on the street with people. And it was miles better than New York where damn near everyone is a dick in my experience. Atlanta is fairly close in terms of people being friendly and helpful to an outsider, so is Charlotte, but neither felt as genuinely welcoming.
Part of that could be ascribed to Pittsburgh just being nicer to southerners, I guess, but if that’s the case, it’s still better on my end of things. But even when I wasn’t talking and being obviously southern, the reactions were just nicer. I hobble on a cane, and was doing so for the other cities I’ve mentioned. Pittsburg was the one city where nobody that bumped into me was a dick about it, and it was by far the place where more people that did so stopped, apologized, and offered help.
Like, that’s such a rare thing. In New York, it was, at best, someone stopping, seeing I wasn’t on the ground and moving on. Atlanta was worse than that in some ways, but wasn’t as crowded either, so it’s hard to judge. The number of people that would bump into me I Atlanta, but tell me to watch where I was going was higher than new York, even though there were also more that stopped to be sure I was okay.
I dunno, I love the South, and I can’t see leaving, even if I had infinite wealth. I’d rather just remodel my house and stay here. But if I had to move, and it had to be a city, it’s Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is a weird place considering its place in the world. You’re up north, where people are supposedly rude. I (54yo) am from suburban Atlanta, but that is far from my experience too.
Bonus story, one of the coolest experiences I had anywhere.
I found myself at a mostly empty Primanti Bros bar after work, I think we were in Moon Twp. People started coming in; some white collar guys with loosened ties, blue collar workers in mechanic uniforms. A very mixed crowd.
Then the Penguins game came on.
Holy shit the atmosphere was electric and I was 100% pulled into it. Penguins won and when it was over, everyone filed out. Again I found myself at a mostly empty Primanty Bros bar.
I don’t watch hockey, but I pull for the Penguins now.
Hmmm, I think that’s gotta be Pennsylvania.
Visited my wife’s family. They’re mostly in and around Pittsburgh, so that’s really the only section I saw more than the side of roads.
But I loved it. I’m not a city boy at all, to the point I outright hate most of the ones I’ve been to for any length of time. Pittsburg is a rare exception. If the rest of the state is like that city, it’s fine by me!
You know how you enter most cities and the air starts to kind of abrade your sense of smell, even if it isn’t exactly bad smelling? Pittsburgh mostly smelled nice, even by the river. River + city normally = stink in my experience. Downtown is bloody gorgeous. The typical touristy spots (like the cathedral of learning) were all fairly unbusy since the visit was around Christmas, but because of the time of year, there was a lot of traffic by car and by foot, but the people were still way nicer than I’m used to in a city.
Like, compared to Baltimore, where I’ve visited a friend a few times, there was just a different vibe on the street with people. And it was miles better than New York where damn near everyone is a dick in my experience. Atlanta is fairly close in terms of people being friendly and helpful to an outsider, so is Charlotte, but neither felt as genuinely welcoming.
Part of that could be ascribed to Pittsburgh just being nicer to southerners, I guess, but if that’s the case, it’s still better on my end of things. But even when I wasn’t talking and being obviously southern, the reactions were just nicer. I hobble on a cane, and was doing so for the other cities I’ve mentioned. Pittsburg was the one city where nobody that bumped into me was a dick about it, and it was by far the place where more people that did so stopped, apologized, and offered help.
Like, that’s such a rare thing. In New York, it was, at best, someone stopping, seeing I wasn’t on the ground and moving on. Atlanta was worse than that in some ways, but wasn’t as crowded either, so it’s hard to judge. The number of people that would bump into me I Atlanta, but tell me to watch where I was going was higher than new York, even though there were also more that stopped to be sure I was okay.
I dunno, I love the South, and I can’t see leaving, even if I had infinite wealth. I’d rather just remodel my house and stay here. But if I had to move, and it had to be a city, it’s Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is a weird place considering its place in the world. You’re up north, where people are supposedly rude. I (54yo) am from suburban Atlanta, but that is far from my experience too.
Bonus story, one of the coolest experiences I had anywhere.
I found myself at a mostly empty Primanti Bros bar after work, I think we were in Moon Twp. People started coming in; some white collar guys with loosened ties, blue collar workers in mechanic uniforms. A very mixed crowd.
Then the Penguins game came on.
Holy shit the atmosphere was electric and I was 100% pulled into it. Penguins won and when it was over, everyone filed out. Again I found myself at a mostly empty Primanty Bros bar.
I don’t watch hockey, but I pull for the Penguins now.
Sounds nice!