Welcome to Pittsburgh!
For all of you asking what to expect in the ‘burgh!
Pittsburgh has very distinct and separate neighborhoods, even within the city. It’s an old school industrial town with eastern European roots and a traditional blue collar community. In addition to Polish, Jewish and German cultural influences, Pittsburgh also has a rich interesting history due to it’s location on three major rivers and a strong working class that tends to stand up to the likes of Carnegie and Frick.
There are fantastic colleges, like Pitt and Carnegie Mellon, so the average bar age is pretty young. You can usually tell the locals apart from the college students because of the Pittsburgh accent. You will be asked what you think of them ’stillers and your thoughts on the most recent game. You will hear the term “y’ins” or “y’unz” — this means “you all.”
A typically sentence would be “Y’inz gawin dawntawn to watch the stillers, en at.” Loosely translated this means, “Hey guys! Are you going downtown to watch the game?”
This unique language is called Pittsburghese and the people who speak it are y’inzers. Not everyone is a z’iners, only people who say y’inz is a y’inzer. People are generally nice, and full of pep and vigor. Bar fights are common. Expect to meet more than a few republicans and union democrats.
Because public transportation is a bitch in Pittsburgh, and because the city is more than a little confusing, with one way streets and over 400 bridges, I have created a must-do itinerary for you with a list of things to see and do.
Your must-do itinerary
Thursday Night
If you’re getting in on Thursday evening, take it easy! The Sheraton is located in Station Square which is a small but tourist-focused section of Pittsburgh and there are a few things to do very close to the hotel.
If you get in early here is my suggestion is to take the Duquesne incline (Du-kane) up to Mount Washington and eat at one of the restaurants there. The Grandview Salon is a casual place with a good sausage hoagie (this means sausage sub), I recommend this for a good meal and a fantastic view.
If you’re scared of heights, stay close to the hotel and explore Station Square. There are a bunch of restaurants, including a Hard Rock Cafe and a slightly lame bar.
Friday Day and Night
Time to explore! For you hungry folks, grab a quick and dirty breakfast at the (now famous) Deluca’s located right on the strip (here are directions). If you want to walk around a bit, make sure to check out PennMac (Pennsylvania Macaroni), Wholey’s fish market, and Enrico Biscotti.
Next head straight to the Andy Warhol Museum and enjoy a few hours with great artwork. The museum is in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, which is a line of docks where fresh produce was (is still?) dropped off from the boats. The Strip really shines on Saturday mornings, when there is an open air market and all the city residents come to buy fresh fish, cheese and have a great coconut macaroon.
The open air market is a site to behold BUT if you plan to be a little busy getting ready on Saturday, check out the strip on Friday.
A MUST DO: While in the strip, head to Primati Brothers, Pittsburgh’s most infamous sandwich place. Make sure to pair your sandwich with the one true Pittsburgh micro-brew — Iron City.
After chilling in the strip district, maybe you want to relax by the water. Take a cab from the Strip District to The Point. The Point is a large park at the convergence of the three rivers – the Monongahela, the Allegheny and the Ohio. Head there to relax with the famous grey skies of Pittsburgh.
From The Point, you can walk over the bridge back to your hotel. It’s a great stroll through the city – swing by Market Square and walk across the Smithfield Bridge. Here’s a map.
Note: If you missed the first opportunity to head to Primanti Brothers, there is another location in Market Square.
Rehearsal dinner and fun in the Southside!
We’re hosting a rehearsal dinner for all out of town guests at 7:00. You will receive an evite for this event with location details. The rehearsal dinner is at 3030 Jane Street. You will have to take a cab from your hotel to the location. Please be aware that the entrance is not at 3030 Jane street, it is around the building on Harcum Avenue. Here is a map of the building.
After the rehearsal dinner we will be going out as a group to a few bars on the Southside.
For you big-time gamblers, a new casino just opened in Pittsburgh. Last call is at 2:00AM, but the slot machines never close and there is free coffee and pop all night.
Saturday Day
The big day! Get an early start by heading to the open air market in the Strip, or get your hair did! Here is a list of good hairdressers in town:
There is a bus taking everyone from the Sheraton to the wedding location (3030 Jane Street). The bus is leaving at 4:00 and will return at 10:30 and 11:30. The wedding and reception are in the same location.
Sunday – Brunch and Octoberfest at the Hofbräuhaus.
On sunday we are meeting with friends for brunch, you’re more than welcome to join us. Because our lavish wedding is so lavish, (it took a lot to afford this dress) we’re not able to pay for brunch. We’ll be at brunch at 11:00 – we have yet to decide what restaurant.
From there we will be heading over to the Hofbräuhaus to enjoy a liter of beer and some hot pretzels.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Stay in the Loop!
-
Recent Comments
parttimebride on Save the date drama krissymo on Welcome to Pittsburgh! Tom on Welcome to Pittsburgh! Leigh Daly on My new wedding dress! Kris Sandherr on My new wedding dress!
Hey, we’re not ALL y’inzers! Some of us are “y’all”ers…..we’re only 30 miles from the Mason Dixon line!
People in the ‘burgh only say y’all when they’ve listened to too much Y108.