July 27th, 2014 Stage AE Pittsburgh

[Kali Durga]

Oh man, I'm gonna be so confused...

[dunedin]

Also Seven Nation Army will be sung at both events.

[Kali Durga]

Haha!

[thenewdeal]

tickets in hand and hotel booked... if anyone is still looking, got the wyndham downtown for $120 using priceline name your price (~$200 if booked without the name your price) - i'll be there Friday - Monday.

I'm making the long drive from CT and was hoping some locals could suggest some cool:

-record, vintage audio, art gallaeries or thrift stores
-places to eat (heard of a good sanwhich place so far - something P brothers)
-places to drink/go out (someone suggested the church)
-anything else I should check out (so far will be doing andy warhol museum)

also, any stops along the way if anyone is familiar. should be a good time!

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

-record, vintage audio, art gallaeries or thrift stores
-places to eat (heard of a good sanwhich place so far - something P brothers)
-places to drink/go out (someone suggested the church)
-anything else I should check out (so far will be doing andy warhol museum)

Will you have a car? If so, drive over to Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill, for a record person, it is an absolute must. Built into the same building is Whistlin' Willie's 78s and Galaxy Electronics. Jerry's is massive, almost to the point of being overwhelming and I've never seen a store devoted to 78's, you will not be disappointed. Jerry's doesn't stock new stuff everything is used, but lots of old gems at reasonable prices.

Galaxy, I've only gone to for repairs, but he sells some vintage audio equipment.

Whistlin Willies had an ultra rare mint 78 of Robert Johnson's Dust My Broom which got traded to R. Crumb for a drawing. Awesome story, got to hear the record live in shop before the trade.

I am at work, but I will address all these other questions later in more depth, just had to put Jerry's out there.

[Kali Durga]

Dude, why are you not gonna be at this show?

[thenewdeal]

-record, vintage audio, art gallaeries or thrift stores
-places to eat (heard of a good sanwhich place so far - something P brothers)
-places to drink/go out (someone suggested the church)
-anything else I should check out (so far will be doing andy warhol museum)

Will you have a car? If so, drive over to Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill, for a record person, it is an absolute must. Built into the same building is Whistlin' Willie's 78s and Galaxy Electronics. Jerry's is massive, almost to the point of being overwhelming and I've never seen a store devoted to 78's, you will not be disappointed. Jerry's doesn't stock new stuff everything is used, but lots of old gems at reasonable prices.

Galaxy, I've only gone to for repairs, but he sells some vintage audio equipment.

Whistlin Willies had an ultra rare mint 78 of Robert Johnson's Dust My Broom which got traded to R. Crumb for a drawing. Awesome story, got to hear the record live in shop before the trade.

I am at work, but I will address all these other questions later in more depth, just had to put Jerry's out there.

Thanks! I added Jerry's to the list, awesome info - looking forward to the full response! I will have a car.

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

Dude, why are you not gonna be at this show?

I'm going to be out of town that weekend and not really sure when I'm going to get back Sunday...also been spending a lot on shows/records lately so my wallet needs some recovery time

-record, vintage audio, art gallaeries or thrift stores
-places to eat (heard of a good sanwhich place so far - something P brothers)
-places to drink/go out (someone suggested the church)
-anything else I should check out (so far will be doing andy warhol museum)

Alright, here begins the official...

GoGoHarlemBaby's guide to the city of Pittsburgh.

First, a preface: Pittsburgh is an awesome place to check out, and its fairly big, but transit on foot can be kind of difficult and buses can be hard to figure out. Rather than being like say, D.C. or NYC, it doesn't have a (functional/worthwhile) subway and it is split up into many different neighborhoods, each with its own feel. Because a lot of the cool stuff is spread between neighborhoods/areas, that is how I'm going to divide my list, and hopefully that will help some people with planning their days.

I hope everyone has a great time in Pittsburgh!

North Side

This is where the Steelers and Pirates play, with Stage AE sandwiched between them. The north side is the area I go into the least, but it has some cool things in it. It's not so much of a neighborhood as just a giant chunk of Pittsburgh. (City consists of North Side, South Side, East End, West End) I would like to mention, that while the area around the stadiums isn't too bad, some sections of the north side are definitely a little dicey. I've gone all over and have never had a real problem, but I think it is definitely worth researching routes/not getting lost or wandering around hammered at 2am with no clue where you are. I don't mean that to scare people, because you'll also encounter beautiful old brick homes and delicious food.

Musuems:

The Warhol Museum: If you are a fan of Warhol, definitely worth checking out. It seems like a lot of people are already talking about going here, so I am not going to go too into detail.

The Mattress Factory: If you like far out installation art, this might be worth checking out, some of the stuff I find kind of too far out and inaccessible, but they also have some cool things, like a room with absolutely no light in it. It is constantly changing with new installations, so I don't know what is there now, but don't say I didn't warn you if its totally strange.

Carnegie Science Center: This is in the same complex as Stage AE/PNC Park/Heinz Field. I haven't been here much, but seems like a good place to go if you like science or want something family friendly.

Food:

El Burro: This is a taco shop in an area that is fine during the day, probably wouldn't go there for a late night snack. Really good tacos, I think they are fairly reasonably priced, haven't been in a few months.

Niki's Thai Kitchen (North-Side location): If you like Thai food, go here. It is one of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh, tucked away in the North side, it is pretty much built into the down stairs of a house, but the food is incredible...it is SPICEY, they do not dumb it down here. While no one really knows about it, it is tiny and the people that do know it fill it up fast, so be sure to call in advance for a reservation.

Breweries/Bars:

Penn Brewery: This is one of Pittsburgh's older breweries, it brews German Style beer and has some real stick-to- your-ribs German style food. Pittsburgh has a lot of breweries popping up, but this is one of my favorites, great atmosphere.

There is a strip of bars right by the stadium, I would recommend just bringing food and going to the beer market, but I'm a big fan of craft beer.

Ok, that is the North Side. I will give each neighborhood a different post for organization. Pittsburgh has a couple hundred neighborhoods, so I won't include them all, and I'm happy to answer any specific Pittsburgh questions to the best of my ability.

Next up...The Strip District

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

GoGoHarlemBaby's guide to the city of Pittsburgh...Part 2

The Strip District

The strip district is right next to down town Pittsburgh and it is pretty easy to get to. On saturdays, there is a ton of outdoor vendors and the sidewalks become like a big outdoor market. If you are looking for unlicensed Steelers merchendise, this is the place! There is a ton of food here, and a lot of it is worth checking out.

Food:

DeLuca's: Pretty good breakfast featured on a lot of travel/food shows about Pittsburgh. There will definitely be a line out the door, but they move people in and out pretty fast.

Kelly O's: Another breakfast spot, featured on Triple D, and in my humble opinion, superior to DeLuca's. Usually the wait is a little bit less than DeLuca's too.

Primanti Bros: I don't think they have ever NOT been featured on a travel show about Pittsburgh. The classic coleslaw and fries on a sandwhich place, and the original is in the strip district. I haven't ate one of these in probably 6 years, but these things will fill you up for sure. A little on the touristy side, but they are decent, and you won't find them anywhere else.

Drink:

Wigle Whiskey: Pittsburgh's first craft distillery. They make rye whiskey (PA's signature whiskey from way back in the Whiskey Rebellion days) as well as a gin and a rum. It's a little on the pricey side to buy a bottle (although it is quality liquor) but definitely worth stopping in for a sampling or one of their signature cocktails.

The Beer Hive: This is a new craft beer bar in the strip. It can be a little pricey (all beer is craft) but sometimes they get some really interesting stuff on tap and the food is good. They also have Pub Trivia (brain teasers) friday nights and Music Trivia saturday nights. I think it starts at 7:30 or 8. Full disclosure, this bar was started by a friend of some of my coworkers, so I have done my fair share of after work hangouts here and feel like I needed to mention it.

East End Brewery Stand (in the Pittsburgh Public Market): The PPM just moved to a different and was still setting up last time I went, so not too many other stands, but the best stand of all is East End Brewery. They do dollar samples of their beers (sometimes they are just free, a super nice guy runs it) as well as fill growlers and sell special bottles.

Other Stuff:

Eide's comics: Kind of on the outskirts, it is a three (maybe four now?) level store of comics/records/old pulp novels/movies/etc. One of the few places I've seen carry a Flat Duo Jets record (most people know my thoughts on that ). It only loses points in my book because the people that run the place can be kind of grumpy sometimes.

This is only a small cross section of food in the Strip. There is a ton of stuff all up and down Penn Ave, you definitely won't be hard pressed, those are just some highlights.

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

I just realized how many places I have to recommend (better too many than too few right?). Typing all this up on lunch breaks will take another day or two, so please bear with me...will try and post one other neighborhood tonight. By the way, all these places are really close together by car so don't think the strip will take you a whole day to go through.

[Kali Durga]

Holy moley, I'm gonna save all these notes for a weekend in P'burgh sometime in the future.

[thenewdeal]

I just realized how many places I have to recommend (better too many than too few right?). Typing all this up on lunch breaks will take another day or two, so please bear with me...will try and post one other neighborhood tonight. By the way, all these places are really close together by car so don't think the strip will take you a whole day to go through.

this is all so great, no rush at all. Compiling it into my Evernote folder for this trip jerry's for sure and i love comic shops.

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

Ok, as promised, part 3 of cool stuff in Pittsburgh. I'm kind of tired, so hopefully I didn't leave too much stuff out. With lawrenceville, the main thing to know is Butler street from 38th to 46th-ish is the main commerce area.

GoGoHarlemBaby's Guide to Pittsburgh...Part 3

Lawrenceville/Bloomfield

Right up Penn Ave from the strip district (moving away from Downtown) is Bloomfield and Lawrenceville. The border between the two is very murky so they are kind of grouped together. Lawrenceville is kind of the hipster area of Pittsburgh, there is a big young alternative crowd in the area.

If you want to walk around and browse things, walk down Butler street from 38th to around 45th or 46th. This is the main drag of lawrenceville, lots of bars and shops to check out. I’ll highlight a few places, but honestly there is a lot I am leaving out so don’t be afraid to explore.

Breweries/Bars:
Church Brew Works: I think this is what you were referring to in an older post about PGH sights. This is a church that converted into a brewery/resteraunt. I have done many a happy hour here. They have won a few medals for beer in...beer contests? (I don’t know what kind of competitions there are for beer) Another cool local brewery that makes some good stuff, and you can’t get it outside of the area so if you are into craft beer you should definitely check it out. Not to mention, you can’t beat the atmosphere and acoustics of a church. Can recommend the pierogi pizza (doesn’t get much Pittsburger than that!).

Round Corner Cantina-Cool mexican place in Lawrenceville. Great atmosphere, day of the dead meets an old timey saloon. At night is can be kind of dark and loud, but on sundays they open around noon and do a brunch that varies from week to week, can be hit or miss but generally I’m satisfied. Great bloody marys too.

Franktuary-right next to round corner, a hip new restaurant in town. They do fancy hot dogs, have some good stuff on draft.

Arsenal Cider House- Story behind this, some guy loved the Civil War and Hard cider, so he converted the downstairs of his house into a cider house and makes a variety of alcoholic ciders with civil war-y names. It’s a real trip because you are literally walking into a random house with a sign out front. There is some room to sit, but I wouldn’t count on hanging out there (one group of 4 could take up all the sitting room). Cider is good though, definitely one of those quirky things you don’t see everyday. I would check on their facebook/the internet to make sure they are open.


Other Stuff:

Arsenal Lanes- A really cool old bowling alley. Takes you back in time. I spent many an all-you-can-bowl 80’s night here. They also have a small bar. Not sure what their weekend specials are.

Espresso Amano-Down by Franktuary and Round Corner Cantina, this is a neat little coffee shop. When I lived in lawrenceville I would go here for a caffeine boost.

Sound Cat Records (Bloomfield) - Small record store, but does a great job walking the line of cool new releases and cool used records. I’ve found a couple cool things here from time to time.

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

As a note of these recommendations, I am trusting everyone has internet (duh) or a smart phone and can research the exact addresses and pertinent information about these places on their own time so I don't take up too much space. Pittsburgh has a lot of cool shit, but it can be kind of hidden. I'm doing this as a general rundown, so if you have any specific questions, I will do my best to answer them.

[GoGoHarlemBaby]

Also, just to hype Jerry's a little more:

http://www.jerrysrecords.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t09w9zrW3-0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YritOHJDgpE

It can be overwhelming, prepare yourselves and definitely be ready to DIG. Also, if you have a car and go on the right day, in the stair well going up he'll sometimes have sealed boxes of vinyl and 78's for FREE, the only catch is you have to take the whole box. Honestly, if someone can reach out to Jack, he should probably check it out too...

Edit: If someone actually does tell Jack to go here, and he needs a Pittsburgh guide, tell him to PM me