Best. Headline. Ever.
Category: Pittsburgh
Preview
An exciting (for me, at least) announcement may be coming soon.
But first, a weekend in Pittsburgh.
Speaks for Itself
Doesn’t it?
Randomly Sunday
Random thoughts and links for a Sunday afternoon:
- If I’d known it were this easy and convenient, I’d have gone ahead and died years ago.
- The Toronto Star on neighborhood names. The SF Chronicle featured one of these a while back too.
- Interesting post on public infrastructure (mostly transit) design.
- Yinzers are running the world.
- Only another few weeks to wait for this one, in case you’re feeling generous.
Down at the A&P
This lovely little storefront was my neighborhood’s A&P store from at least the 1920s through the 1950s. What this means is that I’ve started my Pittsburgh research for Groceteria now. My database is already up to almost 900 chain grocery addresses, and I’ve only finished the data entry through 1940. For San Francisco, I only had 600 addresses total. Since both cities used to be about the same size, I suppose that means that SF was violently anti-chain even eighty years ago.
Life in Da ‘Burgh
Downtown Pittsburgh from Troy Hill.
I thought San Francisco had left me too bitter to ever truly love another urban area again. But maybe not.
Pittsburgh really is sort of an amazing place, as I’ve mentioned before: urban without being pretentious, distinctly affordable, and possessed of a surprisingly stable population of working families. As I become more familiar with the city, I find that there are very few neighborhoods that make me nervous as I drive through them (yes, there are still a few). And there really is some new little bit of wonderfulness around every corner. Of course, your definition of wonderfulness may vary.
And after a (very) few initial moments of skepticism, I’ve come to love my neighborhood, Lawrenceville, as well. It’s nice to be able to walk to the supermarket and pick up something I’m out of while cooking dinner, or to a really good diner for breakfast. And Lawrenceville has urban texture like almost no other place I’ve ever seen. It ranges from the beautiful to the butt-ugly, just like a real urban neighborhood should. And I think I would actually be a little surprised to find my car window broken here, unlike South of Market, where I sort of expected it.
In fact, it has been suggested that part of my problem with San Francisco stemmed from the neighborhood I lived in, and there may be some slight validity to that. That said, in San Francisco, mere mortals can’t just pick and choose their neighborhoods, either. Nor can they afford whole houses in them.
Anyway, I don’t live here full-time now, and it’s not really likely that I’ll be doing so anytime soon. I hope my fascination doesn’t wear off. I don’t think it will.
I have lots of thoughts and little attention span. Thus, here are some more pictures. Pictures are easy.
South Side.
Carson Street, South Side.
Strip District from Troy Hill.
Downtown Pittsburgh from South Side Slopes.
Purty Pitchers
What could be more fun than a brand new camera and a brand new city to use it in? These shots are of downtown Pittsburgh and Lawrenceville from the Washington Crossing (a/k/a 40th Street) Bridge.
In Da ‘Burgh
After a long departure delay (thanks to rain and the yard…long story…) I am in Pittsburgh. I will be here all week. The hubby will be joining me for the weekend, and then I’ll be making a sidetrip to someplace Canadian, Illinoian, or who knows whatan next week.
Did I mention it was vacation season?
All I Ever Wanted
After a very hectic weekend, I’ve just now finished my last paper for the intense summer session class. Even though I have two more days of work and one more class tomorrow night, I am now officially declaring myself on vacation.
Yes, it helps my mood that I actually slept last night for a change.
And yes, vacation will be in Pittsburgh (where I’ll still be doing some work and where my hubby will also be visiting me), but it will also involve as yet undisclosed side trips.
Shouldn’t This Go Without Saying?
