The Strip District Bonanza

Two words to start of the blog of my weekend adventure, Strip District. This weekend being my first time ever exploring this part of Pittsburgh! Within the first five minutes I was already planning my next visit to this, what I felt as a sacred ground of glory. My eyes wandered excitedly as there was something new to see and experience every few steps. There were some ups and downs but I felt this instant lure of wanting to do experience it all and eat it all. All I wanted to do was spend money….

Unveiled to me was the Strip District had lots of history to learn, along with stories to hear. Within the first few minutes my lady and I stumbled into La Prima Espresso Co. for some espresso and unknown instant pleasure of the taste buds. I knew this was a popular choice because it was packed, and filled with Italians. One and done in my book, I sort of go by this rule, if people of that culture are eating or at a genre of that location then you’re in the right place. There was loud chatter of Italian on stories being exchanged like there would be on any Sunday morning. This along was a deciding factor of making it back to the strip.

Continuing on our journey we decided to walk around a see what was being offered. We encountered cheap produce and amazing Asian markets and my inner cook got way too excited. The possibilities were unlimited for what you could find and need, I would almost count on it being around the Strip

One quick note we did run into a vendor that was selling cell phone accessories on a large table and I started to inquire about his goods. Instantly we were grief into buying his items, with him saying “buy my stuff so I can go eat,” using the make you feel guilty tactic. To his dismay this tactic did not work on selling his goods to us. Although he did offer to barter, which was a big surprise. I have not encountered a market where multiple places will take offers and barter. Free markets are so uncommon now days. I would say this is extremely close to one.

To finish of the day we figured it was time to bit the bullet and find some food. The choices led to headaches, mild frustration, and starvation. We decided to end our adventure with some amazing fried fish sandwiches from Wholey’s Fish Market. Instantly were we filled with joy upon eating our first bite. I would more than recommend this fish market for either lunch or sea food purchases. The options and selection was outstanding. They even offer live fish and lobsters.

Our visit was short and I was not ready to leave. I feel this places has a major impact on Pittsburgh and its people. I feel that if the Strip District were not around Pittsburgh would be missing a major draw and way of life. I feel that I can compare the Strip District to the book Sidewalk that we are using as a guide in class. I will be back and will have more to say in the near future.

Some Opportunities For The Slower Cool Season

I have been meaning to give some of my time lately. So lately I have been searching for some ways to possibly volunteer around home. Pittsburgh is in need just like some many other cities around the world. Instead of me getting fed up or frustrated about the mobs of sidewalk hustlers, I have decided that it is time to do something productive. There is no real way to know if the ones working the streets are being honest or out for a lie filled day. So why not go to the source of where help is provided to give help where it is needed. Here I have some resources that I have found to provide opportunities for volunteering. Pittsburgh Cares is a great start to find some leads on opportunities close to you. Also here is another start.

There are also plenty of animal shelters if you fancy a different kind of volunteering.

I’ll let you know how it goes soon!

Fishing The Alleghany

Today marked the third game of the series for major league playoffs between St Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. As I stand next to the shore of the Alleghany River with my line in the water, I see thousands of fans of all ages, happy, excited, intoxicated, and friendly walk by. Today I decided to go Alleghany River next To PNC Park and go fishing for the day so I could get some festive people watching in while doing something I really enjoy! I know Pittsburgh has had its flak for being heavily polluted at times of its history, and may have not provided any sort of river life or any opportunity of outdoor activities. Some people will say “there is nothing in those rivers,” “you would be crazy to swim in them,” “those are shit rivers,” or even “expect a third arm if you eat any fish out of there.” These are some of the reactions I have gotten when I have told people I want to go fishing at one of the three rivers surrounding Pittsburgh. After all of that, I still see people enjoying the water, fishing, jumping off boats, jet skiing, kayaking, or even people taking a tour of the river. I understand the river was once deemed dead, but the three rivers have started to come back to life, despite what some people think

Keith Srakocic

It would seem as If the rivers surround Pittsburgh have gotten cleaner but still are in the top 10 of being the most polluted. Even though the soot covered skies of the twenties and the booming times after leading up to the steel factory fall and jobs being lost, there are still tons of sources of pollution being brought into this water. Pollution being anything from waste dump from factories, old cars, electronics, trash, and who knows what else. Let’s look at this all on the sideline, it would seem compared to how it was and now it is slowing making a recovery. I would say it is about to meet another great hurdle because there is more reform that is needed to be done to make the waters even cleaner. The Clean Water Act has failed, and has only gotten so clean. New measures are needed to make more improvements. These rivers are polluted and most would say not swimmable, just keep your mouth shut and don’t swallow the water. With all the pollution filthiness set aside there is a great fishing experience to be had!

This weekend’s adventure was well spent and a success. I posted up next to the Alleghany River and fished for a few hours. I got the common question “catch anything?” and overheard the common response from parents when kids asked about me, “there is nothing in there.” Most people just ignored the fact that I was there and some wanted to talk for a while. It was a great experience. Overall I did catch one Catfish, it was about a foot long and weighed in a little under a pound. It looked healthy and was not diseased reddened. Also I do not know why I did not take any pictures of it… Shame! World record holding I would say no, but it did prove to me and many passer-by-ers that there are indeed fish in the Alleghany.

Let’s Go Bucks!

Weekend Roam

This week I just wanted to touch base and show some pictures of me recent weekend adventure. I wanted to go out for a day this weekend and decided to walk around and check out and see what else I could learn about the city. As some of you may know the giant rubber duck has arrived to Pittsburgh on Friday! This 40 foot tall beast of a duck is being showcased at Point State Park and will be around floating at a few select locations. The duck was created by Florentijn Hofman. It made its first Veiwing in Hong Kong. I

Pittsburgh is host to 446 bridges surrounding the greater area. Pittsburgh is also known as the “city of bridges.” As I was standing Rachel Carson bridge downtown, I had a glimpse to also remind me how old some of the bridges are and how nature will eventually take over if not maintained. According to a study done in 2011, 30 of the 446 bridges in Pittsburgh are also considered deficient, also the highest of any cities in the United States.

Also surprising me on my adventure was finding out that Pittsburgh is home the USS Requin, a Tench Class submarine. It is ported next to the science center on the North Shore. Admission is included with the pass purchased for the science center, if not it is $5 for admission. The Requin was not one to see much action and mainly deployed on minor assignments. Just a few weeks before the end of WWII the Requin arrived to Hawaii to only be recalled because of the wars end.

I was surprised to my many findings this weekend and am glad that I was able to learn some new things about the city of Pittsburgh. I would also like to bring to light is that if you are a student and living in Pittsburgh, please remember to utilize that as a benefit, many companies/events offer student discounts. I also had the opportunity to score some free Student Rush tickets to a hockey game at Consol Energy Center for the All American Prospects Game!

A Parents Way

My blog response is going to tie into two peoples blogs, and from there I will formulate it into in my view a central idea. Jessica talks in her blog post about, “How you talk to your kids can affect their whole outlook on the world,” and Danielle’s post about “Children and technology.” I feel that I can relate the two into view on how children are affected by how they are raised and their life experiences growing up. Even though they both title different ideas they both include in their own blogs insight on how they were either raised or how they themselves would like to raise their own children.

Jessica has some very deep feelings going on in her blog so I feel like it is more easy to connect to the writer and get a better understanding if never have experiencing something like she has. She knows how she talks to her kids is probably not how she should be doing it but she sees that what she feels is doing something wrong and she should not go about it that way. I feel that it is good to be open with your kids to an extent. She is writing about in a since on how she has raised her children and how she would like to do it. I feel that this can align in a way with Danielle’s. Jessica states that her actions have maybe cause one of her children to act the way they do. Whether it be the way she talks to them or raises them it will always affect them because she is their mother.

Danielle writes in her blog about the ever changing technology and how it may be affecting children and how it could be causing them to lose their innocence. She includes in her post about how she was raised and compares how she was raised and basically how children are raised today. She aligns her world growing up with her children’s and how she tries to raise them based on her beliefs. She too also includes hardship in her struggles to keep a roof over “their,” heads, just how Jessica shares her own struggles of life. Maybe not in all situations could this lead to something more to cause all of this in the long run?

What idea came across my mind is how much does the previous generation of parenting habits affect the future generations? How far down the future of the family line will the parent’s influences go? Could how Jessica and Danielle raise their children have been determined by their parents parenting styles or even their parents, parents styles, or even further?

The Bad, Ugly, and the Worse

The bad, worse, and the ugly of Pittsburgh in my adventures so far have presented themselves in many fashions. Having lived here since May I have encountered and experienced new experiences that I’ve never had the opportunity come across, whether it being begged for money/scammed out of 20 dollars, being asked to buy a gift credit card for 10 bucks when it has 20, or even being hailed in Oakland being tried to convinced/forced into buying something. Here is the scum off the pond (mainly the people who scam) that Pittsburgh has to present you, not that it wants to… Oh, and there is some traffic too!

I feel that one things that needs to be addressed in Pittsburgh is all of the beggars on the streets. I know many of them are homeless and in no way is that a good thing, but I feel that the ones that are par-taking in begging are affecting the city in a negative way. I’ve been walking down Forbes Ave in Oakland and passed 5 beggars in less than half a block. What is this sort of behavior going to get them they are only being hurt even more when people give them money? If anything should be done, it should be them getting food from people so they cannot abuse the power of having money. Often times many of these beggars deceive us more than we know. I don’t want this to be a thorn in my side and I really don’t have much more to say, just be ready for beggars and you are only going to have to learn when to say no. Go volunteer somewhere instead where you can actually give your time to the ones that are actually trying to make an improvement on their lives.

This rant also leads to a horrible mistake I made one day and had a lady(Named Andrea) drove up to me one night after work pleading for money because her car was on empty and she had just gotten back from the airport and she needed gas to make it home. Well she started to tell me she would pay me back and provided her number which works, and said she would call me the next day. Well I did it I have her 20 bucks to help a person out. Well that was the wrong idea and I searched her number and she has been doing it since 2010 in the Pittsburgh area. Just always learn to say NO!

The last ugly thing that I have encountered is the traffic. Yeah there are always other ways to go but even if you take the supposed less traffic routes you end up getting stuck just as bad. Driving through Oakland is always a mess, but it’s the smartest route for me so I have to deal with it. Some of the timing on the lights are way off I feel like It takes 20 minutes to go through one block. My best recommendation that I have seen so far is to either walk or bike to near locations that you are meaning to make a trip to. Always avoid rush hour, which last for a shorter time than any other city that I’ve seen on a positive note, and we all still live in an amazing place! Let’s getting ready for the fall season and great holidays!

Summer Happenings

One of the things in Pittsburgh so far that has impressed me quite a bit, is all of the public events and activities. Every once in a while they are unique events and things I’ve never attended before. Living in a big city has opened so many avenues. Granted 80% of the local events always seem to be over prices art shows, it’s still nice to see the availability for families to go out for the weekend and soak up some of the nice weather.

During the summer season there are events going on anywhere from Pittsburgh’s very own Worlds Pinball Championships, Three Fivers Art Festival, Mr. Smalls music venue, Bach, Beethoven and Brunch and Classical Music series in many of the local parks, and many of the holiday firework showings around the city. I have already gone to two Concerts, one at First Niagara Pavilion(Their website seems like it may be from the early 90’s) and Mr. Smalls Venue. The show at First Niagara was good but absolutely ridiculous traffic and high prices, but Mr. Smalls on the other hand is a gem hidden in Millvale. An old reclaimed church made venue! There is never a lull of things to do in this grand city that I have had the privilege to meet!

First Impressions

The adventure to Pittsburgh was a great road trip until, after driving from Arizona to Indiana my truck decides to break down and die. Any excitement of nearing the end of the road trip was devastated, and any hope of reaching Pittsburgh the final day was no longer. After sorting out a break down we finally made our way, surprisingly the next day.

Credit: Dave DiCello

After some quick thinking, the next day I was chugging along down the steep grade towards Fort Pitt Tunnel. I could feel the excitement, and uneasiness feelings traveling through my body, knowing I was almost to my new home. Then all of the sudden there it was, Pittsburgh in my sight! The city just sprawled out around me as I exited the tunnel. This still is one of my favorite first sights that I have seen of Pittsburgh. Only if I knew what first impression Pittsburgh was going to leave me ahead of me, I would have taken 376 to the Squirrel Hill exit instead of going through Oakland….

I was thinking “yeah! This is awesome, I love Pittsburgh already!” Just around the corner “good ol Cathy” (Cathedral of Learning) as my girlfriend calls it, welcomed us with their finals day/undergrad move out day. There I was sitting in traffic with my truck on a trailer behind me with a big ass U-Haul truck. What should have taken me 5 minutes to get the 5th and Shady took me and hour. Finally after dodging light poles and pedestrians as not to hit them with the big mirrors on the truck we made it to our destination.

Almost instantaneously Pittsburgh felt so user friendly and like home. Myself being from Arizona and having been to Phoenix that left no amazing impression on me. Phoenix massive for miles beyond miles, alongside it being 100 degrees at night in the summer. So seeing the green filled forest, being surrounded by three rivers, and lakes I knew I would easily call this home. My first impression is one that I would like to compare with what we are studying about in my English 101 class. The term is going to possibly into the word public figures. I’ve been so amazed by all the friendly people. I have yet to run into an unfriendly person in my adventures in Pittsburgh. I have enjoyed the center streets for shopping or walking down 5th and Forbes in Oakland, Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, or even Walnut Street in Shadyside.

I have been very impressed by all of the available things to do in and around the city. The outdoors are just 10 minutes outside of the city, there is water to fish around every corner, camping spots to post up, venues to listen to some great musicians jam out, and great community gatherings. I also liked to option around Pittsburgh and the greater area for the available options to rent garden plots for the summer. Here is a great LINK to check out if you are possibly interested in this. I have also gotten the opportunity to check out North Park about 20 minutes north of the city. With all of these options what is there not to do?

The summer so far has been a great one and hope to further diversify my readers on my following post about Pittsburgh.

Brainstorming Ideas and Thoughts

Brainstorming ideas,

The inner workings of this blog might be able to possibly be about my perception of Pittsburgh before and after having moved here and documenting the history of landmarks or areas of how it was “then” and “now.” This may be able to tie into urban fishing and the stories of people, urban exploration about what is past, present, and coming soon, or a local business reviews/blog a newcomers guide.

I also am thinking I can choose a topic about the new technologies in or coming to Pittsburgh, and how these technologies help us interact with Pittsburgh, but not only to document the new technologies but document how people interacted with Pittsburgh before they were developed.

I’m not sure how I could tie this into a blog but I randomly introduce myself to one new person once a week and ask them a series of questions, a basic interview. I’m not sure if I will know how to go about this.