North Shore

I'm going to take a guess when I say that the North Shore is probably the most popular neighborhood in this city. Why? North Shore is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oh yeah, the other sports team in the city, the Pittsburgh Pirates *cough*haha*cough*. Lately, I've been spending some quality time at Heinz Field since I'm the proud season ticket holder for the University of Pittsburgh football team. GO PITT! Yeah, I have to say, I am very happy with my decision to buy season tickets to watch my school play this season.

Pittsburgh lovessssssssss its football team. If you're not a Steeler fan, then you might as well be an alien from Mars. It reminds me of the J.D. quote from Heathers: "This is Ohio. If you don't have a brewski in your hand, you might as well be wearing a dress." Steeltown kind of has the same mentality. Haha. This town idolizes the starts of the Steelers. I've witnessed this town tear down its players when the team starts losing. Anybody remember Kordell Stewart? Anyone? Anyone?

Sports aside, I like the North Shore for its scenic beauty. It feels downright calming to walk down by the river, and when the weather's nice, taking a look across the river to downtown Pittsburgh is quite a sight! If you're visiting from out of town, then I highly recommend exploring the North Shore.

Brookline

Brookline is a friendly neighborhood in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. If you look at a map of Pittsburgh neighborhoods, you'll see that this one is the second-largest neighborhood in the city. I spent a lot of time in Brookline while dating my ex, a resident there. Despite its friendly atmosphere, I quickly realized while trekking around the neighborhood, camera in tow, that there wasn't much to shoot there. I'm not saying that to put it down or anything, don't get me wrong.

One thing I enjoy about this neighborhood is its abundance of pizza parlors and bars. Hot damn! If there's two things I love, it's pizza and beer. Haha. I've been to the bar Zippy's a handful of times. One night while we were there, I was so amused by the cast of characters at this place, I was probably a GUFFAW away from pissing someone off and getting my ass kicked.

The best thing about this city, in my humble opinion, is that it really feels like a neighborhood. While driving down the streets, I've noticed that families talk to one another. They wave hello and chat by each other's fences. It's nice.... It's homey.

Here's a good Web site that gives a little more in-depth to Brookline: http://www.spdconline.org/history/

Shadyside

Ah, Shadyside. The land of bourgeouis, swanky shops and ridiculously high rental prices. A one-bed apartment for over $800? For real? I will admit, the architecture of the homes in the Shadyside area are beyond impressive and amazing. As someone who grew up in the cookie cutter world of suburbia, I appreciate the aesthetic beauty that is Shadyside. Many times, I have taken a stroll around the neighborhood just to look at the different types of homes. They are gorgeous and absolutely breathtaking.

One of Shadyside's hidden gems is the store Kards Unlimited. I absolutely adore this store and frequent it often. Whenever I regale others about the wonder that is Kards Unlimited, the normal response is: "Oh, where's that?" People, go to Walnut Street and go to this store. They have cards (duh), novelty T-shirts (hot damn), a children's section to die for, and other assorted gifts. I think you could find a gift for most anyone between the age 18 to 35 at this store.

Moving on, I like the Shadyside area but I don't go there that often. Can't afford it, dude. I do appreciate the assortment of independently owned restaurants located on Walnut Street and Ellsworth Ave. Wing night at Cappys = awesome. I just wish Shadyside wasn't spilling into neighborhing East Liberty. That is pretty much my major beef with this area. Quit trying to take over the less affluent neighborhood with more "high end" stores. Eastside = it's not Easy Liberty and Shadyside coming together. It's pretense and it's not cool.

Downtown

Dear Blog Readers of Mine (whoever you are), Argh, I haven't updated this purdy ole blog of mine in awhile. I resolve to get out and take more neighborhood project photos to fill this blog up to the brim. Sincerely, Lara

Okay, that being out of the way.... I don't know if downtown is technically a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, but is sure is an integral part of the city. From 2004 to 2006, I had the pleasure (?) of working downtown in an office building located in the Cultural District.

I have to admit. I used to be in awe of Pittsburgh's downtown until I went to NYC and then, it just seemed really small to me. Still, the 'Burgh does have a nice downtown in certain parts. I recall that Liberty Ave. used to be home to some seedy strip joints and porn stores. Heh, before they knocked down the buildings on Liberty and Tenth which were home to such seedy joints, I remember waiting at the bus stop across the street and seeing a man passed out cold in the doorway of the strip joint. Someone had already called the police and help was on the way. It just made me chuckle to see such antics at 4:30 in the evening. That's dedication, folks!

My favorite part of Pittsburgh's downtown is the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Oh boy, that is definitely my favorite time of the year. So many free concerts, so little time. Every year, I have made an effort to head downtown as much as I can to attend these shows. This year, moe. played and it was fantastic! I boogied like the little hippy girl I try to be.

The one downside of Pittsburgh's downtown is that it's probably harder than it should be to navigate. I guess that's what happens when streets and what not are based on a triangle, not a classic grid. It took me working downtown for two years to finally find my way around but yeah, that took awhile. So newcomers, beware. I advise you to carefully study a map or invest in a GPS because trying to figure it out, might cause quite a headache.

Although Pittsburgh is no Manhattan (obviously), it still has a lot to offer - shopping, theaters, art galleries, and a confusing layout to navigate. What more can you want? For real, yo.

Southside Flats

If I was going to do an entry about the Southside Slopes, then I had to pair it up with its counterpart, the Southside flats, or Souseside. Oh... boy boy boy. Good old Southside, or as many people say/think "The Land of Drunken Debauchery." When I went to Pitt in 2000 to 2002, there was still a pretty decent bar scene. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was outstanding in any capacity but there were places to frequent if you wanted to drink it up a notch.

Now that Oakland is basically just the University/UPMC/slums/chain businesses... the bar scene for the Pitt students has migrated to the Southside. If you go to the neighborhood, you have to resign yourself to the fact that 1.) you're going to encounter some drunk ass people 2.) it's going to take forever to find a parking spot 3.) you might witness someone urinate in public.

I admit that I go to the Southside on occasion. I am fond of the bar Dee's and now and then, some really cool bands and singers play at venues down there. I also like going to 80s night at Lava Lounge and dancing like Flashdance is coming back in style- booya. This neighborhood is the scene, I guess you would say. More often than not, I find my anger and temper also accompanies me to the Southside. After a Motorpscyhos show, I was walking back to my car which was parked off of East Carson St., and a car full of guys called out, "Hey, baby wanna ride?" I replied, "Fuck off." Then one of them said something "gentleman"-like about his genitalia and they sped off, laughing at me. Classy, huh?

I like the Southside - it does have character. The one thing that turns me off of it most of the time is the overcrowding. It's just too much. Too many people, too many bars, too many hooches dressed up like they're auditioning for a stripper position. I believe the neighborhood community has been pleading with local officials in recent years to stop awarding out liquor licenses for new drinking establishments. People are fed up with their vehicles being vandalized or hit by the drunk drivers, or people peeing on their property. I mean, who wouldn't sick of that?

All in all, if you're an out-of-towner, and you want to get crazy drunk, this is the place to go. If you're someone who's not really big into crowds, then don't step foot in this area. Haha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southside_Flats_%28Pittsburgh%29

Southside Slopes

Before I started my neighborhood project, I never ventured up to the Southside Slopes before. My travels usually just ended at the Southside flats because well, there are bars there. Har de har har.

One thing that really struck out to me about this neighborhood was the appropriateness of the name. As you can see from the picture on my left, this area is definitely not flat. Holy hell. I haven't climbed that many stops in a long time and probably haven't climbed that many since.

I had fun taking pictures in the Southside slopes because the view of the city is just tremendous. You really haven't seen Pittsburgh in all its glory until you seen it from up high. The area, from what I saw, is mostly residential. One of the neighbors came out and asked me and my boyfriend why we were taking pictures during our trek around the neighborhood, but not in an accusatory "I'm going to call the cops on you." She was very friendly and that was refreshing. I think when you live so close to so many people, it would probably be in your best interest to not be an ass. Heh.

http://www.southsideslopes.org/

East Liberty

I spend most of my time here in East Liberty because my office is located here. I have to admit that I was hesitant at first when I heard I would be working in East Liberty, as opposed to downtown, because I thought I was going to work in the 'Hood.

Granted, East Liberty (aka 'Sliberty) isn't necessarily the safest neighborhood to take a stroll in, but I can name at least five neighborhoods which are worse. I believe if you go looking for trouble, then you're going to find it. So if you want to find bad, criminals and what not, then I'm sure you can find one or two here.

A lot of businesses and stores have moved in recently, which I'm sure is not going to "rejuvenate" the area. I'm afraid that this so-called refuvenation is just going to push the poor people and crime to neighboring areas.

Politics aside... I do like this neighborhood and think it has so much character. You see it everywhere in the streets of East Liberty. I found character in a doorknob, for crying out loud!

I can't say how long that I'm going to be in East Liberty and bear witness to the changes that it's going through. More and more businesses are cropping up in the main drag and surrounding areas. God knows what this neighborhood is going to be like five years from now.