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/