One day in Pittsburgh (Washington, Penn: taxi, restaurant, price)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by hth316

Like Tessarro's in Lawrenceville-very Pgh...

Tessarro's is in Bloomfield, not Lawrenceville.

[Gerbil]

The South Side Works *better* have an American Eagle store. Their corporate headquarters is there! So in that particular case it *is* a local store

I don't know why part of the nieghborhood being chain-y somehow makes the entire neighborhood chain-y. That seems a tad silly.

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by hth316

Monterray Bay on Mt.Washington is outstanding(for fine dining).

Yes, but Monterrey Bay is so chain-y. (Hey! There's one in Monroeville, thus making it a chain).

Of course I'm kidding, but I just had to throw it in there. Monterrey Bay is absolutely superb. It should be mentioned, for the OP's benefit, that it is a "fish grotto" and 90% of the menu is seafood. Having said that, it is the best damn seafood there is, so if you're a seafood person, you've got to try it out. Go with Parmesan encrusted anything- you won't be disappointed.

What's with the aversion to "chains" anyway? Can't a place have local mom & pops AND big name brands and still be desirable? I quite like my Target. Doesn't mean I can't shop at "Joe's corner store" too.

CaptainO

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by hth316

Monterray Bay on Mt.Washington is outstanding(for fine dining).

Yes, but Monterrey Bay is so chain-y. (Hey! There's one in Monroeville, thus making it a chain).

Of course I'm kidding, but I just had to throw it in there. Monterrey Bay is absolutely superb. It should be mentioned, for the OP's benefit, that it is a "fish grotto" and 90% of the menu is seafood. Having said that, it is the best damn seafood there is, so if you're a seafood person, you've got to try it out. Go with Parmesan encrusted anything- you won't be disappointed.

What's with the aversion to "chains" anyway? Can't a place have local mom & pops AND big name brands and still be desirable? I quite like my Target. Doesn't mean I can't shop at "Joe's corner store" too.

P.S.- Damn you all for mentioning Tessarro's. Now my brain has forced me to go eat a half-pound burger today for lunch. The mere mention of the place makes my mouth water. So much for that diet.

CaptainO

[Gerbil]

I agree, CaptianO, there is nothing wrong with a mix of chains and local.

And yes Monterey Bay has great food, and the one on Mt. Washington has a spectacular view. But I am not sure if anyone's mentioned that it's fairly upscale. Just to warn the OP

[NewBurg]

Originally Posted by CaptainObvious

Yes, but Monterrey Bay is so chain-y. (Hey! There's one in Monroeville, thus making it a chain).

What's with the aversion to "chains" anyway? Can't a place have local mom & pops AND big name brands and still be desirable? I quite like my Target. Doesn't mean I can't shop at "Joe's corner store" too.
CaptainO

I don't think much is "wrong" with a few chainstores in the neighborhood. I've certainly shopped at Target for a few items I couldn't find other places and love a Chipotle burrito every now and then. I also think having a couple of big anchor stores in a neighborhood can help. In East Liberty, the Home Depot and Whole Foods have served as anchors at the far ends of the neighborhood while some local, interesting places have started to fill the interior. I think these stores can sometimes really kickstart a revitalization effort, and also bring in much more cash to transform or demo older buildings when necessary.
In general, though, I'm not a fan of chains for a few reasons. The first is that local stores pump a much higher percentage of their profits back into the local economy. The second is that chains tend to be surrounded by parking lots and strip malls... things that promote car-culture (try walking or biking when shopping in Monroeville or McKnight Road). A neighborhood also tends to lose its identity and charm when its filled with Applebees, Circuit Cities and the like (if a neighborhood even existed before the chains came in). It's kind of silly that when you travel these days, many cities, and especially small towns, are all starting to look alike.
For me, shopping at Donatelli's Italian Market or the Strip or getting coffee at the Quiet Storm is much more interesting and satisfying than the flourescent lights and homogeneity of the chains. Most people who enjoy urban living would probably agree. A lot of people find comfort in familiarity, or even see an inlux of chainstores as progress. I don't... it's just a personal decision I guess.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by NewBurg

I don't think much is "wrong" with a few chainstores in the neighborhood. I've certainly shopped at Target for a few items I couldn't find other places and love a Chipotle burrito every now and then. I also think having a couple of big anchor stores in a neighborhood can help. In East Liberty, the Home Depot and Whole Foods have served as anchors at the far ends of the neighborhood while some local, interesting places have started to fill the interior. I think these stores can sometimes really kickstart a revitalization effort, and also bring in much more cash to transform or demo older buildings when necessary.
In general, though, I'm not a fan of chains for a few reasons. The first is that local stores pump a much higher percentage of their profits back into the local economy. The second is that chains tend to be surrounded by parking lots and strip malls... things that promote car-culture (try walking or biking when shopping in Monroeville or McKnight Road). A neighborhood also tends to lose its identity and charm when its filled with Applebees, Circuit Cities and the like (if a neighborhood even existed before the chains came in). It's kind of silly that when you travel these days, many cities, and especially small towns, are all starting to look alike.
For me, shopping at Donatelli's Italian Market or the Strip or getting coffee at the Quiet Storm is much more interesting and satisfying than the flourescent lights and homogeneity of the chains. Most people who enjoy urban living would probably agree. A lot of people find comfort in familiarity, or even see an inlux of chainstores as progress. I don't... it's just a personal decision I guess.

Chains also look all alike -- as a cost cutting measure. If you're going to build an Applebee's, you going to build 300 Applebee's -- so buy 4000 booths and save lots of money. It also adds to the "branding" of the chain. Every one knows the Golden Arches is McDonalds.

However that very thing also affects the neighborhood. I've used this as an example ages ago, but out here we have an upscale town called Danville. And they have a outdoor shopping center (not a strip mall - the ANTI-strip mall) called the Livery and Mercantile.

Danville Livery & Mercantile | Commercial Space for Lease in Northern California (http://www.assetmanagement.com/218DLM.htm - broken link)

Danville is a town that's proud of it's Western ranch and farming roots. And development MUST adhere to the town codes. New buildings must look they were old west style. So if Target wanted to open -- they would have to adhere to the style..

I think that's a good idea. I think that would make it destination shopping. Target however, would take their business elsewhere.

But anyway -- I digress. I think that's why chains -- so ubquitous -- can ruin an area. That and they have a money base that is so strong if they want to get pushy, the little guy is going to suffer.

Telegraph Avenue in Berkley used to be a haven for shopping, with outdoor tables with handmade goods by local artisans... but the Gap didn't like that, and there was a homeless issue, like there always had been -- so the Gap got the city to start patroling heavily to chase away the homeless... and then they started checking the tables permits... and gee... the tables started going away.

With the shopping limited to Gap and a few record stores, 2 slice shops (pizza) and a few indie bookstores and no tables... the homeless came back in droves. Now, things are closing left and right -- including the GAP.

[Katarina Witt]

Tallysmom makes some very good points. And back to the original question, the OP has one day to see Pittsburgh, with a nine month old baby in tow. Does he/she want to see stores they could see at home? Probably not. As much as people who knew what the old south side looked like may think it is now much improved, it is not unique. Many cities have such an area that has been "gentrified", which has a lot of chain stores and "shoppes" that sell useless stuff, and restaurants, both chain and local.

We have these people running from the north side to the south side to the east end and back to Mt Washington for dinner, then over to the north side to see a Pirates game! They are going to do a river cruise, too, if they take all of our advice. We have given them a lot of choices, but they are not going to be able to do it all. If they like history, they should go to Point Park. If they like museums, they should go to Oakland. I personally think everyone should go up the incline, but they may want different things. All of these activites take time, especially with a nine month old.

[Gerbil]

I'm not a big fan of chains either, but in the case of the South Side I don't think their presence takes away from the neighborhood's character and local flavor. I'm not saying it's a must-see, but I think there are enough local establishments there to counter-act the chains.

Now, with that said, it's certainly true that with only one day to spend in the city, East Carson Street is probably something to skip.

[NewBurg]

If I were showing somebody around who had one day in Pittsburgh....

Morning: Browse the Strip District, looking at the food vendors, antique stores, and some other interesting shops. Then maybe get breakfast at Pamela's (or the other place that's probably better than Pamela's, but I can't remember the name).

Afternoon: Riverboat Tour and walk along the rivers at the Point. (will that still be under construction? If so, maybe walk around the rivers and browse Station Square).

Evening: Ride the Incline up to Mount Washington. Have dinner at one of the restaurants up there where you can sit outside overlooking the river. Get ice cream afterwards and stroll along Grandview Ave for a while, enjoying the view.

There's nothing too crazy in my agenda, but I think it would be fun and not too rushed. Sometimes I think a vacation can be no fun when you try to do too much.
Plus this will keep them pretty close to one end of town so they're not racing around all over town with a young child. They get nice views of the city, and you could keep the cost fairly low if necessary. What do you guys think?