Pittsburgh Day Trip (Rochester, Midland, Highland Park: apartments, rental, homes)

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

Okay, so here's how the trip went (along with some inside thoughts)

Glad to hear that you had a good trip. I spent the weekend in Cleveland and also had a really good time.

On the subject of Primanti's, I agree that the cheese steak is a definitely not their finest work. I typically choose the Rajin' Cajun or capicola and egg. A solidly mediocre sandwich to be sure, but occasionally I get that itch.

[BrianTH]

Their deli sandwiches aren't horrible (nor very good, IMO). I just wish they weren't marketed as a unique Pittsburgh treat.

[trotter_rej]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

(they never tell you what No. 1 is)

They tell you if you ask. It's beer.

[wanderlust76]

I used to really hate on Primanti's but some of the less ordered stuff on their menu like the Ragin' Cajun chicken breast actually aren't half bad. Of course the last time I had it was when I was half tanked at midnight leaving a concert at Altar Bar....so maybe I was eating it with rose colored glasses on lol.

[Copanut]

I had one the other day, at of all places the site in Grove City. It was fresh and pretty good, and I was sober. I guess only eating about 2/year helps. Suffice to say, it was around 7PM on a Tuesday and the place was packed.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

While Primanti's isn't great... IMO the "cheesesteak" is the worst item on the menu... it's some slab of tasteless mystery meat that came out of a freezer somewhere. At least a pastrami sandwich is tolerable. It seems like every visitor gets suckered into the "cheesesteak" since Primanti's advertises it as the "2nd most popular item" (they never tell you what No. 1 is)... and most people are probably envisioning something similar to a Philly cheesesteak. Btw, Min-Chi-Cbus-Cle, you should be familiar with the Primanti's concept living in Cleveland... as regional Cleveland chain Panini's serves the same sandwiches.

As for density... I do believe that Pittsburgh is a "denser built environment" than cities like Minneapolis, for example... but the overall density number is affected by significant areas in city limits that are virtually empty and lushly forested due to extreme topography.

As for African-American population... Cleveland (53%) and Cuyahoga County (30%) are about "twice as black" as Pittsburgh (26%) and Allegheny County (14%). Pittsburgh has a much smaller black population than most cities in the Northeast / Great Lakes regions... which is partially a legacy of its uniquely Appalachian location.

Come back soon!

I'm not from Cleveland though, and have only been here a year. Besides, like I said, I usually NEVER have extravagant sandwiches (meaning lots of toppings) because I'm a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I did that to "live as the Romans do"!

Right. That's the only reason I can see the densities working out the way they actually do. I mean Minneapolis has lakes and rivers that take up wide swaths of space, as well as industrial yards, but I'd think it's the hills and possibly -- what, 5 decades -- of urban decay and depopulation that may also be contributing factors. It's interesting, nonetheless.

Is the black/non-white population of Pittsburgh evenly distributed or segregated? For example, if you somehow drove through the northside of Minneapolis on a day trip you might get the impression that the city is very black or Asian, even though it's more like Pittsburgh in regards to % population that is black/non-white (I believe the city is about 20% black and county is about 12% black).

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by wanderlust76

I used to really hate on Primanti's but some of the less ordered stuff on their menu like the Ragin' Cajun chicken breast actually aren't half bad. Of course the last time I had it was when I was half tanked at midnight leaving a concert at Altar Bar....so maybe I was eating it with rose colored glasses on lol.

I ALMOST ordered that but thought "what the hell, let's eat what the locals say is good", and got the #2 best-seller cheesesteak instead. Somebody said it perfectly: "tasteless mystery meat that probably came from some freezer".....the fries were good at least!

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

I ALMOST ordered that but thought "what the hell, let's eat what the locals say is good", and got the #2 best-seller cheesesteak instead. Somebody said it perfectly: "tasteless mystery meat that probably came from some freezer".....the fries were good at least!

Try the roast beef sandwich next time. It always hits the spot for me.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

I'm not from Cleveland though, and have only been here a year. Besides, like I said, I usually NEVER have extravagant sandwiches (meaning lots of toppings) because I'm a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I did that to "live as the Romans do"!

Right. That's the only reason I can see the densities working out the way they actually do. I mean Minneapolis has lakes and rivers that take up wide swaths of space, as well as industrial yards, but I'd think it's the hills and possibly -- what, 5 decades -- of urban decay and depopulation that may also be contributing factors. It's interesting, nonetheless.

Is the black/non-white population of Pittsburgh evenly distributed or segregated? For example, if you somehow drove through the northside of Minneapolis on a day trip you might get the impression that the city is very black or Asian, even though it's more like Pittsburgh in regards to % population that is black/non-white (I believe the city is about 20% black and county is about 12% black).

Does Minny have large numbers of apartment buildings? Pittsburgh has apartment buildings, but they tend to be relatively low slung. Pittsburgh's layout tends to mimic the cities to the east of us, meaning streets tend to be narrow, and houses very closely built, with substantial numbers of rowhouses, something most Midwestern cities lack.

[PITairport]

On the topic of day trips to Pittsburgh, here's a nice review from a Canadian media outlet:

Underrated, U.S.A.: Pittsburgh, once industrial, now chic | Travel | Life | National Post