Pittsburgh - don't pretend to be something you're not (lease, hotels)

[BUILD PENN SQUARE]

when the ACE HOTEL in east liberty and SUPERIOR MOTORS in braddock were open and running and generating lots of hype, pittsburgh's trendy rating was off the charts

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/22/s...-makeover.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/t...gh-review.html

but as warren buffett likes to say, "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."

naked as in revealed for who they really are - pittsburgh is not a trendy city, we're a blue-collar, shot and a beer city, thriving steel industry or not

and now both ACE HOTEL and SUPERIOR MOTORS are closed, most likely for good - ace was in financial trouble before the pandemic and now the local owners are in litigation with the parent chain, and kevin sousa has moved on to his next venture so unless superior finds a world class chef who wants to work in braddock that place is finished

i know this opinion will catch a lot of flack on this board which is mainly populated by well-paid professionals who prefer independent brewing to the squirrel cage, but it is what it is

just be yourself, pittsburgh - we like you just the way you are

[Moby Hick]

I've spent more nights in the Squirrel Cage than you've had hot suppers. Businesses sometimes close.

[erieguy]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I've spent more nights in the Squirrel Cage than you've had hot suppers. Businesses sometimes close.

Doesn’t at all mean the OP is wrong. What he’s saying is a big reason why folks don’t stay, don’t come, and the population continues to drop.

[norcider]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I've spent more nights in the Squirrel Cage than you've had hot suppers. Businesses sometimes close.

Yeah, I feel kinda offended. Been going to the Cage for decades...

[Jbraybarten65]

As you mentioned, the hotel owner (or ownership group as it typically is with hotels) is having issues and in a legal dispute with Ace corporate. Unfortunately, that happens. Pittsburgh is not one thing. Most places are not one thing.
Additionally a variety of factors play into something opening or closing, as with this situation.

[BUILD PENN SQUARE]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I've spent more nights in the Squirrel Cage than you've had hot suppers. Businesses sometimes close.

one great thing about the cage - you can smoke there

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburg...watering-hole/

"There are a lot of other places he could have picked. Why the Squirrel Hill Cafe?

“It’s not pretentious whatsoever. It’s reasonably priced. It’s got lots of regulars but anybody can go there and it’s got some charm to it. And (Bourdain) was thrilled that he could smoke there,” said O’Nan, the Pittsburgh author of 16 novels."

thank god allegheny county didn't completely ban smoking in bars - that's keeping it real, not trendy and lame

[svband76]

Kevin Sousa starts and closes so many eateries I've lost track. What a joke.

[Paul2421]

smoking indoors is trashy and disgusting. sousa is a known grifter as well. the restaurant failing with enormous media support and no rent is impressive, though.

[Moby Hick]

It turns out smoking is bad for you though.

[PghYinzer]

Kevin Sousa isnt and hasnt been relevant on the local scene in a while. He has a lot going on in his personal life, and Superior Motors was never really a good idea. I mean conceptually, yes using a restaurant to teach and employ locals in a growing food scene was nice, but it just landed poorly. I ate there once and felt like a tool for doing it. My money would have been better used as a donation to a local group or simply handed to someone on the street. He is also more of an 'art on a plate" kind of chef, which is not my style at all. One shouldn't need to stop to get a second dinner after paying what you paid to eat at Superior Motors. I will always believe his hot dog shop was his best place he ever had.

Also, in regards to Ace, the building owner is the one with financial issues and it sounds like they were trying to open back up last week as an independent hotel with 13 years left on a lease with Ace. Seems like they were trying to act like an Ace hotel without having to pay the management and licensing fees associated with being an Ace so they could make some money to help solve their money problems. Thankfully the judge wouldn't have any of that.

I never understand these threads...is the purpose to try to brush aside swaths of Pittsburgh residents because their tastes don't align with other Pittsburghers? Different strokes for different folks, and liking one thing rather than another doesn't make you any less authentic or not as much of a "real Pittsburgher." There is room for everyone here, so we really dont need the whole "the tech bros are ruining Pittsburgh by not eating in a smoky bar" and "yinzers are trashy for allowing smoking in bars" type reactions to everything.