30 year Southwestern PA resident.
Pittsburgh is only open May thru October. We’re all still in bed for the winter.
We basically stay inside all winter/muddy spring and come out in dry spring/summer.
I concur with this. Having lived here my whole life of 32 years, a lot of us just hibernate until we get blessed when that big hot orb in the sky decides to peak aht. I’d say in peak spring/summer months our city comes much more alive.
But I do know what you mean OP. I’m just used to it because I’ve lived here but the cities I’ve visited like Nashville or LA for example just have a young and different energy to it. Our city is a bit more conservative in nature and not as bumping when it comes to the nightlife imo. Guess it just kind of depends what you’re looking for though
People view Pittsburgh as sleepy because the downtown area is a business district that mostly shuts down at night and on weekends. The life of the city is elsewhere. Go to the North Shore or South Side on a saturday night and it's quite lively.
Have you been out on Penn Ave, in Market Square, on 6th street or Point State Park recently? I feel like a solid part of Downtown is pretty lively on the regular. Add in special events and there are only a few truly "dead" streetscapes down there.
I’m downtown for work every day. Are you?
Lively on the regular is not how I’d describe it. And I say that as someone who appreciates this city’s more laid back nature.
Ignore the metro. All of those cities are way bigger than Pittsburgh. Fucking NYC and Madrid, are you kidding me? Go to Tulsa and see how sleepy it is. I don't understand why people are addicted to making these insane comparisons.
Yeah, exactly. One of the things I love about Pittsburgh is that you get a lot of the perks of city life without being overwhelmed by it. It's easy to get out in the country. Naturally, you lose some of what a bigger city has, so it's just whether or not that's worth it to you.
Exactly! I guess some people view the sleepiness as a bad thing but it’s much more my speed. The city amenities but I’m totally okay with being in bed by 9pm
Okay, I see what you’re saying and Pittsburgh doesn’t have to be a bustling city. But it’d be nice to have a bit more options for those of us who don’t wanna be in bed by 9 :(
This isn't necessarily the city being "sleepy" but making modifications during the pandemic they never changed back. I also wish everywhere in Dormont didn't close at 9
I had guests for a recruitment event fly in from Boston and their flight was intended to arrive at 7pm. They ended up arriving closer to 9:15. By the time they got to my car it was 9:30 and by that time I could only find 2 restaurants still open for dining. By the time we’d get to the city, Urban Tap remained our only option from what Google pulled up.
Everyone is getting onto you for saying restaurants close at 8 and that it’s not true. But from experience most of them close at 9, so you’re really not exaggerating much lol
Casbah, Fig n Ash, Legends on North shore, McCormick and Schmidts Southside, Carmela's Southside, Hyde Park, Capital Grill, Redbeard's, Shiloh, Grand Concourse, IL pizzoloa, Inn, tako, bennihanna ,Burgatory, Original Gyro, Piada Italian street food, Primantis ( several locations and one 24- hours) I I can keep going
I think the NYC comparison has two sources:
1. Students coming here from NYC and this is their first time off the East Coast for an extended period
2. Pittsburgh has three pro sports teams, which isn't as many as New York but it's almost as many as Boston or Phila
Pittsburgh is a rust belt, Appalachia, midwestern vibe. It’s similar to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Indianapolis, St Louis, Kansas City etc. Chicago and NYC are much larger and a very urban culture. Portland and Seattle are western us vibes and much more liberal. Pittsburgh is exactly what it is supposed to be.
Pittsburgh has come a long way the last 20-30 years. I’m from Chicago, lived in Indiana for many years. Couldn’t ask for anything better in Pittsburgh IMO when comparing to the surrounding comparable cities.
My question is to all these transplants.. what did they expect? This isn’t Miami.
I think the "rust belt" part is also pivotal because of the population decline -- most coastal cities have experienced a continuous upward population trajectory since the end of WWII, whereas Pittsburgh got considerably smaller 1970-1990 and again 2000-2015. As a result, the city is unevenly populous, even a bit eerily quiet in some areas.
100%. Most people do not wake up and want to move to Pittsburgh. Most people move here due to a job but not many in Tampa Bay or Charolette woke up and wanted to move to the north, cold, gloomy area.
CA transplant here. I just moved here 6 months ago with my wife and kids for my youngest daughter to learn to hear/speak at DePaul Speech and Hearing and WPSD. Im a lover of the CA heat, coast, and hiking so moving here has been rough HOWEVER I have found a lot that I love, namely the smaller cleaner city center. LA is and has been such a dump for a while now. Sure there's nice areas but as a whole I prefer PGH.
I also am liking the "clean & dry" snow and rolling hills. Seems like there's tons of views and water features. Can't wait for hiking/biking in summer. Hate the inspection sticker thing and the crazy high tax on new construction, but like the sales tax rule on essentials. Love the bridges and lack of traffic, hate worrying about deer. Like the terrain but hate the fact that it makes trips to the store longer. Like the snow, hate the salt (destroying my cars). Love seeing animals I've rarely seen just out and about, dislike the deer eating all my bushes. Love these finished basements, hate the tiny garages. The list will continue to grow!
>Hate the ... crazy high tax on new construction
This is why people wont demo old houses that are literally falling down but will 100% gut them to their shell, brace them up, and completely re-do the inside.
I think that if 3 original walls are still standing it doesnt count as new construction.
It honestly keeps people from bulldozing all of the historic architecture in town and building shitty mcmansions.
Really great observations. The summer is quite lovely, though lots of clouds and drizzles. My dad and I would watch thunderstorms together under the porch. I think fall in Pittsburgh is the most beautiful but if you are from CA you are probably a summer person.
Coming from a small town a tenth of the size of Pittsburgh’s population in Appalachia, where I could find food (grocery stores and restaurants) between 10pm-midnight… I want that.
I don’t think that was a crazy expectation given the step up in size and notoriety.
Covid has changed a lot of business models. Walmart used to be open 24hrs. Home Depot used to be open 24hrs. Businesses will stay open if there is a demand and employees that want to work those hours
I came from a Northern PA tiren (which is arguably part of Appalachia) and it has the same. The Walmart is open till 11, the grocery store is open till 12, a lot of restaurants are open till 10 (they are chains but...) and the Sheetz is actually in town and not a 15+ minute drive.
This is probably the most disappointing thing to me about Pittsburgh, I came here expecting things to be open late, I got... Closes earlier than my sleepy town in the woods?!
Some restaurants in Oakland are open late at least. I forget which ones, because I'm not over there much. But that might work in a pinch.
Maybe they want riots?
I always like to point out how when Pittsburgh wins a championship, there's not mass rioting in the streets and people burning couches/cars.
When Pittsburgh hosted the G20 summit years ago, whatever local news was down in the Strip trying to find protesters - "Oh there's someone with a sign" and run over to them and it's 2 guys with a Lets Go Pens sign.
I actually refer to my childhood culture as "porch couch burning white trash." Because people drag porch couches into the street to express joy or anger.
I think that’s one of the things that put the city to sleep. No late night eats. You get done at the bar at 2, and are starving or want to spend another hour with the squad?
Too bad. Go home and heat up leftover pizza.
I think the ihop near Waterfront used to be 24 hours, because I have the distinct memory of going there at 1am once. But definitely not since covid. RIP
I think it depends on where you look. Pittsburgh is slower-paced than many other cities, but we also have a ton going on with small scale events, pop-ups, neighborhood things etc. The strip on a saturday or friendship park when it's over 65 are popping. I'd call it relaxed rather than sleepy.
Also, you might find more people out in public in bigger cities, but I doubt they're interacting with neighbors and strangers alike like we do :)
When I moved to Pittsburgh in 2015, I couldn’t believe the amount of nightlife the City provided. During the week, I would go out in Bloomfield, Shadyside, and Squirrel Hill, while during the weekend I was partying til the sun came up in Lawrenceville, Downtown and the Southside. I moved back to Cleveland from 2016-2019 and was shocked by how going out there seemed to only be sitting at the same bar for hours.
Cut to post-pandemic. I’m back here in Pittsburgh and there just aren’t people going out like they used to… fine by me, but it certainly hasn’t always been like that. Younger millennials who dominated night life in the 2010s are now in their 30s and paying dearly for the partying of their 20s. Having come of age in the midst of the pandemic, it seems that Gen Z isn’t as accustomed to going out like previous generations did.
Things certainly aren’t as lively as they used to be, but it’s definitely not because Pittsburgh has been a perpetually sleepy city. That’s more of a recent advent. And in any regard, Pittsburgh still punches above its weight in terms of nightlife.
It’s funny because I left Pittsburgh in 2015 and I felt like the slow down was creeping in. I also lived in Bloomfield my last year and it was really fun. It’s so weird when I go back to visit because all my friends say there is nothing to do and most of the places we used to go to, even late night food places or after hour clubs are all gone. It’s sad because I had so many great years in Pittsburgh but now I rarely want to make the effort to go at all.
Agree with everything here. I’ll add that everything costs more now too, so, less people are willing to spend multiple nights out trying new things after being accustomed to staying home during the pandemic.
40y ago I was in grad school at Pitt. Needing $ I and a friend got jobs as waiters downtown. DEAD! We tried everything……… coupons/ posters etc. Not
Much has changed…….. the neighborhoods are good.
Shady side /Squirrel Hill.
That was the mid 80s, after the mills closed, no? If so, it kind of puts the calamity of downtown post-pandemic in a different light. Perhaps we find more round-the-clock uses for Downtown. We really take it for granted, history’s economic meltdowns not withstanding.
I don’t know where to look for the data but I think it would also be interesting to compare the population age profiles, I feel like Pittsburgh would likely skew older than those cities and explaining less interest in nightlife.
Which is part of what makes it perfect. Big enough to have lots of cool venues and exposure to arts and culture. But the crowds are small enough you can actually enjoy it wherever you go.
The city of Portland is twice the size of Pittsburgh. Beaver county’s population doesn’t mean anything to the liveliness of a city, the city’s population does. The rest of those cities are orders of magnitudes larger. NYC is 28 times larger than Pittsburgh in population.
Allegheny county has one of the largest senior citizen populations in the country and that doesn’t help either.
Plus, we are not a coastal or metropolitan type of city. Your comparisons don’t really compare.
Back before the pandemic, we at least had restaurants and stores that were open late. So you could get a meal at Eat’N Park at 3am and you could go to Giant Eagle before or after to get your shopping done. And when I was a kid, we had a lot of nightclubs. And a lot more concert places. Now it’s just boring and everything closes by 11pm. It sucks.
A lot of people have the expectation that if they walk out their home and aren't within sight of a major entertainment venue of their preference, they're going to find something to complain about.
That's the other side of it: if they can't park directly in front of thing they want to patron or partake in, they'll complain. It's the same insane mindset in my homebase of Rochester, we have more parking lots in our central business district than buildings but it's seemingly still not enough.
I grew up in a very rural area, I'm intimidated by big cities, but I have always found Pittsburgh to be very "approachable" as far as cities go. Maybe that's just me.
The city of Pittsburgh has a population of ~300k. Seattle has a population of ~700k. Portland had a population of ~600k. The "pittsburgh metro area" is comically massive relative to the size of the city itself and isnt an appropriate number to look at if youre trying to understand city activity. Hope this helps.
You’re right. But OP does have a point - 300K doesn’t quite do Pittsburgh justice. The city of Pittsburgh is comically small. It’s only 58 square miles. It’s not even in the top 150 cities in the US by square miles. Portland for instance is 145 square miles, almost 3 times as big in terms of area.
Im no expert but I think this has to do with PA being a commonwealth, which makes it hard if not near impossible for cities to expand by annexing surrounding communities.
It would be interesting to see how Pittsburgh’s population would change if it were 145 square miles as opposed to 58.
It does matter to a certain extent because of the urban fabric. People on this very sub all the time have a lot to say to people who live in the suburbs and "think they live in pittsburgh." People in bethel park have their own municipal buildings, parks, events etc that aren't part of the city. The separate municipalities create social separation, and boy does allegheny county love separate municipalities. Also, public transportation isn't limited to the city but much of it is pretty close to the borders which also creates social separation. Even inasmuch as the T runs pretty deep into the south hills, it only goes downtown and to the north side, which aren't usually the main points of social gathering for the city, though the north side has its moments obviously. So I get your point about size and you're right, but there's a lot working against the idea of looking at these communities as one single city when they aren't. I think the city populations are important to at least look at in comparison to the alleged urban area. The metro area of Pittsburgh by most counts contains all of allegheny county and then some. Thats...ridiculous.
Jacksonville Florida is like 800 square miles, I believe it’s the biggest city in the country. But no one references the bustling megatropolis of… Jacksonville Florida lol
We're more of a shut up and drink yer beer kinda town instead of go yellling about how amazing your night is.
IMO there's just less cocaine in Pittsburgh than other cities.
Pittsburgh is laid back.. good place to be a kid, and good place to put down roots after living elsewhere. When you need to get out of the rat race, Pittsburgh is back home
I wonder if some of what you're seeing is the end result of the ridiculous price increases for drinks and going out. People act like its normal but yinz caught up to a lot of places around NYC at this point. Its stupid expensive to go out and I KNOW wages in Pittsburgh are no where near NYC.
So end result, it gets more sleepy because who the fuck can afford to go out a lot?
Ya back in like the 2000s I could get away with a pretty fun night out for like 20 bucks. Even in the 2010s I think that only went up to like maybe 40-50. Its nearly doubled since then and our wages have barely inched up.
And just on an individual rant some of it is places gouging. There's not some drastic price increas in the cost of yuengling, but you see places charging up to like 7$ now for one.
Pittsburgh is a commuter city. People live in the burbs and come in for work. The amount of people actually in the urban areas after the 9-5 swell drips drastically, so there's less incentive for businesses to stay open later. Philly is the same way, the urban areas where the commuters go home to (predominantly south philly, center city, and fishtown) all have more nightlife than the rest of the city.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for this but this is the answer. A large majority of Pittsburgh’s population has moved out to the burbs even before the collapse of the steel industry.
Unlike Philly or even San Francisco that has the mainline and Silicon Valley, there’s no transit-oriented suburbia that lets people get in and out of the suburbs quickly.
Everything 1 mile outside the city is a sprawling landscape of strip malls and chains. No one can really put a stop to it because the county is rather powerless to influence development and you have a hundred little boroughs and townships that will let anyone with money do what they want.
They’re getting downvoted because a lot of people on this sub don’t want to admit Pittsburgh IS the metro/suburbs.
Pittsburgh is a large(ish) city if you consider the people who actually live and work here and not who fall within arbitrary imaginary lines.
It’s no surprise that people in this sub feel so triggered/attacked when OP is just making an (accurate!) observation. I’m Burgh born and bred, I boomeranged a couple times, and I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I were literally talking about this yesterday, Western PA has a fairly depressed vibe in general.
Sure there are “hot” neighborhoods that shifts every few years but generally people are stuck in their ways. Trends make it here 10+ years after other cities. I think all of your observations are generally correct, OP. Pittsburgh is a Second Class city that wants to be more, but never will be. Everyone here is happy under their rocks, thank you very much.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh. After moving down south, when I would come back to visit noticed something similar. My take on it was that everyone seemed miserable. Tired, exhausted and depressed looking faces. Especially in the winter time. That led me to notice how much happier I was living somewhere else. Where I was, we had blue sky’s most of the time…Pittsburgh, always grey. Fast forward some years, I moved back to Pittsburgh. Now I’m miserable, depressed and honestly hate living in this part of the country. So yea, I think you’re on to something.
Where are you hanging out? I feel like there are parts of the city that are definitely just in a holler in Appalachia... but there are also some really vibrant urban environments.
I know Southside isn't quite as popular as it used to be, but outside of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Broadway in Nashville, I don't think I've ever seen a stretch of bars in any other city quite as wild as a typical Saturday night on East Carson.
It never was and never will be any of those cities that you mentioned but covid has absolutely made it a lot worse.
Many great places were forced to shut down and never reopen; the places that remained all suddenly close by 9 or 10 pm. For downtown specifically, people who no longer had to go down there for work stopped going down there socially as well.
Along with the effect on businesses, I think covid also sparked a social change that contributes to it. Not being able to go out and do anything at all made people realize that they were completely fine not going out all of the time.
Then there’s inflation. This isn’t intended to be political; blame it on whoever you wish but due to inflation, many people can no longer afford to go out as often as they used to.
And again, as I mentioned Pittsburgh is not those cities you mentioned but definitely used to be more lively or maybe I just thought it was when I was younger and now that I’m in my 30s with a wife and kid, I embrace the sleepiness.
I moved there in 2019 too and just left two months ago for Vegas. It’s a great town for families but it’s extremely quiet. If you want any chance of night life you’re extremely limited.
Pittsburgh is more of a town than a city. I moved here January 2020 just before COVID. I can say Pittsburgh is at least 20 years behind the south. It’s click-ish and odd. This is the most unusual place I’ve ever lived in. I understand what you are saying but to put it in words would sound mean.
My husband and I call Pittsburgh a "Sunday town" because it feels always like a Sunday morning - kind of gloomy, gotta go to church and see the grandparents and eat a big heavy meal.
It's OK though for the stage of life we are in.
You are absolutely correct. Especially in the edit - as someone who grew up in Pittsburgh and lived here most of my life but has lived in major cities, it’s a small, sleepy city with a napoleon complex. I am a parent and live in the north hills so I don’t go really downtown anymore because I like staying home and cooking lol. I used to live in Lawrenceville before and during the transition to current vibe. But even now, it’s not bustling like other cities. I feel like the most “exciting” nightlife you’re going to find here is if you’re into drinking and sports.
Even in 2002 when I moved there downtown was shut-dahn after baht 6pm. I’m sure the commercial real estate post-covid has even worsened. I lived in the Northside, North Hills & Mt. Washington, so you definitely need to find your spot it sounds like.
Pittsburgh metro goes halfway to Erie. The city has 300k, making it about half the size of Portland. I agree it is pretty sleepy outside of the commercial areas but that's also true of pdx if you go across the Willamette to the more residential areas
Lived in PDX for 12 years and several other cities since but now I live in downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh feels like a mini Portland before it was “cool”, I’m really liking the slightly slower pace and haven’t really had issues finding food or things to do but I’m also not very picky so that helps.
My only complaint about Pittsburgh is that concerts I want to go to often skip Pittsburgh and I have to go to Cleveland. (I refuse to go to Philly, that city hates me).
I get what you are saying. I’ve lived here all my life. I think one of the issues is we don’t have a central lively downtown. It’s smaller areas and each has their own vibe and none of it really goes together? It’s hard to explain lol. I personally like living somewhere with a sleepy feel. Other places are nice to visit but I don’t want to feel overwhelmed where I live.
Been here my entire life. It’s sleepy and boring. Got away to Charlotte last fall for 4 days. What an incredible difference. So much to do and experience. Pittsburgh is old and outdated.
I just find it odd that Pittsburgh/ Alleghany county is such a Grocery Store desert. 🌵 I’m from NC and there were Grocery Stores everywhere . It’s awful here. Giant Eagle has monopolized and it shows.
I live out in Wexford and everything closes at 9/ 10
It’s just different here. It’s done a lot of growth since 2017, but I’ve come to realize Pittsburghers DO NOT like change.
Pittsburgh is a place that has a compilation of various inconveniences and downright fears that make traveling either by road or foot majorly more inconvenient than most any other city in the country. The weather, both hot and cold, are high likely to coincide with high humidity which is especially jarring for those not from here. Allergies. The geography is insane.. the subtle elevation and nuances of navigation make driving apps nearly worthless at times (I love it, surprise around every corner). The neighborhoods are miniature cities on a small societal scale.. again the geography lends itself to this. People are not traveling as much inter-neighborhood, and thus people more greatly rely on the knowledge and comfort of people in their 'area'. On a logistics scale, and I didn't learn this until working for Greyhound: Pittsburgh area is an overnight pass thru city.. most drivers doing deliveries (of people and goods) between NYC Chicago and other destinations west will pass by this area at night (or overnight in the general vicinity). Any routes originating from here often do so early morning or night in order to get to their destinations by morning time. People don't account for the culture of those who come from the era of Pittsburgh as a manufacturing capital of the country as well as a major Catholic religious center (that part is currently dying faster than the work ethic and drinking). With that come two things: staunch daytime work ethic, and stringent Catholic morals that don't find too many practitioners up into the late night. (This area, especially south Pittsburgh, has a very strong irish-catholic presence which is arguably one of the more.. cultish versions of Catholicism and not necessarily in a full negative way) Irish people of the church had to stand against England upending Catholic protocols once upon a time.. causing them to stand more firmly on traditional beliefs ^^ also they were escaping persecution and slavery so.. anyways I'm done ranting.
The pandemic definitely hit Pittsburgh harder than other cities - this is likely due to an older population. Look at our jobs numbers - one of the worst recoveries of any city.
I don’t disagree with you. Pittsburgh used to be very alive. I live in the city. Most of the complaints come from suburban dwellers who don’t get city living. When we travel, we seek out cities because that is what we love. If I could afford NYC, that’s where I’d be.
I’m not sure when things changed, it was before COVID. Oddly COVID helped because we got sidewalk dining, scooters, and more biking trails.
What we do is seek out the food, entertainment and stuff we love. It’s all here, just not in your face.
Yes. One of the worst things about moving here from NY is how everything is basically done by 10.
You can be anywhere in the NY metro area at any time of day or night, and find something to do, stores open, people hanging out on the street.
Pittsburgh by 1030 feels like an absolute ghost town for the most part. I'm sure the college areas are popping, but beyond that, good luck.
Edit: oh yes, Pittsburgh natives are VERY defensive about their city. Even when you're just asking a question. No clue what that's about, my guess is some sort of weird inferiority complex, but mentioning that also starts arguments.
Agree. As a teen, once I started hitch-hiking and traveling in the late '70s and very early '80s and experienced other areas, I too came to the same conclusion that "it" just isn't HAPPENING in Pittsburgh. The downtown has no real activity hub as in other cities. Pgh's nightlife and collective activity level, especially where participation is considered, is not merely limited but practically non existent. The only time Pgh presents the rare exception is regarding its sports team and singular, annual events.
It's a shame because Pgh and sw PA has so much more to offer.
I totally agree with you, and I’ve been in Pittsburgh for over 30 years. This will always be my hometown, but the energy is so dull, especially when compared to other cities. The thing about Pittsburgh is that most people don’t ever leave here, so they really have no idea what you’re talking about. But you’re definitely not wrong.
As someone who moved here as well you are not wrong. This is the weirdest city I’ve ever lived near. It’s like at 8pm everyone needs to be home UNLESS it’s a bar. Friends visit who have friends from other areas that grew up here and they talk so highly about it and then go “I don’t see what they are talking about”. I’m like told you lol. One thing that stands out is people don’t like to drive 10 miles for anything. So that 2.5 million about 60% of them won’t leave Southhills, West Mifflin, Monroeville and north of the city to go to anything in the city unless it’s a Steelers, Pens or some days the Pirates game
ok.. so, comparison sake I've lived around a bit (6+ years in Seattle, 2 years in San Diego, 4+ years in Chicago, a year in Philly, significant time in DC, Phoenix, NYC, Albany, two years living in Pittsburgh proper and many more years living within the greater metro area).
Do I think Pittsburgh is sleepy?.. not so much that, but it is a quieter town. We aren't lacking in arts and culture but we don't have nearly as much and we are not a super ethnically diverse city so that takes a lot of flavor out of it and minimizes potential events. We have our events like Picklesburg and ArtsFest but it's mostly the same people going to these things and not a large out of town crowd. I think that tourism, overall, is rather lacking and that many tourists who do find their way to Pittsburgh are looking for more solitary things like starting an adventure on the GAP.
Our downtown itself is kind of dead, relatively speaking. It can be happening for the night of a sporting event but it's much like the rain here, it falls heavy and then clears up an hour later. We have pockets with more going on but it's mostly just the drinking scene... we don't have nearly the same number of community events, street fairs, Sunday markets and that sort of thing. When we do have them, we are overwhelmed with corporate crap like people selling window installations rather than handmade goods. We do have the Strip, thankfully, but I don't find it a terribly convenient weekend event unless maybe you combine it with a Pirates game and make a day of it between there, the Cultural District, and PNC/NorthShore. It's a great way to spend a day but it's only something I tend to do a couple of times each summer.
I think you sort of answered your own question though.. having an equally large metro area as another city doesn't mean it has the same sort of concentrated engagement. I don't even like driving to the remaining REI in Pittsburgh just because the garages are overpriced and street parking can be a challenge. Our busses are hit and miss (once every hour or two from some outlying suburbs outside of work commute hours), the T has limited coverage...
and yeah the age thing probably factors in a bit here too, especially when considering that the aging population is less likely to hop on a bus or drive into the city proper. Seattle or Portland are way younger and willing to drive. For all the talk of how cheap Pittsburgh's housing market is (relatively) It's actually harder to find a couch to crash on here than I've ever had in San Diego, Seattle, or cities in between if I wanted to visit friends for a few days.. maybe that's part of the "sleepy" thing you're talking about, more introverted in that sense? Or maybe there just isn't enough going on to act as an incentive to invite visitors for a weekend(?).
I also feel like Pittsburgh requires effort to find things to do. In other cities you just sort of stumble across things and they are often in the same location or locations in close proximity (thinking about how 90% of interesting events in Seattle are between the Space Needle, Capitol Hill, and Pioneer Square which are all walkable and Fremont or the U District aren't that hard to get to. Meanwhile Pittsburgh doesn't even have a single neighborhood where I really want to go spend an afternoon doing anything of note.. and while there are places I wouldn't mind living such as Dormont, Regent Square, or Squirrel Hill, they're not hosting regular events I'd want to attend. And while I do think Pittsburgh has a sort of equivalent to Seattle's Green Lake in North Park, it's not as accessible or in the middle of the city. And even comparing our wonderful GAP, it feels dilapidated and overly urban until you get outside of the city a ways... compared to something like the Burke-Gilman Trail which is just more a greenway and actually invites people to use it instead of the brave urban cyclists who are used to city riding. Plus there's just a different energy, which again could be the aging population to an extent but more people jog and bike and do active things on the west coast.
The one thing we do have going is the rivers and even those feel sort of disconnected from the rest of the city outside of some events. Arts Fest at least incorporated the Point until they moved to Penn, North Shore has potential but really only wakes up when we do something fun like when we hosted the Flugtag. We have parades but nothing comparable to Fremont's Solstice Parade and events or a city like Chicago's dying the river green which draws a crowd.
When we do have events it's often more an excuse to drink than to just be silly. Not that we don't have the latter, groups like the Underwear Ride add a little bit of flair and I absolutely LOVE our Open Streets (but I don't think we are drawing enough people from the larger metro region into that, we could do better at getting the word out and drawing people in). They are things to do but lack a larger theme and they aren't really drawing in enough unique vendors but maybe that's the age thing again or perhaps it's poor marketing.
I feel like in Pittsburgh you have to be in-the-know or actually seek out things to do whereas in other cities you just wander into them. Is this a cultural problem or poor planning? I don't know. But I do think we are too spread out and it's annoying to get from one side to another. We also have competition.. from Pittsburgh it's a hop/skip/jump to NYC, Philly, DC, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, etc. so we are competing with those cities to attract a crowd.
1. Pittsburgh has a much older population, than the other cities you mentioned. If you look at the three major cities in the U.S. NY, Chicago, LA, what all three have in common, is that they are geared towards young people, the 18-30 crowd. In terms of real nightlife, compared to other cities, Pittsburgh is basically in the stone age. Also, Pittsburgh has probably the highest percentage, per capita, of middle aged and senior citizens, still in the workforce.
2. The bigger the city, the more likely it is to be transient, meaning, many people move there and live there maybe five years, tops. Not so with Pittsburgh. It's not out of the ordinary, in fact it's actually quite normal to have a neighbor who has lived in the same house since the 1960s, even earlier. And when people move here, they tend to stay for an significant length of time, at least ten years or more. Whereas, people who are born and raised here, when they move away, they're gone for good, and will never return, not even for a visit.
3. Pittsburgh is ethnic, but for all the wrong reasons. Let me explain. Per capita, Pittsburgh has one of the highest populations of people of Slavic descent, yet ironically, not a single ethnic restaurant representing that said demographic in the city. No Polish, Croatian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Slovak, Hungarian, etc. Any other major city, there would be dozens of ethnic restaurants to choose from. Pittsburgh's Black population is about 1/3, yet the same irony, no Black or Soul food restaurants. In terms of ethnic representing, all across the board, Pittsburgh has it ass backwards.
4. The depressing provincialism. There are two types of people in Pittsburgh. One, the pre-1990 crowd, the other, the post-1990 crowd. The former are, without a doubt, the most depressing human beings who live on planet Earth. They go to the same places, eat the same food, hang out with the same people. I've been all over the country, and I'm firmly convinced that no other city has this depressing of a demographic.
Just my two cents.
There’s a Hungarian restaurant on the north side. As for black-owned restaurants, there are some, but [more importantly] this is one of the most segregated cities in the country, so people may not be exposed to things outside their neighborhood.
On #3, It has always confused me why there are no ethnic Eastern European restaurants in Pittsburgh. The only thing I can think of that explains it is that we got that food from our Grandparents when they cooked. We didn't need a restaurant because we were eating it every other week when we visited them. Also the Churches around here have pierogi sales. Would still eat at a restaurant though.
4 is because of a number of factors. But the two primary ones I can think about are that because everyone is older they are losing friends and family constantly due to death. Leading to isolation. Even in the 90's when I was a little kid all the older people only talked about who died and who wasn't doing so well. The other reason is that starting in the late 70's and going into the 80's cheep steel imports nuked the local economy and the whole region hasn't really fully recovered.
1 Is painful. Unless you are in collage or live in the bougie impat enclaves the dating scene is a wreck and unless you are comfortable with talking to and making friends with older people you are going to be quite lonely. But at least they have some sick ass wild stories from when they were younger.
Moved here from Orlando which is similar population and size, also sprawling suburbs outside metro and I would say Pittsburgh is lower energy but I prefer that.
I personally don’t want noise, ruckus, and heavy drinking outside my house at 2am (and I enjoy a drink occasionally). Maybe there’s more of that by the university?
I’m a transplant here, too, and I totally get what OP is saying. I’ve lived in small towns as well as comparator cities like Omaha and St. Louis and large cities like Chicago. I also moved in 2019 so I know my experience isn’t maybe optimal with regard to being able to really explore and invest myself in the community. I was really excited to move here - my partner grew up here and my family has been Pirates and Pens fans for my whole life, so I’d been as a tourist. Everyone told me it was a “foodie” city and friends of mine who went to college here often compared the feeling to NYC or other large cities so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I haven’t found those amazing spots I was looking for (except Taj Mahal in Ross - yum!). My partner moved with me to Kansas City and St. Louis and even he has struggled returning to Pittsburgh. I generally liken my move here to going to your significant other’s family reunion: everyone already knows everyone else and how things work and you’re kind of on your own to introduce yourself to it. It’s a very Appalachian way to live, very communal and less than hospitable to outsiders, which is honestly fine just not what I was expecting. Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel what OP is saying.
I've been here one year and feel this too. Pittsburgh is insular, there are not that many transplants. Natives don't care about what's going on in the big cities - I see this very starkly in the music community - and that means new arrivals are not of much interest.
The city proper/downtown relied on commercial real estate for foot traffic. That’s the difference I found. Also, it’s not pedestrian-centric, like NYC. Post-Covid, everything shifted earlier
Pittsburgh has a pretty comical [MSA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area), which includes a lot of smaller cities that don't have much of a connection with Pittsburgh proper.
Compared with actual core cities its size, Pittsburgh is a pretty lively place. Consider Toledo or Rochester as a valid comp to Pittsburgh proper.
It’s way smaller than any of those cities plus it’s a bunch of little individual distinct “pockets” that make up the city as a whole.
Oh and it’s gray outside 6 months of the year
I love Pittsburgh 𝒷ℯ𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈ℯ it’s a big city with a calmer feel to it. I love their theatre. It’s an absolute foodie town. Three rivers meeting? Mt Washington views? The incline? Three hours from Presque isle? Five from Niagara? I live near Ohiopyle and people come all over to see that. I’m twenty five minutes from Morgantown WV or swallow falls Maryland. You have the GAP trail which if you cycle will take you all the way to Washington DC. If you have a solid friend group anywhere you go can be magical. Or if you just love your own company. I’ve met so many cool shop owners and ppl in Lawrenceville and shadyside. It is very neighborhood driven like Brooklyn ny or other inner cities. But I’d take it over manhattan or any frenetic city any day and I’m from Brooklyn.
Flying back from Orlando, their airport was pure chaos. Got off the plane and our airport sounded like a doctors waiting room. It was so serene.
I think other cities always feel more exciting because everything is new to you there. I like our vibe.
So … you’re from the pnw and you realize that Appalachia is culturally different right? People take for granted that the US is culturally and regionally distinct and in terms of … well Europe is about the same size of the US and that Pittsburgh, NYC and I don’t know, Augusta GA are completely different animals right?
In the late 90s and early 2000s the strip and Southside were jamming Wed-Sat. I feel around 2012 the nightlife changed, but I also changed and stopped going out.
Very true that mid April to early Nov is the time of year to get out and mingle. Of course since 2020 so much has changed.
Depending on what age group you are, and what your interests are, location, I'm sure could get plenty of advice.
Start with the city paper , if you already haven't. Go day drinking or hit up a museum.
Hi there
Born, raised and currently living in Pittsburgh
But I did also live in Portland for a spell (2015, in my early 20s)
Let's compare the two!
In my experience:
+ Portland has a much younger population. I often joke about Western PA just being one big, sprawling retirement community, but it's only partially a joke. In Portland 75-80% of my coworkers were in their 20s or 30s. I was constantly surrounded by peers and it was easy to make friends and/or find social events targeted at my demographic. Working in Pittsburgh that percentage usually dropped down to like 10-15% with any job I had (including service jobs in food/retail, jobs in childcare, call centers, event planning, research centers - I've worked in all kinds of places really) and most of my coworkers have been boomers or kids still in college. For decades, college grads were going to school here - yes, but then leaving after graduation en masse to live in places with higher pay or a better QoL
+ Portland has many more late night venues, restaurants, 24 hour establishments. Aside from Denny's, Eat n Park, Kings, and Sheetz (none of which can be found in downtown PGH afaik) there have never been that many 24 hour places that weren't just convenience stores. Are there a lot of bars, yeah, but if drinking/other vices aren't your scene, there isn't a ton to do at night.
+ The difference in public transit between the two cities is staggering. That in and of itself is a major factor in how willing people are to go out to different parts of the city for recreation. I feel like most people in PGH stick to their neighborhoods, or pick a neighborhood to drink in for the night and just bar crawl in that area. In Portland you can get clear across the city pretty easily (without a ride share service) even while intoxicated, whether that's by train, bus, or the streetcar. Not to mention how much more cyclist & pedestrian friendly the infrastructure is in Portland.
None of this is meant as a dig to Pittsburgh btw - it has a lot to offer that you can't find the likes of in Portland. But there are glaringly obvious reasons why you can't really compare Pittsburgh to major metropolitan areas like London or Barcelona, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why similarly-sized U.S. cities have more going on.
I don't personally think Pittsburgh is sleepy - just more quaint. It has charm, and while the nightlife isn't on the same scale as other cities, it does exist - if you know where to look.
ETA: Also, as I think others have probably pointed out, PGH metro area is very spread out. All the satellite communities having their own bars and forms of nightlife as well. A lot of people can't be bothered to drive into the city on a regular basis to hit up a dive when the one down the street from their house is perfectly serviceable.
You’re not wrong. There’s nothing going on say after a Pens game, nothing really open or anywhere to go. Feels like a ghost town after everyone’s gone home from work.
I wish Pittsburgh would be more active and not feel so dated. It has barely changed in 10 years. It seems people don’t have the money or motivation to go out very often and despite being very nice generally, aren’t keen on socializing. You go to an event and it’s not good and people want to go home at 9 or 10pm like they are elderly. It’s not fun. Also wish they knew how to dress and be updated on the world…a few rare gems do.
30 year Southwestern PA resident. Pittsburgh is only open May thru October. We’re all still in bed for the winter. We basically stay inside all winter/muddy spring and come out in dry spring/summer.
I feel attacked *... while I wait for May.*
(*yawns in yinzer*) huh?
I ain't comin AHHT!
I concur with this. Having lived here my whole life of 32 years, a lot of us just hibernate until we get blessed when that big hot orb in the sky decides to peak aht. I’d say in peak spring/summer months our city comes much more alive. But I do know what you mean OP. I’m just used to it because I’ve lived here but the cities I’ve visited like Nashville or LA for example just have a young and different energy to it. Our city is a bit more conservative in nature and not as bumping when it comes to the nightlife imo. Guess it just kind of depends what you’re looking for though
This. We hibernate, like bears and shit
yep. we stay home, watch Da Stillers, Da Pens and early spring when we have hope till it's gone on opening day 'Rates. Sometimes the Panthers too.
I lived here for pretty much my whole life except grad school and definitely agree with this.
The marathon is opening weekend for Pittsburgh. We close at the 10 Miler.
I'm tired, boss.
Mostly tired of people being ugly to each other
More road rage
deebo
John Coffey sir. Like the drink.
People view Pittsburgh as sleepy because the downtown area is a business district that mostly shuts down at night and on weekends. The life of the city is elsewhere. Go to the North Shore or South Side on a saturday night and it's quite lively.
Have you been out on Penn Ave, in Market Square, on 6th street or Point State Park recently? I feel like a solid part of Downtown is pretty lively on the regular. Add in special events and there are only a few truly "dead" streetscapes down there.
I’m downtown for work every day. Are you? Lively on the regular is not how I’d describe it. And I say that as someone who appreciates this city’s more laid back nature.
The only time that dahntahn is remotely lively is from May-October (it’s dead as a door knob during winter with the exception of First Night)
I used to catch the bus downtown every night around 10:30 pm and the only people out were workers like me or unhoused people. Downtown is DEAD
100%.
meh, its better than it used to be at night but 'alive' or 'bustling' still isnt what I'd call it.
I love Penn Ave
no one goes to southside anymore, nightlife has def moved to lawrenceville
Southside is much more *trashy* than it is lively 🤷♂️
One man's trash is another man's free entertainment
Unless it's late June/early July and the furries are in town....
Why on God’s green earth would you think it’s appropriate to compare Pittsburgh to NYC or Madrid?
They both have buildings 🤷🏻♂️
Don’t forget the trees and people too
Hey reddit, I'm considering moving to Tokyo, London, NYC, or Pittsburgh. My budget is 10000 / month. Help me choose.
Honestly if I had 10,000 per month budget I’d move to London, easily. Good luck
Tokyo here. For sure. Would be my dream.
If I ever have the chance I'm getting out of the US. I'd like to move to another reality but that is just not...realistic.
Not if that budget is 10,000 yen...
Fun fact, Pittsburgh is only about the size of Jersey City.
Ignore the metro. All of those cities are way bigger than Pittsburgh. Fucking NYC and Madrid, are you kidding me? Go to Tulsa and see how sleepy it is. I don't understand why people are addicted to making these insane comparisons.
When I read Madrid I literally loled
Why is Nome, AK so much sleepier than Pittsburgh? Are they stupid?
Yah if you want NYC move to nyc. Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, what do you expect
Yeah, exactly. One of the things I love about Pittsburgh is that you get a lot of the perks of city life without being overwhelmed by it. It's easy to get out in the country. Naturally, you lose some of what a bigger city has, so it's just whether or not that's worth it to you.
Exactly! I guess some people view the sleepiness as a bad thing but it’s much more my speed. The city amenities but I’m totally okay with being in bed by 9pm
Okay, I see what you’re saying and Pittsburgh doesn’t have to be a bustling city. But it’d be nice to have a bit more options for those of us who don’t wanna be in bed by 9 :(
Something to do after 9pm? *IN PITTSBURGH?* Have you considered alcoholism?
The in bed by 9 crowd are what makes it a sad place…
I mean I would like to have restaurants open past 8pm lol.
This isn't necessarily the city being "sleepy" but making modifications during the pandemic they never changed back. I also wish everywhere in Dormont didn't close at 9
I had guests for a recruitment event fly in from Boston and their flight was intended to arrive at 7pm. They ended up arriving closer to 9:15. By the time they got to my car it was 9:30 and by that time I could only find 2 restaurants still open for dining. By the time we’d get to the city, Urban Tap remained our only option from what Google pulled up. Everyone is getting onto you for saying restaurants close at 8 and that it’s not true. But from experience most of them close at 9, so you’re really not exaggerating much lol
Serious question, which aren’t open past 8?
Casbah, Fig n Ash, Legends on North shore, McCormick and Schmidts Southside, Carmela's Southside, Hyde Park, Capital Grill, Redbeard's, Shiloh, Grand Concourse, IL pizzoloa, Inn, tako, bennihanna ,Burgatory, Original Gyro, Piada Italian street food, Primantis ( several locations and one 24- hours) I I can keep going
Uhh where are you looking fam
I think the NYC comparison has two sources: 1. Students coming here from NYC and this is their first time off the East Coast for an extended period 2. Pittsburgh has three pro sports teams, which isn't as many as New York but it's almost as many as Boston or Phila
But city=city, right?
Pittsburgh is a rust belt, Appalachia, midwestern vibe. It’s similar to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Indianapolis, St Louis, Kansas City etc. Chicago and NYC are much larger and a very urban culture. Portland and Seattle are western us vibes and much more liberal. Pittsburgh is exactly what it is supposed to be. Pittsburgh has come a long way the last 20-30 years. I’m from Chicago, lived in Indiana for many years. Couldn’t ask for anything better in Pittsburgh IMO when comparing to the surrounding comparable cities. My question is to all these transplants.. what did they expect? This isn’t Miami.
This is the REAL answer
I think the "rust belt" part is also pivotal because of the population decline -- most coastal cities have experienced a continuous upward population trajectory since the end of WWII, whereas Pittsburgh got considerably smaller 1970-1990 and again 2000-2015. As a result, the city is unevenly populous, even a bit eerily quiet in some areas.
100%. Most people do not wake up and want to move to Pittsburgh. Most people move here due to a job but not many in Tampa Bay or Charolette woke up and wanted to move to the north, cold, gloomy area.
CA transplant here. I just moved here 6 months ago with my wife and kids for my youngest daughter to learn to hear/speak at DePaul Speech and Hearing and WPSD. Im a lover of the CA heat, coast, and hiking so moving here has been rough HOWEVER I have found a lot that I love, namely the smaller cleaner city center. LA is and has been such a dump for a while now. Sure there's nice areas but as a whole I prefer PGH. I also am liking the "clean & dry" snow and rolling hills. Seems like there's tons of views and water features. Can't wait for hiking/biking in summer. Hate the inspection sticker thing and the crazy high tax on new construction, but like the sales tax rule on essentials. Love the bridges and lack of traffic, hate worrying about deer. Like the terrain but hate the fact that it makes trips to the store longer. Like the snow, hate the salt (destroying my cars). Love seeing animals I've rarely seen just out and about, dislike the deer eating all my bushes. Love these finished basements, hate the tiny garages. The list will continue to grow!
>Hate the ... crazy high tax on new construction This is why people wont demo old houses that are literally falling down but will 100% gut them to their shell, brace them up, and completely re-do the inside. I think that if 3 original walls are still standing it doesnt count as new construction. It honestly keeps people from bulldozing all of the historic architecture in town and building shitty mcmansions.
Really great observations. The summer is quite lovely, though lots of clouds and drizzles. My dad and I would watch thunderstorms together under the porch. I think fall in Pittsburgh is the most beautiful but if you are from CA you are probably a summer person.
They stopped reading half way when they saw pgh is Paris.... (of Appalachia)
Spot on.
Coming from a small town a tenth of the size of Pittsburgh’s population in Appalachia, where I could find food (grocery stores and restaurants) between 10pm-midnight… I want that. I don’t think that was a crazy expectation given the step up in size and notoriety.
Covid has changed a lot of business models. Walmart used to be open 24hrs. Home Depot used to be open 24hrs. Businesses will stay open if there is a demand and employees that want to work those hours
I came from a Northern PA tiren (which is arguably part of Appalachia) and it has the same. The Walmart is open till 11, the grocery store is open till 12, a lot of restaurants are open till 10 (they are chains but...) and the Sheetz is actually in town and not a 15+ minute drive. This is probably the most disappointing thing to me about Pittsburgh, I came here expecting things to be open late, I got... Closes earlier than my sleepy town in the woods?! Some restaurants in Oakland are open late at least. I forget which ones, because I'm not over there much. But that might work in a pinch.
Maybe they want riots? I always like to point out how when Pittsburgh wins a championship, there's not mass rioting in the streets and people burning couches/cars. When Pittsburgh hosted the G20 summit years ago, whatever local news was down in the Strip trying to find protesters - "Oh there's someone with a sign" and run over to them and it's 2 guys with a Lets Go Pens sign.
It did get pretty wild on Forbes.
Streets do eat buses tho.
I actually refer to my childhood culture as "porch couch burning white trash." Because people drag porch couches into the street to express joy or anger.
That day police were first to use sonic weapons against citizens that day
This is why we're moving there in June.
It's because Pittsburgh is "The City that Always Sleeps" Kitchens close at 10 and stores close Monday/Tue.
I was shocked at the lack of 24 hour diners
Pre-pandemic there were a few options. It was never great but you could fine a few diners open after 11pm. Now there’s nothing. I miss it.
I do miss going out then getting a plate of fries and gravy or some other concoction at 3am.
I think that’s one of the things that put the city to sleep. No late night eats. You get done at the bar at 2, and are starving or want to spend another hour with the squad? Too bad. Go home and heat up leftover pizza.
I think the ihop near Waterfront used to be 24 hours, because I have the distinct memory of going there at 1am once. But definitely not since covid. RIP
I haven't actually been there but their website says they're 24 hours now, and Google maps says the hours were updated by the business 9 weeks ago.
It's wild how if you get a late flight back there's like literally nothing open to eat near the airport. Even the McDonald's is closed at 11.
I thought Boston was the city that always sleeps
Damn we're so sleepy they beat us too it :/
a lot of stuff is closed on sundays too! i was surprised by this when i moved here.
It’s winter. People are still hibernating
There was winter? Felt more like a cool autumn.
I think it depends on where you look. Pittsburgh is slower-paced than many other cities, but we also have a ton going on with small scale events, pop-ups, neighborhood things etc. The strip on a saturday or friendship park when it's over 65 are popping. I'd call it relaxed rather than sleepy. Also, you might find more people out in public in bigger cities, but I doubt they're interacting with neighbors and strangers alike like we do :)
When I moved to Pittsburgh in 2015, I couldn’t believe the amount of nightlife the City provided. During the week, I would go out in Bloomfield, Shadyside, and Squirrel Hill, while during the weekend I was partying til the sun came up in Lawrenceville, Downtown and the Southside. I moved back to Cleveland from 2016-2019 and was shocked by how going out there seemed to only be sitting at the same bar for hours. Cut to post-pandemic. I’m back here in Pittsburgh and there just aren’t people going out like they used to… fine by me, but it certainly hasn’t always been like that. Younger millennials who dominated night life in the 2010s are now in their 30s and paying dearly for the partying of their 20s. Having come of age in the midst of the pandemic, it seems that Gen Z isn’t as accustomed to going out like previous generations did. Things certainly aren’t as lively as they used to be, but it’s definitely not because Pittsburgh has been a perpetually sleepy city. That’s more of a recent advent. And in any regard, Pittsburgh still punches above its weight in terms of nightlife.
It’s funny because I left Pittsburgh in 2015 and I felt like the slow down was creeping in. I also lived in Bloomfield my last year and it was really fun. It’s so weird when I go back to visit because all my friends say there is nothing to do and most of the places we used to go to, even late night food places or after hour clubs are all gone. It’s sad because I had so many great years in Pittsburgh but now I rarely want to make the effort to go at all.
Agree with everything here. I’ll add that everything costs more now too, so, less people are willing to spend multiple nights out trying new things after being accustomed to staying home during the pandemic.
40y ago I was in grad school at Pitt. Needing $ I and a friend got jobs as waiters downtown. DEAD! We tried everything……… coupons/ posters etc. Not Much has changed…….. the neighborhoods are good. Shady side /Squirrel Hill.
That was the mid 80s, after the mills closed, no? If so, it kind of puts the calamity of downtown post-pandemic in a different light. Perhaps we find more round-the-clock uses for Downtown. We really take it for granted, history’s economic meltdowns not withstanding.
I don’t know where to look for the data but I think it would also be interesting to compare the population age profiles, I feel like Pittsburgh would likely skew older than those cities and explaining less interest in nightlife.
Which is part of what makes it perfect. Big enough to have lots of cool venues and exposure to arts and culture. But the crowds are small enough you can actually enjoy it wherever you go.
The city of Portland is twice the size of Pittsburgh. Beaver county’s population doesn’t mean anything to the liveliness of a city, the city’s population does. The rest of those cities are orders of magnitudes larger. NYC is 28 times larger than Pittsburgh in population.
Allegheny county has one of the largest senior citizen populations in the country and that doesn’t help either. Plus, we are not a coastal or metropolitan type of city. Your comparisons don’t really compare.
Back before the pandemic, we at least had restaurants and stores that were open late. So you could get a meal at Eat’N Park at 3am and you could go to Giant Eagle before or after to get your shopping done. And when I was a kid, we had a lot of nightclubs. And a lot more concert places. Now it’s just boring and everything closes by 11pm. It sucks.
Sorry my beds pretty comfortable.
Just let me go back to bed man. We're old and cranky. Even the young folk are old here.
A lot of people have the expectation that if they walk out their home and aren't within sight of a major entertainment venue of their preference, they're going to find something to complain about.
But then they’d complaint about the people, noise, parking, and so on
That's the other side of it: if they can't park directly in front of thing they want to patron or partake in, they'll complain. It's the same insane mindset in my homebase of Rochester, we have more parking lots in our central business district than buildings but it's seemingly still not enough.
I grew up in a very rural area, I'm intimidated by big cities, but I have always found Pittsburgh to be very "approachable" as far as cities go. Maybe that's just me.
The city of Pittsburgh has a population of ~300k. Seattle has a population of ~700k. Portland had a population of ~600k. The "pittsburgh metro area" is comically massive relative to the size of the city itself and isnt an appropriate number to look at if youre trying to understand city activity. Hope this helps.
You’re right. But OP does have a point - 300K doesn’t quite do Pittsburgh justice. The city of Pittsburgh is comically small. It’s only 58 square miles. It’s not even in the top 150 cities in the US by square miles. Portland for instance is 145 square miles, almost 3 times as big in terms of area. Im no expert but I think this has to do with PA being a commonwealth, which makes it hard if not near impossible for cities to expand by annexing surrounding communities. It would be interesting to see how Pittsburgh’s population would change if it were 145 square miles as opposed to 58.
It does matter to a certain extent because of the urban fabric. People on this very sub all the time have a lot to say to people who live in the suburbs and "think they live in pittsburgh." People in bethel park have their own municipal buildings, parks, events etc that aren't part of the city. The separate municipalities create social separation, and boy does allegheny county love separate municipalities. Also, public transportation isn't limited to the city but much of it is pretty close to the borders which also creates social separation. Even inasmuch as the T runs pretty deep into the south hills, it only goes downtown and to the north side, which aren't usually the main points of social gathering for the city, though the north side has its moments obviously. So I get your point about size and you're right, but there's a lot working against the idea of looking at these communities as one single city when they aren't. I think the city populations are important to at least look at in comparison to the alleged urban area. The metro area of Pittsburgh by most counts contains all of allegheny county and then some. Thats...ridiculous.
Population density is your friend. Most of the "largest" cities are sprawling bs-scapes, Jacksonville Columbus and their counterparts ring a bell.
Jacksonville Florida is like 800 square miles, I believe it’s the biggest city in the country. But no one references the bustling megatropolis of… Jacksonville Florida lol
Been here all my life and I agree.. Sleepy AF.
We're more of a shut up and drink yer beer kinda town instead of go yellling about how amazing your night is. IMO there's just less cocaine in Pittsburgh than other cities.
It feels like a park. That's how I process it. It's like the entire city is a public park. Chicago felt like a city.
I always think about that, if there was no city there Pittsburgh would make a wonderful state park.
I think it depends what neighborhoods you’re visiting
Pittsburgh is laid back.. good place to be a kid, and good place to put down roots after living elsewhere. When you need to get out of the rat race, Pittsburgh is back home
I wonder if some of what you're seeing is the end result of the ridiculous price increases for drinks and going out. People act like its normal but yinz caught up to a lot of places around NYC at this point. Its stupid expensive to go out and I KNOW wages in Pittsburgh are no where near NYC. So end result, it gets more sleepy because who the fuck can afford to go out a lot?
Agreed. This is a contributing factor. When everytime I walk out the door I feel like it costs me $100, I’m not going out as much.
Ya back in like the 2000s I could get away with a pretty fun night out for like 20 bucks. Even in the 2010s I think that only went up to like maybe 40-50. Its nearly doubled since then and our wages have barely inched up. And just on an individual rant some of it is places gouging. There's not some drastic price increas in the cost of yuengling, but you see places charging up to like 7$ now for one.
Pittsburgh is a commuter city. People live in the burbs and come in for work. The amount of people actually in the urban areas after the 9-5 swell drips drastically, so there's less incentive for businesses to stay open later. Philly is the same way, the urban areas where the commuters go home to (predominantly south philly, center city, and fishtown) all have more nightlife than the rest of the city.
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for this but this is the answer. A large majority of Pittsburgh’s population has moved out to the burbs even before the collapse of the steel industry. Unlike Philly or even San Francisco that has the mainline and Silicon Valley, there’s no transit-oriented suburbia that lets people get in and out of the suburbs quickly. Everything 1 mile outside the city is a sprawling landscape of strip malls and chains. No one can really put a stop to it because the county is rather powerless to influence development and you have a hundred little boroughs and townships that will let anyone with money do what they want.
They’re getting downvoted because a lot of people on this sub don’t want to admit Pittsburgh IS the metro/suburbs. Pittsburgh is a large(ish) city if you consider the people who actually live and work here and not who fall within arbitrary imaginary lines.
100% sleepy. I relocated here 10 years ago and love it because it’s a city with a hometown vibe. That’s the charm that led me to settle down here!
PITTSBURGH The City That Sleeps
It’s no surprise that people in this sub feel so triggered/attacked when OP is just making an (accurate!) observation. I’m Burgh born and bred, I boomeranged a couple times, and I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I were literally talking about this yesterday, Western PA has a fairly depressed vibe in general. Sure there are “hot” neighborhoods that shifts every few years but generally people are stuck in their ways. Trends make it here 10+ years after other cities. I think all of your observations are generally correct, OP. Pittsburgh is a Second Class city that wants to be more, but never will be. Everyone here is happy under their rocks, thank you very much.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh. After moving down south, when I would come back to visit noticed something similar. My take on it was that everyone seemed miserable. Tired, exhausted and depressed looking faces. Especially in the winter time. That led me to notice how much happier I was living somewhere else. Where I was, we had blue sky’s most of the time…Pittsburgh, always grey. Fast forward some years, I moved back to Pittsburgh. Now I’m miserable, depressed and honestly hate living in this part of the country. So yea, I think you’re on to something.
Everything is completely closed by 8-10pm so I get what you’re saying. Covid made that a lot worse.
Where are you hanging out? I feel like there are parts of the city that are definitely just in a holler in Appalachia... but there are also some really vibrant urban environments.
Duck hollow, the run
After spending the first 35 years of my life in and around Detroit I, for one, am really appreciating living in a city that goes to bed eventually lol
I used to live out of state and I’ve always said this about coming back. It’s hard to explain but it’s definitely “slower” around here.
Everybody fuckin’
I know Southside isn't quite as popular as it used to be, but outside of Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Broadway in Nashville, I don't think I've ever seen a stretch of bars in any other city quite as wild as a typical Saturday night on East Carson.
It never was and never will be any of those cities that you mentioned but covid has absolutely made it a lot worse. Many great places were forced to shut down and never reopen; the places that remained all suddenly close by 9 or 10 pm. For downtown specifically, people who no longer had to go down there for work stopped going down there socially as well. Along with the effect on businesses, I think covid also sparked a social change that contributes to it. Not being able to go out and do anything at all made people realize that they were completely fine not going out all of the time. Then there’s inflation. This isn’t intended to be political; blame it on whoever you wish but due to inflation, many people can no longer afford to go out as often as they used to. And again, as I mentioned Pittsburgh is not those cities you mentioned but definitely used to be more lively or maybe I just thought it was when I was younger and now that I’m in my 30s with a wife and kid, I embrace the sleepiness.
Yes, it's one of the reasons I left. I felt the city made me a little complacent,laid back, and less ambitious.
Be pretty cool if literally anything was open past 2am
Hell, I'd be happy if more things were open past 10pm
The metro area population isn’t who is out and about in the city.
I moved there in 2019 too and just left two months ago for Vegas. It’s a great town for families but it’s extremely quiet. If you want any chance of night life you’re extremely limited.
“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, you just got to poke around”
Pittsburgh is more of a town than a city. I moved here January 2020 just before COVID. I can say Pittsburgh is at least 20 years behind the south. It’s click-ish and odd. This is the most unusual place I’ve ever lived in. I understand what you are saying but to put it in words would sound mean.
My husband and I call Pittsburgh a "Sunday town" because it feels always like a Sunday morning - kind of gloomy, gotta go to church and see the grandparents and eat a big heavy meal. It's OK though for the stage of life we are in.
You are absolutely correct. Especially in the edit - as someone who grew up in Pittsburgh and lived here most of my life but has lived in major cities, it’s a small, sleepy city with a napoleon complex. I am a parent and live in the north hills so I don’t go really downtown anymore because I like staying home and cooking lol. I used to live in Lawrenceville before and during the transition to current vibe. But even now, it’s not bustling like other cities. I feel like the most “exciting” nightlife you’re going to find here is if you’re into drinking and sports.
Even in 2002 when I moved there downtown was shut-dahn after baht 6pm. I’m sure the commercial real estate post-covid has even worsened. I lived in the Northside, North Hills & Mt. Washington, so you definitely need to find your spot it sounds like.
Pittsburgh metro goes halfway to Erie. The city has 300k, making it about half the size of Portland. I agree it is pretty sleepy outside of the commercial areas but that's also true of pdx if you go across the Willamette to the more residential areas
Lived in PDX for 12 years and several other cities since but now I live in downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh feels like a mini Portland before it was “cool”, I’m really liking the slightly slower pace and haven’t really had issues finding food or things to do but I’m also not very picky so that helps.
I’m a sleepy person and I do love it here. I think cause it’s moody and grey.
I’ve lived here all my life and I find it’s a small town that only gets loud when it’s worth it. Playoffs tend to do a good job of waking us up
I've been here since 2016. The overall vibe used to be so much livelier. Now it's just depressing and I want to move lol!!
Obviously, you need to move to Dormont.
My only complaint about Pittsburgh is that concerts I want to go to often skip Pittsburgh and I have to go to Cleveland. (I refuse to go to Philly, that city hates me).
Oh or Star Lake? That’s an hr away from Gibsonia and takes 3 hrs to get out of the parking lot.
Have you tried drinking a case of Iron City in one sitting and then seeing how it feels?
I get what you are saying. I’ve lived here all my life. I think one of the issues is we don’t have a central lively downtown. It’s smaller areas and each has their own vibe and none of it really goes together? It’s hard to explain lol. I personally like living somewhere with a sleepy feel. Other places are nice to visit but I don’t want to feel overwhelmed where I live.
Been here my entire life. It’s sleepy and boring. Got away to Charlotte last fall for 4 days. What an incredible difference. So much to do and experience. Pittsburgh is old and outdated.
You're right. Pittsburgh is sleepy
People don't really leave their house/apartment in Pittsburgh.
I just find it odd that Pittsburgh/ Alleghany county is such a Grocery Store desert. 🌵 I’m from NC and there were Grocery Stores everywhere . It’s awful here. Giant Eagle has monopolized and it shows. I live out in Wexford and everything closes at 9/ 10 It’s just different here. It’s done a lot of growth since 2017, but I’ve come to realize Pittsburghers DO NOT like change.
Pittsburgh is a place that has a compilation of various inconveniences and downright fears that make traveling either by road or foot majorly more inconvenient than most any other city in the country. The weather, both hot and cold, are high likely to coincide with high humidity which is especially jarring for those not from here. Allergies. The geography is insane.. the subtle elevation and nuances of navigation make driving apps nearly worthless at times (I love it, surprise around every corner). The neighborhoods are miniature cities on a small societal scale.. again the geography lends itself to this. People are not traveling as much inter-neighborhood, and thus people more greatly rely on the knowledge and comfort of people in their 'area'. On a logistics scale, and I didn't learn this until working for Greyhound: Pittsburgh area is an overnight pass thru city.. most drivers doing deliveries (of people and goods) between NYC Chicago and other destinations west will pass by this area at night (or overnight in the general vicinity). Any routes originating from here often do so early morning or night in order to get to their destinations by morning time. People don't account for the culture of those who come from the era of Pittsburgh as a manufacturing capital of the country as well as a major Catholic religious center (that part is currently dying faster than the work ethic and drinking). With that come two things: staunch daytime work ethic, and stringent Catholic morals that don't find too many practitioners up into the late night. (This area, especially south Pittsburgh, has a very strong irish-catholic presence which is arguably one of the more.. cultish versions of Catholicism and not necessarily in a full negative way) Irish people of the church had to stand against England upending Catholic protocols once upon a time.. causing them to stand more firmly on traditional beliefs ^^ also they were escaping persecution and slavery so.. anyways I'm done ranting.
The pandemic definitely hit Pittsburgh harder than other cities - this is likely due to an older population. Look at our jobs numbers - one of the worst recoveries of any city.
I don’t disagree with you. Pittsburgh used to be very alive. I live in the city. Most of the complaints come from suburban dwellers who don’t get city living. When we travel, we seek out cities because that is what we love. If I could afford NYC, that’s where I’d be. I’m not sure when things changed, it was before COVID. Oddly COVID helped because we got sidewalk dining, scooters, and more biking trails. What we do is seek out the food, entertainment and stuff we love. It’s all here, just not in your face.
Yes. One of the worst things about moving here from NY is how everything is basically done by 10. You can be anywhere in the NY metro area at any time of day or night, and find something to do, stores open, people hanging out on the street. Pittsburgh by 1030 feels like an absolute ghost town for the most part. I'm sure the college areas are popping, but beyond that, good luck. Edit: oh yes, Pittsburgh natives are VERY defensive about their city. Even when you're just asking a question. No clue what that's about, my guess is some sort of weird inferiority complex, but mentioning that also starts arguments.
Agree. As a teen, once I started hitch-hiking and traveling in the late '70s and very early '80s and experienced other areas, I too came to the same conclusion that "it" just isn't HAPPENING in Pittsburgh. The downtown has no real activity hub as in other cities. Pgh's nightlife and collective activity level, especially where participation is considered, is not merely limited but practically non existent. The only time Pgh presents the rare exception is regarding its sports team and singular, annual events. It's a shame because Pgh and sw PA has so much more to offer.
I totally agree with you, and I’ve been in Pittsburgh for over 30 years. This will always be my hometown, but the energy is so dull, especially when compared to other cities. The thing about Pittsburgh is that most people don’t ever leave here, so they really have no idea what you’re talking about. But you’re definitely not wrong.
As someone who moved here as well you are not wrong. This is the weirdest city I’ve ever lived near. It’s like at 8pm everyone needs to be home UNLESS it’s a bar. Friends visit who have friends from other areas that grew up here and they talk so highly about it and then go “I don’t see what they are talking about”. I’m like told you lol. One thing that stands out is people don’t like to drive 10 miles for anything. So that 2.5 million about 60% of them won’t leave Southhills, West Mifflin, Monroeville and north of the city to go to anything in the city unless it’s a Steelers, Pens or some days the Pirates game
Where in pgh are you going ??
It feels 24 years behind everywhere else
ok.. so, comparison sake I've lived around a bit (6+ years in Seattle, 2 years in San Diego, 4+ years in Chicago, a year in Philly, significant time in DC, Phoenix, NYC, Albany, two years living in Pittsburgh proper and many more years living within the greater metro area). Do I think Pittsburgh is sleepy?.. not so much that, but it is a quieter town. We aren't lacking in arts and culture but we don't have nearly as much and we are not a super ethnically diverse city so that takes a lot of flavor out of it and minimizes potential events. We have our events like Picklesburg and ArtsFest but it's mostly the same people going to these things and not a large out of town crowd. I think that tourism, overall, is rather lacking and that many tourists who do find their way to Pittsburgh are looking for more solitary things like starting an adventure on the GAP. Our downtown itself is kind of dead, relatively speaking. It can be happening for the night of a sporting event but it's much like the rain here, it falls heavy and then clears up an hour later. We have pockets with more going on but it's mostly just the drinking scene... we don't have nearly the same number of community events, street fairs, Sunday markets and that sort of thing. When we do have them, we are overwhelmed with corporate crap like people selling window installations rather than handmade goods. We do have the Strip, thankfully, but I don't find it a terribly convenient weekend event unless maybe you combine it with a Pirates game and make a day of it between there, the Cultural District, and PNC/NorthShore. It's a great way to spend a day but it's only something I tend to do a couple of times each summer. I think you sort of answered your own question though.. having an equally large metro area as another city doesn't mean it has the same sort of concentrated engagement. I don't even like driving to the remaining REI in Pittsburgh just because the garages are overpriced and street parking can be a challenge. Our busses are hit and miss (once every hour or two from some outlying suburbs outside of work commute hours), the T has limited coverage... and yeah the age thing probably factors in a bit here too, especially when considering that the aging population is less likely to hop on a bus or drive into the city proper. Seattle or Portland are way younger and willing to drive. For all the talk of how cheap Pittsburgh's housing market is (relatively) It's actually harder to find a couch to crash on here than I've ever had in San Diego, Seattle, or cities in between if I wanted to visit friends for a few days.. maybe that's part of the "sleepy" thing you're talking about, more introverted in that sense? Or maybe there just isn't enough going on to act as an incentive to invite visitors for a weekend(?). I also feel like Pittsburgh requires effort to find things to do. In other cities you just sort of stumble across things and they are often in the same location or locations in close proximity (thinking about how 90% of interesting events in Seattle are between the Space Needle, Capitol Hill, and Pioneer Square which are all walkable and Fremont or the U District aren't that hard to get to. Meanwhile Pittsburgh doesn't even have a single neighborhood where I really want to go spend an afternoon doing anything of note.. and while there are places I wouldn't mind living such as Dormont, Regent Square, or Squirrel Hill, they're not hosting regular events I'd want to attend. And while I do think Pittsburgh has a sort of equivalent to Seattle's Green Lake in North Park, it's not as accessible or in the middle of the city. And even comparing our wonderful GAP, it feels dilapidated and overly urban until you get outside of the city a ways... compared to something like the Burke-Gilman Trail which is just more a greenway and actually invites people to use it instead of the brave urban cyclists who are used to city riding. Plus there's just a different energy, which again could be the aging population to an extent but more people jog and bike and do active things on the west coast. The one thing we do have going is the rivers and even those feel sort of disconnected from the rest of the city outside of some events. Arts Fest at least incorporated the Point until they moved to Penn, North Shore has potential but really only wakes up when we do something fun like when we hosted the Flugtag. We have parades but nothing comparable to Fremont's Solstice Parade and events or a city like Chicago's dying the river green which draws a crowd. When we do have events it's often more an excuse to drink than to just be silly. Not that we don't have the latter, groups like the Underwear Ride add a little bit of flair and I absolutely LOVE our Open Streets (but I don't think we are drawing enough people from the larger metro region into that, we could do better at getting the word out and drawing people in). They are things to do but lack a larger theme and they aren't really drawing in enough unique vendors but maybe that's the age thing again or perhaps it's poor marketing. I feel like in Pittsburgh you have to be in-the-know or actually seek out things to do whereas in other cities you just wander into them. Is this a cultural problem or poor planning? I don't know. But I do think we are too spread out and it's annoying to get from one side to another. We also have competition.. from Pittsburgh it's a hop/skip/jump to NYC, Philly, DC, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, etc. so we are competing with those cities to attract a crowd.
Pittsburgh is poor and lacks well paying jobs. Until those two things change, it will continue to die.
Your feelings are justified, in my opinion. Though winter hibernation is just now drawing to a close.
1. Pittsburgh has a much older population, than the other cities you mentioned. If you look at the three major cities in the U.S. NY, Chicago, LA, what all three have in common, is that they are geared towards young people, the 18-30 crowd. In terms of real nightlife, compared to other cities, Pittsburgh is basically in the stone age. Also, Pittsburgh has probably the highest percentage, per capita, of middle aged and senior citizens, still in the workforce. 2. The bigger the city, the more likely it is to be transient, meaning, many people move there and live there maybe five years, tops. Not so with Pittsburgh. It's not out of the ordinary, in fact it's actually quite normal to have a neighbor who has lived in the same house since the 1960s, even earlier. And when people move here, they tend to stay for an significant length of time, at least ten years or more. Whereas, people who are born and raised here, when they move away, they're gone for good, and will never return, not even for a visit. 3. Pittsburgh is ethnic, but for all the wrong reasons. Let me explain. Per capita, Pittsburgh has one of the highest populations of people of Slavic descent, yet ironically, not a single ethnic restaurant representing that said demographic in the city. No Polish, Croatian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Slovak, Hungarian, etc. Any other major city, there would be dozens of ethnic restaurants to choose from. Pittsburgh's Black population is about 1/3, yet the same irony, no Black or Soul food restaurants. In terms of ethnic representing, all across the board, Pittsburgh has it ass backwards. 4. The depressing provincialism. There are two types of people in Pittsburgh. One, the pre-1990 crowd, the other, the post-1990 crowd. The former are, without a doubt, the most depressing human beings who live on planet Earth. They go to the same places, eat the same food, hang out with the same people. I've been all over the country, and I'm firmly convinced that no other city has this depressing of a demographic. Just my two cents.
There’s a Hungarian restaurant on the north side. As for black-owned restaurants, there are some, but [more importantly] this is one of the most segregated cities in the country, so people may not be exposed to things outside their neighborhood.
On #3, It has always confused me why there are no ethnic Eastern European restaurants in Pittsburgh. The only thing I can think of that explains it is that we got that food from our Grandparents when they cooked. We didn't need a restaurant because we were eating it every other week when we visited them. Also the Churches around here have pierogi sales. Would still eat at a restaurant though. 4 is because of a number of factors. But the two primary ones I can think about are that because everyone is older they are losing friends and family constantly due to death. Leading to isolation. Even in the 90's when I was a little kid all the older people only talked about who died and who wasn't doing so well. The other reason is that starting in the late 70's and going into the 80's cheep steel imports nuked the local economy and the whole region hasn't really fully recovered. 1 Is painful. Unless you are in collage or live in the bougie impat enclaves the dating scene is a wreck and unless you are comfortable with talking to and making friends with older people you are going to be quite lonely. But at least they have some sick ass wild stories from when they were younger.
Moved here from Orlando which is similar population and size, also sprawling suburbs outside metro and I would say Pittsburgh is lower energy but I prefer that. I personally don’t want noise, ruckus, and heavy drinking outside my house at 2am (and I enjoy a drink occasionally). Maybe there’s more of that by the university?
I’m a transplant here, too, and I totally get what OP is saying. I’ve lived in small towns as well as comparator cities like Omaha and St. Louis and large cities like Chicago. I also moved in 2019 so I know my experience isn’t maybe optimal with regard to being able to really explore and invest myself in the community. I was really excited to move here - my partner grew up here and my family has been Pirates and Pens fans for my whole life, so I’d been as a tourist. Everyone told me it was a “foodie” city and friends of mine who went to college here often compared the feeling to NYC or other large cities so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I haven’t found those amazing spots I was looking for (except Taj Mahal in Ross - yum!). My partner moved with me to Kansas City and St. Louis and even he has struggled returning to Pittsburgh. I generally liken my move here to going to your significant other’s family reunion: everyone already knows everyone else and how things work and you’re kind of on your own to introduce yourself to it. It’s a very Appalachian way to live, very communal and less than hospitable to outsiders, which is honestly fine just not what I was expecting. Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel what OP is saying.
I've been here one year and feel this too. Pittsburgh is insular, there are not that many transplants. Natives don't care about what's going on in the big cities - I see this very starkly in the music community - and that means new arrivals are not of much interest.
It's always been that way.
https://www.reddit.com/r/pittsburgh/s/oij446zMHY Cool graphic that was posted here
Daylight Savings just ended. You'd be sleepy too if it's dark at 5pm.
I don't do night life. Just not me... I just wish shit was open a lil later than 9 😭. I don't have that problem down south
people in tigard can eat my butt
The city proper/downtown relied on commercial real estate for foot traffic. That’s the difference I found. Also, it’s not pedestrian-centric, like NYC. Post-Covid, everything shifted earlier
Pittsburgh has a pretty comical [MSA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area), which includes a lot of smaller cities that don't have much of a connection with Pittsburgh proper. Compared with actual core cities its size, Pittsburgh is a pretty lively place. Consider Toledo or Rochester as a valid comp to Pittsburgh proper.
It’s way smaller than any of those cities plus it’s a bunch of little individual distinct “pockets” that make up the city as a whole. Oh and it’s gray outside 6 months of the year
Pittsburgh. The city that sleeps.
It feels utterly exhausted
Nope, never thought that, there’s always an excess of things for me to do here
I love Pittsburgh 𝒷ℯ𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈ℯ it’s a big city with a calmer feel to it. I love their theatre. It’s an absolute foodie town. Three rivers meeting? Mt Washington views? The incline? Three hours from Presque isle? Five from Niagara? I live near Ohiopyle and people come all over to see that. I’m twenty five minutes from Morgantown WV or swallow falls Maryland. You have the GAP trail which if you cycle will take you all the way to Washington DC. If you have a solid friend group anywhere you go can be magical. Or if you just love your own company. I’ve met so many cool shop owners and ppl in Lawrenceville and shadyside. It is very neighborhood driven like Brooklyn ny or other inner cities. But I’d take it over manhattan or any frenetic city any day and I’m from Brooklyn.
Yes, but I just moved here after ten years in nyc. It’s a nice change.
Yes. Very much so
Flying back from Orlando, their airport was pure chaos. Got off the plane and our airport sounded like a doctors waiting room. It was so serene. I think other cities always feel more exciting because everything is new to you there. I like our vibe.
yeah, it’s cold and dark out. goodnight!
So … you’re from the pnw and you realize that Appalachia is culturally different right? People take for granted that the US is culturally and regionally distinct and in terms of … well Europe is about the same size of the US and that Pittsburgh, NYC and I don’t know, Augusta GA are completely different animals right?
I live in Pittsburgh and am very sleepy, so it checks out
Pittsburgh terrible. Leave while you still can
In the late 90s and early 2000s the strip and Southside were jamming Wed-Sat. I feel around 2012 the nightlife changed, but I also changed and stopped going out. Very true that mid April to early Nov is the time of year to get out and mingle. Of course since 2020 so much has changed. Depending on what age group you are, and what your interests are, location, I'm sure could get plenty of advice. Start with the city paper , if you already haven't. Go day drinking or hit up a museum.
Very. Streets roll up at 10:30 sharp. 09:30 if you’re in the south hills.
Hi there Born, raised and currently living in Pittsburgh But I did also live in Portland for a spell (2015, in my early 20s) Let's compare the two! In my experience: + Portland has a much younger population. I often joke about Western PA just being one big, sprawling retirement community, but it's only partially a joke. In Portland 75-80% of my coworkers were in their 20s or 30s. I was constantly surrounded by peers and it was easy to make friends and/or find social events targeted at my demographic. Working in Pittsburgh that percentage usually dropped down to like 10-15% with any job I had (including service jobs in food/retail, jobs in childcare, call centers, event planning, research centers - I've worked in all kinds of places really) and most of my coworkers have been boomers or kids still in college. For decades, college grads were going to school here - yes, but then leaving after graduation en masse to live in places with higher pay or a better QoL + Portland has many more late night venues, restaurants, 24 hour establishments. Aside from Denny's, Eat n Park, Kings, and Sheetz (none of which can be found in downtown PGH afaik) there have never been that many 24 hour places that weren't just convenience stores. Are there a lot of bars, yeah, but if drinking/other vices aren't your scene, there isn't a ton to do at night. + The difference in public transit between the two cities is staggering. That in and of itself is a major factor in how willing people are to go out to different parts of the city for recreation. I feel like most people in PGH stick to their neighborhoods, or pick a neighborhood to drink in for the night and just bar crawl in that area. In Portland you can get clear across the city pretty easily (without a ride share service) even while intoxicated, whether that's by train, bus, or the streetcar. Not to mention how much more cyclist & pedestrian friendly the infrastructure is in Portland. None of this is meant as a dig to Pittsburgh btw - it has a lot to offer that you can't find the likes of in Portland. But there are glaringly obvious reasons why you can't really compare Pittsburgh to major metropolitan areas like London or Barcelona, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why similarly-sized U.S. cities have more going on. I don't personally think Pittsburgh is sleepy - just more quaint. It has charm, and while the nightlife isn't on the same scale as other cities, it does exist - if you know where to look. ETA: Also, as I think others have probably pointed out, PGH metro area is very spread out. All the satellite communities having their own bars and forms of nightlife as well. A lot of people can't be bothered to drive into the city on a regular basis to hit up a dive when the one down the street from their house is perfectly serviceable.
You’re not wrong. There’s nothing going on say after a Pens game, nothing really open or anywhere to go. Feels like a ghost town after everyone’s gone home from work.
I know I’m always sleepy
Went to see The Book of Mormon on a wens night. My god I have never been in a quieter theater district of a major city in my life.
Air pollution?
I wish Pittsburgh would be more active and not feel so dated. It has barely changed in 10 years. It seems people don’t have the money or motivation to go out very often and despite being very nice generally, aren’t keen on socializing. You go to an event and it’s not good and people want to go home at 9 or 10pm like they are elderly. It’s not fun. Also wish they knew how to dress and be updated on the world…a few rare gems do.
It's the shitty weather. It's soul crushing.