City of Champions

Steel City is not for the weak, and it may not be the ideal vacation spot either. For anyone who has a trip planned to South Western PA any time soon, here are the tips and tricks from a townie.

First and foremost you will absolutely not need a bathing suit for this vaca. There's not many days where its not raining or windy or cloudy and I do NOT recommend swimming in any of the three rivers under any circumstances. The closest you will probably get to swimming is riding the Pittsburgh Plunge at Kennywood to tell the truth.

Speaking of Kennywood, that brings us to our first spot to visit. Kennywood is 125 years old and is home to the greatest (and only) Rollercoaster on this side of the state. Its honestly a great amusement park for all ages, but lets really be honest here.... we all go for the Potato Patch Fries. Tucked underneath the Phantom's Revenge and across the path from Noah's Arc is one of the greatest French fry spots Pennsylvania has ever known. Smother them in cheese or dip them in Heinz Ketchup, they are so delicious especially after a day of riding rollercoasters and sweating your behind off. The rides are fun, there's a kiddy land for the littles, and lucky for everyone, they now sell beer!

Next on our list is the Duquesne Incline. This is really just a one time thing that you do just to see what its like because it looks cool on the side of the cliff. Its basically a little trolley that takes you to and from Mount Washington for very cheap. It may not be the most exciting, but Mount Washington does have some great views of downtown. Trust me, I took all homecoming and prom pictures atop Mt. Wash. and they turned out stunning.

Moving on, I had to put the Strip District on the list. This is a strip of restaurants, multicultural markets, liquor stores, Pittsburgh memorabilia stores, and even Marijuana Dispensaries in the Cultural District. Its basically walking distance to Downtown and it has a lot of fantastic multicultural cuisine that is really to die for. This is more of a Saturday or Sunday morning activity because a lot of the stores will close around 2 or 3. Most of the restaurants are open normal hours.

Primanti's couldn't go unmentioned, but don't let anyone fool you. There is only one good Primanti's and that is the one in Market Square down town. This is the original Primanti's and has the best sandwiches and the best service. The other locations are honestly half-assed and just average. If you are more of a hoagie person, I might suggest Peppi's in the Strip. If you want fancy, Pittsburgh does not have much fancy. The problem is you always get in the mood to dress up in a ballgown for dinner but in Pittsburgh, fancy just means expensive it doesn't mean dressy. We go to Eddie V's in jeans in a t-shirt or Ruth's Chris in some basketball shorts and a wife beater.

Now ice-cream spots is a different story. Scoops on Bloomfield is alright. We have plenty of Rita's or Dairy Queens or Bruster's. There is one spot that will probably not blow your mind, but it is a true Pittsburgh delicacy to us. Take a drive to Allegheny Commons Park North. It may look like a normal park and it is right next to the National Aviary but you will find the best ice balls in the universe. In fact we call him the Ice ball man but the real name of his business is Gus and Yiayia's. This is a very elderly man and his now sons AND grandsons that shave ice by hand off of a block and add the flavors right in front of you on their little cart . The popcorn and peanuts are also perfection. * I recommend the rainbow iceball.*

Now for the tips. Don't give the crackheads money-- I'm serious. They will beg and tell you a sob story but there are way too many plugs in Pittsburgh and they WILL spend your money on opioids.

Don't expect smiling faces everywhere you go. This isn't Texas or Alabama or somewhere with great southern hospitality. We are miserable because this city is too small and we're scared we will never leave. There are some nice people but they probably grew up somewhere else. We do have manors and we are polite but we don't do the smiley thing.

I would stay out of certain neighborhoods like McKees rocks and Homewood and a few others if you aren't from here because you may do something stupid to the wrong person and that could end badly.

My last tip for you is to absolutely NEVER disrespect the sports teams in this city or you will find yourself in a very sticky situation.

Have a great trip though im sure you will have so much fun!