Good Old Unpopular Pittsburgh

If you followed my social media this summer you've noticed that I spent a weirdly big amount of time in Pittsburgh, PA. You might have some questions. You might be dying to know WHY? And honestly...? My answer is simple... I freaking love Pittsburgh!

This city is kind of like me. A perfect combination of Polish and American cultures that very often ends up being not appreciated enough. Go ahead, laugh at me for being too self-confident but isn't it funny that my Pittsburgh posts were the ones with the least likes? If we are Instagram talking I lost a lot of followers while posting from that wonderful city and I never got my "fame" back afterwards. These days I get maybe about 20-30 likes per Instagram post and constantly lose more and more followers every day. At the beginning I was kind of annoyed or even sad about it but then I understood that just like Pittsburgh, I couldn't care less. It's an amazing city with so much to offer and it doesn't stop just because there are barely any tourists visiting. From now on you can call me Martyna Pittsburgh Dearing (I still can't believe my parents didn't give me a middle name) and let me show you WHY!

Let's start with the fact that sometimes I feel like this city loves Polish food more than Poland. Things I got there... pierogi earrings, pierogi magnets, kielbasa sandwich. We do have pierogi and kielbasa in Poland but we don't make our whole culture about it and definitely not EARRINGS! Well, maybe in some super touristy places but personally, I've never seen anything like this. It's crazy. Polish delis, pierogi bars or pierogi pizza in an old church converted into a brewery. Pittsburgh never stops to surprise me with how many ideas they have for this very dish from Poland. They took something basic and turned it into their Americanized version that I must admit, I absolutely love and adore. Below you can find a list of my favorite Polish food spots in Pittsburgh:

1. The Chruch Brew Works- to be honest I've never been there since they closed during COVID but it's on top of my list as soon as I go there next time! They offer pierogi pizza that I have to try!

2. Stuff'd Pierogi Bar- try their pepperoni pizza pierogi, to die for!

3. S&D Polish Deli- their kielbasa sandwich is awesome! Also you can do full on Polish groceries there and get some supplies for the quarantine!

Okay, if you are not a huge fan of pierogi or generally Polish cuisine which is very hard to believe or respect but I guess it's fine... then you've got many other things to do over there that do not involve Polish culture at all!

Did you know that Pittsburgh is the place where Heinz company was founded? Thanks to that now you can actually go to their and I have to tell you, it's kind of cool! I am not a huge fan of museums but any kind of food or drink museum is definitely worth trying!

Another place definitely worth visiting is Pittsburgh Botanical Garden. It's absolutely beautiful and worth every penny. With COVID going on we had to book our visit since they wanted to avoid crowds and we ended up having so much space and almost no one else around us! That booking system might annoy some people who love just walking into places but it also allowed us to enjoy the gardens without unnecessary crowds.

Meanwhile I couldn't figure out how to get to Point State Park. It took us forever to realize we didn't have to cross the bridge in order to get there. The parking lot is actually on the same side of the bridge but kind of hidden right beside it. Do not listen to Google Maps that will tell you to go some weird way. Instead try finding Boulos Parking Point State that charges you $7 for parking and you can leave a car there for as long as you want. If you're walking or taking a subway you'll get off or walk towards the Gateway station. Point State Park is a great place to walk around, relax, see some great views and just take a break from that busy city. We even saw people swimming in the river which was absolutely crazy but kind of fun to watch!

Talking about crazy... have you ever heard of Randyland? It's... well it is somebody's backyard but that they decided to turn it into an awesome colorful junkyard that is available to public for free. They even leave t-shirts, pins and magnets available to purchase and they trust people enough to ask to leave the money in the jar since there's no one who could actually charge you for that stuff. Randyland is one of the strangest places I've been to and it is so much fun! It's not a place where you could spend hours but it is a place where you'll have the funniest 30 minutes of your trip to Pittsburgh. Just trust me, Randyland is a must while visiting this city! Plus you've got the Mattress Factory and Andy Warhol Museum just down the street very close to each other. All of the above along with the Heinz History Center are nothing like the museums you've been before. They're bizarre and probably not for the fans of traditional art. However, that's the beauty of Pittsburgh. It's not a place for everyone and that's okay. Actually, it makes it even better.

I feel like I couldn’t write this post without mentioning the Allegheny Sandwich Shoppe that is actually very close to the Randyland. It's super small, very cute and looks like a place taken out of 20th century. Very unique deli that served me one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had plus super good french fries. I recommend trying their coleslaw as well!

Last but not least the Grandview Overlook is a great place to visit. Not only the view is really good but you could always take The Duquesne Incline that would make many people a bit uncertain if that little old trolley could make such a steep hill! It's fun for families and for couples. Honestly, I'm sure it's fun for everyone and once you get there you've got plenty of little cafes and ice cream shops to enjoy after taking plenty of pictures and videos.

Pittsburgh’s Wine ’n Shine Pierogi Palooza is supposed to happen on Sunday, November 22, 2020. Of course as everything right now it might end up being cancelled but it won't stop me from getting the $5 tickets and planning my next visit in Pittsburgh!

There are so many things I loved while visiting but to be honest THE VIBE is my favorite thing about this city. Many bridges and awesome views every time you pass each one of them is another thing I cannot resist. Pittsburgh is a perfect combination of old and new. Edgy but kind of classy. It's a city that feels like a small town. Well, and most importantly for some reason it's got better Polish food than Poland itself and more bridges than any other place I’ve been to. With cheap diners at the Broadway where you can get a huge delicious breakfast under $10 and hipster overpriced coffee, with the souvenir shops selling things that seem not to belong to this country or the "the worst state ever" t-shirts with an outline of Ohio sold for $1 I'm not afraid to say that Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities in the USA. Not mentioning it's a home to one of the best universities in America- Carnegie Mellon. All of that makes this city a hidden gem of Pennsylvania and the East Coast generally.

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