Well Fed On the Town

I love Pittsburgh. There, I said it.

When I was a kid, getting into a Chevy Kingswood Estate station wagon with my mom, stepfather, sister and two stepsisters, for what was then a 5-6 hour ride, I never would have thought I’d ever say I loved that city. I know I’ve talked about Pittsburgh in the past, either here or on my own blog, but I can’t help it after visiting again.

I’m not a Steelers fan. I don’t hate them, but I’m not a fan. They too often beat my Dallas Cowboys for me ever to be a fan.

What I do love, though, is food. And Pittsburgh is as much about food at any city I know. It doesn’t have restaurants as highly rated as Manhattan or LA, but it’s got real food and ways to get great food. There’s also some pretty great scenery and views, a nice downtown, and a gorgeous surrounding area.

I’ll warn you that I’m including a lot of photos this time!

The Strip District is probably my single favorite place in town, though others aren’t far behind. It’s not really trendy, though some trendy type places have popped up here and there. It’s not overly pretty, as most of the buildings have been there far longer than the 32 years I’ve been going there.

It is, however, the best place to get some of the foods I love that I know. From locally made meats including proscuitto, salami, Italian sausages and kielbasa to imported foods from Europe to my favorite cheese counter anywhere, the Strip is just great.

From Wholey’s, with signs up with their specials and notes to try a sample, to Pennsylvania Macaroni to street vendors and restaurants offering made-to-order sandwiches along the sidewalk, this is the place to be in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. Deluca’s is perennially voted one of the best breakfasts in town, and though I would put money that half the workers are ex-cons, they always treat customers well and give them a great breakfast (my favorite is eggs and kielbasa!). There are coffee shops and an uppity (but great) chocolate shop.

The only thing I don’t get is why my wife and I only spend a couple of hours there, other than there are other places to see, too. Maybe next time, we’ll just get there early and stay into the afternoon, enjoying lunch at one of the non-chain restaurants.