>I just had no sense of if there was a local music scene to be heard of.

Local scene.. yeah. I'm not tuned into the jazz scene but I'll take those at their word saying it's happening. Punk has always seemed fairly healthy here, although not my scene either so can't judge it well. Agree with others who said we have a strong classical core as well. The strength of the area is the schools... Chatham, CMU, Point Park, Duquesne, Pitt... all bring things in and host smaller events. Chatham's baroque program is the only one I visit with any frequency.

There's a decent investment into our cultural district, Pittsburgh Sympathy and some other theaters. So we have a lot of local professional talent.

The folk/bluegrass/acoustic scene is a bit hit and miss, especially compared to somewhere like Nashville or Austin. Folk Alley is based out of Kent, OH though, which isn't too far and they bring some acts in. Pittsburgh's annual Arts Fest brings in some good acts for a couple of weeks, so you could look up past events to see the schedules for that.

Pittsburgh isn't the melting pot that it once was, but there's still a strong influence from the Russian Jewish population so that adds some flavor. Not that we have a big klezmer scene or anything but there are players around.

Our open mic scene is nothing to brag about, but it's healthy enough to go out and contribute and make it better. Check out Mr. Smalls & Funhouse. Some random singalong fun at the Northside Elk's lodge banjo night (mostly tenor banjos and Americana). The Quakers sometimes host some performances and singalongs. Other occasional events hosted by local museums like the Warhol.

Where Pittsburgh is lacking is with touring bands bothering to stop by.. we tend to be flyover country for a lot of bigger acts so if you want to catch a lot of larger tours you'll need to travel. This is a double edged sword though, as it's a fairly easy drive to Philly, DC, Delfest (Cumberland), Columbus, Cleveland, Chautauqua, Buffalo, and Toronto.. and the trip to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, or Detroit isn't terrible either. We're a good hub to a lot of other cities if you have a weekend to travel for shows and events.

Covid has shut a lot down and we're still crawling back to life. Acoustic Music Works in Squirrel Hill used to regularly host some cool little intimate acts. They're our local Collings dealer so you might want to reach out to them and ask about the music scene here. Oh, and we have a local mandolin orchestra too!

Beyond that.. keep an eye on the local NPR music stations. WYEP and WKSU (Kent, OH) and see if they are actively promoting anything.

We're a smaller city.. the music scene here is lacking compared to other places I've lived (San Diego, Seattle, Chicago). But for the size of the city, it's relatively healthy.

2nd the szechuan spice

Yeah maybe something previously in south side but it’s gross mostly. The kind of stuff you said is rare in ole pgh :) but there are a lot of fun dance nights at various bars/spots - jellyfish, hot mass etc

A lot of Chinese places have it to varying goodness.

Parlor was good but overpriced IMO. Had some at sezchuan spice recently and it was good.

One issue might be that we have a lot of taiwanese places and not so many Chinese/honk kont places and chow fun is predominantly not a Taiwanese dish.

It had a lot of clubs historically, going at least back to when the Hill had a vibrant jazz strip but also had a apparently pretty rocking edm/rave scene and a fair share of 80s/90s dance clubs.

I think a big factor that hurt that scene was the flight of young people along with not big enough of a popular for the remaining active subculture to keep it going (compared to say NYC).

I think a club could actually make it again with the return of young people with lots of disposable income although now it's hit or miss if it would benefit or not from pent up pandemic demand.

The scene is very different in Baltimore but after seeing about a jillion college kids rocking it out at the open air club .... mall? .... I guess it can be very profitable.

Edit: wrote hill twice

This is the only answer

Honestly, thank you.

The sign of a pretty safe place 🤷‍♂️

YESS I love Chengdu.

I got hit by a Big’s Sanitation truck at Bigelow and Herron 13 years ago. It was snowing. I had the green light and was in the right lane, he was in the left lane. I’m coming through the light and he turns hard right to go down Polish Hill. Ripped off the entire front end of my Ford Focus and threw me down the hill. I got knocked out. Woke up to my horn going off and some dude at my window trying to pull the door open. I fucking hate that intersection.

Belvederes, spirit, and brillobox are my go tos for dancing

Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that people can’t be swayed by gifts, but there’s a big difference between what’s described in this article and what I’m talking about ie a Panera boxed lunch that retails for $10. The article talks about taking people to fancy restaurants and giving them thanksgiving roasts. Those aren’t even remotely on par with a sandwich.

I didn’t even bring up pharma sales that was the other guy, the original article is talking about government employees needing to pay cash for a bottle of water, and not being able to accept it for free. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with government employees accepting small freebies, if it’s part of the normal course of business. Like an inspector is on site on a hot day and one of the workers offers him a bottle of water, that should be fine, it’s just common sense. I don’t think he’s gonna go from a fail to a pass because of that.

I really like Spirit and Brillow box! They both have a mix of djs and live shows, but it's not usually too crowded, and they tend to skew a little older, like not many college kids. Not sure about the dressed up part though...

Yue bei in squirrel hill has decent chow fun with wide noodles!

Totally agree. Indoor, covered patio, and outdoor options. Be respectful of the bartenders, though. I like them.

Last I heard is that they won't unless they can find state/federal money to do it.

It's crazy how many people wreck into stationary objects.

Maybe we shouldn't hand out drivers licenses like candy on Halloween.

Correct! Shaking it well and getting good water diluted into the mix is also very important.

There were a lot of cops and emergency vehicles in the area because of an OD by the church on Smithfield maybe 30 minutes before the shooting. Talked to one cop after the shooting and he said he was a block away writing a report for the OD when the shooting happened, hence the super quick response time

Thanks. This makes so much more sense. I recall attempting the former ratios and ended up with 1.5 teq 1.5 coco but less lime. I guess the Demerara would help round it out, lessen the tartness of the lime?

i mean the police didn’t seem to prevent it or solve it so……what now

These landlords are overcharging a lot within city, especially Lawrenceville. I still pay under 1k for 2br, 1ba, 1 car garage, and very quiet neighborhood. Right across the river from Lawrenceville.

New tenants are paying around $1200 - $1400 which is still pretty cheap with how close you are to everything.

Sheetz

Make sure to ask for proof they're bonded & insured qnd that they have workers comp to cover any additional cleaners they bring with them. Not just because of damage to your property. If the cleaner is injured your insurance could be on the hook if they aren't. This is a more common concern then you'd think. I'd also ask them what products they use specifically and ensure they are actually following manufacturer directions so as not to leave residue behind. Especially on floors that can become sticky or slippery due to incorrect product application. Used to clean houses learned a lot of tricks but also saw a lot of issues and shady business practices.

I’ve never been there or had it but I am so getting the stuff to make this.