A Tale of Two Cities

July 01, 2006 02:18 AM

Well, It's been a while since I've updated, and a lot of things have happened. Perhaps the most important event was the awarding of the single most expensive piece of paper I own- my diploma. Alas, I am still not done with school, for I have a thesis to write before I can get my MS. I'm currently working on that from home here in Pittsburgh while working at Pittsburgh Digital part time. I hope to be finished by November or so.

Living in Pittsburgh again has actually been quite enjoyable. Those four years in Cleveland really helped my to appreciate my hometown and all of its eccentricites. Pittsburgh may essentially be a backwoods, redneck town with tall buildings, but at least it has some form of culture. Now, I'm not talking about a high-brow brand of culture like New York or Los Angeles. It's more of an "Um gunna head dahn to thu strip an' grab a Primanni's sanwich, pick up a case of Ahrn City beer at the beer distributor, an' watch the fahrworks from Mount Worshington" kind of culture. Sadly, I didn't see much of that in Cleveland.

Cleveland suffers from suburban sprawl in the worst way. There few neighborhoods in the city that have any form of culture besides "urban", and the suburbs are essentially composed of malls and chain restaurants. There are exceptions like Shaker Heights of course, but towns like Strongsville are generally the rule. Even Coventry, Case's trendy nextdoor-neighborhood, is filled with chain restaurants.

It seems to me that Cleveland tries too hard to have the appearance of "big city" culture, but going into town is such a hassle and perceived risk that I don't believe that it pulls it off all that well. I know a lot of people who are actually afraid of going downtown or anywhere else in the city outside of University Circle. The fact that most native Clevelanders at Case do not actually live in the city probably doesn't help this sentiment, either. I do not mean to imply that Pittsburgh is safer in any way, but those that live here certainly act like it is.

Cleveland does have it's advantages. Chipotle and Swenson's are the first two that come to mind. As much as I hate to admit it, Cedar Point is a superior amusement park to Kennywood. The clubbing scene in Cleveland is also a lot better than that of Pittsburgh, since all Pittsburgh really has is the Matrix (the dance club, not the movie, you nerd!). I just don't like clubbing. I'm sure there are other things, but they really aren't coming to mind right now.

So why do I like Pittsburgh better than Cleveland? For one thing, it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't: a big city and culture center. We Pittsburghers are generally content to grab a cool Yuengling, some pierogies, and watch the Buccos lose to yet another mediocre baseball team. But this lack of culture is a kind of culture all its own. Somebody (I can't find the quote online) once said something along the lines of "Pittsburgh is actually the hippest city in the world, if only because it doesn't care at all about being hip". It's also possible to find more "civilized" things to do if you're into that as well. We have a decent theater district and multiple concert venues, and more community theater groups than a city of any size needs. The local music scene is so-so, with the ubiquitous Clarks being the most famous, but it's not difficult to find live music of the genre of your choice on a weekend. Our college town, Oakland, puts University Circle to shame. Just take a walk down Forbes Ave. and try to tell me that you'd prefer the Triangle building and Wackadoo's. And we have neighborhoods, inside the city limits, that you don't have to be afraid to walk through, such as Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, South Side, and the North Shore. It's a beautiful city, especially from Mt. Washington at night. It also helps that our football team is a hell of a lot better (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Pittsburgh is not a city for everyone. If you want excitement and culture, you'd be better served in New York City. But its lack of pretentiousness is ever so appealing to me, and the restaurants are generally good, although not world class by any means. If you live in Cleveland and have some free time (like during the long Independence Day weekend), you should drive the 130 miles or so and visit the 'Burgh. I'd be happy to point you in the direction of a good bar or restaurant. Just remember that you can't get beer in convenience stores or grocery stores, so plan accordingly!