How could we leave out bridges? Photo by Bridgepix.The folks at the Church of the Customer blog are moving to Austin from Chicago. On their way out the door, they stopped to mention
10 Things They Love About Chicago. Then they encouraged their readers to create their own lists in their own cities.
Thus, some of the STBD cast and crew -- Erik Schark (Rich), Ryan Ben (Tim), Rick Hertzig (Glenn) and Elise Yacovone (one of our new cast members, whom you'll see in Season Five), as well as creator Justin Kownacki -- pontificated and came up with the following:
Ten Things We Love About Pittsburgh:10. Enough great locally owned coffee shops that I never have to resort to Starbuck's. (Rick)
9. I love playing a game called "Left / Right / Straight" in Pittsburgh. You get in a car with a bunch of friends and the person in shotgun at each intersection tells the driver "left/right/straight." It's a great way to see this beautiful city. (Ryan)
8. Inexpensive housing and low cost of living. Where else can you get hardwood floors and convenience in a nice, livable area for only $400+? (Elise)
7. The library system. You can search through all of the area libraries and find pretty much anything you want: graphic novels, movies, TV series, etc. You can then request that the item be sent to your local branch, and they'll send you an e-mail when it's ready to be picked up. You can even see where you are in the queue for it. It's fantastic, and it's actually a huge step up from the NYC Public Library system. (Erik)
6. Nature. Pittsburgh is nestled in a temperate river valley, which means the summers are pleasant and the winters are mild. It's bordered by three rivers and features dozens of parks, nature trails and bike paths -- great for the outdoorsy among us. (Justin)
5. Cuisine. Notable restaurants we've frequented lately include
Abay,
Gypsy Cafe,
Red Room, and
Zaw's in Sq Hill. Plus,
Deluca's in the Strip for breakfast - the best buckwheat pancakes in town! (Elise & Rick)
4. The financial support for the arts. I have friends who moved here from NYC and founded a theatre company. They got instant support from businesses, grants, even a donation of a performance space. They also immediately got press and media attention for their efforts. This doesn't happen anywhere else. (Erik)
3. Driveability. Granted, our public transit isn't what it could (or should) be, but the resultant dependency on cars means everyone has a different route for getting everywhere. Say what you will about the frequent gridlock on the Parkways, but you can get just about anywhere in Allegheny County in 40 minutes or less, no matter the time of day. (Justin)
2. It's a small enough place that the media takes note of things I've promoted (
PodCamp Pittsburgh,
STBD,
Creative TreeHouse) yet it's a large enough place that the country notices when something happens here. I feel like I can actually make a difference not only to Pittsburgh and its residents but also in how the country and the world views Pittsburgh. It's very empowering. (Erik)
1. The neighborhoods! Within the city limits, you have such a great variety of completely different neighborhoods -- from chi-chi Shadyside to up-and-coming arty areas like Lawrenceville, and the ever-popular South Side. (This is why, when people complain that "there's nothing to do here," I get so mad!) (Elise)
What do you think of our list? Agree? Disagree? Add your own suggestions!
Labels: eliseyacovone, erikschark, justinkownacki, pittsburgh, rickhertzig, ryanben
We were supposed to resume filming this week for STBD, but there's a hiccup -- Ryan Ben (aka Tim) -- informed me that he's been instructed to keep a "poorly assembled beard" for his role in a stage play that runs through August.
