Lunch at Primanti Bros. is a unique experience, as it is located in Pittsburgh's historic market district, The Strip District, which has a rich history as it lies along the river, and in the early days barges and boats would deliver all the goods to the city. Then the truckers would arrive to disperse the goods throughout the city and countryside. Thus, a good market emerged selling sandwiches to the truckers, as they started their daily routes. One man sold sandwiches from his cart, and eventually opened a restaurant with his brothers to meet the demand. One of his customers shared some potatoes with him, and he fried them up and added them to the sandwich...which is unique still today, as coleslaw and fries are automatically added to each sandwich unless requested "naked".
This was an important stop in our tour of Pittsburgh, as Greg is a truck driver, so we gathered in the little restaurant with the distinctive brick walls which are very cool on a brisk winter day. The staff was very friendly and fast...perhaps a continued tradition of keeping busy people rolling. This gave us the opportunity to gather some of Penn Mac's cheese and meat for our holiday. Yummmmm. The Strip is an amazing experience, as it has the essence of the open markets on the streets of NYC. However, the aroma of fresh baking bread also called us into Mancini's.
Next, we boarded the Monongahela Incline. In 1870 it was built to help provide housing opportunities for the coal families at the top of Mt. Washington or "Coal Hill". The steep terrain made travel between areas difficult, so the German immigrants proposed creating inclines on the hill. As the kids randomly documented this journey, this photo shows how steep it is; however, the road below is not even half way down the hill.
From the top, the view of the cityscape is great!
And one must not forget to notice the Steeler's stadium...
Or the great companionship!
Or the charming neighborhood.
The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio River at the heart of Pittsburgh.
Thus bridges link the city together for driving convenience, or in my case...complete confusion. A glimpse of a few of these fine bridges.
Though we wrapped up this first day with a visit to Sarri's for some sweet treats, as it is a delightful little store and ice-cream parlor filled with their fresh chocolates and candy.
Yesterday we visited the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Find Greg.
I gave the kids the camera to document our journey, and I love their perspective, so as we begin our new year together, I wanted to share their insight into Pittsburgh. May you find balance in the year ahead!
I've seen Primanti Bros. on my fav tv channel. Been wondering if you'd gotten there yet. Thanks for writing about it. This is part of my balance: though I sit at my computer to plan lessons, I read your blog instead. I was setting up the novels class blog... :)
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