The upcoming 2024 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is in my hometown of Pittsburgh! I can’t wait to show yinz around dahntahn n’at! Don’t be a jagoff, learn a little about the city before you go aht and explore!
What’s with the weird accent?
Lots of cities have regional dialects, and we have Pittsburghese. You get used to it. Here are some key words to learn. When your city earns the right to call itself the City of Champions you are allowed to make fun of us. (Yes, we are the smallest city to have three professional sports teams, and all of them have won multiple championships. They also all have the same colors, colors which are featured in Wiz Khalifa’s #1 hit “Black and Yellow.”)
Da Burgh, featuring an incline, the three rivers meeting, and the iconic skyline of dahntahn!
Image via shutterstock.
What’s with all the bridges?
In addition to being called the “City of Champions” and the “Iron City,” Pittsburgh is called the “City of Bridges.” Pittsburgh is at the intersection of three rivers, and there’s stuff on all sides of all riverbanks. We need every one of our 446 bridges to get around. If you are driving, please be aware that Pittsburgh is extremely unforgiving if you miss your turn or exit. You may find yourself shunted across a bridge to the wrong side of the river.
Photo via shutterstock
What to do
In terms of scientific and cultural offerings, Pittsburgh punches way above its weight for a medium-sized city. Thanks, 19th century robber barons in the steel industry!
Pittsburgh’s Zoo and Aquarium (together in one facility) are world class, though, fair warning, it’s a lot of walking uphill.
Our collection of dinosaur bones at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s largest and most spectacular. I’ve often remarked how I went through both a childhood shark thing and a childhood dinosaur thing, and this museum made the choice harder than it would have otherwise been!
Pittsburgh is home to the National Aviary, which has more than 500 live birds from all over the world.
The Andy Warhol Museum is one of the most fascinating and unique museums on the planet.
Ride the incline, a cable car featured in the image above, to the top of Mount Washington for a spectacular view of the city and three rivers.
The Heinz Regional History Center is a great Pittsburgh-focused museum a few minutes from the convention center.
Take a Ducky Tour, a converted WW2 boat-car that gives you a view of the city from the water and land!
And don’t forget Kennywood, one of America’s oldest amusement parks and one that features several of the highest-rated roller coasters in the world!
What to eat
There are some iconic local delicacies that I’d encourage you to try during your visit! The most famous is Primanti’s (pronounced Purr-Mantis by locals), where they put french fries and cole slaw right on your sammitch with the meat and cheese! Try it, trust me!
Pittsburgh is also home to the world-famous Pamela’s Diner, which makes pancakes that will, and I promise I’m not overselling this, change your life. One of the most interesting places you’ll ever eat is Church Brew Works, located in a desanctified church. Pittsburgh is well known for Polish food, especially pierogi’s, so much so that the tourism bureau has a whole page on the best places to grab a pierogi (I’ll note that of these I’ve only tried about half, they’re all amazing, and the closest one to where we’re staying is S&D Polish Deli.) The best ribs you will ever eat are served at Tessaro’s Thursdays at lunchtime until they run out at Tessaro’s- it’s a ten minute Uber ride and I’m going if anyone wants to join me. Yes, there is Pittsburgh-style pizza. Anywhere in Bloomfield will have amazing Italian food. And did you know that Pittsburgh is home to the best cake in America, at Prantl’s bakery?
There are also several Pittsburgh-made brands of beer. If you want to drink like a local and drink cheaply, try Iron (pronounced “Arn”) City. If you want something that tastes good, try something else.
You’ll eat well in Da Burgh- just make sure that you don’t ask for any ketchup other than our hometown brand of Heinz!
Pittsburgh neighborhoods to explore
Pittsburgh has many wonderful neighborhoods with amazing history, a vibrant arts scene, and delicious food. Our meeting is at the David L Lawrence Convention Center, right dahntahn. We are an easy walk from the famous Strip District, which has tons of fun shops and restaurants. There are Strip District food tours you can take, my favorite is “Burgh Bits and Bites.” Just across a pedestrian-friendly bridge from the convention center is the North Side, home to the Warhol Museum, the National Aviary, and the Carnegie Science Center. We’re a quick drive (or Uber) from Shadyside, home to a lot of fun art galleries. Oakland is home to the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, as well as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Depending on how far you want to explore and what you’re looking for, you can easily get incredible food, see historic homes, see world-class museums, visit beautiful riverside or hillside parks, or go for a hike or bike ride.
Yes, we really have a great airport!
Though some JMIH organizers (cough Chip cough cough) thought it was weird that the Pittsburgh convention bureau stresses our airport, it really is a great airport! It’s regularly named one of the top medium-sized airports in the country. Does your hometown airport have a whole page of awards they’ve won? I didn’t think so.
What to expect
In addition to some amazing food and fun stuff to do, Pittsburghers, or “Yinzers” as you should absolutely not call them to their faces, are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. It’s not uncommon for a waitress to sit down at your table with you and chat. You’ll also be surprised at how much hometown pride you encounter, how different the different neighborhoods are, how many types of unusual ethnic cuisine you can find for a small city. and, depending on where you’re coming from, how cheap everything is.
Just make sure to spell the name correctly- there is an H on the end of Pittsburgh- and you’ll get along just fine.
Welcome to my hometown!