IMMERSE YOURSELF IN PITTSBURGH’S STRIP DISTRICT, WHERE OLD WORLD CHARM MEETS TRUE MODERN STYLE.

BY KATHRYN HAWKINS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MCLAIN

The famous sandwich from Primanti Brothers	prosciutto hanging in an aging room at Parma Sausage

On the narrow, sun-dappled sidewalk, businessmen in Brooks Brothers suits brush past women wearing colorful head wraps and African dresses. The morning’s breeze is rich with the aromas of fresh biscotti and Italian bread from the nearby bakery, roses and lavender from the small flower stand on the corner, and spiced lamb meat roasting at the kebab shop across the street. You can visit a fish market, an antique store, an Asian grocery and an old-fashioned ice cream shop, all on the same city block. Everywhere you look, the neighborhood is full of life, vibrant color, motion and flavor.

An eclectic mix of shops and restaurants that blend Old World European charm with modern sophistication can also be found in the heart of Pittsburgh, in a half-mile area known as the Strip District.

The city is a diverse and exciting metropolitan center; all year long, crowds swarm the Strip for delicious food, great shopping and a taste of the area’s unique vitality. There are only a few hundred people who actually live in the district. “It’s everybody’s neighborhood and nobody’s neighborhood,” says Lauren Uhl of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. In the last two decades, the Strip has become Pittsburgh’s premier gathering spot.

Pittsburgh native Philip Monti in front of Pennsylvania Macaroni Co., where he’s been shopping since the 1920s.

Of course, with gathering comes eating, and the Strip has no shortage of spots to break bread. Behemoth chains like Starbucks and Subway have tried to stake claims, but shut down within months; such mainstream fare can’t compete with the mouthwatering offerings from independent eateries.

When you visit, join the early birds at DeLuca’s for the mixed grill platter, with a huge helping of eggs, sausage or ham, grilled vegetables and home fries. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, try one of the hotcake sundae specialties—thick pancakes fresh from the griddle, smothered in ice cream, whipped cream and cherries. Rather stick with coffee? Stop by La Prima Espresso, a small Italian café that’s frothed up the city’s best cappuccinos for almost 20 years.

You can’t do Pittsburgh right without tasting a world-famous Primanti Brothers sandwich. First created for dock workers in the ’30s, it includes french fries and coleslaw inside the bread, along with your choice of meat. As legend has it, the invention was borne of necessity; the workers didn’t have time to sit down to eat, so they needed a meal they could wolf down with one hand. Primanti Brothers came to the rescue, stuffing the side dishes right into the sandwich. Though there are many locations in Pittsburgh, the Strip location is the original shop. Even better, it’s open 24 hours a day.

If you prefer a more upscale meal, you can’t go wrong in this neck of the woods either. In 2000, celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich chose the Strip for her 9,000-square-foot restaurant, Lidia’s, because of the area’s ambiance and proximity to fresh meats and produce. Design features include a 17-foot-wide fireplace and beautiful hand-blown glass chandeliers, while the menu specializes in Italian-Slavic “border” cuisine.

A newer arrival, Eleven serves contemporary American cuisine in a uniquely beautiful space. Located in a former warehouse, the dining room features original wood floors and steel beams, and an open kitchen, allowing diners to watch the chef prepare specialties like the veal and lobster entrée—a succulent combination of sautéed veal medallions and butter-poached lobster tail.

The Strip is also home to dozens of grocers and ethnic markets. Step up to the cheese counter at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (known to locals as “Penn Mac”), a wholesale grocer that sells thousands of traditional Italian products. Carole Pascuzzi will call you “dear heart” and help you find the perfect cheese to go with your pinot noir out of the hundred-odd wheels on display. Another specialty shop, Parma Sausage sells authentic sopressata, proscuitto, and other delicacies cured and seasoned in their own hanging room. There’s also Mexican and Asian, and everything in between.

But the Strip District isn’t just about food. At boutiques like Collage, discerning shoppers can find a selection of artisan crafts and jewelry, including dragon-shaped weathervanes, copper candlesticks and wall hangings made from antique Indian saris. Eide’s Entertainment is one of the oldest and best comic stores in the U.S.; the three-level shop also sells a wealth of collectible records, books and videos. Endless sidewalk stalls carry remaindered books, Steelers shirts, hand puppets and more. “Everything you buy, you can come home with the story behind it,” says Becky Rodgers, executive director of the nonprofit group Neighbors in the Strip.

To learn more about Pittsburgh, visit the Heinz History Center to see images and relics from the city’s smoky past. Grab a stool at the Heinz 57 exhibit’s soda counter to hear about the humble beginnings of the world’s most famous ketchup. Steelers fans can step into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum located in the same building; the hands-on exhibits will give you a chance to hit your own home run, and the theater shows highlights of Pittsburgh’s legendary sports history.

If you’re still awake after a long day strolling through the Strip, have no fear. Though most of Pittsburgh shuts down after dark, the Strip leaves the lights on all night. Traveling with teens? Send them to Club Zoo, Pittsburgh’s only underage nightclub, while you head to Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle, a traditional Irish pub.

For a more sophisticated night on the town, DejAVu Live has a comfortable lounge area, an abundant bar and a spacious dance floor. Later, if you want to keep on moving to the music, head over to Altar Bar, a nightclub based in a beautiful converted church.

A nightclub/church might seem strange to some, but in the Strip District, it fits right in. The neighborhood effortlessly melds tradition with innovation; you see it in the warehouses-cum-gourmet restaurants and in the grocery shops, where octogenarians stand in line behind 20-year-olds for sopressata and fresh-baked bread.

All through the Strip District, the old and new come together in surprising forms. The neighborhood has changed from a long block of industrial warehouses and wholesale stores into a vibrant, eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, galleries and clubs. It’s a by-the-locals, for-the-locals kind of place, but the Strip District will welcome you with open arms, no matter where you’re coming from.

STRIP DISTRICT GUIDE
La Prima Espresso laprima.com 412-281-1922 Primanti Brothers primantibros.com 412-263-2142 Lidia’s Pittsburgh lidiasitaly.com 412-552-0150 Eleven bigburrito.com/eleven 412-201-5656 Collage collage-pgh.com 412-201-4291 Parma Sausage Products parmasausage.com 412-391-4238 Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. pennmac.com 412-471-8330	DeLuca’s 412-566-2195 Eide’s Entertainment eides.com 412-261-0900 Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum pghhistory.org 412-454-6000 Club Zoo clubzoo.net 412-201-1100 Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle harpandfiddle.com 412-642-6622 Deja Vu Lounge dejavulive.net 412-434-1144 Altar Bar altarbar.com 412-263-2877

Back in time

HISTORY OF THE STRIP

1730-1769

The future Strip District is a Native American village called Shannopin’s Town. Thanks to a convenient location between the Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers, the town hosts many traders, speculators and military officials— including a pre-presidential George Washington.

1829

The area, now known as “Bayardstown,” is officially made a borough of Pittsburgh. By the following year, more than 2,000 people live here.

1860s

During the Civil War, the Strip District’s Fort Pitt Cannon Foundry produces 15 percent of the Union army’s artillery, including the legendary Rodman cannons. Weighing 56 tons each, they were larger than any weapon produced in the past.

1930s

The Strip serves as Pittsburgh’s Shantytown during the Great Depression, with more than 200 men camping on the streets for three years. Father James Cox of Old St. Patrick’s Church, the “mayor of Shantytown,” makes headlines across the country by leading 25,000 unemployed men to Washington, D.C., to petition for government relief.

1950s

There are 71 wholesale produce suppliers in the Strip District. The fresh fruits and vegetables are brought in on trains, and often sold straight out of the boxcars.

1989

The Strip’s cultural revival begins with the opening of now defunct dance club called Metropol. More clubs, shops, bars and restaurants soon follow.