Another draft and open solicitation for suggestions before the final answer. I will keep mentioning and begging for your help as the Pitt rep for Volvo‘s Biggest Fan in the Big East contest. The contest is a mix of popularity — so remember to go and vote for me in Volvo’s Biggest Fan in the Big East — and by winning challenges.
The challenges generally take the form of posting responses to their questions. They will judge the responses and decide which wins each time. This time around, the Volvo challenge is to “Pick 5 or more things that you have to do when you return to you’re Alma Mater.” These are the places, bars, things to do and eat when you go back to Pitt.
This is a little tricky at Pitt. I graduated in ’92. So many of the places that were near and dear to me are simply no longer there. Mainly, I’m talking about the bars.
C.J.’s, Zelda’s, The Decade, Calico’s. They are long gone. Places for which I have fond, hazy memories long since gone.
Not that there still are not places, things, etc.
Just thinking of the things:
Cathedral of Learning/Commons/Nationality Rooms
The Panther in front of the Student Union
Hemingway’s
Uncle Sam’s
Mitchell’s/Charlie’s
Chief’s
The Wall of old Forbes Field and stepping on Home Plate in Posvar Hall
Dave & Andy’s Ice Cream
The O
Mineo’s or Aiello’s Pizza in Squirrel Hill — where do you fall on this one?
What else? Why? Or why not?
Also, ideally I want to put photos of some of these places in the final post. If you have some pics, or can go out and snap some, and e-mail them to me at PittBlather -at- gmail-dot-com.
I have a week to have this one done.
the Pete/the old Field House?
Phipp’s Conservatory
Trees? used to play racquetball there by lowering that ladder down into the concrete court, like a gladiator. Olympic size pool.
The Cage
Hillman steps
weekends down at the Strip
Cardiac Hill — any Pitt summer basketball camp alums out there circa Roy Chipman?
Trees Hall — sneaking in for pick up games (that was more high school than college)
-Visiting the Pete (I would think this gets some bonus points for being the site of old Pitt Stadium)
-Primantis
I actually went to a couple of those summer basketball camps when Chipman was coach. I don’t remember him being there much (then again, I wasn’t exactly one of the blue chips that a coach would be interested in), but I have vivid memories of Seth Greenberg and Tommy McConnell preaching about defense.
I guess because they always get the attention, that I may have skipped them. When there is a bump during a Pitt home game (football or basketball) there is usually some clip of a Primanti’s sandwhich being made.
The O also has to make the list. To me, that is more Pitt than Primanti’s which is basically Pgh (not Pitt.) How about Peter’s Pub?
Mountain biking/walking through Schenley Park. Phipps conservatory.
Since the Cathedral is the signature building at Pitt, it needs to be on the list.
I was always a big fan of the Union Grill on Craig St .. provided it’s still there (haven’t been to Oakland for a while)
And for the late night snack, that street vendor who served rat on a stick…well, it looked like rat, but tasted delicious after a heavy night of drinking while trying to find your way back to the dorms.
The O
The Pete
The Panther
Peter’s Pub/Uncle Sam’s
Horrified every time I go to Oakland and see Dunkin Donuts where CJ’s once stood, Five Guys in place of Zelda’s and F&F instead of Calico’s. Where do kids drink nowadays??
*Dannys Pizza – South Park…even under new ownership.
* Gateway clipper…to the game hopefully, once Tino’s gone!
How about Tessaro’s in Bloomfield. Or the pleasure bar? Or D’Amico’s?
Buffalo Blues in Shadyside? The Sharp Edge? Anthony’s? The Cricket?
TX Panther, do you mean the “KosherBeefOrChicken” man outside Hillman?
How about the old Luna? North Oakland is a bit rough these days. Pitt and the old folks should have never moved the fraternities off of Dithridge and Bellfield.
The Sanctuary, The Upstage when you wanted a little bit off the path. Good for some laughs!!!
Tx Panther…The SOD, Saweeet!!! LOL
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the cathedral tell how you felt the first time you went in side. the zoo at BB games tell how that pumps people up . write abought pitt as if you were a kid seeing and doeing these things for the first time and how you felt than you cant lose.
How about Schenley Park? Didn’t see that on the list, I spent many days there as an undergrad.
Too bad so many great old bars are gone, some of my favs included Johnnies Place. Thirsty’s. The Decade. Zelda’s. Graffiti (first place I ever used a fake ID). Calico’s. The Upstage. Ahhh….I have such great, but vague and fuzzy memories of all of these places….
As a 2004 graduate, Walt Harris was the coach for my four years at Pitt and C.J.s closed down when I was a freshman. So here’s my less nostalgic top 5:
1. Cathedral of Learning
2. The “O”
3. Fuel & Fuddle — home of the 100 beers challenge
4. Phipps/Carnegie Museum — two of the bonuses of our urban setting
5. Oakland Zoo
Too funny… Anthony’s and The Cricket. I think I had blocked them from my memory. I may or may not have seen a female classmate providing entertainment at said establishments.
1. The Cricket
2. Panther Hollow Inn
3. S.O.D. (is it even still there?)
4. Docs’s Shadyside
5. The bathroom on the top floor of the Cathedral (c-mon, for the views)
I think I will have to end up with more than five on the list — even with all the lost places. Good memories. Or at least good nostalgia. Not sure exactly about the true memories given the alcohol consumed.
Quinques, pronounced chichis for meatballs and cheese in a bowl.
Wohlfarths Pub
The Wooden Keg
Frankie Gustines
Cum Laude
The Decade
Ciceros
Jakes Pinball
The Oakland Tavern
Wake n Bakes, beer funnels, cutting Chemistry class to shoot pool in the Union, buying 6-packs from Winners while underage, getting in line multiple times to get student B-ball tickets for games at the Civic Arena and then selling them to adults who gladly paid $30 each for them. Woops…this is getting far too personal.
The Pitt vs. Oklahoma game at Fitzgerald. And, streamers before you got a technical foul for them.
Add Scotty’s Diner for its serious sausage and proximity to the Towers.
The Luna for Friday afternoon beers.
Isaly’s on the BOA for cheap and filling chipped ham sandwichees, and
The Pizza Pub in Shadyside for its cheese steaks.
The Incline? They do show it every game so the voters might relate.
So much has changed, though. Only The Dirty O,Uncle Sams, Pamela’s, Peter’s Pub and Hemmingway’s are still around.
SOD for wings…
Silky’s Sportsbar in Squirrel Hill
Maybe I’m wrong. If it’s strictly campus and someones checking, well then.
If not, maybe go for a couple things the city is known for. Gotta go with Primanti’s and Mt Washington and the view, both on every Steeler national game.
If campus, put “walking ” around, since Piit is in always “America’a most livable city.” Note that for sure.
Just some thoughts, not sure how it’s being done.
One of the bartenders, right, who hasn’t?????
Her name was Amy, got up the next day, and sent her flowers, to the bar!!!!!!!!! My buddies were howling at me and thought I was out of my mind.
Yes, she got them, went back a couple days later, with my buddies, all of us went up to the bar, and she said, “thanks for flowers, that was nice, what are you guys having today?”
And that was the end of it!!!!!!!! Guess she had guys come in with crushes before!!! LOL
I thought I was gonna change her life!!! LOL
Just stood against the wall all night looking at her face. Next day, sent flowers.
Ha ha. Money was hard to come by too.
Hey Pitt89, this is a really long shot, but, there was another bartender there, that worked at zeldas also.
We called her “Fuji”. She wasn’t Japanses, but she had jet black short hair.
By the end of the night, we’d always start with the “we want to Mt. Fuji” sophmoric spiel!!!!
Ha ha, she always laughed, we tipped her well, and she knew she was in on the joke, not the joke.
Ahhhh, good times.
Were there ever more homely waitresses than thos that worked the night shift at Scotty’s.
Larry Luna was awesome. He cashed a check for a buddy of mine so we could continue drinking. Closed the place that night, we were 16.
Wally, made the 2 am trip to Primanti’s several times. Two sandwiches would crush the munchies.
Mitchells (Kamakazee Pitchers)
SOD
Zeldas (saw Fralic pound some dude one night)
Peters on Thursday!
Anybody else remember listening to Puckett (sp?)
Was there a contest among bartends back then on who could serve the youngest patrons? One didn’t even have to have a fake ID.
Forgot to mention my favorite person during the late 60s: Izzy down at the police station.
Just saw him on t-giving. He still plays around a little bit, but, has full time job.
We hire him for events at our business.
You can still call out any tune, no matter how obscure, he’ll get it. One man band!!!
My brother was married back then, so I knew him then. He would get tired of me showing up, I always requested ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. And I would request it several times a night!!!
He’s doing well.
@Dan… Believe it or not, I do remember crushing on a zelda’s barmaid with short dark hair. Could be a different one though. Don’t recall Amy at Calico’s. Although I do distinctly remember being in Calico’s and watching the crap team John Thompson put together blow the Olympic basketball game in ’88. Also remember listening to Puckett… Good times!
Dollar imports at Peter’s on Wed nights, $.10 and $.25 drafts at Zelda’s on Thurs nights (we used to cover a picnic table in the back with dixie sized cups of beer), and free pizza at Zelda’s happy hours on Fridays.
Another subject is that after only one year, Maryland backers are calling for Edsall to be fired. Can’t blame them … they went from 10 wins last year to 10 losses this year.
I don’t know, who knows what we’ll end up having with Graham, but, when Maryland hired Edsall, I kinda of went “blah” for them.
Those uni’s didn’t help!! ha ha
Chief’s Bar was a real throwback. Used to have a good friend bartend there. Sometimes I’d got there early in the morning, and see old-timers throwing back shots of whisky at 7:00 am.
Also, there used to be a great bar on Forbes called the Attic, in the early 90’s–great for watching sports or shooting pool, and had another bar on top of that, for late-night dancing. What has become of these places?
Thursday night Pitcher and Wings at Thirsty’s
Disco tunes before retro disco was cool (or at least thought it was cool) at Luna (there still is a Luna, it’s moved a couple doors further away from Center Ave)
A hard boiled egg and a draft at Chiefs for like 75 cents
Capri pizza was awesome – anyone remember the Pizza Store, that had the trucks that drove around with warm pizzas in the back looking for quick sales?