Slow news day

So here are some cat pictures. 

 

'Hoods I have known

My jobs here have been in city neighborhoods and I've loved walking around them and exploring. First was Oakland, home of students, hospitals, and more students. The places to look were never ending. There were people from all over the world, food trucks, every type of restaurant imaginable. Very crowded all the time. And I'm not fond of crowds, so it was (and is still) an adjustment every time I go there.

From there, I went south. Well, to the South Side to be more specific. Known for it's night life more than anything else, I love the quirky shops that dot the landscape. I found a place to learn to knit there and ended up making a very good friend in the process. A trip to Groovy, with it's retro toys and games, takes me back to my childhood. "Oh man! I had those! And my brother had all of those and then some!" South Bank Galleries is two stores in one - the bottom level is packed to the brim with stuff. You name it, it's probably there. Church pews, old telephones, furniture, bar ware, neon signs, records, jewelry (both real and costume). Upstairs is the art gallery where you can look at an buy works from Picasso to Roy Lichtenstein to local artists. They have lay away and I keep saying one of these days I'm going to put something on lay away. Ahh, dreams. . .

Next 'hood was Bloomfield/Friendship. I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE. Beautiful houses, awesome food, great people. The best burgers are there (Tessaro's), the best Italian food is there (Alexander's), and my favorite Thai place is there (the one in the yellow building, not the one further up). I've been trying to get Hubby to move there for four years now. Unfortunately, we've apparently missed our window of opportunity to buy there as now all of the houses for sale are either a) tiny small, b) condos with one bedroom, or 3) OMG expensive.

Now I'm in the Central North Side for work. It's absolutely gorgeous here. The houses are amazing, even if the area is still a little rough around the edges. And by rough around the edges, I mean I don't walk with anything of value on me except my phone and even that I try to keep out of sight. From my job, I can walk to the National Aviary and see the birds, I can walk through a park and check out the lake and watch the ducks swim and the people hang out. Lots of old industrial buildings are being re-purposed into housing. A 20 minute walk from work takes you to this big brick building that was once a warehouse of some sort but is now home to some of the most gorgeous (IMHO, YMMV) condos I've seen in a long time. If I had a spare $400,000 I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

We're looking for a new house and 'hood to move to and while my focus has mainly been in the East End, I'm open to other suggestions! Currently there are two houses on my watch list that are in the running should our house ever sell - one in Squirrel Hill, the other in Morningside. But that's another post for another day. . .

Welcome to Yinzlandia!

I'm your host, KittenG.


I'm sure you're wondering "What the heck is Yinzlandia?" Well, it's my little slice of Pittsburgh. I'm not a native, but I've been here long enough to almost feel like a Pittsburgher. March 1st is my 9th anniversary of living here and I still am fascinated by all things Pittsburgh. The food, the scenery, the people. It's still a mystery to me.

By day, I'm simply a medical librarian in a hospital. (Yes, hospitals have libraries and librarians. No, I don't sit around and read all day.) The rest of the time, I wander around trying to figure out the city I call home.

Why "Yinzlandia" tho? Well, Portland is the setting for "Portlandia" and apparently Brooklyn, NY has "Brokelandia" so I thought it would be fun to start referring Pittsburgh to Yinzlandia.

When do I start saying I'm from here?

In about six weeks, I'll have lived in Yinzlandia for nine years. That's a long time. But I still say I live in Yinzlandia, but I'm from Beaver Cleaver, Ohio. I don't know why I feel the need to "clarify."

Don't get me wrong, I love living in Yinzlandia. There's so much to see and do. I love the city neighborhoods, I love the architecture of the buildings, I love the hills (just don't ask me to go up and then look down). I go for walks at lunch (when it's nice enough to go outside) and have discovered things like Gertrude Stein's childhood home, the home of George Ferris, Jr, the inventor of the Ferris wheel. All within blocks of my job. So cool!

Maybe after 10 years I'll start saying I'm from here? 20 years?

Any other transplants out there? When did you start saying you were from "here"?