Life in Beta

This past Sunday, Mike and I took a little roadtrip to Pittsburgh. No offense to anyone who lives there, or to anyone who is a fan of the ‘burgh, but I’ve never liked it. I’ve always found it to be almost oppressive-feeling. (For the record, I don’t think Erie ranks much better on that criterion, but the latter has the redeeming quality of being my hometown just the same.)

Our main mission for the day was to visit Erica (and my cat, Stuart, who is staying with her temporarily) and to retreive my 50mm lens that she borrowed a few weeks ago. Erica worked till 7, so we decided to make a day of wandering around Pittsburgh to kill time.

We went to Guitar Center and IKEA. Mike found lots of instruments he loved, and I found lots of furniture I’d like to bring home. We also stopped at the Mall at Robinson and browsed all the standard mall-stores.

(Photo credit: EPA Smart Growth – Because I was too lazy to take photos this weekend.)

Then Mike took me down to East Carson Street in South Side. Holy jaw-dropping paradigm shift of my Pittsburgh-perception, Batman!

Our “Great American Main Street,” East Carson, is renowned for its 15 blocks of historic Victorian architecture and is an endless source of entertainment. On and off Carson, you’ll find shops, restaurants, art galleries, theatre, and live music venues. (via History of SSLDC)

Sure, it still has a good layer of grunge on it, but instead of being depressing, it’s the good kind of grunge: unique, artistic and eclectic. Coffee shops, at least three different tattoo/piercing places (one of which is named Flying Monkey Tattoos – OMG!), art galleries galore, and unique boutiques with everything from “anti-fashion” clothing to vintage Mork and Mindy posters.

I also found the little side-streets off Carson to be fascinating: narrow roads packed with cars parked along both sides, and old houses stacked against one another. I can’t describe exactly WHY it appealed to me, but it did. I wish I’d taken photos.

Though South Side isn’t a “hidden treasure” by any means, it was entirely new to me and not necessarily what you expect from Pittsburgh. Don’t you love when you get to be plesantly surprised that way? That’s what I love most about travelling — finding those special places with special and interesting people.

Now I’m itching to pack my bags and go exploring. What unique places have you found on your travels?