【52】It’s more than a hair Salon @ Ming’s Jazz Cut, Oakland

If you Google “Ming’s Jazz Cut Oakland”, (depends on your geographic location, you may also want to accordingly add Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) the first link would be the hair styling place I am about to share with you in this neat experience.

Back in October, I had a hair-cut way-----overdue. At the time, Matt and I were getting ready for the last stretch of our house deal over weekends and we both were very busy with our own work during weekdays, so didn’t really make time for driving to Monroeville to have a haircut.  Not left with many choices, I started to search hair salons in Oakland within walking distance. There were several seemed interesting but only one has very strong reviews that stood out to me. As Matt often suggests, if you want to make a decision via internet, you want to look into the reviews. So I did and chose Ming’s Jazz Cut.

It turns out that I was also bothered with a confusing problem during that period of the time and felt having a need to just be around somebody who can construct a world that is not immediate to mine and allows a temporary escape from my own. Sitting in Ming’s chair, listening to her talking about her religious belief, thinking this encounter was meant to be, I knew I can find the way back to my path strong and clear.

Ming is of Korean origin, came to the country 20 some years ago, married to an American computer engineer, switched her religion from Buddhism to Christianity, opened her own hair shop, and thereafter started a life that seems very fulfilling in this land of freedom. However, life hasn’t always been pleasant, there were many bumps and hurdles along Ming’s journey. Ming told me in a semi-joking tone that  she was a very devoted Buddhist, would always make a point to go to temple when she was in Korean and pray to the Buddha to make her life easier and make things better for everyone. But no matter how hard she prayed, no changes were felt on her end, and she was never able to image a two-way relationship with Buddha. Same thing lasted quite some time after she moved to the U.S.,  eventually she started to practice the religion her husband is devoted to. She found peace and fulfillment.

She told me that whenever you felt life is so hard on you, you should know that you are so much loved and wanted by “God” (I believe in the higher-level of existence but just don’t know his/her name, yet.) because every difficulty is  a test as well as an opportunity for you to understand yourself and maybe the relationship with the God you believe in.

For some reason, that resonated with me so much that I felt I needed to hear it so very urgently. As long as we know we are loved and wanted, there is a meaning and hope in whatever we do, whoever we are with, and however we are proceeding in life’s many directions. That makes me brave and have a clear mind.

After that, I went back several times and will continue to go back. The first time I walked into the store after our October conversation, I saw my name was pasted in a book and she was praying for me. That was just so lovely.

I think this is part of Pittsburgh’s culture now, that you bump into an encounter randomly and yet may get something very profound and meaningful out of that randomness. People here just seem to have a heart for strangers. They want to know you, your story, be moved by those sharings, and sincerely wish you to have a great day.  

Maybe I am not the only person who feels this way nor the only one receives such kindness. Take a look at a review left by one of Ming’s customer: “Very nice lady, and her hair cut technique is awesome! She told me her story about coming to Pittsburgh 20 years ago and encouraged me to study hard :）She is so sweet! Strong recommendation!!!!”

I would have left the same review myself.

Beer winning trivia @ Jazz Cut, short hair do

1920s America was going through many social and cultural changes. Many social phenomena were defined by those changes, or vice verso, those changes defined the many witnessed phenomena as well. Short and stylish hair cut was one of those phenomena, and together with women’s suffrage movement, they caused quite a commotion in that period of the time, and even today’s world. Before 1920s, women used to having long Victorian style long hair do (In today’s Chinese culture, long hair for women is still a desired expectation and the majority of the women do live up to that expectation.), since the 20s, 5 major short haircut styles become very popular:  1. The Bob(Louise Brooks); 2. Shingle Cut(Anna May Wang); 3. Eton Crop(Josephine Baker); 4. Finger and Marcel Waves (Flapper Girls); 5. Cropped Curls (Coco Chanel).

ID@Ming’s Jazz Cut

Does Ming cut long hair do too?

【38】Get ear piercing and stop being boring @ Hot Rod Body Piercing Co., Oakland

For every girl, there is a dream for being beautiful and gorgeous. So we often find ourselves in many places such as shopping mall, hair salon, beauty parlors, and etc. Not being eccentric on purpose, but I just don’t like shopping, don’t care much about my hairdo, and don’t have enough disposable money yet for myriad body works. So my life of being a woman seems, at times, to be extremely boring.

Well, that’s technically not true. I work on a meaningful job and always have a few interesting side projects, I socialize with others on substantive issues, I read, write, cook, take walks in Schenley Park, and go to a body piercing store! How does that last one sound?

Yeah, finally after all those 20 some years consciously believing that taking care of my body, hair, and skin is a way of respecting and worshiping my parents, I consulted with them about the idea of having my ears pierced. They said “Go ahead.”, so off I went immediately to the great Hot Rod Body Piercing Co. in Oakland, that was recommended by many people, on the ninth of October 2013, with +Rachel Szewczyk and two other girl friends of hers.

In Math, we learned that if A=B, B=C, then A=C. In reality, it seems to be true as well. Your friends’ friends are your friends too. At least at that day, I felt such a great bond with the three girls, among which two of them I met for the first time. We all, except the Rachel in pink shirt, did some piercing work. The artist was kind enough to allow me to take some pictures documenting that important day of my life of being a woman who is actually not completely boring.  

Beer winning trivia @ Ear Piercing

1. Ear piercing has been practiced all over the world since ancient times. There is considerable written and archaeological evidence of the practice. Mummified bodies with pierced ears have been discovered, including the oldest mummified body discovered to date, the 5,300 year-old Ötzi the Iceman, which was found in a glacier in Austria. This mummy had an ear piercing 7–11 mm (1 to 000 gauge in American wire gauge) diameter. The oldest  earrings found in a grave date to 2500 BCE. These were located in the Sumerian city of Ur. home of the Biblical patriarch Abraham. Earrings are mentioned in the Bible.

According to The Anatomies of Abuses by Philip Stubbs (c. 1555 – c. 1610), an English pamphleteer who was educated at Cambridge and subsequently at Oxford, but did not take a degree and his name is not in university records, that earrings were even more common among men of the 16th century than women, while it was  in 1577 confirms the practice among "lusty courtiers" and "gentlemen of courage.” Evidently originating in Spain, the practice of ear piercing among European men spread to the court of Henry III of France and then to Elizabethan era England, where earrings (typically worn in one ear only) were sported by such notables as Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleign and Charles I of England.  Common men wore earrings too.

From the European Middle Ages, a superstitious belief that piercing one ear improved long-distance vision led to the practice among sailors and explorers. Sailors also pierced their ears in the belief that their earrings could pay for a Christian burial if their bodies washed up on shore.

Your ID @ Hot Rod Body Piercing Co.

1. Where does Hot Rod Body Piercing Co locate in Oakland?

【35】Farmers’ markets...colorful and delicious @ Schenley Plaza, Phipps Conservatory Lawn, Oakland

Have you ever had an opportunity to stay on a farm? Do you still remember the crickets in the summer time, the smell of the earth, and newly picked cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons,...... in the field?

Maybe or maybe not. The urban lifestyle we have more or less adopted have made us very distant from the earth and our food.

However, I have grown up in my grandparents’ village for the earliest 5 years of my life and would go back to that village twice a year before I settled in Pittsburgh. So deep in my memory and spirits, I long for the closeness of the farm. You see the daily toiling, nurturing, and humbling experience of farmers at the mercy of the nature, yet a good year of harvest can make it all worthwhile. I am not saying the self-reliant economic model is all good, definitely not efficient. But we also have a saying  “ Haste is a waste”, do we? Also since traditional agriculture has been around for thousands of years before machines and mass production took over only couple decades ago, maybe it’s not that bad either.

The other day, I took a lunch break at work and wandered around and about with $5 in my pocket. At Wendy’s, I was astounded when the person at the register handed me a box of Chili, a Crispy chicken sandwich and a cup of black team along with 95 cents change.  More surprisingly was that that lunch was so delicious that I absolutely enjoyed every bite!  Is the fact that those fast food offerings are too delicious to be real at such a low price a problem?

Anyway, before I digress furthermore, my point is that when I encounter Farmer’s Market in two locations in Oakland, I felt such a thrill. Although the organic goodies are slightly more expansive than those in supermarkets, I still had $10 dollars to buy one tomato, zucchini, onion, apple, and two donuts. The people who owns those stances were very genuine people too. They didn’t judge me by how much money I spent, rather how much I appreciated the good food they provided.

Beer winning trivia @ Farmer’s Market

1. There are many farmer’s markets in Pittsburgh other than the two mentioned in this post. HERE is a list of those markets compiled by Albrecht Powell, a lifelong Pittsburgh resident. He and his wife have lived in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including Monroeville, Shadyside, Duquesne Heights, Greentree and North Fayette. They have been the About.com Guides to Pittsburgh since 2000.

Your ID @ Farmer’s Market

1. What are the names of the produces held by the lady and gentleman in the above pictures?

【32】Plant flowers with Pittsburgh Park Conservancy @ Parkview Ave & Blvd of the Allies, Oakland

How many times did you pass by a beautiful garden, benefit from the relaxation and good spirits it bring to you, and wonder about the people and efforts behind the creation of such beauty?

Honestly speaking,  I never did until I participated in creating the beauty in my neighborhood once with Pittsburgh Conservatory, +GlobalPittsburgh, and other +Americorp VISTA  volunteers on May 11, 2013.

We were planting flowers, pulling out the weeds, and watering the garden to make sure they would grow and bloom beautifully for the summer. It’s a fun labor work, because I knew I was part of something beautiful. During those chatters, I met a lady (in blue coat and jeans) who had been volunteering for many years in the neighborhood. She works in Oakland and would come out during lunch time to pull weeds and maintain gardens. She told me she had always loved working in the field being close to the earth since she was a child. Pulling weeds is her way of relaxing and meditating. She said, “It’s very therapeutic to me. I enjoy doing it, so I have been doing it for many years.”

Ever since the volunteer experience, I see more in those gardens I pass by everyday than what I did before. It’s very humbling. I am humbled.

Beer winning trivia @ Parkview Ave & Blvd of the Allies

1. The first part of the Boulevard of the Allies was dedicated on August 8, 1921, and the entire highway opened to traffic on October 2, 1923. One of the first interconnected traffic signal systems was installed a month later (November 13) on the Boulevard downtown as an experiment. Prior to completion, its cost was reported as $1.6 million per mile, the most expensive road in the world at the time. The Boulevard at Grant Street was once home to Pittsburgh's Chinatown until the 1950s.  The road is named in honor of the Allies of World War I. The Boulevard of the Allies was rededicated on June 29, 2008 as part of the celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

The road begins in Downtown Pittsburgh at its intersection with Commonwealth Place and an off ramp from Interstate 279. The road continues east through Downtown passing Point Park University and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh to Grant Street where it becomes elevated to transition from the flat plain of Downtown to the bluff that Oakland sits on. Before reaching Oakland, it passes by Duquesne University and Mercy Hospital along the edge of a cliff several hundred feet above the Mon River with spectacular views of the city's Sou (th) Side neighborhood and includes partial interchanges with Interstate 579 and 376. Upon reaching Oakland, it cuts through the southern portion of the neighborhood and leads into Schenley Park just bypassing the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Upon entering the park across the Anderson Bridge, the road's name changes to Panther Hollow Road and continues through the park to become Hobart Street in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood east of Schenley Park.

2. A now defunct Chinatown was located on Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies, where two Chinese restaurants remain. The Chinese population in Pittsburgh has grown recently and is now ranked 19th among the large city category with about 3,402 Chinese Americans, or about 1.1% of the population. Although newer stores exist in the Strip District with many other ethnic varieties, the Chinese grocery stores are scattered throughout the Pittsburgh metropolitan area with a presence in both the suburbs and inside the city. I wish a more concentrated Chinatown would be restored in the future!


3. The Pittsburgh Park Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh’s parks. In 1998, the Park Conservancy signed an official public-private partnership with the City of Pittsburgh to work together for the restoration of the city’s four regional parks- Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley. Since then, the Parks Conservancy has raised more than $60 million towards park improvements, and has recently expanded into other city parks as time and resources permit. By the numbers, 1700+acres are stewarded by the Parks Conservancy. In 2013, 1300 trees and shrubs have been planted, 1570 volunteers have been mobilized with 5, 498 volunteer hours contributed and in-kind $ 119,000 donated. (Check previous blog post ②First trip to Pittsburgh during 2009 India Day beer winning trivia #2 for all major parks in Pittsburgh)

Your ID @ Planting flowers in Oakland

How many races or ethnicity can you identify in the above pictures?

【31】Celebrating small victories, to be what you can see @ Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland

There is a flower that blooms twice a year. It blooms in August/September when students start their new year of academic voyage, and in May/June when students finish an academic year of toiling. Each year there are new students coming and old students graduating, so the flower seems to be so understanding and blossoms for a new start of life on both ends. The flower is called Phoenix flower. In Chinese culture, every parent would wish their sons to be as grand as dragons, their daughters as gracious as phoenixes, to fly high and soar.

I have come a long way from a small village in Middle west of China to the “Champion City” of America. Don’t know about whether or not the Phoenix flower had blossomed bigger and longer during my years of starting and graduating, but I do know that celebrating victories is a great way to move forward with confidence and direction. In Pittsburgh, I witnessed some and I participated in some. One celebration I witnessed was a week before I participated in one, with both taking place in the Carnegie Music Hall on Forbes Avenue.

+Three Rivers Youth had their annual Nellie Leadership Award Gala on May 10th, 2013. It’s a beautiful event with a lot of successful stories, dancing, champagne, carefully picked dresses and delicately served food. Local corporations and individuals were recognized for their championship/leadership in the community to assist Three Rivers Youth’s mission by being actively engaged in a variety of youth programs that bring empowerment into each and every life they touch. Bank of New York Mellon, where Frank works, was a recipient of the award. So I was fortunately given a ticket to attend this genteel event.

Heinz College had our annual graduation ceremony on May 18th, 2013. It’s a programmed series of procedures with emotional input from each student who was going through the stage and on-wards to a new phase of life. I was especially heartened to receive an award that recognized my humble contribution as an active Heinzer as well as an active resident for the broader Pittsburgh region. I told myself this honor only meant more responsibilities to continue moving forward. Matt and uncle John Pennello attended the ceremony. They are my family in this country.

May, a beautiful season, when the most wedding in the U.S. occurs, is also a special season for me. I witnessed so many people in the Pittsburgh community who have been dedicated to their belief and vision for making a better community for each and every one. I participated in my own celebration as well as cheering on for other peers. From both experiences, I saw the direction I shall head. Who once said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”? I have my deep appreciation for each and every relationship I have in the City of Pittsburgh, for they let me see what I can do and what I shall be.

Beer winning trivia @ Three Rivers Youth, Carnegie Music Hall

1. Three Rivers Youth is an independent not-for-profit welfare agency advancing a mission of support, advocacy and success to benefit abused, neglected, troubled, homeless and runnaway youth. Three Rivers Youth traces its origins to the day in 1880 when a Pittsburgh preacher could not find a shelter, orphanage, or alms house to take in “Nellie”, a 4-year-old girl he found wandering the streets in a neighborhood that today is located in Pittsburgh North Side. Established as the home for Colored Children, Three Rivers Youth is the SECOND oldest organization in the U.S. providing foster care and related services for adolescent children of color. 

In 1853, the Children’s Aid Society was founded in response to the problem of orphaned or abandoned children living in New York. Rather than allow these children to become institutionalized or continue to live on the streets, the children were placed in the first “foster” homes, typically with the intention of helping these families work their farms. In 1874, the first case of child abuse was criminally prosecuted in what has come to be known as the “Case of Mary Ellen”. Outrage over this case started an organized effort against child maltreatment. In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt convened the White House Conference on Child Dependency, which created a publicly funded volunteer organization to "establish and publicize standards of child care.” By 1926, 18 states had some version of county child welfare boards whose purpose was to coordinate public and private child related work. Issues of abuse and neglect were addressed in the  Social Security Act in 1930, which provided funding for intervention for “neglected and dependent children in danger of becoming delinquent.”

2. The original Carnegie Music Hall was constructed in 1890 on the North Side (Allegheny City), next to Allegheny City Hall (site of Buhl Planetarium today). Other music halls were soon constructed in Braddock (1893), Oakland (1895), Homestead (1898), Carnegie (1901) and Duquesne (1904). These Music Halls were parts of the Libraries that Carnegie was constructing, 2811 in all, but only the earliest libraries received a true, acoustically-perfect music hall.

The original Carnegie Hall and Library on the North Side was in operation until the late 1960s. Although demolition of the building was considered, the interior was renovated in a modern motif and reopened in the mid-1970s. The new theater in the Music Hall was christened the Theodore Hazlitt Theater and became the home of the new Pittsburgh Public Theater. The Public Theater remained in Carnegie Hall until December of 1999. The Hazlitt Theater is now being operated by the City of Pittsburgh for the use of local theatrical groups.

Carnegie Hall in Oakland, part of the Carnegie Institute, is still considered one of the finest music halls in the city, and is definitely one of the oldest and most ornate. It is a perfect place for a concert performance, and is the weekly venue for the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society concert series. [Thanks to The Brookline Connection---a look back in time at our community website]

Your ID @ Carnegie Music Hall

What’s the name of Pittsburgh Public Theater today? Where is it located?

【27】 Never Judge from the outside, especially for a restaurant @ Spice Island Tea House, Oakland

Have you ever had the experience that you were utterly surprised by getting something really good in a setting where you never expected such a level of excellence? Like spotting a natural beauty in a gloomy gutter(with all respect to people who have to live in those places). Well, the discovery of the Spice Island Tea House on At wood street in Oakland was such an experience.

The restaurant has a front door that looks like a blighted house, and the houses attached to it are not better either. So it’s a place you walk by everyday and will not think of much. Then one day Alb suggested to Sarosh and I that we should go there claiming the food was good. So we went together, had a great meal at an acceptable price, and I have been going there occasionally for some special occasions ever since.

Matt and I actually talked about our marriage in this very restaurant. For some reason, they changed their menu and the quantity of food decreased too. It’s after these changes that I started to go there less and less. But still have a good feeling about this diamond-in-the-rough and all the good memories happened there.

Stores like these are every where in Pittsburgh. They may look shabby outside. But definitely respect the fact that those little shabby stores have been around the block for a very loooooooong time.

Beer winning trivia @ Spice Island Tea House, Atwood Street

1. Oh, don’t be fooled by the restaurant's name.. “Tea House” (茶馆) was used frequently by Chinese or Asians in old times as a name for a restaurant where tea is served but also food is served. Nowadays, it’s used as a name for a social place where you can drink tea and/or play  Majiang(麻将) or other pastimes. It’s especially predominant in Sichuan and Fujian Province where Majiang is a popular game. Once upon a time, there was a joke says that if you flew above Chengdu (the capital city of Sichuan Province), you could hear people playing Majiang in tea houses and smell the spicy flavor of their hotpot.

2. You can find Tibet goodies, Indian Buffet, Mexico taco and grocery store, Asian restaurant and tea house (Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and etc.), American bar, and universal loved Starbucks coffee and ice-cream on Atwood Street.   

Your ID @ Atwood Street

What’s the name of the gentleman who is homeless and claims a spot on the corner of Atwood street intersecting Forbes Avenue (on the opposite side of the street where Starbucks coffee shop locates)?

【26】 Another year @ Oakland

When you live in a place for too long, you start to not see many things. When you feel you are most familiar with a place, you might be very likely to be a complete stranger. Familiarity is not necessarily a bad thing, it can actually be very valuable in many occasions, such as showing a new comer the exact right bus to take, and recommending the exact restaurant to go to for certain types of gourmet food. But ignorance or blindness that can potentially be caused by familiarity is definitely not something you shall possess when living in Pittsburgh.

There is always something new, something you didn’t know, and somewhere worthy to go.

My camera showed me this when I tried to find certain pictures from the archive. This is also one of the essential messages that the “A+ Pittsburgh Experience” blog name tries to convey to its reader. There is always “One more” experience you just can’t forget about Pittsburgh.

Your ID @ Oakland

There are four sculptures on the stretch of Forbes Avenue (from the Dippy's to the front door of the Carnegie Museum)? Who are they? If Michelangelo is in the above picture, who are those other three?

⑫Three internationals and our five neighborhoods @ Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Mt. Washington, Strip District, and Sou (th) Side

Unlike what the French is doing to their country’s immigrants, Pittsburgh Homeland Security officers might not “kidnap” kids from school and send them back to where they originated so that kids’ family would have to leave the country. However, there is still consequences if the law would be broken. So the point is that although Pittsburgh is a friendly city, as an international, maintaining a legal immigration status is still instrumental. For this very reason, +Sarosh Fatakia, +Albulena Krasniqi , and I met during an immigration workshop at university of Pittsburgh early 2012. Sarosh is a Scientist from India, Alb, a MBA and CPA candidate, now Ernst & Young employee to be, from Kosovo, and we soon found ourselves have a bond, through which we care for each other and support one another, especially when things didn’t go well as it now sounds to be.

We explored many neighborhoods together to make each other’s day.

Oakland is always a meet up spot, from where we start our precious time together. Squirrel Hill is the place where we dined, window shopped, Sarosh watched a lot movies and got his two pairs of glasses with a super great discount. Mount Washington is the place we had the most fun outdoor yet without spending a penny! The grand view avenue scenery, the panorama of downtown Pittsburgh from the bronze statue, and the Incline are all fun and interesting. Plus burning some healthy energy through walking is always a great satisfaction. Then we went Strip District put up some fat back without any hesitation, for those delicious Vietnam food was just irresistible.  Sou (th) Side? Yeah, that’s where I was grabbed again for some bourgeois pastime. This time it’s not for a drink, but for Cheese Factory’s dessert.

Well, it’s nice to treat yourself a piece of delicious cake in a nice environment, once a while, as if you deserve it, it helps to remind you of what you have missed, therefore regain a sense of purpose, however superficial that might be. After all, if we stay in a bathroom without ventilation for too long, we would eventually forget about how stinky it is, we get used to almost everything! But adaptability, like everything else is a double-edge sword......I am just justifying spending money when it's short.....So.... consumption at Cheese Factory is justified.  

Beer winning trivia @Squirrel Hill, Mt. Washington, Strip District, and Sou (th) Side

1. “Squirrel Hill” might be an Native Indian name. Pittsburgh officially divided this neighborhood into two, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South. But we people only know one Squirrel Hill. Its original development in 18th century was focused on Mon riverfront. Many famous historical houses were built at that time. Mary Schenley’s grandfather James O’Hara ended up buying the third eldest house in the neighborhood built by Robert Neil at around 1787. Since 1889 Mary Schenley donated a lot property, including land and this house to the city of Pittsburgh, it’s opened for a time for the public. However, by 1969, the condition of the house was very poor that Pittsburgh Historical Landmark Foundation dismantled and rebuilt it. Now the house is only open for tours  in July during the Vintage Grand Prix.

2.  In 19th century, two major things happened that accelerated the overall development of Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the shift of focus from riverfront to the area that’s close to Oakland and Shadyside; and the operation of an electric trolley installed in 1893. The trolley line ran via Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue to its final destination in Homestead, and was replaced by buses in 1958.

3. In 20th century, the open of Blvd of the Allies in 1927 further advanced the prosperity of Squirrel Hill due to its more convenient transportation to Downtown Pittsburgh. In 1953, Parkway and Squirrel Hill Tunnel opened, which provided easier and quicker access to surrounding neighborhoods. However, Squirrel Hill Tunnel also became many people travelling into Pittsburgh’s nightmare. Why people will subconsciously slow down BEFORE driving through the tunnel?

4. On the 27th of February in the third year of 21st century, a famous Squirrel Hill resident died. His name is Fred Rogers, the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, a children show, in which any movement on the TV is slow compared to nowadays’ hype active Chi-WA-WA style TV shows or movies.

5. Strip District locates between Lawrenceville and Downtown Pittsburgh hugging the Allegheny River.  This parcel of land was first owned by Mary Schenley's grandfather James O'Hara and George A. Bayard.  In 1814, the pair established the area naming it "Northern Liberties of Pittsburgh."  It was more commonly known as Bayardstown.  In 1837, the area joined the city, becoming Pittsburgh's fifth ward. With its ideal location, the area soon became a thriving industrial center.  Foundries, mills, and factories moved in. One interesting saying about this neighborhood is that “Strip District has had more identities than an undercover agent.” Two blows this neighborhoods suffered in 1930s was St. Patrick’s Day Flood in 1936, and great economic depression around world world war II.

6. From Mount Washington Pittsburgh you see the grand view of man-made civilization and prosperity. From the Mount Washington New Hampshire, you would be in awe to the nature’s creation. Same name, different view, something completely to think about. Isn't it interesting?

7. South Side, local call Sou Side, has the most concentrated liquor licenses in city of Pittsburgh. SouthsideWorks is an open-air retail, office, entertainment, and residential complex located on the South Side of the city of Pittsburgh and just across the Monongahela River from the Pittsburgh Technology Center and the University of Pittsburgh. I watched a movie called Connected there during 2012 St.Patrick’s Day, followed by a group discussion led by two professors at Pitt. It’s a great occasion. I was very much amazed by how green the neighborhood can be in such an early spring gloomy day!

Your ID @ Mt. Washington

What’s the story behind the bronze statue shown in the picture (above)? To be exact what is the conversation, George Washington was having with the Seneca tribe leader Guyasuta, about?

What’s the name of local media featured an article claiming that from this statue, you would have “The Best View in Town”?