. "0"^^ . "4"^^ . . "1"^^ . "0"^^ . "My visuals of Pittsburgh come from Flashdance. Suffice to say that's dated and not very realistic. Modern Pittsburgh is a city with issues, but it's steadily improving. The worst things about it are obvious - poor public transportation with widely spaced suburbs and not so great weather.\n\nMy comparison is going to definitely be against Portland, which for me was something of a disppointment after all the hype. Pittsburgh on the other hand was a surprise, although it definitely resembles Portland - imagine more rivers, more bridges and lots more brickwork. Also slightly fewer hipsters, and people were a little friendlier. \n\nI saw a good cross section of places, both suburban and downtown, and I think I must have driven past nearly every \"Gian' iggle' as well as visiting both Whole Foods. \n\nBeer-wise, it's not California for sure - the alcohol laws here are stupid to say the least, but there's still some great beer to be had from around the country, including nearby East Coast breweries. And as for vegan options - that's still a novel idea here, but there are places to go. \n\nYou should probably visit at least once. And check out the dinosaurs."^^ . "2014-12-04T00:00:00"^^ . .