Advanced lesson in Pittsburghese

Today, I leave you with not a bit of trivia, but a very handy link for your journeys in the 'burgh. Behold, the Pittsburghese translator. Easily translate any bit of standard English into Pittsburghese. For example, take Robert Frost's famous poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


And then imagine he was from the burgh instead of New England:

Two roads diverged in a yella wood, And sorry I couttent travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked dahn one as far as I could To wheres abahts it bent in da undergrowth; Then took da other, as jest as fair, And having perhaps da better claim, cuz it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as onnat da passing dere Had worn dem rilly abaht da same, And both that morning equally lay In hit da brickss no tramp had trodden black. Oh, I kept da first fer another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this wit a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took da one less traveled by, n'at has made allsa difference.

She called us what?

Something tells me Sienna Miller won't be too popular around down. When filming the upcoming Mysteries of Pittsburgh, she told Rolling Stone "Can you believe this is my life? Will you pity me when you're back in your funky New York apartment and I'm still in Pittsburgh? I need to get more glamorous films and stop with my indie year." In addition, she "called the city a name that sounds like Pittsburgh, but contains an expletive." Who needs her anyhow?

Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/683816/actress_sienna_miller_slights_pittsburgh/index.html

That could have been really bad

When it comes to languages, I have a passing knowledge of Italian...but I'm fluent in Pittsburghese. Every once in a while though, something surprises me. Like this handy phrase-Kennywood's open. I sure am glad I learned the translation before I spend May 20 shouting it (Kennywood's opening day.) In the burgh, the phrase alternately can mean "psst, buddy, your zipper's down."

Source: http://www.pittsburghese.com/glossary.ep.html?type=phrases

Do the other 28 have 6 SuperBowl rings?

In keeping with the rankings and ratings theme, the Today Show voted Pittsburgh the 28th overall best city in the country. It will always be number one in my heart (blatant cheese.)

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4625179/

Reading n'at

This ought to be encouraging to all of us future librarians: in a recent survey, Central Connecticut State University ranked Pittsburgh the ninth most literate city in the country.

Source: http://www.ccsu.edu/AMLC07/Overall_Rankings/Top10.htm

No Beer Today, No Beer Today, You Can't Buy Beer On Sunday

After I moved from Ohio, I was totally discouraged by the lack of readily available grocery store beer. That's because you won't find your Yuengling or Arn City at the Giant Iggle. The travel site 10best says it better than I can.

"Buying a 6-pack of beer in Pittsburgh can be quite an experience. Beer is sold by distributors in cases only. In order to purchase beer on Sunday or by the 6-pack, you'll have to head to one of the bars or restaurants that sell "beer-to-go." There is a catch, though! You can buy only one 6-pack at a time. However, you can buy a maximum of four 6-packs a day but in order to do so, you have to leave the store and return."

http://www.10best.com/Pittsburgh,PA/locationDetails.html?tab=facts

Even though most of the time the 'burgh seems like a world of its own, we're actually very connected. Pittsburgh is located within 500 miles of more than half of the US population.

Source: http://www.butlerwebs.com/pittsburgh/funfacts.htm

Lest you think I only see the sunny side of my city, I realize it has a (very) few shortcomings as well. In 2007, we took back the dubious distinction of second most polluted city in the country, next to LA.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh,_Pennsylvania#Livability

Here We Go Steagles Here We Go

Even though it's a beautiful spring day here in the 'burgh, my thoughts are already turning longingly once again to football. Here's another Stiller fact for your collection.

During WWII when there was a serious shortage of players, the Steelers played with the Philadelphia Eagles as one team, known as the Steagles. It lasted for one year, 1943. The next year, my beloved black and gold played with the Cardinals, forming Card-Pitt.

Source: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/steelers/a/trivia.htm

Yours truly aside, Pittsburgh has produced some truly remarkable people. The following is just a partial list of great 'burghers.

Kurt Angle Nellie Bly John Brashear Selma Burke Richard Caliguiri Andrew Carnegie Rachel Carson Mary Cassatt Willa Cather Roberto Clemente Frank Conrad Rev. James R. Cox Isaac Craig Zadok Cramer Martin R. Delany Annie Dillard George W. G. Ferris Stephen Foster Henry Clay Frick Martha Graham Franco Harris H. J. Heinz Senator H. J. Heinz III Henry Hornbostel Cy Hungerford Edgar Kaufmann

Michael Keaton Gene Kelly Kathryn Kuhlman Samuel P. Langley David Lawrence Danny Marino Bill Mazeroski Sophie Masloff Andrew Mellon Danny Murtaugh Mary Roberts Rinehart Fred Rogers Arthur St. Clair Jonas Salk Bruno Sammartino Thomas Starzl Gertrude Stein William Steinberg George Swetnam Jane Grey Swisshelm Robert L. Vann Honus Wagner Andy Warhol George Westinghouse John Edgar Wideman August Wilson

http://www.clpgh.org/research/pittsburgh/pittsburghers/

Taters

And now a fact from my absolute favorite Pittsburgh attraction...Kennywood! Specifically, the potato patch fry stand at Kennywood. According to WTAE, the Potato Patch uses 4,000 pounds of potatoes and twelve cases of cheese every day.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/slideshow/entertainment/869807/detail.html

Having grown up around the 'burgh, I wasn't aware that the rest of the country had long been deprived of chipped ham sammitches. When I went away to school and tried to buy chipped ham, the deli was thoroughly confused. Apparently, chipped ham is a Pittsburgh treat.

"Chipped Ham, a spicy lunch meat, made its debut in 1933 at Isaly's, a locally based family chain of dairy stores. Former Pittsburghers have been known to have it shipped across the country when they get a yearning for this hometown favorite."

Source: http://www.majestytransportation.com/pittsburghfacts.htm

Genac!

Anyone who has ever been to a Pitt football game has run a fair chance of being befuddled by the incomprehensible chant in the middle of Hail To Pitt. For the record, it's "Alleghenee, genac genac genac." Which leads to another, more pressing question. What on God's green Earth is a genac?

We can't be certain, but the very authoritative *cough* Yahoo Answers guru James C. tell us "The Indians native to this area supposedly referred to what is now known as the Allegheny river as the "Alleghenee" river. The repetition of the "genac" serves as assonance, imitating the sound of the flowing river."

She works hard for her money...

Besides just giving spectacular views of the city, the Duquesne Incline is a hard worker. It is the "oldest mass transit vehicle in daily operation" in the United States.

Source: http://www.10best.com/Pittsburgh,PA/locationDetails.html?tab=facts

The famous bridge statistic

'burghers are proud of their bridges. If you're here for more than five minutes, someone will always bring out an impressive statistic about the number of bridges in the city limits. Although it may be cliche, it is worth noted that there are 720 bridges in the 'burgh (and they all look exactly the same when you're lost downtown.)

Source: http://www.pittsburgh.net/about_pittsburgh.cfm

Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese...

Lest you think our only culinary contribution to the world is Primanti's...the Big Mac was invented right here in the 'burgh.

Source: http://www.butlerwebs.com/pittsburgh/funfacts.htm

Tinsel Town East?

Although it's definitely no Hollywood, Pittsburgh plays a sizable role in movie history as well. The following are just some of the movies that have been filmed in the 'burgh.

• 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh'
• 'Wonder Boys'
• 'Desperate Measures'
• 'Kingpin'
• 'The Mothman Prophecies'
• 'Striking Distance'
• 'Inspector Gadget'
• 'Milk Money'
• 'Roommates'
• 'Boys on the Side'
• 'Houseguest'
• 'The Deer Hunter'
• 'Money For Nothing'
• 'Only You'
• 'Dominick + Eugene'
• 'Sudden Death'
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Hoffa

Source: http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/news-room/press-kit/trivia/

It's Feb. 13, and a major holiday is almost upon us...time to break out the green beer! St. Patty's day is only a little over a month away. No worries, Pittsburgh has us covered.

"Get a wee bit of the luck of the Irish – right here in Pittsburgh! The city's St. Patrick's Day Parade is the second largest in the world -falling short only to the celebration in New York. Each of these parades is bigger than any held in Ireland!"

http://www.10best.com/Pittsburgh,PA/locationDetails.html?tab=facts

Here in the 'burgh, we don't just beat our competition...we crush them. And occasionally throw them in the river. This time, I'm not talking about the Steelers.

"The famous Heinz products, including Heinz Ketchup, are yet another example of Pittsburgh genius. But few people know this: In the 1880s Henry Heinz bought the products and equipment of a competing company and “sank the competition” by throwing it all into the Allegheny River!"

http://www.tripcart.com/usa-regions/Southwestern-Pennsylvania,Fun-Facts.aspx#Guide||||||Top||||||||

All politics aside...

Since those brainiacs at CMU seem to know their stuff, this piece of Pittsburgh trivia comes from the Carnegie Mellon admissions website. No matter how you feel about our infamous former president, he did get one thing right:

"President George W. Bush has referred to Pittsburgh as the “Knowledge City.”

http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.fastfacts

The Pittsburgh Left

My apologies for using the very authoritative Wikipedia to bring you this piece of Pittsburgh trivia. A few days ago, someone mentioned the Pittsburgh Left and the perils associated with it. Being as how I take the bus most of the time, I turned to the Internet and discovered:

"The Pittsburgh Left involves two cars facing one another waiting at a traffic light or other stop signal: one turning left and one going straight. The left-turning car will execute its turn through the intersection before the car going straight passes through the intersection, where normally it would yield. Permission to do so is either given by the car going straight, or sometimes taken by the left-turning car by starting through the left turn early enough so as not to obstruct the straight-going driver. This practice is seen as courteous, because a very small delay for the oncoming vehicle can eliminate a long delay for the left turning vehicle and those blocked behind it."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Left

Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky...

If you were thinking it's a little gloomy out there despite the spectacular Steelers Superbowl victory, it might just be the weather. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem likely to improve any time soon. On average, there are only three clear days per month in Pittsburgh in February. The really depressing thing? There are only an average of fifty-nine clear days per year in Pittsburgh total.

Find some really cool Pittsburgh weather facts here.

Steelers trivia

You can find the entire story of the Terrible Towel, as written by the legendary Myron Cope here. However, according to about.com, the OFFICIAL Terrible Towel was created because stores were annoyed that black and gold hand towels were selling at a higher rate than the matching bath towels and wash cloths. True? I'm skeptical.

http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/steelers/a/trivia.htm

Pittsburgh fun fact

As if the constant construction and million identical bridges don't make driving in the burgh hard enough, here's another reason to complain:

Pittsburgh's steep streets mean that we have more city steps than San Francisco and Cincinnati combined. What's really frustrating is that some of these steps, known as "paper streets", are labelled as streets on maps...good luck driving your car up those steps.

Source: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/about_pittsburgh/a/steps.htm

Here We Go Steelers!

Today I'd like to take a break from our (semi)regularly scheduled trivia to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart: the Steelers.

I like to say I've been a Steelers fan from birth, but that would be a lie. I was born into a family of die-hard fans. We speak of Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw in hushed tones. I grew up hearing stories of these great men, the heroes of Pittsburgh. I watched the games all my life, but my heart was never in it until I left for college.

I was born and raised in Wheeling, WV. When you grow up in Wheeling, Pittsburgh is your New York. I got my undergraduate degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and as soon as I left my family and the Pittsburgh/Wheeling culture, I missed it like crazy. I connected through my Stillers.

It doesn't hurt that my first year at college was also Big Ben's first year. I had found my hero, my modern Bradshaw. My Bengals fan roommates quickly grew sick of my rabid fandom, but I was addicted. At every party, I had one drink for a Steelers victory. I called my dad after every game, and we discussed the win or loss in detail. I decorated my dorm with the best in black and gold. It all culminated in the fabulous Super Bowl win. I watched it with my dad, fittingly enough, and we both cried when Jerome Bettis retired. It was that touching.

Now I find myself in Pittsburgh itself-my football homeland. I couldn't be happier. Watching the game surrounded by people who love the black and gold as much as I do has been incredible. Sunday night, sprinting down Forbes screaming and high-fiving was one of the best nights of my life. I cheerfully suffer my sore shoulder from waving my Terrible Towel high. Pittsburgh, I'm home.

Forbes Field

Since I'm blogging live on location at Posvar Hall (the fomer site of Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates when they were considerably better than they are now) I thought a piece of Forbes trivia would be apropos.

From the time it was built until the time it was torn down, more than four thousand games were played at Forbes Field. No one ever pitched a no hitter.

Source: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/st_forbes.shtml

Dippy loves dem Stillers

I firmly believe Pittsburgh is the greatest city in the Western world. No lie. Since I'm a generous person, I decided to share my love for my little slice of Pennsylvania Nirvana with the rest of the world through random Pittsburgh trivia.

Fact one:

The giant Dipolodocus carnegii statue (whose name, unimaginatively, is Dippy) in front of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wears a Steelers scarf late in football season. Yes, even prehistoric creatures are part of the Steeler Nation. (Picture to follow.)