The Strip

On saturday October 1st Joe, Krystle and I decided to make our way to the Strip District. I really had no idea what to expect. To be completely honest I always thought the Strip was full of strip clubs, but then I realized my teacher probably would not have made this an "area of interest."

When we arrived we had all intentions of going to PA Macaroni Company. Unfortunately They close at 4:30 on Saturdays and we got there a little bit after.

A few streets down we came across a pizza shop called Bella Notte.

We sat down to grab a bite to eat. Joe and I decided to go with the largest size pizza and eat as much as we can (Bad idea.)

Somehow Krsytle managed to watch us eat this amazing pizza. When we finished we decided to talk to the Manager and ask him a few questions about his Shop the Strip in general. I learned that Bella Notte opened 9 years ago and is family owned. This aspect of a place that is family owned is neat to me, especially when it is a restaurant. It adds a certain aspect of character and history to each and every place on the strip.

Unfortunately the city of Pittsburgh wants to make the Strip District more commercial by opening chain restaurants and build hotels, but obviously there is much resistance by the owners and members of the community.

My favorite part of the Strip is the giant mural that sits across the street from Bella Notte.

The owners of the various places in the Strip came together to hold a contest for $10,000 and they would pay for the mural to be painted. The mural was painted by two female friends (who are actually in the two windows on the upper half.) It took the girls nearly 6 months to complete the project. The gentleman pictured with the green shirt is known as The founder of the strip district. Hermanski owned this building, and was one of the first vendors of Steelers clothing in this area.