Read Ultimate Baseball Road Trip Online
Authors: Josh Pahigian,Kevin O’Connell
20 E. General Robinson St.
We try to avoid places with umlauts in the title on basic principle alone. This is your place if you wear a tie to bed and need to have cocktails while you network before completely missing out on the baseball road trip experience. If you’re like us the Brü is too frou-frou for you.
503 Martindale St.
www.thepipagroup.com/clarkbar/
Now here’s a gem of a place that could have coined the term “hole in the wall” as it is more than a bit difficult to find if you’re from out of town. Just two blocks from the Home Plate entrance of PNC, the Clark Bar is hidden away in the D.L. Clark building, where they used to make the actual Clark Bars. Don’t remember those? Think Butterfinger and you’ve got it.
The Clark is a sports bar with a bit of history (it opened in 1989) and is decorated as such. The food is delicious and well-prepared without being pretentious. Seafood options, such as salmon and mussels, are among the high-end options. But we recommend the Boomer Burger, which is served as you like it and topped with tomato, onion, egg, and cheese.
211 North Shore Dr.
This may now be Pittsburgh’s biggest Irish bar, taking the title away from Finnegan’s Wake. Except for the fact that McFadden’s is about as authentically Irish as Josh is. It’s a chain, there is one in every major city in America, and so we have to say “avoid it” like overcooked cabbage. On the positive side of the ledger, it is close to the right-field entrance to the ballpark, the food isn’t that expensive, and it is the place where you are most likely to see waitresses or other random women dancing on the bar top. If you’re looking for a frat party, this is your place.
247 North Shore Dr.
Though it’s a high-end chain throughout the Great Lakes region, this is a nice place, with a dress code, valet parking, quality steaks, chops, fish, fine wines, scotches, and cigars. Yeah, we can’t afford it either.
337 North Shore Dr.
A local chain with a fine reputation, this location has yet to deliver on the promise of the franchise. We recommend going to the Clark Bar instead, for the same done better.
353 North Shore Dr.
Busting out of Las Vegas and onto the local pub scene is this breastaurant. Think Hooters girls in micro-kilts and push-up bras. We can’t say any more about this place than they say about themselves in a clever little limerick:
“Come men, have no fear” (because no self-respecting woman would go into this place)
“Good food, (meh) pretty girls,” (um, okay) “and cold frothy beer” (one out of three ain’t too shabby).
“Where the girls wear their kilts” (so do the male wait-staff, btw)
“The Pints always tilt” (when you can get one)
“And there’s no place friendlier than here.” (If by friendly, you mean half-dressed, hair sprayed big, and full of attitude.)
300 Block, North Shore Dr.
You are sure to get a few things when you enter a Damon’s: plenty of big-screen TVs, a decent sound system, and ribs,
ribs, ribs. Not the best ribs you’ll ever have, but not the worst.
375 North Shore Dr.
Jerome “The Bus” Bettis was a likable player and a Pittsburgh favorite. This is a nice place to sit outside and have a few drinks and some apps before the game. Higher-end food options are available alongside more standard fare, but the dish to try is the Black and Gold Lobster Raviolis. It’s a bit pricey, but so delicious. One really weird feature of the place is its two way mirrors in the men’s room that allow urinal users to see restaurant-goers while taking care of their duties. Just don’t get stage fright like Josh. Trust us, they can’t see you.
777 Casino Dr.
Keep walking along the Riverwalk or past Heinz Field and eventually you’ll make it to the Rivers Casino. After a game, this place is always open to take your money, um, we mean to offer you a gaming experience. It’s a full service casino with spectacular views of the three rivers and downtown, complete with table games, dance clubs, and places to eat, ranging from a decent buffet to steaks and chops.
Josh recommends saving on parking or cab fare to the game by jumping the hotel shuttle at your hotel and walking to the ballpark from the casino.
Kevin:
The casino bars have cheap drink and wings during happy hour, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m., making for a nice pregame.
Josh:
Why not? You know we’re going to wind up there afterwards anyway.
For a bit more traditional pregame experience, East Carson Street in the South Side Flats offers blocks and blocks of bars and clubs that are worth visiting. There are a bevy of great spots to have a beer or hear some music on this street including Fatheads for a sandwich as big as your head, Club Café to catch some cool tunes, Smokin’ Joe’s Saloon for an excellent beer selection, and Piper’s Pub.
Station Square is another place to park and get something to eat before the game or to go out for some nightlife afterward. Station Square is the place to head if you’re interested in finding the local Hard Rock Café and places such as that. You can even take the “Monongahela Incline,” sort of a cross between a ski lift and steep streetcar, up to the top of Mount Washington for a truly spectacular view of the city.
Another neighborhood with great late-night action is the Strip District, though Josh was disappointed to find its name misleading. At least he had plenty of one-dollar bills handy during the rest of the road trip whenever he wanted to buy a soda. This is a club-heavy, dance and music scene for those who want to drop some cash to see bands or meet members of the opposite gender. On Penn Avenue, visit Mullaney’s Harp and Fiddle, one of Pittsburgh’s best Irish bars.
Multiple Locations
Though a limited selection of Primanti Brothers sandwiches is available inside PNC Park, you should make some time to stop into the original sandwich shop in the Strip District while you visit Pittsburgh. The specialty of the house has always been “working-man sandwiches,” for the men who plied the mills and had no time to fuss with side dishes. With fries and coleslaw piled high right into the sandwich, along with your choice of meat and cheese, these sandwiches will disappoint no one, except Josh. When he ordered the number two bestseller, “steak and cheese,” he was expecting Philly style. The Pittsburgh-style Salisbury steak did not “agree” with his delicate palate. But Kevin’s Capicola was delicious. And they’re open late.
Josh:
The first time we ate here the woman making our sandwich was smoking a cigarette.
Kevin:
Yeah, you were pretty freaked out.
Josh:
Now Pittsburgh has an ordinance against smoking.
Kevin:
That’s only in restaurants, pal. This place is technically a bar that serves food.
Josh:
Splendid.
3901 Forbes Ave.
The “O” is another place not to be missed. It is located in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh and is a quick detour if you’re headed to visit the remnants of Forbes Field. “O” dogs are legendary in Pittsburgh and Kevin recommends the big kosher. Perhaps these delicious dogs are only outdone by the “O” fries. Pittsburghers adore french fries, even as a main course, and these are served nice and greasy with salt and cups of cheese, vinegar, and Heinz ketchup. Each heaping order spills out of its paper container. Don’t get the large unless you can eat like Willie Stargell used to.
Pittsburgh Crawfords versus Homestead Grays
Both of these clubs can make a strong argument for having been the most successful Negro League team in history. Interestingly, they do so claiming many of the same players as alumni.
The Homestead Grays were founded in 1910 and played their games at West Field in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and later in Pittsburgh at Gus Greenlee field and at Forbes. They won the Eastern Championship defeating the New York Lincoln Giants in 1930. Then they won it again the next year as Josh Gibson hit for a .367 average and belted seventy-five home runs. But the onset of the Depression brought hard times to the Negro Leagues and it would take the Grays years to reestablish their dominance. And by then, the franchise had moved to Washington, D.C.
When Gibson jumped ship to the crosstown Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1932, so did the championships. But this time he had the help of the great Satchel Paige. The Crawfords played home games at Ammon Field and Greenlee Field in the Hill District, and finished a single game behind the Chicago American Giants in the first half of the 1933 Negro National League’s split season. The second half was never completed and Greenlee, who was also the league manager, awarded the Crawfords the disputed Negro National League championship. The Crawfords went on to defeat the New York Cubans in 1935 for their first undisputed pennant in one of the greatest series the Negro Leagues ever played. They also claimed another confused pennant in 1936. During the ’30s Gibson routinely hit better than .400 while also banging in home runs at a staggering pace, and with Paige winning twenty-five to thirty games per year, it’s no wonder the Crawfords are widely regarded as the most successful team in the history of the Negro Leagues. For a bit of this history, a marker stands at 2217 Bedford Avenue designating Ammon Field and some of Gibson’s accomplishments. A ball field has been built on the site, keeping the spirit of the Crawfords and Greenlee Field alive in the Hill District. You can also visit the gravesite of Josh Gibson, the man many called “the black Babe Ruth,” by heading to Allegheny Cemetery at 4734 Butler St.
342 Island Ave., McKees Rocks, PA
In Pittsburgh you can get these tasty little Eastern European treats just about anywhere. Though they’re great inside the park, our favorite spot for them is Pierogies Plus. It’s an old gas station where you can get your drive-through pierogies in a Styrofoam container. Now Josh just needs to convince Heather to wear a babushka.
As we have stated, PNC Park endeavors to excel at one thing and one thing only: ensuring fans enjoy the game of baseball. That’s it. Its class comes from the fact that there are not too many frills. PNC has the design and feel of an old park, with all that you want in a brand new facility. You’ll find no merry-go-rounds for the kids, no gigantic corporate promotions that masquerade as entertainment. Other than a fizzing sound made in the right-field bleachers by a cola company that we refuse to name, there are few distractions at PNC. Rather you’ll find good old-fashioned baseball in its most natural environment. In making the park a two-level facility, keeping a very limited amount of foul territory (seats behind home plate are only fifty-one feet from the batter’s box), and by putting the press level above all the others, they have clearly set the priority on the fans, and the action of the game.
At PNC they’ve also done a good job prioritizing modern amenities—wide concourses, lots of different places to eat, and a lot of good food set on the outside of the concourse, again to not get in the way of the game for those taking a stroll.
Kevin:
Apparently, if you build it, they still may or may not come.
Josh:
Still waiting for a legit contender here in the Burgh.
As we stated previously, what we like best about the park is its use of local and unique materials. Steel, limestone, and yellow brick on the outside facade and in decorative places inside add beauty and local flavor. The steel is prominent on the Rotunda concourse that takes you up and around, but also in the lighting fixtures and the steps on the stairs. In order to hang the luxury boxes under the second deck, thicker steel I-beams were necessary and can be found fastened with huge exposed bolts, adding beauty along with support.
If you come into the park through the Left-field entrance you’ll be impressed to find a fitting tribute to the town’s
Negro League players and teams. The team has hung oversized fiberglass bats above the entrance, bearing player and team names. There are also life-sized bronzes of Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard, Satchel Paige and Smokey Joe Williams. Kiosks give information about each player who’s earned a statue, making Legacy Square a fun and informative way to spend some pregame time.
Retired numbers for the Pirates hang at the bottom of the second deck and above the boxes and light up in neon. Down the right-field line are: Jackie Robinson’s No. 42; Roberto Clemente’s No. 21; Bill Mazeroski’s No. 9; Pie Traynor’s No. 20; and Ralph Kiner’s No. 4. Down the left-field line are Billy Meyer’s No. 1; Honus Wagner’s No. 33; Willie Stargell’s No. 8; and Danny Murtaugh’s No. 40.