# Pittsburgh Always Gets A Bad Wrap. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064 "2003-11-03T01:00:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/1 "2003-11-03T01:00:25Z")
Jeez. I’m reminded of that Calvin And Hobbes strip where they are discussing where they go when they die. Hobbes: “Pittsburgh.” Pause. Calvin: “Do you mean if you’re good or if you’re bad?” Pittsburgh is a really good city. I think that it is the name that people get stuck on. It rolls off the lips much better than “Milwaukee,” or “Cleveland,” yet it is kind of a silly name. Now the Get Fuzzy people are in on it: [Get Fuzzy](http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/getfuzzy-20031030.html) When are we going to shake this curse? By the way, Pittsburgh doesn’t smell (anymore). ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/2 "2003-11-03T01:05:56Z")
Pittsburgh gets no respect, which is a shame. My girlfriend hails from there (actually from Coriapolis). I’ll be setting my second novel in Pittsburgh in the 1880’s, and will probably spend some time there doing research. If I lived in Pittsburgh, I could go to Pennsic every year. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/3 "2003-11-03T01:06:02Z")
For a moment, your title gave me this vision of the Steel City poorly encased in Saran Wrap. How big of a roll would you need to do the job? I’ve been there, and it’s a nice city in a scenic location. Bewildering roads, though, which could stand to be a little wider. Ever since ESPN tapped PNC Park as the [best major league ballpark](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/ballparks/pncpark.html) in America, I’ve been itching to see a game there. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/4 "2003-11-03T01:09:51Z")
Actually, for many Xena fans, Pittsburgh is kind of a holy city, a Mecca, if you will. People go to Pittsburgh just to see the sites mentioned in [this story](http://www.clinched.net/gmta/). Every mention of Pittsburgh makes me shiver with glee (Though I’ve never been. Working on it). So ignore the Fuzzy. You have us! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/5 "2003-11-03T01:13:29Z")
When I was consulting I spent some time there and found it to be a very nice city. At the time I found the drivers to be especially polite (although a friend from there now tells me that they are as agressive as any other city.) Iron City beer sucks though… ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/6 "2003-11-03T01:17:01Z")
I have a friend who moved there for graduate school. He’s been raving about it for months now. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/7 "2003-11-03T01:19:25Z")
Pittsburgh IS a holy city. ---
**Author:** ![Wabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/8 "2003-11-03T01:27:44Z")
…with many rusting factories in its suburbs (my folks live in Ambridge so I know). Sorry folks, but it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/9 "2003-11-03T01:49:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atreyu \* > \*\*For a moment, your title gave me this vision of the Steel City poorly encased in Saran Wrap. How big of a roll would you need to do the job? > > I’ve been there, and it’s a nice city in a scenic location. Bewildering roads, though, which could stand to be a little wider. Ever since ESPN tapped PNC Park as the [best major league ballpark](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/ballparks/pncpark.html) in America, I’ve been itching to see a game there. \*\* PNC Park is a great, great ballpark. Go there now, that way you won’t have to watch the Pirates play as their play tends to spoil the beauty of the place. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/10 "2003-11-03T03:39:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baldwin \* > \*\*Pittsburgh gets no respect, which is a shame. My girlfriend hails from there (actually from Coriapolis). I’ll be setting my second novel in Pittsburgh in the 1880’s, and will probably spend some time there doing research. If I lived in Pittsburgh, I could go to Pennsic every year. \*\* If so, then you might want to do some background information on the [“Most Haunted House In America,” 1129 Ridge avenue](http://www.newcolonist.com/perished.html), aka The Congolier House, eventhough it no longer exists. Edison visited it to study the paranormal. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/11 "2003-11-03T06:17:36Z")
**Baldwin** , let me see if I can’t find the big book we have about the history of Pittsburgh. Also, you might be interested to know that back then, Pittsburgh was referred to as “Hell with the lid off.” THAT was because it was so smokey, from the mills. Until the 1960s, the street lamps came on at noon, and you kept a change of clothes at the office-walking down the street coated you in soot. And **Airman** , you’re wrong. Pittsburgh is THE Holy City. End of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/12 "2003-11-03T10:39:01Z")
I was born in Pittsburgh, so it’s always been good to me. I don’t remember it smelling bad, but I remember it being incredibly pretty. Of course, I haven’t been back in, oh…twenty years, but I’m sure it’s still pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/13 "2003-11-03T12:29:06Z")
Hey Guin, I didn’t attend the Dope-a-ween, but I saw the pictures in the other thread. I can honestly say that you look exactly like how I pictured you. Isn’t that strange? ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/14 "2003-11-03T13:35:08Z")
I have visited Pittsburgh a few time on business, and it was always pleasant (frankly, to my surprise the first time). I like Pittsburgh. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/15 "2003-11-03T13:53:15Z")
Paper or plastic? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/16 "2003-11-03T14:06:43Z")
We don’t usually eat those sissy wrap sandwiches in Pittsburgh. Chipped ham sandwiches on hard rolls. Primanti sandwiches on French bread. Hoagies loades with meat and cheese. The monstrosity of a sandwich served at Chiodos that has everything including the kitchen sink. Yep, we eat real sandwiches in Pittsburgh, and seldom get a bad wrap. Signed, Moto, Mon Valley native, and one who knows. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/17 "2003-11-03T14:33:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Moto \* > \*\*Primanti sandwiches on French bread. \*\* A-hem. I do believe that Primanti sandwiches are on [Italian](http://www.primantibrothers.com/menu-city.htm) bread. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/18 "2003-11-03T14:33:58Z")
I just find it kinda strange that most of the people singing the praises of Pittsburgh seem to be expats 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/19 "2003-11-03T14:40:53Z")
Hey, loving a city and being able to live there are two different things. I too love Pittsburgh. Living there was one of the nicer times in my adult life, and I appreciate its sense of community to this day. One day soon I’ll return for a visit. I hope. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064/20 "2003-11-03T14:44:27Z")
I’m not allowed to like Pittsburgh… (Baltimoron here) I have been there, it’s been a few years but I remember it being more of a holey city than a holy city. When I was there I almost lost my car in a pothole… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-always-gets-a-bad-wrap/211064.md?page=2)