Are there any Pittsburgh Dopers who saw Rick Seebak’s new show about Oakland? It was basically on all night last night on Channel 13.
Between school and work, I spent almost 5 years commuting to Oakland and NEVER knew about those used bookstores (Caliban etc . . .). Boy, seeing the Common Room at the Cathedral of Learning brought back memories, as did the Nationality rooms. Those two things themselves (along with the view from the top floors of the Cathedral) are worth a visit to the city.
Did anybody cry when they saw the people gathering at the Forbes Field wall to celebrate the Maz’s homerun?
Seebak outdid himself. Fantastic work. For those of you who don’t know, he has done several documentaries about Pittsburgh and other things. “Kennywood Memories,” “Things that Aren’t there anymore,” “An Ice Cream Show,” “Pennsylvania Diners” etc . . .
On the show they said that they were to let extra light in.
I also didn’t know about the new Nationality rooms (3 on the 3rd floor).
I should mention to any “outsiders” reading this that we’re talking about the Oakland section of the city of Pittsburgh, not the big city across the bridge from San Francisco. This is where the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Central Catholic High School (Dan Marino’s HS alma mater), Carnegie museum, Carnegie Public Library, Phipps Conservatory and many hospitals are, including the Transplant capital of the world.
On a related note, Regan Upshaw, of the infamous Oakland Raiders was fined $30,000 for spitting in the face of the Steeler’s punter. Makes one wonder why he didn’t spit at another lineman.
Hmmm…really? I hate heights, and it makes me nervous walking across the blocks, when you can see in the cracks between the shelves and the glass blocks. But then, I’m a ninny.
Mr. Rilch and I were there back in August (I think), but we were saddened to see how many places we remember from our salad days aren’t there any more. Ice-Nine, for instance. The old Pittsburgh Filmmakers building is still there, abandoned but unlocked; probably a haven for squatters. I there comes a time when one just has to stop visiting the old haunts.
Well, the Beehive is still flourishing. Shoot, when I got there, in 1990, the “Southside Beehive” wasn’t referred to as such, because it was the only one, and the Oakland Beehive was “the old King’s Court theater”, because it was just that: an abandoned building on which the marquee remained.
The last night Mr. Rilch and I spent in the Burgh, we loaded up my stuff into his car with the help of Friend. Friend insisted on stopping on Forbes so he could run into the Beehive for a minute. That was one of the most painful five minutes’ of my life…sitting there, closing my eyes to all the neon and activity, but still hearing the traffic, music, hollering…all the life I was taking myself away from. If he’d come back an instant later, I wouldn’t have been in the car. I would have run into the “O”, or maybe Primanti Brothers, and chained myself to something.
Oh, I hear ya, Rilch. The 'Burgh is not an easy place to leave. I still so often wish I was back. I didn’t go back at all for nearly 5 years after I left because I, too, was afraid I would chain myself to something and refuse to budge.
Well, being born in Oakland (Magee Women’s), must say that I have a certain connection to it.
But I haven’t seen one of Seebak’s specials in a long time Don’t watch much of Erie public TV, but can’t see them showing the Pittsburgh ones (although he did those statewide ones as well…the diners and the road shows).
Yes, the “O” is certainly a great place, although certainly not the most polite help (suppose they can get away with it in a place that damn busy!). The last time I was there, there was a guy basically face down in his food…didn’t know if he was drunk or dead and tell you the truth, I didn’t wanna know! Haven’t been there much since (although I’d probably go to Primanti’s instead of the O)
How many of my brain cells were killed on how many different Thursday nights in that joint over how many cups of really bad (but oh so good) 25¢ beer?
I think we’d need some help from NASA figuring that one out.
Some misc. Oakland things that I miss:
Happy hours at Mad Mex.
Jerry’s records
Playing pool at the Attic
Concerts at Graffiti (is that place closed, also?)
Movies on Flagstaff hill in the summer. (yeah, so technically it’s Squirell Hill. Bite me.)
The Luna ( I think that place is gone, too)
Chiefs – now THAT is a scary bar.
and…
That fresh old blind man who sat on a milkcrate on Forbes Ave. in front of the McDonalds with a keyboard and just sing his lungs out. Goddam, that man could sing. One of you Oakland locals, PLEASE tell me that guy is still around. And give him a few bucks for me.
I started off with something that was gone, the Upstage.
Then I went on to things I miss, because I am no longer living in Pittsburgh.
AFAIK, these things are still around:
Jerry’s
The Attic
Flagstaff movies
Chiefs
Also, AFAIK, these things are gone/closed:
The Upstage
Grafitti
The Luna (became something else – it’s on the corner of Center Ave and Craig St.)
I’m sure any locals can correct me if I’m not up to date, I’ve been gone for five years but have made several trips back since then.
Sorry my previous post was unclear.
Oh, you wouldn’t forget this guy. He is about 50 or 55 years old, black, and balding. He had this booming, soulful, perfect voice. He would sit all day long and just belt out gospel songs and things of the like. It was always such a nice change of pace from your typical shitty walk down Forbes filled with bad drivers, drunk assholes and frat boys looking for a fight. He was there from the time I started hanging around Oakland, 1989 or 1990, til the time I left in '96.
And, Rilch, I too was one of the Southside Beehive’s regulars before the Oakland one opened.
Hmm…we very well might know each other. How old are you, and where exactly did you grow up? Feel free to take this to email if you would rather, and also feel free not to answer at all if I am being too nosy. Or is that nebby?
Mouthbreather, I’m 30, and lived in Pittsburgh from '90 to '93. I went to Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and worked at the McD’s on Forbes, across from Primanti Brothers.
And I do remember the singing guy, now that you’ve described him. Do you remember Miracle Patty?
All of my friends and I used to kinda walk up to her, and listen intently to her talk about the end of the earth and the good lord’s eminent rapture. When she’d pause, someone would just say: “Y’know lady, if you’d just eat all your vegtables, things will probably work themselves out.” Man, did that make her mad. “Eating vegtables will most certainly have NO EFFECT on where you spend eternity!!”
And of course she was off her rocker enough that she would never ever remember any of our faces, so every time we saw her we could do it all over again.
Come to think of it, I didnt see her around for quite a while before I left (april 1996). I wonder if the good lord finally called her home?
Hey, can I be in on this early-90’s-Pittsburgh lovefest? mouthbreather, your list basically described half my life in Pittsburgh.
I’m 29, and I lived in Pittsburgh from 1989-1994. I went to CMU for most of that time, but I was more of an “off-campus” type person, at least for the last few years of my tenure there. If you wanna know my real name, click on my email link.
Personally, one of my favorite places to go in Oakland was Tela Ropa
I basically decorated my dorm room out of that place and bought my first and last herbal ecstasy there (stuff didn’t work for the life of me…but it was such a nice place.
Don’t watch much of Erie public TV, but can’t see them showing the Pittsburgh ones (although he did those statewide ones as well…the diners and the road shows).
