3 New Things To Love About the Strip

When I first moved to Pittsburgh, the Strip District was my instant favorite neighborhood. I immediately became a regular shopper there enjoying all of its eateries and ethnic stores. However, I never expected that in a few short years this awesome place would continue to grow and evolve into an even better destination.

Coming soon, there are 3 new ways I can't wait to enjoy the Strip.

1. Pittsburgh Public Market - Before I moved to Pittsburgh three years ago, I'd never seen a traditional market house. Then I visited Cleveland (Ohio), Frankfurt (Germany), and most recently Harrisburg. Wow. Market houses are awesome. According to the Strip District web site, the Pittsburgh Public Market will be opening in Spring 2010. They are currently accepting applications for this Thursday to Sunday gig.

2. Strip District Flea Market - A Sunday flea market in the Strip is coming starting April 18. How cool is that. Pittsburgh likes to think of itself as being the Paris of Appalachia. One of my favorite parts of Paris are the wide variety of antique/flea markets. This Strip District Flea Market will bring us one step closer. Hopefully, we'll see a "Mining Sunday" from andreadisaster in honor of this event.

3. Development of the land behind the produce terminal. I was utterly amazed the day I kept riding on my bike from the Point downtown and ended up at a gravel parking lot behind the produce terminal. More signage and a nicer entrance-way connecting the riverfront trail to the actual shops of the Strip District will help everybody have that epiphany.

It's really no surprise that the Strip District is becoming one of the most happening places to live in the city with brand-new options like The Cork Factory, Otto Milk Condos, and 31st Street Lofts.

What's next? I'd like a once-a-week late-night at the Strip where regular 9-5 working folks can do some shopping and mingle without the Saturday crush. What would you like to see? Maybe it'll happen.

Check Your Water Bills

It seems like every month lately, there are new shenanigans from PWSA.

In January, we had the mistaken decimal point water bills where consumers ended up with bills up to 100 times what they owed. The entirety of PWSA's customers also were notified that they were signed up for Utility Line Security.

Now, it's March. The latest twist? Probably due to the previous month's snafus, the billing period has been adjusted every month. I received my January bill on February 18. I paid it before its due date of March 10, but February's bills were sent out a scant 11 days later on March 1 and included a convenient late fee for my on-time payment. This late fee was 27 cents and was not actually itemized on my bill. You may say: Why quibble over 27 cents? I say at 83,000 customers, that's a nice $22,000 bonus for the PWSA for their poor service. If you think the PWSA deserves that extra bonus, feel free to do nothing. Or, like me, you can call (412) 255-2423 and give them a piece of your mind.

Or maybe that extra money is going to the out-sourced Malaysian company that is managing our water bills???

The $12 rain barrels at Construction Junction are starting to look mighty fine.

Flood-pocalypse?

Flooded Fifth & Liberty St. intersection, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1907, originally uploaded by trialsanderrors.

The picture above is from downtown Pittsburgh in 1907.

Rain and mild temperatures are predicted for the rest of the week. Will we get new opportunities to take pictures of a flooded downtown?

"The National Weather Service forecast calls for rain and highs approaching 60 degrees from Wednesday through Saturday. Snow in the Laurel Highlands, more than 4 feet deep in spots, has not begun to melt appreciably, but will on Wednesday, said hydrologist Bill Drzal. Rainfall from Thursday through Saturday could be as much as 1.5 inches."

"This does not look like a good situation," he said.

Let's just say I'm glad I live on a hill.

West Carson Street and Beyond

West Carson Street has been in the news a lot lately. Last week, community groups were protesting the site of a proposed Strip Club on West Carson Street. They object to its location directly adjacent to the Onala Club, an alcohol and drug recovery center.

Early Tuesday morning, a mere 0.3 miles away along Carson Street, a warehouse suspicously caught fire.

Arson investigators were trying to determine the fire's cause, terming it "suspicious," but unsafe conditions kept them from examining where it started. Fire officials said interior floors collapsed. The building, thought to be empty for 20 years, had no electricity.

Anyone else wonder if protesters got the wrong address? That would certainly send a stern message to developers from a potential renegade community group. The more likely scenario?

The Forza Group which bought the company as an investment decided to expedite the demolition process of their property. (Or as the Angry Drunk Bureaucrat suspects another renegade community group decided to expedite the process for them.) According to Greg Erosenko, a spokesman for the Forza Group, "The company is considering building a hotel there someday."

This of course brings to mind dozens of other abandoned warehouses and houses in the Pittsburgh area that are owned as "investment" opportunities. In the meantime, they are dangerous eyesores for the rest of us. They are dangerous because desperate people like to squat in abandoned buildings increasing area crime, and kids like to play in these very same areas.

My request to the city? Let's stop letting developers leave these dangerous eyesores speckled throughout the city in the hopes of profiting off of these properties when yet another Pittsburgh neighborhood "reawakens."

Regularly, send your building inspectors to these sites and fine the hell out of them for being out-of-code, having unkempt landscaping, lack of proper snow removal, and anything else that's legal. This West Carson Street warehouse should have been demolished (or remodeled) long ago. The only people that pay the price for this developer dragging-of-the-heels are Pittsburgh residents. If we hassle the developers, they'll either do something with the property or pass it on to someone who will.

Snow Shoveling is Not a Minor Thing

While most of us rejoiced when the city announced that after 3 weeks it was resuming its enforcement of the snow shoveling ordinance, Public Works Director Rob Kaczorowski has this to say:

"It's a minor thing to me," he said.

I wonder if that's what Mr Kaczorowski would say to Ernestine Ross who as of last week remained in a coma because she was walking in the street due to un-shoveled sidewalks and got hit by a car. This has been a tough couple years for Ms Ross whose husband was killed in late 2008 on the North Side while working in his store. I think the city owes it to her family and the rest of us to keep major sidewalks shoveled.

Mr Kaczorowski, I'm not asking for bike trails, senior-citizen-owned-sidewalks on minor streets, or city steps to be shoveled. I'm asking for major thoroughfares (with speedy drivers) like Arlington Avenue, Brosville Avenue, and Bennett Street to be safe for our pedestrians. And in the meantime, I'm praying that there are no more victims from being forced to walk in the street.

Shovel Like Your Life Depends on It

Like most people, I let out a sigh of relief when the city publicized a post-snowmageddon reprieve for parking tickets and shoveling fines. There was just too much snow too quickly for most of us to keep up with it.

After two weeks of reprieve, this Monday February 22, meter maids were back out in full force. Of course, it's going to take a lot more time to get fully up-to-speed in areas like Allegheny Center where many meters have fallen over victims of over-ambitious snow plows.

I can't find official word on the shoveling fines being re-instated.

On Sunday, Ernestine Ross was walking in the streets of Homewood because the sidewalks were not cleared. She was hit by a car and is in critical condition. Last week, as I was walking down Arlington Avenue in the street, I turned around every few feet with every intention of jumping into a snowbank if a car came too close. I had a few close calls as it were.

If you're driving, pay special attention to folks that may be in the street.

If you work in the city, please for the sake of people like Ernestine Ross, start fining folks who aren't shoveling their sidewalks (and clear the city sidewalks like most of Arlington Avenue.) I've already submitted my 311 request to clear the sidewalks on Arlington Avenue.

If you haven't yet, shovel your sidewalk like your life (or the life of your neighbor) depends on it. Because it does. 2 weeks is at least too much time for a reprieve, especially in the case of Ernestine Ross.

Profiting on the Troubled

When I read about a Strip club opening up next to a space for recovering addicts, I can't help but think about how "economizing" on space wound up with a mental health, drug and alcohol treatment center, which introduced mentally disabled Jennifer Daugherty to her killers.

Maybe we'll have public outrage spreading beyond 30 neighbors against the impending West Carson Street strip club when a woman is murdered there. Until then, "sex sells" as the protest signs say.

In the meantime, Rivers Casino is looking for dealers. With the introduction of table games at Pennsylvania casinos, the Rivers Casino is planning to hire 300 to 350 new employees.

"Mr. Barnabei [the casino's vice president of human resources] said the casino had seen a lot of interest from dealers at casinos in West Virginia or other areas who are from Pittsburgh and who want to work closer to home or their hometown."

Welcome to the city, roofers and gamblers. Get here quick and fill out your 2010 census forms.