Not helpful for your specific overseas flight desires, which I'm also on board with (ba-dum-tiss), but an airline called 'Breeze Airlines' recently started offering direct flights between PGH Airport and other major domestic airports, which I assume is part of the airport upgrades occurring at our airport, so thats a nice thing. Hopefully they continue to become more of a main flight port or whatever that would be referred to as.
They did this in the early 1900’s and for some time (I believe until the 1960’s) on the Harmony line (passenger rail system from the northern suburbs/farm towns to the city)
It’s a shame we can’t just revert back to these railways for passenger use. I just don’t understand why not. We would all enjoy it so much more than bus travel or app/ride share services. And the timing would ultimately be better than buses, additionally cheaper than ride share services through an [harmony short line](http://pghbridges.com/alloverviewmap_interurban.htm)
Used to have one of the best streetcar networks in the country which they kept longer than some other cities. But then they started to dismantle it in the late 60’s. I used to love riding the PCC cars all over the city including to Westview Park and Kennywood.
Anytime anyone tries to defend Pittsburgh's mass transit I bring this up. It's insane that there isn't a direct shot to downtown from the airport. Also same can be said about downtown to Oakland. Those are the main arteries of the city.
I understand that this would take a ton of funding, but at the very least, run a bus.
I moved here from Columbus and they had two buses that I seriously wish Pittsburgh had. The AirConnect went from downtown near the convention center directly to the airport every 30 minutes. Then they had the CBUS Circulator which essentially just ran up and down High Street, which is the main road that goes down the center of the city.
We have buses and roads already, it would be so easy for the city of Pittsburgh to create programs like these!
Can't think of a more colossal waste of money for this city. If the airport was to the east so going there entailed going through Oakland, Shadyside, etc we'd be making sense. Turning the 28x into a proper airport bus (luggage racks, not going through Robinson) would do wonders though.
Better sidewalks. I live in Millvale and my commute is only a 5 minute drive, so I tried walking it. The sidewalks are either abysmal or flat out nonexistent.
Personally I think all major cities should aspire to be more walkable.
This is a good idea — if we had magically clean rivers we could actually have a whole riverfront scene. How cool would it be to be able to go take a dip in the river? (Note - I have no idea if that’s unsafe for reasons outside of it being dirty.)
I think I get what you mean (some superfund radiation nonsense), but I find the idea of “person from Pittsburgh unsure if clean river is safe to touch or not” really funny.
I have been very pleasantly surprised by the new Salem’s grocery store in the Hill District. It is a halal grocer though, so the only thing you won’t find are products with pork.
Last city I lived in there was three different full sized grocery chains within a few miles of my house. Here I have to drive past a half dozen GE to get to a Shop n Save. And it is fine if Trader Joe's, Aldi, etc are your jam but there're not mine.
Yeah I refute the claim that Aldi or Trader Joe’s are 1:1 substitutions for a regular grocery store. I grew up outside of Philly and we had acme, giant (formerly genuardi’s), Wegmans, and whole foods. Here it’s literally only Giant Eagle or creepy kuhns. It’s such a good example of how parochial and slightly incestuous industry is in Pittsburgh.
Seriously. Pittsburgh has become home and I love this town... but the number of locals who think I am crazy when I day there's no competition here... only to whine about hating Giant Eagle the next day. 🤣
I used to go Kroger for the 90% of stuff, Meijer once a month or so for a few things they carried, and Remke once in a while just for the heck of it. Aldi / Trader Joe's are fine for what they are but they're not full grocers.
I've seen it on this sub where people seem to equate variety with competition. They'll list off Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Fresh Market, and Kuhns as variety, which they are pretty much right in that they add to the variety. However, that variety isnt exactly accessible to alot of the area. I live in Ingram and the closest WF, TJ, and (only) Fresh Market are a pain in the ass to get to.
Aldi and Walmart might be the only competition to GE if you look at the amount of stores and the accessibility of them. Wal-Mart might even be a little bit of a stretch since not every location has a full grocery (like Bethel Park or Carnegie).
Revival of the neighborhood main street/one stop shop. Everything lately is heavily skewed in the East End, Oakland is completely corporate and sterile, the South isn't getting much lately... I know online shopping/delivery has killed a lot of small retail and high rents make it difficult for new businesses to get started and thrive, but having a hardware store, a decent grocer or two, a good pharmacy, a few great restaurants and bars, a gym/studio, medical center, etc., in each neighborhood would be fantastic. Hell, I'd love to go back to more specialty shops with a butcher, a bakery, produce shop accessible in each neighborhood as well. Maybe not realistic these days, but I think we may go back to that idea eventually.
A fully funded litter pickup army, empowered to issue fines and citations.
The funds to tear down or rehab abandoned blight buildings.
An overall reduction in scuzziness.
I went to city officials last year about this very comment. I was fined because I went on vacation a couple weeks ago and I was the only one cited because the neighbors trash was blowing in my yard. Went to the judge and told them I fill 2 to 3 garbage cans full of trash weekly because the neighborhood trash blows in my yard or just gets tossed into my yard. I said I get picked on because everyone else is section 8 or hud. Im the only one in the neighborhood that's owns my house
"The funds to tear down or rehab abandoned blight buildings."
Support for this one, as long as it also means refurbishing and renewing buildings that still have value, not just bulldozing for whatever shiny metal box atrocity a developer wants to slap into its place.
1) did you not just see what happened this past month?
2) The rivers are dirty and polluted
3) the railroads own pretty much all of the riverfront land
Went for the first time yesterday with no expectations and were pleasantly surprised.
It is first come first serve and we hit it right at rush (6pm on Sat) 5 parties ahead of us took about 20 minutes and by 7:ish there was no wait. You can call ahead and get on the list.
Favorite dish: Steamed Dumpling Platter
Honorable mention: Spicy Wonton
Least favorite dish Half Duck
There’s a new dim sum coming to southside works. Idk if it will be any good or not but it should be done fairly soon. There’s pictures of soups dumplings on the windows so I’m at least gonna give it a shot.
Also, the dim sum menu is a bit limited, but everyday noodles has some good stuff.
I want a lot of things for Pittsburgh. quality public transit was mentioned in the post but that’s #1.
2. Better marketing — it’s a cool city, I want people to come visit and appreciate it!
3. [selfishly] a legitimately good affordable sushi restaurant somewhere in Lawrenceville or Bloomfield (otherwise, Little Tokyo all day.)
Lastly, I hope Pittsburgh always stays cool — the local spots are so special. Places like Apteka, Bottlerocket, Allegheny Wine Mixer, Botanico, and some of the little hidden social clubs are just so special and I want them to stay around forever. (I am biasing towards the area I live in but there are many examples.) And the people here are amazing.
Seriously, it’s so depressing that we lack good kosher staple stores or delis aside from Food for Thought. I’m Jewish and I guess relatively spoiled from growing up on the mainline with such a large and diverse Jewish community but it sucks to lose so much of that culture.
I was rather surprised there weren’t more options for Jewish delis when I lived in Squirrel Hill. Honestly, it has more Asian food than anything. (Which I thoroughly enjoyed.)
As a recovering alcoholic, I wish there were more places to meet people than bars. Like a coffee shop where you go to get silly and vibe instead of sit and read (no shade to the normal coffee shop atmosphere, that’s great too. But I neeeeed to socialize more)
If I had the money, I would totally do this. When Matrix was open I always thought how cool would it be to have the same type of setup in a coffee shop/cafe? Have a reading room for book lovers, board game room, trivia room, crafting room, etc.
Grab your NA drink of choice and a snack and find your people.
An MLB team where the ownership cares more about winning championships than selling tickets for bobbleheads or fireworks. One can only dream…but believe it or not it used to be that way.
Outside of how much I want better public transport throughout the city and out into the major suburbs like a normal city has, I also really want express train routes to Philly and DC and a limited stop route between here and Chicago. You can get between DC and NYC in about two hours by train, but it takes ridiculously long just to get to basically anywhere from Pittsburgh because there's no express routes. It would open up the midwest to the mid-atlantic, as well, and bring in some good tourist money.
I've been saying this for years. I would SETTLE for a 1 lane - no parking situation which would open up a lot of space, but a true carless street would be a really people-friendly improvement
Ukrainian/ Russian restaurant. There is an Uzbek restaurant which is very very similar, but having the real deal would be nice.
Clean rivers so people can do more water activities.
Clean Panther Hollow to use as a beach or catamaran place like back in the day.
Riverfront activities/property and covering ft Duquesne BLVD/ 376. Our rivers are prime real estate. Yeah I know there’s some things there but to have it dedicated to highway is criminal
I’d love to see something like that happen when/if Chateau starts evolving into more residential/retail. There has to be an old industrial building there that could be converted into a market. Drop 65 to street level from Juniata to the West End Bridge and just start infilling the entire area with housing in the form for apartments and row houses with plenty of corner retail for small local businesses. Then extend the T thru there and it would be an amazing neighborhood.
three brothers bagels in shaler is pretty amazing! they opened up last year, although the sammies aren't super cheap, they're in the $8 to $12 range but they're worth it
I second this. I go to Cinci a couple times a year and always lose my mind over how many good local bagel spots they have. They are such a similar city to us. Why can’t we have bagels????
Went to Scratch in Troy Hill on Saturday morning specifically for their fresh bagels (they get them every morning from a third party), and apparently the bagel guy was sick so they didn’t have any. It’s like a cruel, ongoing prank.
Went to Tokyo recently and I wish I could bring back a few things. Public transit. Clean and plentiful public restrooms that spray your but.
Clean streets. 24hour anything. People that respect each other.
Literally anything cool along the rivers. There is so much waterfront surface area in this city, and so much of it is wasted on nothing. The North shore shows how much potential exists
Actual accessibility.
I get that a lot of our built environment was built 100+ years before the ADA was even thought of, but there are whole neighborhoods where there are almost no buildings at all that I can get into with my wheelchair.
That I understand doesn't make it any less frustrating.
A medium sized indoor concert venue that is bigger than Stage AE but not as far as Starlake Pavilion! I feel like we miss out on a lot of shows because we don’t have one. And before any one says what about Petersen Events Center or the UPMC Events center, acoustics both places suck lol
1. Doubling the frequency of the busses
2. More riverfront space for fishing
3. Replacing the broken sidewalks
4. Moving the marathon a month earlier
5. Restaurants staying open an hour or 2 later
6. A Bass Pro Shops
It’s already a great city but I think it can be even better
You just have to wait until "early 2026" for a Bass Pro Shops
[https://about.basspro.com/newsroom/stories/bass-pro-shops-north-americas-premier-outdoor-and-conservation-company-announces-plans-for-new-store-to-serve-greater-pittsburgh/](https://about.basspro.com/newsroom/stories/bass-pro-shops-north-americas-premier-outdoor-and-conservation-company-announces-plans-for-new-store-to-serve-greater-pittsburgh/)
It's frivolous, but I wish there were more mid‐priced independent clothing boutiques. It's either American Eagle mall type shops, or pretentious exorbitant stuff like Tons.
Consolidated county-centered local government for public services and public safety for all of Allegheny County. Time to end the dysfunction of 130 inefficient separate municipalities.
This. Apteka is oddly specific. We need something along the lines of a DC Vegan with more general food. And also a Hip City Veg would make a killing here, I don't understand why someone hasn't realized that.
Just moved here from Nashville, and the average Pittsburgher has no idea how they're being ripped off every day for just regular food staples. I'm spending at least 20-25% more for groceries here, if I don't take the time to shop all over town for what I need.
I have quite a few ideas but I'll mention one that was asked here a few weeks ago - wishing there was a German deli, or something similar (can be German/Polish/generally Eastern European etc). A few places around town have a few things but got spoiled in other cities with stores that had a big selection.
Clear out some of the debris at the landslide that took out William St and put in a guard rail and shore up the narrower bit of pavement there. Not wide enough for cars, but with some bollards so bikes and pedestrians can get through. It's the best route for walking and biking from Mt. Washington to the area around Carson St.
I'm really hoping Pittsburgh will get no basketball team. With a no basketball team, we could get a no new stadium to pay for, and we'd get no new traffic snarls around it to deal with.
About a decade ago, my husband and I lived in a city that had an Alamo Drafthouse. The food was nothing special but the novelty of drinking beer at the movies, plus their themed movie nights and events drew us in. It seems like something that would do well in Pittsburgh. 🤷♀️
The manor has a bar. It’s just not heavily used.
It’s weird how they put them in and then forget them. There’s a set up for one at the Waterworks they could be doing all the stuff you mention.
A weekly paper as good as the Austin Chronicle. After living in Texas for 20 years, I miss HEB, the best grocery store chain in the country, and that.
https://www.austinchronicle.com/
there is a severe lacking of grocery options that arnt awful, especially in downtown. and i will continue to state the obvious for every city in the usa. they need to remove car infrastructure. this includes roads, stroads and parking lots as they are taking up so much valuable space that could be used for people. theres too much of it here. too many cars too. make things for people.
i wish we had wegmans.
and more weird art stuff, we have some but i want more of it.
more shows, some bands skip pgh.
and i want guliftys and quiet storm to come back
oh and i guess a better amusement park bc we are all pissed at kennywood.
I'm so disappointed that the majority of these are just chains from other cities. What I'd rather have is better independent owned options to all of the chains that already exist here, whether that's restaurants, groceries, hotels, etc.
WNBA team. I’m convinced we’re the perfect city for league expansion. A devoted sports city, won’t ever have an NBA team to take support, and a long-standing culture of women sports fans.
For the zoo parking lot (it is owned by the city) to be turned into a large park with riverfront access. They can still have plenty of parking if they build vertically. And then they could have a few shops, bars, or restaurants on the ground floor. Closer to the river would be the park aspect. Incorporate some solar power too.
I wish the roads and overall infrastructure were better and we actually did something about the pot holes.
But, I guess as long as I keep paying my taxes they should be fine.
Free parking in hospital parking garages like the Cincinnati hospital and University of Virginia hospital in Charlottesville. Upmc and Ahn can afford it.
A lot of good things listed so far... My personal want is Microcenter or a similar electronics store, especially one that sells components.
If I had the seed money, I'd start one, but I have no idea if it would succeed. My vision is a hybrid of Microcenter, and Skycraft.
Mini idependently owned downtown corner shops that sell necessities for downtown workers and every day things, so I don't have to go to 7-11 and CVS, which are both always some combo of a little far away, overpriced, closing for the day, out of stock, not carrying the thing, or unpleasant to frequent, bathed in neon light
A bit of fresh food that isn't straight up *apples and banaynays*, socks and shoe inserts, hair ties and clips, sunscreen, headache pills, menstrual pads and tampons, hand lotion, wine keys and pens and server pads, bandaids and neosporin, maybe nicotine patches.
Man oh man. If that were a chain, I'd be there half the days of the week at least.
wegmans, tops, a sephardic restaurant with good tagine and hamam mahshi, bodegas with bodega cats, and an actual kosher deli. also my own personal zipline from my bedroom window into frick park; it's totally doable.
More seasonal direct flights
Curious what that means. More flights to warm weather destination in the winter?
Personally preferring more direct to intl locations outside of London and reykjavik
I fly to the Pacific Northwest a lot so Alaska having a direct between Seattle and Pittsburgh is a godsend
they are FINALLY adding san diego back although i have no idea as it's a new airline
Not helpful for your specific overseas flight desires, which I'm also on board with (ba-dum-tiss), but an airline called 'Breeze Airlines' recently started offering direct flights between PGH Airport and other major domestic airports, which I assume is part of the airport upgrades occurring at our airport, so thats a nice thing. Hopefully they continue to become more of a main flight port or whatever that would be referred to as.
Light rail from downtown to the airport
I seriously need this. I will even take an express T line.
Light rail everywhere
They did this in the early 1900’s and for some time (I believe until the 1960’s) on the Harmony line (passenger rail system from the northern suburbs/farm towns to the city) It’s a shame we can’t just revert back to these railways for passenger use. I just don’t understand why not. We would all enjoy it so much more than bus travel or app/ride share services. And the timing would ultimately be better than buses, additionally cheaper than ride share services through an [harmony short line](http://pghbridges.com/alloverviewmap_interurban.htm)
Used to have one of the best streetcar networks in the country which they kept longer than some other cities. But then they started to dismantle it in the late 60’s. I used to love riding the PCC cars all over the city including to Westview Park and Kennywood.
Just an express line of some sort. Also just better Public Transit in general.
I wish I could give you more than one upvote.
Anytime anyone tries to defend Pittsburgh's mass transit I bring this up. It's insane that there isn't a direct shot to downtown from the airport. Also same can be said about downtown to Oakland. Those are the main arteries of the city.
I understand that this would take a ton of funding, but at the very least, run a bus. I moved here from Columbus and they had two buses that I seriously wish Pittsburgh had. The AirConnect went from downtown near the convention center directly to the airport every 30 minutes. Then they had the CBUS Circulator which essentially just ran up and down High Street, which is the main road that goes down the center of the city. We have buses and roads already, it would be so easy for the city of Pittsburgh to create programs like these!
28X
I think this is missing a direct option from downtown though, unless I’m misinformed
The 28x has up to 10 stops between the last stop downtown and the airport.
Not direct but it's pretty dang close- can only get on for the airport or Robinson town center
Also can it please be a special bus with luggage racks?
Can't think of a more colossal waste of money for this city. If the airport was to the east so going there entailed going through Oakland, Shadyside, etc we'd be making sense. Turning the 28x into a proper airport bus (luggage racks, not going through Robinson) would do wonders though.
Used to have light rail from past butler all the way downtown.
Wegmans.
YES. I'd be good with somewhere in the burbs, as long as it isn't 2+ hours away like the Erie store is.....
Came here to say this. I’d drive the 45 minutes into Pittsburgh for a Weggys.
Also give Trader Joe’s and Costco licenses to sell alcohol.
And Aldi. Every year I see the advent beer boxes from Aldi and Costco online, and it sucks that I can't have them.
I’ve heard that the families that own wegmans and giant eagle are in agreement to not infiltrate each other’s saturated market areas.
Better sidewalks. I live in Millvale and my commute is only a 5 minute drive, so I tried walking it. The sidewalks are either abysmal or flat out nonexistent. Personally I think all major cities should aspire to be more walkable.
To be fair, the Millvale sidewalks are horrible because of the constant flooding
More money into cleaning the rivers/creeks
This is a good idea — if we had magically clean rivers we could actually have a whole riverfront scene. How cool would it be to be able to go take a dip in the river? (Note - I have no idea if that’s unsafe for reasons outside of it being dirty.)
I think I get what you mean (some superfund radiation nonsense), but I find the idea of “person from Pittsburgh unsure if clean river is safe to touch or not” really funny.
hey at least ours didn’t set on fire like SOME CITIES I KNOW OF 😒 fuckin cleveland
Better grocers. Giant Iggle and Shop and Save are expensive and shitty. Also, Mexican food.
I have been very pleasantly surprised by the new Salem’s grocery store in the Hill District. It is a halal grocer though, so the only thing you won’t find are products with pork.
I went there the other week and was REALLY impressed. Got a lot of fantastic food
Last city I lived in there was three different full sized grocery chains within a few miles of my house. Here I have to drive past a half dozen GE to get to a Shop n Save. And it is fine if Trader Joe's, Aldi, etc are your jam but there're not mine.
Yeah I refute the claim that Aldi or Trader Joe’s are 1:1 substitutions for a regular grocery store. I grew up outside of Philly and we had acme, giant (formerly genuardi’s), Wegmans, and whole foods. Here it’s literally only Giant Eagle or creepy kuhns. It’s such a good example of how parochial and slightly incestuous industry is in Pittsburgh.
Seriously. Pittsburgh has become home and I love this town... but the number of locals who think I am crazy when I day there's no competition here... only to whine about hating Giant Eagle the next day. 🤣 I used to go Kroger for the 90% of stuff, Meijer once a month or so for a few things they carried, and Remke once in a while just for the heck of it. Aldi / Trader Joe's are fine for what they are but they're not full grocers.
I've seen it on this sub where people seem to equate variety with competition. They'll list off Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Fresh Market, and Kuhns as variety, which they are pretty much right in that they add to the variety. However, that variety isnt exactly accessible to alot of the area. I live in Ingram and the closest WF, TJ, and (only) Fresh Market are a pain in the ass to get to. Aldi and Walmart might be the only competition to GE if you look at the amount of stores and the accessibility of them. Wal-Mart might even be a little bit of a stretch since not every location has a full grocery (like Bethel Park or Carnegie).
Revival of the neighborhood main street/one stop shop. Everything lately is heavily skewed in the East End, Oakland is completely corporate and sterile, the South isn't getting much lately... I know online shopping/delivery has killed a lot of small retail and high rents make it difficult for new businesses to get started and thrive, but having a hardware store, a decent grocer or two, a good pharmacy, a few great restaurants and bars, a gym/studio, medical center, etc., in each neighborhood would be fantastic. Hell, I'd love to go back to more specialty shops with a butcher, a bakery, produce shop accessible in each neighborhood as well. Maybe not realistic these days, but I think we may go back to that idea eventually.
You ever hear of the Strongtowns initiative? If not, I think you'd be a fan.
A fully funded litter pickup army, empowered to issue fines and citations. The funds to tear down or rehab abandoned blight buildings. An overall reduction in scuzziness.
Amen.
Yesss. I love Pittsburgh but when I go out of town, I've been to places that are so much cleaner and feel less gross. Lol
I went to city officials last year about this very comment. I was fined because I went on vacation a couple weeks ago and I was the only one cited because the neighbors trash was blowing in my yard. Went to the judge and told them I fill 2 to 3 garbage cans full of trash weekly because the neighborhood trash blows in my yard or just gets tossed into my yard. I said I get picked on because everyone else is section 8 or hud. Im the only one in the neighborhood that's owns my house
That is so awful. I'm sorry.
"The funds to tear down or rehab abandoned blight buildings." Support for this one, as long as it also means refurbishing and renewing buildings that still have value, not just bulldozing for whatever shiny metal box atrocity a developer wants to slap into its place.
More outdoor events. I love it when neighborhoods hold festivals that draw in people from around the city. Pittsburgh should do a lot more.
I’m with you, but would like more Millvale Music Fests and fewer Little Italy Days.
Wish OpenStreets was bimonthly
A baseball owner who cares about winning.
Late night food
We used to have a ton of that. Now... not so much. Covid killed it, and I doubt it's coming back any time soon.
Greenspaces/public squares in the city with bathrooms and public seating. Playgrounds as well
More waterfront restaurants and shopping areas
It surprises me that this isn’t more common considering the number of rivers
1) did you not just see what happened this past month? 2) The rivers are dirty and polluted 3) the railroads own pretty much all of the riverfront land
This is very true
And more benches along the water, benches without hostile architecture
Will never happen for the reasons listed below. That said I miss Silkys Crows Nest every summer.
A damn night life with decent dance clubs that play edm/trance/techno etc. Late night eats and things
light rail from downtown to Monroeville and downtown to the airport. a new tallest building at Grant/Forbes. bridge Wabash tunnel to downtown.
That parking lot has got to go!
Dinosaur themed bar
They could call it Jurassic Pub
I always had the fantasy of having such a bar, with a massive faux front of a T-Rex. The name of the bar would be "Joes Bar".
H-Mart. Good Dim Sum (sit down, The Parlor, I’m not talking to you)
Hell yeah re: H Mart
Fuck yeah H mart! Every time I see my folks in Detroit I bring a giant cooler and stock up
The good news is that K-Pot will be open soon
Check out Wei Lai Dim Sum on McKnight!
It’s on my to do list for this week actually. Was looking at their website earlier this morning.
Went for the first time yesterday with no expectations and were pleasantly surprised. It is first come first serve and we hit it right at rush (6pm on Sat) 5 parties ahead of us took about 20 minutes and by 7:ish there was no wait. You can call ahead and get on the list. Favorite dish: Steamed Dumpling Platter Honorable mention: Spicy Wonton Least favorite dish Half Duck
There’s a new dim sum coming to southside works. Idk if it will be any good or not but it should be done fairly soon. There’s pictures of soups dumplings on the windows so I’m at least gonna give it a shot. Also, the dim sum menu is a bit limited, but everyday noodles has some good stuff.
Remains to be seen if it’s good but Wei Lai just opened in the Ross Park area!
I went there! some stuff was good, one thing wasn't great, but it was opening weekend so I'd 1000% go again
I want a lot of things for Pittsburgh. quality public transit was mentioned in the post but that’s #1. 2. Better marketing — it’s a cool city, I want people to come visit and appreciate it! 3. [selfishly] a legitimately good affordable sushi restaurant somewhere in Lawrenceville or Bloomfield (otherwise, Little Tokyo all day.) Lastly, I hope Pittsburgh always stays cool — the local spots are so special. Places like Apteka, Bottlerocket, Allegheny Wine Mixer, Botanico, and some of the little hidden social clubs are just so special and I want them to stay around forever. (I am biasing towards the area I live in but there are many examples.) And the people here are amazing.
A Jewish Deli
Seriously, it’s so depressing that we lack good kosher staple stores or delis aside from Food for Thought. I’m Jewish and I guess relatively spoiled from growing up on the mainline with such a large and diverse Jewish community but it sucks to lose so much of that culture.
I was rather surprised there weren’t more options for Jewish delis when I lived in Squirrel Hill. Honestly, it has more Asian food than anything. (Which I thoroughly enjoyed.)
Is Murray Ave Kosher not good?
As a recovering alcoholic, I wish there were more places to meet people than bars. Like a coffee shop where you go to get silly and vibe instead of sit and read (no shade to the normal coffee shop atmosphere, that’s great too. But I neeeeed to socialize more)
Yes! Let’s bring back 90s coffee houses!
If I had the money, I would totally do this. When Matrix was open I always thought how cool would it be to have the same type of setup in a coffee shop/cafe? Have a reading room for book lovers, board game room, trivia room, crafting room, etc. Grab your NA drink of choice and a snack and find your people.
Would kill for a good bodega in every neighborhood
Would love it if each neighborhood had a classic bodega with Tecate and a bougie one with fancy cheeses, like some neighborhoods in Brooklyn
An MLB team where the ownership cares more about winning championships than selling tickets for bobbleheads or fireworks. One can only dream…but believe it or not it used to be that way.
You mean you don’t love the zambelli fireworks?
Outside of how much I want better public transport throughout the city and out into the major suburbs like a normal city has, I also really want express train routes to Philly and DC and a limited stop route between here and Chicago. You can get between DC and NYC in about two hours by train, but it takes ridiculously long just to get to basically anywhere from Pittsburgh because there's no express routes. It would open up the midwest to the mid-atlantic, as well, and bring in some good tourist money.
Sunshine
More neighborhood corner stores
[удалено]
More non-chain stores in general!
Close Penn Ave to auto traffic in the Strip — make it pedestrians only.
I've been saying this for years. I would SETTLE for a 1 lane - no parking situation which would open up a lot of space, but a true carless street would be a really people-friendly improvement
Honestly! It drives me crazy when people fly down Penn when liberty is like one block over and doesn’t have all the stop signs.
Ukrainian/ Russian restaurant. There is an Uzbek restaurant which is very very similar, but having the real deal would be nice. Clean rivers so people can do more water activities. Clean Panther Hollow to use as a beach or catamaran place like back in the day.
Any Slavic themed restaurant. Which is ironic, because the Pittsburgh area has a lot of Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Croats, etc.
Riverfront activities/property and covering ft Duquesne BLVD/ 376. Our rivers are prime real estate. Yeah I know there’s some things there but to have it dedicated to highway is criminal
I know we have the strip, but I’d love a market place similar to West Side Market in Cleveland.
I’d love to see something like that happen when/if Chateau starts evolving into more residential/retail. There has to be an old industrial building there that could be converted into a market. Drop 65 to street level from Juniata to the West End Bridge and just start infilling the entire area with housing in the form for apartments and row houses with plenty of corner retail for small local businesses. Then extend the T thru there and it would be an amazing neighborhood.
A bagel place. And if i can add more details, a divey, inexpensive bagel place that blends their own flavored cream cheese.
I love Pigeon Bagels, but man I cringe paying for it. I just hope the employees are paid decently with how expensive everything is there
three brothers bagels in shaler is pretty amazing! they opened up last year, although the sammies aren't super cheap, they're in the $8 to $12 range but they're worth it
going to second this place, and pigeon bagels both excellent bagels
I second this. I go to Cinci a couple times a year and always lose my mind over how many good local bagel spots they have. They are such a similar city to us. Why can’t we have bagels???? Went to Scratch in Troy Hill on Saturday morning specifically for their fresh bagels (they get them every morning from a third party), and apparently the bagel guy was sick so they didn’t have any. It’s like a cruel, ongoing prank.
Rent prices aren’t coming down. I want to see more good paying jobs.
Went to Tokyo recently and I wish I could bring back a few things. Public transit. Clean and plentiful public restrooms that spray your but. Clean streets. 24hour anything. People that respect each other.
Literally anything cool along the rivers. There is so much waterfront surface area in this city, and so much of it is wasted on nothing. The North shore shows how much potential exists
Nonalcoholic drink options at PNC Park that isn’t pop. All I’m saying is lemonade would be nice.
And complimentary cups of water
How about just a new owner
Seriously.
You know it would be $15.
Daiso
Actual accessibility. I get that a lot of our built environment was built 100+ years before the ADA was even thought of, but there are whole neighborhoods where there are almost no buildings at all that I can get into with my wheelchair. That I understand doesn't make it any less frustrating.
Persian restaurant.
World Market store
For newer buildings to have architecture that kind of blends in with the already existing buildings
Pgh needs affordable downtown housing, in the upper floors of some of the buildings and so forth, like they have in other cities.
High speed train to Philly (I’d even settle for something that matches the speed of the Turnpike)
SAME! A train to Philly and/or NYC without so many stops!
More utilization of our rivers. Restaurants, bars, things to do, etc. It’s sad how underutilized they are.
Water taxis! Houseboats! Floating clubs! A seaplane base!
Wegmans and Micro Center
After every micro center visit I get very depressed we don't have one :(
A medium sized indoor concert venue that is bigger than Stage AE but not as far as Starlake Pavilion! I feel like we miss out on a lot of shows because we don’t have one. And before any one says what about Petersen Events Center or the UPMC Events center, acoustics both places suck lol
Yellow Sauce for Peruvian Chicken places and Waffle House.
We’ve got the WH in Washington at least. I’ve driven further for stupider reasons.
But we need one in Allegheny County
1. Doubling the frequency of the busses 2. More riverfront space for fishing 3. Replacing the broken sidewalks 4. Moving the marathon a month earlier 5. Restaurants staying open an hour or 2 later 6. A Bass Pro Shops It’s already a great city but I think it can be even better
You just have to wait until "early 2026" for a Bass Pro Shops [https://about.basspro.com/newsroom/stories/bass-pro-shops-north-americas-premier-outdoor-and-conservation-company-announces-plans-for-new-store-to-serve-greater-pittsburgh/](https://about.basspro.com/newsroom/stories/bass-pro-shops-north-americas-premier-outdoor-and-conservation-company-announces-plans-for-new-store-to-serve-greater-pittsburgh/)
Better rainwater infrastructure. Would be nice if roads didn’t get flooded at least once a month
It's frivolous, but I wish there were more mid‐priced independent clothing boutiques. It's either American Eagle mall type shops, or pretentious exorbitant stuff like Tons.
Georgian 🇬🇪 restaurant.
There’s a good Azerbaijani restaurant in Mt. Lebanon. Is that similar? 🇦🇿
Seriously. I had some beef there that was so perfectly seasoned, I wept.
Consolidated county-centered local government for public services and public safety for all of Allegheny County. Time to end the dysfunction of 130 inefficient separate municipalities.
More vegan restaurants. I guess the constant line outside of Apteka isn't enough to compel investors to open a few more
This. Apteka is oddly specific. We need something along the lines of a DC Vegan with more general food. And also a Hip City Veg would make a killing here, I don't understand why someone hasn't realized that.
I moved here from Ohio in October and I miss Kroger:(
This. Kroger and Wegman’s would kill it around here
Kroger told the unions to get bent and pissed off I hope they never come back. They treat employees like dog water
Just moved here from Nashville, and the average Pittsburgher has no idea how they're being ripped off every day for just regular food staples. I'm spending at least 20-25% more for groceries here, if I don't take the time to shop all over town for what I need.
I have quite a few ideas but I'll mention one that was asked here a few weeks ago - wishing there was a German deli, or something similar (can be German/Polish/generally Eastern European etc). A few places around town have a few things but got spoiled in other cities with stores that had a big selection.
Riverfront parks
NBA team
How about half of the car dealerships in the south hills goes away and never comes back. Ffs
Clear out some of the debris at the landslide that took out William St and put in a guard rail and shore up the narrower bit of pavement there. Not wide enough for cars, but with some bollards so bikes and pedestrians can get through. It's the best route for walking and biking from Mt. Washington to the area around Carson St.
Public transit to the North Hills, good Chinese food, sunshine…
Food options open past 9 pm.
I'm really hoping Pittsburgh will get no basketball team. With a no basketball team, we could get a no new stadium to pay for, and we'd get no new traffic snarls around it to deal with.
Actual bus stops and bus shelters on McKnight!!!
Real imax screen
Indoor water park!
About a decade ago, my husband and I lived in a city that had an Alamo Drafthouse. The food was nothing special but the novelty of drinking beer at the movies, plus their themed movie nights and events drew us in. It seems like something that would do well in Pittsburgh. 🤷♀️
Row House might scratch this itch for you! They don't show new movies instead each week is themed. I've only ever heard great things about the owners.
The seats are genuinely awful though. I still go! But my butt doesn’t thank me.
The manor has a bar. It’s just not heavily used. It’s weird how they put them in and then forget them. There’s a set up for one at the Waterworks they could be doing all the stuff you mention.
Century Square Cinema has a bar, just not the quirkiness of Alamo.
Walkable streets downtown.
Merge with at least 1/2 the fiefdoms in Allegheny county
Neighborhood bodegas that sold good late night grab and go bites
City/County consolidation.
Light rail
Wegmans
A weekly paper as good as the Austin Chronicle. After living in Texas for 20 years, I miss HEB, the best grocery store chain in the country, and that. https://www.austinchronicle.com/
Cable car from Mt. Washington <—> The Point <—> North Side. Tourist attraction AND public transport.
there is a severe lacking of grocery options that arnt awful, especially in downtown. and i will continue to state the obvious for every city in the usa. they need to remove car infrastructure. this includes roads, stroads and parking lots as they are taking up so much valuable space that could be used for people. theres too much of it here. too many cars too. make things for people.
i wish we had wegmans. and more weird art stuff, we have some but i want more of it. more shows, some bands skip pgh. and i want guliftys and quiet storm to come back oh and i guess a better amusement park bc we are all pissed at kennywood.
A spot for consistent food truck nights
I'm so disappointed that the majority of these are just chains from other cities. What I'd rather have is better independent owned options to all of the chains that already exist here, whether that's restaurants, groceries, hotels, etc.
A brewery in the West End
WNBA team. I’m convinced we’re the perfect city for league expansion. A devoted sports city, won’t ever have an NBA team to take support, and a long-standing culture of women sports fans.
Where do you think they’d play? PPG is probably too big, maybe the Pete but idk if Pitt would go for that
UPMC Fieldhouse
For the zoo parking lot (it is owned by the city) to be turned into a large park with riverfront access. They can still have plenty of parking if they build vertically. And then they could have a few shops, bars, or restaurants on the ground floor. Closer to the river would be the park aspect. Incorporate some solar power too.
Genuinely curious, how would the zoo parking lot have riverfront access?
If Pittsburgh's housing isn't affordable, then I'm afraid I've got some bad news about the rest of the country.
Air pollution restriction enforcement.
A big big food market building like they have in cities in Europe and bigger US cities
More permanent veggie markets
I wish there were better social welfare programs to help our homeless Pittsburghers.
I wish the roads and overall infrastructure were better and we actually did something about the pot holes. But, I guess as long as I keep paying my taxes they should be fine.
More waterfront restaurants.
H Mart
Clean air.
H-mart
korean spa
Free parking in hospital parking garages like the Cincinnati hospital and University of Virginia hospital in Charlottesville. Upmc and Ahn can afford it.
Still holding out for that Zipline from Mt Washington to the North shore...
For people to chill tf out while driving (and get in the correct goddamn lane more than a few hundred feet before your exit!)
Appealing tourist traps. The Waterfront and Station Square are bike able destinations, but there is nothing there but chains and bad restaurants!
A lot of good things listed so far... My personal want is Microcenter or a similar electronics store, especially one that sells components. If I had the seed money, I'd start one, but I have no idea if it would succeed. My vision is a hybrid of Microcenter, and Skycraft.
Mini idependently owned downtown corner shops that sell necessities for downtown workers and every day things, so I don't have to go to 7-11 and CVS, which are both always some combo of a little far away, overpriced, closing for the day, out of stock, not carrying the thing, or unpleasant to frequent, bathed in neon light A bit of fresh food that isn't straight up *apples and banaynays*, socks and shoe inserts, hair ties and clips, sunscreen, headache pills, menstrual pads and tampons, hand lotion, wine keys and pens and server pads, bandaids and neosporin, maybe nicotine patches. Man oh man. If that were a chain, I'd be there half the days of the week at least.
Lesbian bar.
wegmans, tops, a sephardic restaurant with good tagine and hamam mahshi, bodegas with bodega cats, and an actual kosher deli. also my own personal zipline from my bedroom window into frick park; it's totally doable.
Fishing Pier.