I’m new to city living — we just moved from the suburbs a few months ago. It’s been a wonderful adventure, but one that has been controlled and bound by our current pandemic-world.
So, every day, rain or shine, I walk the streets of my new neighborhood. I smile (behind my mask, of course) at my neighbors; laugh at the antics of their pets; skip the sidewalk with a neighbor’s son; check out the signs and graffiti and murals that decorate the buildings; and, in general, wonder how I got to be so lucky!
Walking has been my sanity during this time of social distancing. It can feel lonely and isolating when your day is filled with staring at a computer screen and Zoom calls. Walking through the city streets brings a sense of normalcy to what is definitely not normal.
True City Living
As I walk, I have learned that the Strip District is full of vendors who have been here for years, artists, grocery stores, coffee shops and bakeries. I can buy fish at the Penn Avenue Fish Company, flourless chocolate cake at Enrico Biscotti Bakery and Cafe, cheese at Penn Mac, olive oil at Stamoolisand produce at Wholeys. And that’s just for groceries! There are restaurants, bars, clothing stores, art studios, coffee and tea shops, and so much more. It’s truly a place that we can live, work and play.
The vibe is uniquely Pittsburgh and it’s beautiful to see them working together to stay afloat. Recently, a number of businesses pulled their resources to help local restaurants AND feed the homeless at Light of Life Rescue Mission. (Click here to read about their generosity.) It makes me proud to call the Strip District home. It makes me proud to be from Pittsburgh. And, more importantly, it makes me want to figure out how to do my part!
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