This edition of Gene’s Bar Exam’s comes to you from the lovely city of Pittsburgh. This place is fast becoming my favourite place to visit. It has the charm that New York City used to have, but doesn't anymore. When I first came here five years ago, I thought it would be an old rusty city, with not much going on. I was wrong. It’s a great place with plenty to do. This is my 7th trip here now, and I invite you to come along as we take a trip through the city for an action-packed, alcohol-soaked weekend!
Friday May 24th @ 6:34pm—Roland's Seafood Grill.
Friday @ 9:53pm—Gene's Last Chance. I always meant to go inside here and I'm glad I did, it's closing in a week. Another one bites the dust.
Friday @ 11:10pm—I wish I had a good camera to capture what I wanted to here...
Friday @ 11:17pm—Primanti Bros. Known for their sloppy, big-ass sandwiches.
Friday @ 11:50pm—I'm still trying to figure out why this Pedestrians sign is here?
Friday @ 11:58pm—I'd rather this was a mustard sign!
Saturday May 25th @ 12:27am—This just seems like a cool place.
Saturday @ 1:54am—Redbeard's.
Saturday @ 1:58am—Time to cross the street and get some sleep at the Renaissance!
Saturday @ 12:41pm—What a wonderful refreshing day outside!
Saturday @ 1:44pm—Beer at The Beer Market, the perfect way to start a Saturday in Pittsburgh!
Saturday @ 1:58pm—PNC Park.
Saturday @ 2:09pm—Ducks!
Saturday @ 2:19pm—Jerome Bettis' Grille 36. Good food here! I got the Steel Burger and a Iron City Light to wash it down—now I'm ready to party!
Saturday @ 5:51pm—Jack's. We have walked by this place a million times and today is the first time we stop in! We're on Carson Street in the Southside, lots and lots of bars around here! Perfect!
Saturday @ 7:52pm—Gennaro's. Best pizza in the Steel City!
Saturday @ 7:54pm—Casey's. This is our favorite bar in Pittsburgh—every time we come here, we wind up staying over two hours. Great bartenders, good booze and beer—just the real essence of the city. Too bad Manboy is not around anymore.
Saturday @ 8:02pm—A shot of Casey's from the front.
Saturday @ 8:22pm—I could drink these all day long!
Saturday @ 10:00pm—Jaggerbush. They have great pudding shots here, it's the main thing that draws us here.Smoopy had three or four of them (chocolate flavored), I had two (coconut flavored), good stuff!
Saturday @ 11:59pm—Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Art Rooney, Hines Ward.
Sunday May 26th @ 12:35pm—Another beautiful day! I'd pay money to make it like this every day!
Sunday @ 12:41pm—These guys really know how to make a mess!
Sunday @ 3:41pm—Rivers Casino. We're gonna try our luck at blackjack again—we came out ahead yesterday, so why not try again? Let it ride!
Sunday @ 5:53pm—Jaggerbush. We did win at the casino! Made enough money to pay for all of my beer today! After we cashed out, we hopped into a cab and came here to get more pudding shots! They also have one of the best tin ceilings you'll ever see.
Sunday @ 6:14pm—OK? What exactly can you do here?
Sunday @ 7:08pm—Rugger's Pub. It's the day before Memorial Day—so even though it's Sunday, folks are out enjoying life today!
Sunday @ 7:34pm—Tiki Lounge. This is one of the more interesting bars you'll ever visit, I like it!
Sunday @ 7:39pm—Smoops sitting at the bar, going over the Tiki Lounge's drink menu. This place is kinda like Otto's Shrunken Head.
Sunday @ 7:44pm—Tiki Lounge. Smoopy found the ladies room here fascinating and snapped this picture of their sink. The water comes from the heavens somewhere, through a few copper things and drips into the shell sink.
Sunday @ 8:04pm—Piper's Pub. Quality beer and a green tin ceiling!
Sunday @ 8:21pm—The front part of Piper's which is really nice. There’s a dining area in the back, which was crowded—the food looks good here!
Sunday @ 9:22pm—Fat Heads. You'd think they give away free stuff here? Because it’s always jammed and there is always a waiting list to eat. No thanks. Maybe tomorrow?
Sunday @ 10:12pm—Rowdy Buck. This was not a good choice. It's like a giant log cabin, the bartenders were indifferent, music annoying ...etc, etc, etc. But!...we luckily saw that there was a outside back area to this place - and we stayed here until we finished our drinks and left!
Sunday @ 10:47pm—Rumshakers. This place was slightly better, and they make a mean vodka/tonic/lime! I don't know what's up with Sidney Crosby here—but I hope he is okay!
Monday May 28th @ 12:43pm—Fat Head's (revisited.) We finally get in here - and got seats at the bar! I got the Italian White Pizza Melt - and it was wonderful! Good thing we got here when we did, because by the time we left, it was packed and the waiting list had started. Good place to eat—if you can get in.
Monday @ 12:59pm—Casey's. We are here for the 3rd day in a row. They just started opening up at noon, and I don't think too many people are aware of that. Me and Smoops were here for over an hour and we were the only customers. Ken, the bartender, is a cool guy, so we just chatted and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Monday @ 1:20pm—A final shot of Casey's from the front door. I don't want to go! It was a great weekend and we will be back! But it's time to drive four and a half hours home now.
Monday @ 1:27pm—Across the street from Casey's, the South Side Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A good way to end our Memorial Day weekend! Cheers everyone!
This concludes my journey through the Steel City. I made 32 different stops in 3+ days and loved every minute of it. I wish I could share all of the pictures I took—this was probably my best trip to Pittsburgh so far. We will be back in September to see a Pirates/Reds game, and then a Steelers/Bears game the next day. I’ll be going to Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA; Atlanta and Marietta, GA next month—so I have a few posts from Dixie coming up!
