So my brother had one of his routine Cystic Fibrosis check-ups in Omaha today, and he asked his doctors if he should consider pursuing a lung transplant anytime soon. They didn't think it was urgent, but are sending his medical information to a hospital in Pittsburgh. If they deem him to be a worthy candidate for an in-person evaluation, I would be accompanying him to the Steel city for a few days.
I was just checking to see who all lives in that area and what there is to do around UPMC.

there are a few different upmc hospitals there. but pittsburgh's a totally underrated town.

the staples are primanti brothers and the carnegie science center. paul's and jerry's are the best music shops.

Yeah, I assumed that UPMC was similar to UNMC in Omaha, and that it consisted of multiple hospitals stretched over an eight to ten block radius with several small satellite locations around the metro area.
I'm glad you mentioned Primanti Brothers, I remember seeing something about it on the Food Network or Travel Channel.
What about bars and public transportation reliability?

there is a pretty extensive bus system, but i'm not sure you'd really call it reliable.

i like gooski's and kelly's for bars. gooski's is in polish hill and kelly's is in east liberty. neither's too far from pitt, but they're in opposite directions. there's another place called brillobox that a lot of people go to, but i've not been in pittsburgh since it's been open.

Warhol museum!

+1

If nothing else can, this redeems Pittsburgh.

Yeah, being a Warhol/Factory fan I knew this and hope to make it there if we make the trip.

I like tourist destinations, but was more interested in the standard, local things to do. I don't know how much time that I/we would get to go out at night, so I appreciate the bar recommendations.

Also how easy is it to get dirt cheap Pirate tickets, I'm guessing based on the time table given to me by my brother that this trip would occur anytime from April to June.

i think the cheapest pirate tickets are $9 or $10. you can also walk up the night of a game and sit 20 rows up from a base for like $25. it's also my favorite baseball stadium.

top notch hospital system.
don't know shit about the city other than that.

HUGE cosign on both!

and best to your bro Promethium.

Hasn't there been another Pitt thread? Um, there are some great beer stores that also serve hot dogs. That's my memory. And a giant vinyl store somewhere near the Squirrel Hill neighborhood if I remember correctly.

that store in squill is jerry's - the best all-vinyl record store i've ever visited.

paul's is probably tops when it comes to CDs. that's over in bloomfield.

Carnegie Science Center is okay, but check out the Carnegie Art and Natural History museums (they're connected) in South Oakland. Both are top notch.

If you're downtown, check out Eide's is a lot of fun, though the kind of store that the internet has rendered useless.

Gooski's is one of my favorite bars ever, and now that smoking's banned in PGH, it's probably healthier for you. I can pretty much give you 7500 bar reviews, but it really depends on where you're at.

the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern has the best Polish food I've ever had. Actually, Gooski's has great food, too, though the kitchen's not open that often. But yeah, BBT is amazing.

Church Brew Works is pretty popular for a mildly upscale dinner. Brewery build into an old church.

Lrr might be thinking of the O(riginal), which serves wheelbarrows full of fries for like $4 until 2 AM. It's great if you're drunk, 20, or hate your body, but otherwise, it's just an greasy overall experience. Also, DO NOT go to the bar at the O (at least the one in Oakland).

mmm...pierogie pizza.

primanti's is a must.

never had a chance to check out quaker steak and lube...kinda bummed about that.

i think cotton hates this place, but got damn did Fathead's have one of the best sandwich's i've ever had ("The Bender"). pretty incredible beer selection too.

I always liked the "O" better than Primanti's. Does the Electric Banana still exist?

electric banana's been gone for a while, i think. actually, most older venues there are gone - beehive, laga, decade, graffiti, etc.