To Do: Go Home to Pittsburgh

This past weekend I got to check 'Go Home to Pittsburgh' off on my 'To Do' list. This will be a reoccurring item on the list though, because my intent is to go home more often.

Pittsburgh is one of my favorite places on Earth. I tend to think that it should be the focal point of the Nation (Um, we have the Duquesne incline!), while everyone else I talk to (not from the city of Steel) thinks of it as either random and uninteresting or surprisingly pretty, but still random.

I'm aware - totally scary picture.

To me Pittsburgh is home to all the wonderful and bizarre memories of my childhood. It's home to my beloved pool, the blue-slide park, my nosy neighbors, my nosier best friends from high school, the restaurants and bars that used to accept my fake ID and for whom I later worked, others that aren't ashamed of their characteristic yinzer twang, the STILLERS!, and of course my wonderful parents who just added a wonderful new porch onto the back of their house.

My teammate and I before playing 'See the hole, be the hole.'
... and the new porch is right outside of that window. 

The East End of Pittsburgh has that small town personality that makes me feel like a celebrity when I return to make a guest appearance for the weekend. I love going out, dressed in the latest look made possible by a steady paycheck, and being immediately greeted by smiles, embraces, and applause (in my head) by old and new friends at bars and restaurants. Granted, this 'welcome' is probably because I worked in the service industry for three years and everyone I know works at or goes to these these venues, but nonetheless, it beats the unimpressed look I get when I walk into a Chicago joint.

Basically I was perched on cloud nine all weekend bouncing from pool to party, shop to salon, running trail to restaurant, and filled with the prescribed confidence that came with it. However, I kept running into friends who were less positive about their placement in the Burgh. Every single that I talked to was convinced that the dating pool somewhere else would bring a higher rate of success. Now it could have been that I wasn't going to let anyone rain on my mustard-colored-Missoni-dress parade, but I was an optimist. I asserted that with a couple tweaks to one's attitude and angle, Mr. or Mrs. Right might not be that far away from the Golden Triangle.

Here are my thoughts on improving your dating odds in Steel-town or in any city for that matter:

1. Never ask if you look fat before you walk out the door - basically this sets you up for an evening of insecurity. Meaning you will end up obsessively checking your pooch in comparison to other girls at the bar after beer #1, #1.5, #1.75 ... and so on. If you are feeling fat, hide that part of your body that's a little bloated, blow out your hair to perfection, show off your assets, get a hold of your confident self, and make sure no one else knows you are having a fat day.

2. Stop texting guys that you know are wrong for you while you are out on the town. Having a relationship with the key pad on your phone takes away from your presence in the room. AND you will miss the hot guy at the bar checking you out who might be the one sending you better texts the next day.

3.  Don't settle. And it's probably best not to go on E-Harmony or Match.com while residing in Pittsburgh. Or if you do make sure you expand your geographic limits to a national or even international scope. Apparently, there are nothing but Stevens from Coraopolis representing the burgh.

4. Just be you and have fun! The end of the work week, having a drink, seeing people - that's fun! And  when you are having genuine fun, I'm telling you, a string of more fun will come. The good looking guy in the corner (or at least the boyfriend tells me) would rather have the fun girl, than the hot train wreck.

5. Don't give up. He or she is out there ... and they might be at the pool, at the same bar you go to every weekend, at your parent's party, or one of my mom's army of interns.

And ... when you do feel like giving up and you are in dire need of a change of scenery, come visit me in Chicago. There are LOTS of attractive people running, playing volleyball, biking, and swimming along Lake Shore Drive every weekend. (Unfortunately, but in line with the rest of the Midwest, 90% of them have wedding rings on by the age of 25.) Every city has their dating draw backs, but it's up to us to make the best of it and keep having fun!

Lo.