Faces in the Crowd

Tiesha Shepherd (North Side)
“It’s nice here—all the updates. Bike lanes are in now. Shopping is still good—on weekends there are crowds and there is a good selection of food.”

Paul Gaudio, Katdi Casey (Sewickley)
Paul: “I miss a lot of the old Strip District. I used to come at 11:00 p.m. on Friday nights. Now everything is closed. Years ago Primanti’s was open at midnight. Everything was open late, notably nightclubs like Metropol. I miss that.” Katdi: “I miss Metropol—it was fantastic. I saw Grace Jones there. There are some positive changes—the Strip is vibrant, alive, and thriving. Anchor stores are still here, which is great. People live here now and there are some high-end stores too.”

Andrew Bayne (South Hills); Brittany Naumann (Plum)
Andrew: “The scene is completely different compared to when I was younger. The vibrancy has changed. Now more people are coming down. Before there weren’t as many tourists coming into the Strip. The nightclubs moved out and it made the place more family friendly.” Brittany: “In one year I noticed it has been quickly growing. There is always something opening up. There are more residential buildings. There will be increased foot traffic in the Strip and it will thrive. The more people who come, the better.”

Amy Hale, Howard Hale (Scott)
Howard: “It’s a Pittsburgh thing to visit the Strip often. I like coming down because it’s always different. It reminds us of Bourbon Street. It's just nice to come here and relax, especially at The Terminal.” Amy: “It has become cleaner. I prefer it these days.”

Mike, Tracey, and Luna Heflin
(West Virginia) Mike: “The food has maintained excellence. Restaurants are all fantastic. Even the quality of the shops is good. There seem to be less shops because of the condos. I like the small-town atmosphere. The feeling of the Strip has made us want to come back.”

Darice Britt (Forest Hills)
“I have been coming to the Strip my whole life. The Strip is so vibrant—it’s rejuvenated.”

Kami Greig, Leah Hearn (Somerset)
Kami: “We shop for groceries. I like the ‘rustiness’ of the Strip. It has mainly stayed the same over the years. I come for the tried and true originals.” Leah: “The pierogi place is gone— and I miss it.”

Peggy Santoro (Pittsburgh)
“It is my first time back to the Strip since 1974. I thought it was a big shopping experience then, but now—wow! This is a unique shopping community for friends and families, with Pittsburgh friendliness—and many wonderful shops and eateries from around the world.”