I miss all that Burgh dialect. I grew up there, but moved away in the 70’s with half of the city. :)
I still make it back every few years. We stop by Danny’s Parkview Pizza for a hoagie, and visit the old neighborhood. It all looks so narrow and run down now. But it was a great place to grow up.
I have to agree with the run down part. When we travel, it’s the one thing we notice upon our return. The trip from the airport on the parkway isn’t bad as long as you don’t go past the “new” 79 interchange, the one that was planned 40 years ago.
While I don’t live within the city of Pittsburgh, I still call it home. Despite the problems with this region, and those problems are numerous, it’s still not a bad place to raise a family. Family members who, like you, joined the mass exodus of the 70s, enjoy the return to their home.
Danny’s in South Park (yeah, I know it’s officially in Bethel Park) has been a gathering spot since the days of my youth. I also agree that the hoagies there are the best anywhere.