Editorial: Casual Fridays 4/9

After more than a year of inactivity, the storefront between Hemingway’s and The… After more than a year of inactivity, the storefront between Hemingway’s and The Original Hot Dog Shop is beginning to show signs of life.

Located in the heart of Pitt’s campus on Forbes Avenue, the nook is sure to be reoccupied soon. Yesterday, we confirmed that the space will, in fact, become a Dunkin’ Donuts — but this struck us as an opportunity to look around our campus and wonder what else is missing. Below are a few establishments that Oakland could really use. Call it wishful thinking.

A 24-hour diner

How does Oakland not have one of these? Pitt students need somewhere to go after all-night study sessions and midnight mass. At funky hours, students don’t have much of a choice for cuisine right now, and Pamela’s Diner closes before we’re even done with class for the day. A 24-hour schedule and low prices would be more than enough to satisfy.

Office for Pitt’s governmental relations

The University could buy the space and use it to house a governmental relations department. Between Pitt’s regularly getting shafted in state appropriations and its laissez-faire approach to defending students caught up in the G-20 protests, we’re starting to doubt that an office already exists elsewhere.

Cheesesteak joint

Moving from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh can feel like moving to another dimension — worse food, a better football team and a noticeably absent effort to pronounce vowels. Last year, Souf Oakland Steaks vanished as mysteriously as it had arrived. Ever since, there hasn’t been an Oakland establishment solely dedicated to perfecting the cheesesteak. If one were to do so, it could help native Philadelphians ease their collective transition into ‘Steel Tahn.’

Another Rite Aid

Anyone who’s lived in Oakland for more than a few weeks has realized its more glaring problem: There just aren’t enough Rite Aids. When the two Rite Aids (conveniently located next to each other) run out of ping pong balls, where’s a student to go? CVS Pharmacy? Please.

Besides, one of the Rite Aids closes at night, leaving the other with a monopoly over the Atwood Street mixer market.

Boomerang’s

You know those nights when you want to dance, but not enough to go to a dance club? Or how about those nights when you want to go for a drink, but not enough to go to a real bar? They should open a place in the vacant storefront that’s a bar, but not really good at being a bar, and also a dance club where no one really dances. They can call it Boomerang’s.

Miniature golf course

Although there are countless things to do in Pittsburgh at night, most of them require having a car or a Ph.D. in the Port Authority’s late-night schedule. Those of us trying to stay in Oakland, on the other hand, are generally confined either to going to a bar or getting half-priced food. This brings us to our least realistic — yet most important — recommendation of the day: a miniature golf course. Just imagine the possibilities. The 18th hole could even be themed like a doughnut shop, because Oakland could really use one of them, too.