Best in the ‘Burgh 2004

By Pitt News Staff
November 10, 2004

Best mascot: The Pitt panther

Runner-up: Pirate parrot

Yes, he’s cute and furry. In fact, he may be the only panther who can wear a T-shirt. Sometimes, you just want to go up to him and give him a hug.

But we know better. It’s all a deceptive facade.

Beneath those gentle paws are retractable claws, prepared to slice through any foe. The fake bronze panther built for taping the game show “Jeopardy!” nearly gored Alex Trebek. This mascot is not for the weak. You have to get past the adorable thing and realize that this cat is not domesticated. He says “Don’t mess with Pitt,” and mess we shall not.

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best sports team: Steelers

Runner-up: Penguins

What can we say?

We love Ben Roethlisberger, that phenomenal rookie quarterback who always find his mark, even though Dan Marino can’t pronounce his name. And then there’s Jerome Bettis, the running back who began the season with touchdowns per yard rather than yards per touchdown. With an offense that can’t resist the goal line and a defense that produces more turnovers than my favorite breakfast place, the Steelers lead the three-river city in athletic enjoyment.

Besides, the Pirates are a royal disappointment, and the Penguins may never play this season. What choice do we have?

-Michael Mastroianni, Chief Photographer

Best free entertainment: Flagstaff Hill Movies

Runner-up: Drunk people

What’s more beautiful than a beautiful night with a beautiful skyline, a beautiful movie playing and a beautiful significant other on your arm? A free beautiful night, skyline, movie and (hopefully) significant other. Flagstaff Hill movies, which run from early June to late August as part of Citiparks Comcast Cinema in the Parks, feature the blockbuster movies that you were too cheap to pay for at the theater and too lazy to rent at the video store, all free, and in lovely Schenley Park. Last summer featured “Daredevil” and “Charlie’s Angels” — and if you think Drew Barrymore fighting crime isn’t worth seeing for free, you might want to check to see if you have a pulse.

-Sydney Bergman, Opinions Editor

Best strange thing in Oakland: The Smell

Spend a summer in Oakland and you’ll know what everyone is talking about when they say that it has a unique smell to it. There’s just something about walking through the streets of South Oakland with the temperatures hitting the high 90s — the smell of garbage, alcohol and something beefy that the jury is still out on waft about in the hot summer air.

But the smell doesn’t just take residence during the summer months. There’s a totally different smell during the winter. It’s a completely different odor, still consisting of alcohol and a beefy, more-cheesy aroma, but this time it’s dripping wet; it has a damp basement smell to it.

Of course, with the number of Mexican restaurants, fast-food joints and all of that delicious cafeteria food that Pitt students inhale during the school year, it’s really no wonder that Oakland possesses a smell all its own.

-Brian Palmer, A’E Editor

Best local band: The Clarks

Runner-up: Pete Killed Pete

What can be said about The Clarks that hasn’t already been said? They’ve been making music for more than 16 years. That’s a pretty impressive run in a music scene that flounders musical acts left and right.

But as this journalist mentioned earlier this year, The Clarks aren’t a Pittsburgh band anymore; they have graduated to being referred to as a band from Pittsburgh. That’s right, they have staked claim in other parts of the country than just southwestern Pa.

Which leaves a lot of people along the East coast and into the Midwest picking up maps to find out where exactly the Fayette County fair is held. Because if you don’t know, and if you’ve never been to the Fayette County fair, then that part of “Cigarette” just isn’t as fun.

No matter how big they get, The Clarks will always be held near and dear to the hearts of southwestern Pennsylvanians.

-Brian Palmer, A’E Editor

Best Pittsburgh neighborhood: Shadyside

Runner-up: Oakland

When you’ve had enough of 4 a.m. Wiffle Ball games outside your dilapidated South Oakland house, it may be time for you to take a walk on the Shadyside.

Traditionally more popular with graduate students, young professionals and families, undergraduates are also beginning to favor the decidedly more laid-back atmosphere of this upscale East End neighborhood, both as a leisure destination and a home away from the chaotic fun of your favotite college town.

Walnut Street and its adjacent blocks represent the quaint character of the neighborhood, with its assortment of upscale boutiques, beautiful, Victorian-style houses and its variety of restaurants and bars.

-Jonathan Check, Assistant News Editor

Best Web site for college students: Collegehumor.com

Runner-up: Ratemyprofessor.com

Editor’s Note: Parents of undergraduates should not read this story. Also, the following was written while in a class.

The pictures are hilarious.

There are games and columns, yes, and a link to essayfind.com, which will write your term papers for you. But it’s really all about the pictures.

Collegehumor.com has spent five years entertaining bored undergrads, delighting them with the unfortunate, the disgusting and the weird. What began as “a refuge for not only students of all academic levels, but a place for people across the world to go for a laugh” has become a complete craze that Josh and Ricky, the two founding collegiates from Baltimore, could never have expected in their wildest dreams. Well, maybe in their wildest dreams.

Where else could an apathetic undergrad log on during his cognitive psych lab and find articles on “how to smoke pot in your dorm,” or a column titled, briefly and eloquently, “Ah, college”?

Still, though, it’s those pictures. They’re just so funny, sometimes.

-Greg Heller-LaBelle, Editor in Chief

Best movie theater: Loews

Runner-up: Manor Theater

Situated near the imposing smokestacks-turned-decoration of the Waterfront mall, Loews theater is one of the biggest theaters in the Pittsburgh area and is just an 59U ride away from Oakland. Be sure to catch a Friday night flick with your sweetheart, a midnight scare-fest that makes you sleep with the lights one or any one of the dozen or so movies it’s showing. Grab an extra-large bucket of greasy, yummy popcorn and a soda the size of Lake Erie, and settle in for some good, escapist fun. It sure beats watching DVD rips on your laptop.

-Sydney Bergman, Opinions Editor

Best live theater: Benedum Center

Runner-up: Heinz Hall and Byham

One of the best things about being a Pitt student is the free and discounted stuff we get, including tickets to musicals, ballets and operas. The most impressive venue for this type of culture? The Benedum Center. Where else can you spend $20 for tickets to “The Nutcracker” on a student discount and find yourself sitting three rows back from the stage?

-Daveen Rae Kurutz, Senior Staff Writer

Best strip club: Club Erotica

Runner-up: Club Elite

After a long, hard day of studying for an underwater basket-weaving exam, there’s nothing better than sitting back and relaxing with some fine lass’s booty shaking so quickly in your face that it causes your hair to flutter. In a geographical locale where “pasties” equal “naked,” and strip joints are named after insects, Club Erotica stands out as a diamond in the rough. The readership of The Pitt News salutes you, and not just with their hands.

-Jessica Knab, Staff Writer

Best Bank: PNC

Runners-up: Citizen’s and National City

With the offer of free checking, no monthly service charge, a free savings account and no minimum-balance requirements, it’s no wonder that Pitt students chose PNC Bank as the best bank.

ATMs are convienantly situated both in Towers lobby and the Schenley Quad, as well as in more than 3,600 other locations. PNC Bank check cards can also be used anywhere that Visa is accepted.

The bank’s account-link-by-Web feature allows your parents to transfer money to your account free of charge, which is definitely useful. So make sure to open a PNC Bank account today; you certainly won’t be disappointed.

-Laura Jerpi, Staff Writer

Best fitness center: The Pete

Runner-up: Bally’s

The Pete is hands down the best Fitness Center at Pitt. The rows of elipticals and treadmills ensure that, for most of the day, you won’t have to wait for your cardio workout. That seven-mile doesn’t seem to last so long when you are watching the mounted televisions with your headphones plugged in. With the best free weight selection of any of the gyms, the Pitt iron-pumpers are in a second heaven. And we must not forget the one-credit gym classes offered at the Pete. What better excuse to work off that weekend partying? So if you are feeling like the couch has become your new best friend, get up, get going, and head to The Pete.

-Laura Thomas, Photo Editor