Lawrenceville

Roughly two and a half weeks ago, we, (being Jenna, Emily, and Jena), went on an adventure in the nearby neighborhood of Lawrenceville.  Lawrenceville is located in between the Strip District and Bloomfield and is made up of three different areas: lower, central, and upper.  It is constantly evolving, and many young people have recently begun taking over the neighborhood.  There are currently around 11,000 people who live in Lawrenceville.  Shadyside may offer some more expensive options, but this up-and-coming town has just as much to offer.  From restaurants, bars, and cafes to eat and drink at, to art galleries to explore, and even to yoga studios where you can find your zen, there is never a dull moment in Lawrenceville.

There's a reason one-"n" Jena rarely uses Snapchat.

Lawrenceville used to be a trading post for both English and French settlers. In 1814, William Foster gave it its name in honor of Captain James Lawrence, orator of the famous quote, "Don't give up the ship!"  Many companies sprung up in early Lawrenceville, such as U.S. Steel, Alcoa, Westinghouse, and Pittsburgh Brewing Company. This neighborhood also became home to a variety of ethnic emigrants, including, but not limited to Poles, Swedes, Italians, and Russians.

 As for our trip to Lawrenceville, getting there was fairly simple.  After a twenty-ish minute bus ride on the 71C, we were off.  While on the bus, we rode past the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, which is enormous and vibrant.  If you ever drive through Lawrenceville be sure to take a peek!  Once we got off the bus, our first stop was Aresnal Park, pictured below, which is located between 39th and 40th streets.  It includes a jungle gym, baseball fields, and even offers a Cinema in the Park Night where they play a movie for people to come out and watch on warm summer nights from a spectacular viewpoint.  

We actually aren't entirely sure what this is, but it
appears to be some sort of small amphitheater.

Despite a brief flirtation with the idea of jumping over 

the wall that surrounds Arsenal Park, we decided it would

be best to use the actual entrance.

Wow, much fun, very picture.

From the park, we then meandered a little further down the road until we found Carnegie Library. What we found was a rather lackluster facade, considering its namesake, but we did find some interesting things along the way.  Lawrenceville has historically been home to one of the largest Polish communities in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania itself has had (again historically) the second largest populations of Poles in the United States, second only to New York.  Because of this, Lawrenceville houses its own branch of the Polish National Alliance, a fraternal insurance company specific to Polish emigrants and their progeny, known as the Polish Eagle Society chapter.  On our way, we also discovered a road made entirely of original brick!  Some other treasures known only in Lawrenceville include the local Row House Cinema, as well as several local eateries.  The Cinema houses a single screen, and on it, they play one to two films per day, usually revolving around the theme they have picked for the week.  

Carnegie is a pretty prominent name here in Pittsburgh, so the size of this worn-out structure was quite surprising to us.

Not only is this neighborhood ideologically diverse, but
also culturally.

These are a rarity pretty much anywhere you go, so the fact
that we found them in Lawrenceville is
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

To the left of this single-screened cinema is a tiny burger
joint you would totally miss if not for the foldable chalk
sign outside.

As for food, you can grab a sandwich at Deli on Butler Street, some breakfast or brunch at Geppetto Cafe, or some typical bar food at the Thunderbird Cafe, according to our exploration, although we're sure that if you explore further, you might find more unexpected venues to your enjoyment.

Don't let the "Cafe" in this local establishment's name fool you...it's actually a bar.  There is also a laundromat
conveniently located just two store-fronts away, so you could even *cough* if you're of age *cough* buy yourself a
drink while your laundry is running through the machines.

Would you believe us if we told you that this deli is in fact not on Butler Street?  No? Good, because we'd be lying.

This is a cafe.  And they have coffee.  Remember kids, caffeine is a legal drug.  Live it up.

Sources:
Rostein, Gary. "Ethnic Neighborhoods Becoming a Thing of the past." Post-Gazette (25 May 2003):
n. pag. Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.

Wytrwal, Joseph A. America's Polish Heritage; a Social History of the Poles in America, United States, 1961.