CelebsNews

A Queer Woman’s Guide To Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

When I moved to Pittsburgh in 2012 after spending a year in Taiwan, five years in San Francisco, and four years in New York, a lot of people-older, native Pittsburghers, in particular-asked me the same question: Why?

Why would I leave such cool, exciting cities for a landlocked place with notoriously harsh winters and a reputation as a polluted, aging steel town?

If you’re unfamiliar with that outdated, less-than-pleasant picture of Pittsburgh, you’re probably younger than 30. The city has spent the last twenty years radically transforming itself, and people have been saying things like “Pittsburgh is the new Portland” for a decade now. Pittsburgh is regularly voted among the most livable cities in the country, and at least one Brooklynite has suggested that perhaps all of Williamsburg should consider relocating to Pittsburgh (which, notably, is one of the few remaining ‘burghs in the country to hang onto its H).

The truth is that I moved here to be near my family. But I wound up staying because I fell in love with this city.In addition to famously burgeoning food and art scenes and enough libraries and universities to make it one of America’s “smartest cities,” Pittsburgh also has a vibrant, welcoming queer community-even if it’s slightly different than the idealized version of gay Pittsburgh portrayed in Queer as Folk.

Young people are boomeranging back here from bigger cities at an impressive rate thanks to Pittsburgh’s incredibly low cost of living, plus the fact that this place is absolutely beautiful-the downtown skyline is framed by our three iconic rivers, and we have more bridges than Venice.

via Getty

Actually, there’s also a lot about Pittsburgh that reminds me of San Francisco: The insanely steep hills and easily stumbled upon sweeping views, the feeling of being hemmed in by water (rivers rather than oceans), way too many tech start-ups, and the well-preserved ethnic and cultural heritages of the many small, distinctive neighborhoods that have been stitched together to make up the city as a whole.

If you get a chance to visit, here’s what I recommend:

Dance/Drink

Blue Moon (Gay bar)

Blue Moon is one of my favorite queer spots in the city. It isn’t queer lady-specific (sadly not much in Pittsburgh is these days), but they do see a pretty diverse LGBTQ+ crowd for their frequent drag and burlesque shows, live music, karaoke, and community events. Its claim to fame is being the where Ru Paul’s Drag Race winner Sharon Needles got her start, and it’s conveniently located in Lawrenceville, which is home to lots of queers and one of the city’s best neighborhoods for bar-hopping (more on that below).

Cattivo (Lesbian-ish bar)

Cattivo, also in Lawrenceville, used to be known as Pittsburgh’s only lesbian bar. It now serves as more of a general music venue, and they’ve caught some shade for taking down their rainbow flags. They no longer explicitly advertise themselves as a gay bar, but the vibe is still generally queer (queer ladies still tend to roll up on weekends), and they still sometimes host parties and events specifically for queer women.

BrilloBox (Bar with Queer Parties)

BrilloBox is a charming little bar and music venue that frequently hosts queer dance parties and musical performers, and has a reputation for being unofficially pretty queer-centric most of the time. The decor is cute, the drinks are cheap, they sell tasty food, and the upstairs dance floor is usually hopping.

Spirit (Event Space/Bar/Pizzeria with Queer Parties)

Spirit is a two-level former Moose Lodge in Lawrenceville that was recently converted into one of the best party spaces in the city. While also not officially gay, they frequently host queer dance parties (along with live music and themed DJ nights). They also host a Sunday brunch and serve delicious late-night pizza and snacks from “Slice Island.”

Cruze (Gay bar) & iCandy (Queer Ladies Night)

via Cruze Bar

Cruze is the city’s danciest, cruisiest gay bar (as you might have guessed), located in the Strip District. Events are often fairly gay man-centric, but the atmosphere is welcoming, the drinks are strong, and there are usually at least a few queer ladies about who are eager to make friends. On the last Friday of each month, they host iCandy, a dance party for queer women.

Impulse (Quarterly Queer-Lady Party)

Impulse is a quarterly dance party specifically for queer and trans women and gender nonconforming folks. They also occasionally host bonus parties and events between their big, regular ones-their Facebook page is the best place to check what’s coming up.

Hot Mass (Gay After-Hours Party)

If you’re here on a weekend and still up after 2 am on Saturday when the bars close, this weekly, mixed-crowd after-hours dance party in a smallish club underneath a members-only gay men’s bathhouse downtown is the best possible place to be in Pittsburgh. Seriously.

5801 Video Lounge (Gay Bar)

This gay bar in the Shadyside neighborhood draws a diverse LGBTQ+ crowd (plus lots of college students from the nearby University of Pittsburgh) and has a nice range of entertainment options. There’s a small dance floor surrounded by screens playing music videos, a traditional sit-down bar downstairs, a sprawling outdoor roof deck, and a decent food menu.

Element (Gay bar)

Element (Formerly known as Spin Bartini) is fairly standard gay bar fare, but it’s also in Shadyside, so it’s worth a drop-in if you’re headed to 5801.

Brewers (Gay bar)

This small, delightfully-divey, very old gay bar in Lawrenceville is below what was once a hotel, and it retains its old-timey feel. It’s a bit off the beaten path and is perfect if you’re in the mood for mellow drinks and a quiet chat with local queers rather than a big night out dancing.

Real Luck Cafe (Queer Bar with Male Nudity)

The Real Luck Cafe, or “Lucky’s Tavern,” is a divey-AF bar (have I mentioned that Pittsburghers love their dive bars?) that retains its competitive edge against all of Pittsburgh’s other divey gay bars by adding nude male dancers to the mix. Downstairs it’s just an average gay dive with a mixed LGBTQ+ crowd, at least one surly butch bartender who’s sure to call you “honey” if she’s working, cheap drinks, and a decent array of fried foods. But be forewarned that upstairs where the DJ and the dance floor live, there’s going to be a fully naked dude stationed on each corner of the bar helicoptering his dick around (It’s really just this. There’s no finesse or stripping involved.).

941 Saloon, There Ultra Lounge & Tilden

via Facebook

If you find yourself downtown and in need of a gay bar, 941 Saloon and There Ultra Lounge both have fairly mixed, welcoming crowd and frequently host drag shows and karaoke nights. 941 also hosts an after-hours dance party at their upstairs club, Tilden.

Cavo (Bar with Queer Parties)

Cavo is kind of just a fancy-ish dance club for straight people most nights, but they occasionally host fun drag shows and queer parties, and it’s near both Cruz and the Real Luck Cafe in the Strip District, which can make for a pleasant evening of bar hopping if they have something fun going on.

Gooski’s (Punk Dive Bar)

Gooski’s is a gnarly punk show bar that’s been around forever, hosts some of the best underground punk shows around, and, though not explicitly gay, draws a fairly young, sexually fluid crowd – and lots of queer ladies when girl bands are playing. Sharon Needles once called it “a great punk rock shithole dive bar.”

Pride

Pittsburgh Pride isn’t as huge as the celebrations in other cities, but it’s still delightful – if you’re here in June, it’s absolutely worth checking out the calendar of events. There’s usually at least one party explicitly for queer women, a bar crawl that includes transportation between just about every gay bar in the city via party bus (which is almost always, delightfully, a retired school bus), and a rooftop pool party in addition to the parade and the big-stage entertainment. Ke$ha is performing this year (following a whole lot of drama over Iggy Azalea last year).

Shop/Eat/Do

Lawrenceville & Bloomfield (Neighborhoods)

Pittsburgh doesn’t have an official “gayborhood,” but Lawrenceville and neighboring Bloomfield come pretty close. Both are super walkable with tons of lovable places to eat and drink, interesting boutiques, and a number of gay bars.

The Pageboy Salon & Boutique

If you’re in need of a cool haircut, super-cute vintage dresses or unique/locally handmade jewelry, this queer lady-owned salon and boutique in Lawrenceville is an absolute delight.

The Bloomfield Public Pool

On a hot summer day, all the local queer kids hang out at the Bloomfield Pool. Well worth the $5 entrance fee.

Carson Street/the South Side (Neighborhood)

You won’t want to go to the South Side on a weekend evening unless you love frat boys and underage kids from the suburbs with fake I.D.’s, but for a weekday stroll, Carson Street has tons of bars, restaurants, and boutiques, and there are normally many queer folks out and about.

Mixtape (Cafe/Bar/Event Space)

via Facebook

While not officially gay, Mixtape holds game and craft nights that are regularly frequented by lots of queer ladies, along with dance parties of a similar nature. During the day it’s a cafe and art exhibit space; at night, it’s a dance lounge.

Eden (Restaurant)

This one is also not officially gay, but is often full of queer ladies who seek out Eden for its delicious gluten-free, vegan raw food (yes, really).

The Big Idea Bookstore

The Big Idea is Pittsburgh’s radical bookstore and cafe, with lots of great books on queer sexuality.

The Mattress Factory Museum & Randyland

The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh’s North Side is one of the coolest contemporary art museums I’ve ever been to, anywhere. They let artists from around the world build elaborate, site-specific installations as part of their “experimental lab.” And while you’re on that side of the river, don’t miss the super-gay, colorful, bizarre house-turned-free-museum that is Randyland.

The Warhol Museum

The Warhol Museum is where Pittsburgh celebrates being the birthplace of the legend. Don’t miss it. It’s amazing.

Reel Q LGBT Film Festival

Pittsburgh’s annual LGBT film festival is consistently awesome-they get a diverse selection of films, and directors frequently come to town to be at screenings, Q&A sessions, and themed parties alongside their films. If you’ll be in town during the month of October, be sure to check out the schedule!

Find Resources/Connect

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

PghLesbian has been the best LGBTQ blog in Pittsburgh since it launched in 2005 IMO, and it’s an excellent way to see what Pittsburgh’s queer community is up to.

Gay and Lesbian Community Center

Pittsburgh’s GLCC is an excellent resource for local community members. They also maintain a super-handy community event page.

Gay4Good

G4G is a great resource if you want to get your volunteer on while meeting a bunch of other lovely queers.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button