Thoughts on Pittsburgh

We've lived here for several months now, but I wanted to record my "initial" observations about Pittsburgh to compare to when we leave here...in a few years.

1. It's gorgeous! The view of the rivers and downtown when you come out of Fort Pitt? tunnel are absolutely stunning. The parks everywhere are lovely too, maybe sometime I'll actually go to one. There are definitely run down parts though, and sometimes I feel like I'm in a movie when I'm driving through the sketchy parts because it doesn't seem real.
2. Everyone here is extremely friendly, which seemed strange at first for an East-ish coast city. This is probably the most friendly place I've ever lived. People don't seem to be very happy at their jobs though, and dealing with people while they're working isn't as much fun--they're not so friendly.
3. Pittsburgh is the 4th cloudiest city in the U.S. I really like the sun, so this poses a slight problem. I'm so glad spring is here!
4. Everybody's got a beard! Seriously, facial hair out here is the norm and sometimes it takes some extra coaxing to get Carlos to shave.
5. People are always sitting in their cars. Whenever I park my car anywhere, there is someone sitting in the parked car across from me and/or next to me. At least 1 out of 4 cars has someone just sitting in it. It always surprises me, and I'd really like to ask them...why are you just sitting here in your car? Strange.
6. I should have put this first. Milk is outrageously expensive! When we moved here it was $4/gallon. It's come down to about $3.60. After living without real milk for almost a full year in Portugal, I'm not about to not buy it, but it hurts a little every time I do. And I think they have the prices fixed because it's the same at every store, even Costco. There must be some law to help local farmers? Food, in general, is very expensive here.
7. Driving here is terrifying. The roads are very hilly and windy and I always feel like my car is wider than my lane. Add on all the bridges and tunnels and my GPS even gets confused. (which is probably why I always end up in the sketchy neighborhoods)
8. The locals say Picksburgh, not Pittsburgh. There is a definite accent. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I haven't interacted a whole lot with people who have it.
9. Music and the arts are a big deal here. Also, the architecture is some of the most beautiful I've seen in the U.S. Living here makes me wish I knew how to use my camera.
10. Pittsburgh is infested with stink bugs. Those things seriously drive me insane. It's impossible to keep them out of your house, and bug spray doesn't really do anything. They don't have any local predators (they were brought in from Asia to get rid of some other pest, but now their population has exploded, and they're supposed to spread throughout the U.S. in the next few years--get excited everyone!) They're very noisy when they fly about and then they randomly drop on you. Yuck. If you smash them they let off their "stink" which attracts MORE bugs, so you have to catch them and flush them. Shudder. At least they don't bite.
11. Pennsylvanians really like their curfew bells and neighborhood alarms (for the volunteer firemen). Mostly this is done for tradition. I think some traditions need to go. (preferably before my baby arrives and they wake him up at all hours).
12. We are really happy here. Carlos is enjoying school, and we've made lots of wonderful friends. This city has tons of character and is very different than anywhere we've lived before. It's fun to explore and find new treasures all over...like the 100+ yr old mansions on tree-lined cobbled streets, the large beautiful churches and synagogues all over, or old train tracks and abandoned factories and gorgeous old brick buildings. I love falling to sleep listening to the sound of trains in the distance and the frequent rainstorms. It's a good place, maybe sometime I'll start referring to it as home. Maybe.