[edncc1701d]

Pittsburghers and others who are interested...

If there were weekly programming Downtown in the Market Square area held in the hopes of getting office workers to stay, students and downtown residents to come out and play, etc what would you like to see happen in market square or what do you think would help market square?

Please be as creative as possible. What have you seen done in other cities which has worked really well? What would you like to see in Pittsburgh? If you know of organizations who might be willing to participate in helping with this please tell me about them.

Do people want more St. Patrick's day type events with tons of drinking and open containers. Or more farmers markets with longer hours? Films in market square during the summer?

Thanks. :)

[PittPenn 03]

I would love to see in addition to the farmer's market, a weekly or monthly flea market. I saw urban flea markets in the Village in NY and loved them. I would love to rummage through one during my lunch hour.

If they do quit running buses through Market Square, perhaps they could shut the streets down in the spring/summer/fall evenings and have one big open festival with the restaurants in the Sq cooking out and being able to walk around the Sq with open containers - basically one big outdoor restaurant and bar. I think a lot of people I work with would stick around for this sort of thing.


Pittsburghers and others who are interested...

If there were weekly programming Downtown in the Market Square area held in the hopes of getting office workers to stay, students and downtown residents to come out and play, etc what would you like to see happen in market square or what do you think would help market square?

Please be as creative as possible. What have you seen done in other cities which has worked really well? What would you like to see in Pittsburgh? If you know of organizations who might be willing to participate in helping with this please tell me about them.

Do people want more St. Patrick's day type events with tons of drinking and open containers. Or more farmers markets with longer hours? Films in market square during the summer?

Thanks. :)

[AaronPGH]

MUSIC and open containers! I am not talking the christian garbage that I hear during lunch hour sometimes....if you want young people there, get some cutting edge bands or something. Farmer's markets aren't a big draw in my opinion...I know that I personally don't even use the one we have here in the southside.

[themaguffin]

Actually instead of cutting edge, go the opposite direction. Put a little Nola into the city and have rootsy eclectic old school soul and jazz etc that you would find in the quarter mixed in with other styles... every so often.

On a smaller note, the city needs to have street vendors. It's is ridiculous that there isn't a hotdog cart on the square (and Mellon square and a few other designated areas).

[DBR96A]

I think what might be a good idea is to close off the streets that head straight through it, and make it one big square. Think of the squares in Savannah, GA for an idea of what I envision. As for PAT buses, just run the little Ford Econoline shuttles around the square (and around Downtown, for that matter).

[AaronPGH]

I don't know, I hate to see imitations of other cities. One thing that Pittsburgh is known for is it's thriving local music scene...there are a LOT of great bands around here that pull large hip crowds. They would be all over something like this. :cool:

[DBR96A]

I don't know, I hate to see imitations of other cities. One thing that Pittsburgh is known for is it's thriving local music scene...there are a LOT of great bands around here that pull large hip crowds. They would be all over something like this. :cool:

Savannah is the only place I've seen with "roundabout" squares. I see nothing wrong with turning Market Square into one. If Pittsburgh were really aping Savannah, they'd plant willow trees in the middle of it. Plain and simple, though, the streets cutting directly through Market Square make it less conducive (and more dangerous) as a gathering place. Eliminating those would make it more of a place to gather, which is what the whole point is, right? Regardless of whether or not it "imitates" Savannah...

[AaronPGH]

I wasn't talking mainly about square design...more about turning the place into a "french quarter". Leave that to NO. This is picksburgh. :)

[Evergrey]

I wasn't talking mainly about square design...more about turning the place into a "french quarter". Leave that to NO. This is picksburgh. :)

I'll defend Pittsburghese vehemently... but "Picksburgh" is one word I'd like to see die forever... ugh.

As for the concert idea... doesn't that already exist? this isn't a very good picture... but aren't those yellow/orange thingies in the bottom of the photo part of a "performance stage"?

http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/57311328.jpg

regardless... i do like the idea of music in Market Square... featuring local talent of all types... from modern pop-rock like New Invisible Joy... to the jazz of the Manchester Craftsmen Guild...

but I am unsure about the idea of closing off the square to vehicular traffic... it sounds pleasant... but this could have a negative impact on businesses in the square... there's a long history of the failure of pedestrian malls... E. Liberty is a good example

[AaronPGH]

I only used Picksburgh jokingly...don't worry. As far as I know, the Market Sq stage seems to only be used on thursdays during lunch hour, in the summer......that's it. Not only is it only used those days, but usually it's some god-awful shit up there. It seems to be geared towards 60 year olds. They really need to make better use of it. I think it could totally breathe new life into that square.

What I would propose is this: Every friday/saturday night, close the thing off like they do for St. Patty's day. Bring in a big sound system, lights....do a REAL concert of some sort. Have open containers. Bang. It will blow up. I promise you.

[themaguffin]

It's not about trying to be New Orleans. It's the idea of fun rootsy music that may not be on the radio much, but when people hear it live, they tend to enjoy it.

[biscuit]

There used to be Friday night concerts in Market Square only a few years ago. Band would play on the stage and kegs and open containers would be lined-up in front of Primanti's. Unfortunately, I believe they stopped because of funding/enforcement issues. It would be nice to see them return.

[PA Pride]

When I went to school in downtown Pittsburgh for two years in 1999-2001, I went to Market Square to eat lunch sometimes in the summer and I used to see my friends blues/jazz band play, and it was VERY enjoyable!! On a breezy summer afternoon with a sandich in hand, jamming out to live music; I already got a feel for what it would be like without so many shady characters wandering around, and having music, etc...

The square has lots of potential and it's only a matter of time until some residential buildings are converted and built there and it is much more active and important than it currently is.

[AaronPGH]

It's not about trying to be New Orleans. It's the idea of fun rootsy music that may not be on the radio much, but when people hear it live, they tend to enjoy it.

I'll agree with that...I do enjoy that music and don't have a problem seeing it down there. I think there should be an eclectic mix of music. In my opinion though, something like that wouldn't really work well in attracting a large young set downtown. Sure we may like it, but I don't know of any of my friends who would go out of their way on a weekend to hear that. I mean, if you think about it, your weekends are already planned out in advance for the most part, right? I know that I personally go to at least one show every weekend, if not more. This is set in stone well ahead of time. There is no way I'm going to cancel those plans or skip out on a band or something to go listen to folksy music downtown, as good as it may be. It wouldn't be a destination event like it would have to be to get people there. The farmers market and thursday lunch music is a hit because it takes advantage of people that are already down there: office workers. The square wouldn't have this advantage at night and would have to lure everyone down there from outlying neighborhoods. In order to do this, they need to run the square like a business and book things that draw a large crowd. They need to schedule shows just like any other venue would in the city. Instead of looking at the space like just some square with a stage, it needs to be looked at like it's THE funky new venue in town. It needs to be viewed by people as an outdoor version of a Brillobox or Shadow Lounge. It needs promoters, flyers, hype, a website, etc...the whole deal in order to be really successful.

[edncc1701d]

Thanks everyone for the interesting comments and awesome ideas.

One question...

In regards to brining young people into Market Square, how important do you think having "open containers"/alcohol is? Does it need to be like St. Patrick's Day or Mardi Gras, a tamer version of the two or could there be something different?

[AaronPGH]

I think that it's extremely important. In order to compete with other nightlife/clubs/restaurants in the city, you have to be able to walk around with your beer.

[Wheelingman04]

Some people in Wheeling also call it Picksburgh. I cannot stand it.