PPG Paints Arena, Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins

​With the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals potentially ending tonight, it seems like the right time to share our night during the “Midwest Winter” trip when we got to see a team that isn’t there this year but has been each of the last two years.  NHL games are sneaky expensive.  I expect it from NFL games since they only have 8 home games a year, but NHL teams have 41, so you’d think it would be less pricey.  However, they do have less seating, and with the Penguins being the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs with arguably the best player in the league playing for them, I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised by the fact that they have a loyal following that drive up the prices.  We’d been told at the Steelers game the night before that Penguins games were even better than Steelers games.  We were dubious after all the fun we’d had at Heinz, but we remained open to being surprised by PPG Paints Arena!

The Seats
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Like I mentioned, the seat options for this game were all pretty pricey.  I budget all of our trips, and while I usually end up a little over (it’s way too tempting for me to overshoot the ticket and food parts of the budget), I tried my best to stay at reasonable prices for all the hockey and basketball games and keep the splurging for the NFL games.  As a result, our tickets weren’t great, but we were in the lower bowl, albeit diagonally up from behind one of the nets.  For hockey games, I definitely find I prefer being on the sides vs on the ends, but we still had a great time.

As for the claim that the atmosphere at Penguins games are better than the Steelers, I’m going to have to call bullhonkey (at least in our case).  Granted, it was a Monday night game and they were shut out by the lowly Avalanche until the last 30 seconds, so there wasn’t much to cheer about.  I would call the crowd by and large subdued.  The wildest I saw people get was when a bird was flying around our section.  Hockey games are weird. 
With all that being said, this game was probably exactly what we needed.  We were a little wiped from the full day before and were driving to Cleveland in the morning for a short stop, so a nice low key game where we could relax, decompress in the coolness of a hockey arena and enjoy each other’s company was just what the doctor ordered.  And at least we can say they weren’t shut out.

The Eats

All weekend, all we heard was that we absolutely couldn’t leave town without trying Primanti Brothers.  This small chain was founded in the Strip District in Pittsburgh and made their name on big sandwiches with a variety of fillings offered.  One constant, though, is that they put fries on the sandwich (and on the side, for that matter).  We’d seen one near University of Pittsburgh’s arena and another in each of the three professional stadiums we saw, but we decided to go for the original Strip District storefront before the game. 
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I went with the double egg and cheese and originally asked for it without the slaw (I’m not a big slaw fan), but the cook working insisted that the slaw made the sandwich, so I wavered.  I wish I hadn’t, because I did in fact not like the slaw (or the bread, for that matter), so I was left underwhelmed.  Joel was in the same boat.  You can’t really argue their success, but my verdict would be overrated.

Earlier in the day we went to another highly touted spot, which I enjoyed a lot more.  It’s called Bigham Tavern, and it’s located in an unassuming spot atop Mt. Washington.  We had considered riding up the Duquesne Incline and walking to the tavern, but opted to drive instead, which was the better option for us this day.  Joel got their famous wings while I opted for the BLT, both of which left us satisfied.

A Famous Primanti's Sandwich

Other Deets
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We parked in a lot about half a mile from the arena for pretty cheap and had no complaints- the walk wasn’t bad at all.  We also ran into a street vendor selling various Pittsburgh sports memorabilia and invested in a few cheap options for our man cave.

The arena allows purses, which I was very grateful for when I realized halfway to the arena that I’d brought mine.  It’s not uncommon for purses or bags to not be allowed, so make sure you check before you attend a game, and when in doubt, leave it behind.  NFL games are particularly strict, and we almost always see a peeved looking dude power walking in the wrong direction with a purse when we’re walking to the gates of football games.
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Pittsburgh is no doubt an old city, but with age comes history, and I’m thankful for our little taste of it.  The bridges and water all around the city give it charm, and the people were all really nice and helpful.  We’ll definitely be back someday- women’s volleyball Final Four in 2019, perhaps?