The
2011 NRA Convention is coming up at the end of April. If you haven't booked your hotel yet, I suggest you do so soon before all the rooms are gone! See my
previous post on the NRA Convention for hotel details.
The convention will be held at the
David L. Lawrence Convention Center which is located in downtown Pittsburgh. They have directions and parking information on their site.
Once you're in town and have a place to sleep, food is going to be required at some point! Fondling all the firearms may be fun but it won't keep your stomach happy. There are a ton of places to eat within the downtown "triangle" but here is a map of places I've tried and that I recommend.
Click here for a larger view of this map
I'll highlight a few below that deserve extra mention! Also, if you're going to driving into town and don't mind driving a few minutes for food, there are a few other places I'd list too. So let me know if you have any questions!
Due to their active support of Bloomberg's anti-gun club, I can't recommend Primanti Bros. There are several people with open inquiries out to Primantis and, if Primatis responds, I'll update this to reflect their position. Until then, their food is very good but it is definitely not the only place in town.
See UPDATE below regarding Primantis and the Bloomberg anti-gun club
Primanti Bros
Primantis is a Pittsburgh tradition and I HIGHLY recommend stopping by here for an inexpensive meal. There are two locations within walking distance of the convention center, one in
Market Square and one in the
Strip District. I recommend their Pastrami and Cheese sandwich.
Mike & Tony's Gyros
Mike & Tony's Gyros is very close to the convention center and is a hole in the wall, family owned restaurant. It's tiny, inexpensive, and has some excellent food!
Penn Avenue Fish Company
The Penn Avenue Fish Company has some fantastic seafood and excellent sushi. It's a bit of a walk (a mile or so from the convention center) but that might mean a little less of a crowd as well.
The Sonoma Grille
Right near the convention center, this place has an extensive wine list and serves excellent food. It's little pricey, but if you're looking for great food, awesome wine, and a short walk, give this place a try.
*** UPDATE RE Primanti Bros
Primantis Management
posted a response at Snowflakes In Hell:
It has come to the attention of the management of Primanti Bros. Restaurant that a cook in one of our restaurants was photographed in a Mayors Against Illegal Guns t-shirt. This is not an endorsement of this issue by the Primanti Bros. Restaurants. Primanti’s is in the hospitality business and welcomes guests from all walks of life, with a mission to make every one of our guests feel welcomed. It is not infrequent that our guests ask the Primanti staff to pose for a photo. There are photos of the Primanti staff with Glenn Beck, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Billy Gardell. This is not an endorsement of the CBS Show Mike & Molly although we do think it’s very funny. The fact that this request was accommodated by the staff is not an endorsement of this organizations position nor was this picture posted by an employee of Primanti’s. Primanti Bros. Restaurant has no opinion on this issue; however if you ask us about sandwiches we will have a very passionate opinion.
We welcome all conventioneers to our restaurants and will continue to be an ambassador of the Pittsburgh community. The community of Pittsburgh has embraced the Almost Famous Primanti sandwich and we feel strongly that we embrace all visitors into our community.
I've heard from several different sources that have received responses from Primantis that are very similar. As a result, I'm not going to endorse any sort of boycott on Primantis. I would love it if they'd tell anti-rights group to go piss up a rope, but I can't fault them, from a business perspective, for just wanting to serve the largest audience possible.
Official update post:
Hungry? A Primantis Follow-up
NRA Convention posts: