As I sit here at the Beehive Cafe blogging away while sipping on some local brewed Kombucha, I am reminded that this neighborhood I live in, this neighborhood of the South Side, is an ever-changing section of Pittsburgh that is now becoming more friendly to the primal lifestyle. To be honest, I tried my hardest to move out of the South Side after RKC Philly, and for a good few months I was (to put it bluntly) pissed the **** off that I was unable to get out of the neighborhood. If you aren’t a fellow Burgher, what you should know about the South Side is that it has a reputation for being the partying capital of Pittsburgh. Granted, it’ll keep you entertained in terms of the nightlife, but it was for that very reason that I tried with all that I could to get out while I still could.
South Side. Its the 24 hour celebration station full of every kind of coffee shop and bar you can imagine. Sometimes the coffee shops are bars at the same time, which can make for an interesting gathering of yuppies, hipsters, beer snobs, and business executives. Yep, they often fall under one 
roof here in South Side, so if you ever visit, be prepared for sheer randomness in terms of the crowd you’ll find in my neighborhood.
There are no rules here in the South Side. There are no restrictions on what you can and cannot do. And if you’re like most avid residents living just off of Carson Street, the lack of restrictions and lack of rules will have yinz running amok when the weekend rolls around. Want to see some crazy stuff? I dare you to walk up and down the blocks from 18th street to 14th street on a Saturday night. The die hard Burgher knows exactly what I’m talking about. For the rest of yinz, you’ll have to witness the public display of “WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?” for yourself when you come visit.
But alas, the wild escapades had me seriously doubting my ability to remain in this often too wild and too crazy neighborhood. For a while, I truly believed that South Side had not a care in the world for anything health related, let a lone anything for the primal enthusiast. This weekend I was proven wrong. Dead wrong. And now, my opinion is changing as much as the South Side itself.
While catching up with a friend at the OTB Cafe, I came across a separate section of the menu. It was actually a Paleo Menu a few guys from the South Side Crossfit came up with. Paleo. Crossfit. In the South Side?!?!? How did I not know about this before!?!?? I could barely get my Burgher Brain around this new find. What was even more shocking was this amazing billboard featured on the 
left that I found off of 17th Street. Kettlebells, dumbbells , and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Ok, the Pabst Blue Ribbon highlights the hipsterville South Side was once known to be (and still kind of is to this day), but LOOK! Something up my alley in terms of fitness! Could this be a sign of things to come? And as I walked down to 14th Street, I stumbled upon a brand new food shop that just opened up in order to distribute local meats and produce from farms all around Pittsburgh. Well well South Side, you are shifting gears indeed!
This whole weekend has been a lesson for me. A lesson to never judge a book by its cover, and to never judge a neighborhood by its nightlife. Sure, South Side knows how to party, but that whole “scene” of the South Side is slowly changing. I have a feeling that this neighborhood will one day become a primal palace, and I have decided to do what I can to help this neighborhood become a bigger, better, and stronger neighborhood. It’s already in the works, but why not make it even more awesome?
I should note, my own trainer once lived in the South Side. Looks like us strong people really do have a place in a neighborhood that is starting to flex its own muscles. South Side, I’m here to stay! All I ask now is that you figure out a way to make your rent a little less crazy. After all, I’ll need my own place here soon to store all my kettlebells and other fitness gear. And that’s real talk, ya heard?
Remember to eat smart, train hard, and enjoy your life!
Love Always,
Janelle
This blog post is dedicated to all the primal pals I have here in the South Side. Thank you all for opening my eyes to this neighborhood. Thank you all for encouraging me to set an example to others. Thank you all for your continued support. Love yinz !
