Spend A Night On The Town For Less Than $30
By Brooke Keane
A night out on the town can be a great way to unwind and let loose after a long workday. But between food, drinks and entertainment, it can also be expensive. That is, unless you know where to go.
Most of the drinking and dining in Pittsburgh is relatively inexpensive, but that doesn't mean there aren't still some great deals. Just about every day of the week there are offers on cheap eats, which will guarantee you seven days of options for a good time…and a saved dime.
Activities
If you're eating in, but still wanting to go out, the city has lots of options to get you out of the house without worrying about your bank account. Dying to see a movie? Why not wait until Monday, when movie tickets are only $5 at South Side Works Cinema. But when on-screen drama isn't enough for you, you can catch a show at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in Oakland. Between $12 and $15 will bring you a night of live theater, performed by both professionals and budding professionals, as it also serves as the performing arts center for Point Park University. Shows in February include Mid-Strut and Marathon '33.
If active nights are more your speed, try ice-skating under the Pittsburgh sky at PPG Place Downtown. Open seven nights a week from November until March, $7 (plus $3 if you need skates) will allow you to skate all night if you'd like. Pittsburgh is also a city rich in artistic culture and taking a trip to the Warhol Museum on the North Side will only enforce that fact. The largest museum in the country dedicated to a single artist, the Warhol has a variable stockpile of originals by the Pittsburgh native as well as several rotating exhibits. While daily admission is $15, if you decide to go on a Friday night, admission is half price at $7.50.
Food
There is no question that Pittsburgh is a hungry city. I mean, the city is famous for a sandwich piled with French fries and coleslaw. To say there are a few places to eat that are delicious and cheap is an understatement. You can get a good meal at a reasonable price almost anywhere, but if you're really pinching pennies, one of the city's many wing nights is a good place to start. My personal favorite is Archie's in the South Side, they offer 15 cent wings Monday through Thursday, alongside beer specials and a full menu of hoagies and salads. Fathead's, another Pittsburgh institution, offers 40-cent wings on Monday, though, you might be distracted by some of their other menu items, boasting sandwiches the size of your head. (It's true!) Both places offer several flavors of wing sauce as well.
If you're looking for something less messy, try pierogies! Several bars offer these tasty fried potato pasta pockets on special. The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, a true Polish hangout, has half-off pierogies from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday as well as several drink specials, while Rock Room in Polish Hill serves 15 cent pierogies on Wednesday and Thursday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. along with dollar specials on local beers. Too hungry for finger foods? Not to worry, Fuel & Fuddle in Oakland offers most of their menu of wraps, sandwiches, salads and pizzas for half off after 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Drinks
Looking to let liquor loosen you up? Mad Mex not only has multiple convenient locations around the city, but they also offer TWO happy hours! The first is from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and offers half off drafts as well as special pricing on their delicious margaritas. Later, from 10 p.m. to midnight they'll again offer special pricing on their "Big Azz" 22 ounce margarita, made with six shots of tequila and coming in several flavors, including some seasonal flavors.
If you're more inclined to wine, Houlihan's in Station Square and Shady Grove in Shadyside have half priced bottles of wine on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Houlihan's runs their wine special from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., while Shady Grove's runs all day. Shady Grove's upstairs sister Walnut Grill also offers half-priced wine on not only Wednesday, but Monday as well. Over on the Pittsburgh famous South Side, The Library has $3 drafts from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and again from 9 p.m. from 11 p.m. everyday, along with appetizer specials. And they too offer half priced wine on Monday and Tuesday.
Brooke Keane acquired a bachelor's degree in journalism from Pittsburgh's Point Park University where she served in several editorial positions on school weekly, The Globe. Since graduating, Brooke has blogged for online vintage clothing boutique Crazy Hot Clothes and tried her hand at some freelance work. First a writer and then a fashion-lover, Brooke can be found spending time at the mall, when she doesn't have her nose buried in an AP Stylebook.
