PITTSBURGH — When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, Pittsburgh has a bit of a reputation to live up to. The city is ranked as one of the top places to celebrate the holiday.
On Saturday, bargoers and business owners on East Carson Street in the South Side did not disappoint.
It was a sea of green up and down the block, with some patrons coming out at 10 o’clock this morning to kick off festivities. Snow and cold temps did not slow them down either. Business owners told Channel 11 that there were several official outings and countless bar crawls planned long before the weather became a factor.
“We are anticipating to hit 350 tonight, which is capacity for us,” said Cosmo on Carson manager Eddie Carey.
With large crowds anticipated throughout the day, parking restrictions went into place early Saturday at 4 a.m. to maintain a public safety lane. The city is posting “no parking” signs, in effect starting at 4 a.m., on Carson between 12th and 18th streets. Officials said 15th Street will be closed due to “large-capacity venues.”
These sorts of crowds are something Carey and fellow businesses have longed for, but many had not seen these crowds since before the pandemic.
Carey said he hopes today will mark an official return to normalcy for the South Side.
“A lot of businesses went through the lows on the South Side. Now we are going up to the high part, you just got to wait your turn and wait for everything to come, and people are coming back feeling safe and feeling comfortable,” said Carey.
Guests agreed. “It’s a relief, it’s been a long time since I’ve been around people. It’s nice, I’ve missed it,” said patron Raymond Bracy.
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