As we enter a new decade, some Western Pa. things never change

MySpace, Nickelback, Vine, the Ravenstahl administration, hanging chads: all things that have come and gone since the Y2K meltdown turned letdown.

Some things, however, are traditions — beloved staples (and not-so-loved annoyances) that remain constants in a chaotic world. Pittsburgh is steeped in them. Here are 10 Pittsburgh things that were here, are still here and will probably always remain here.

Tunnel traffic

Now, forever, and always, we will brake as we approach any of Pittsburgh’s tunnels, regardless of how many “maintain speed thru tunnel” signs there are.

Blame claustrophobia, according to WPXI-TV traffic reporter Trisha Pittman.

“It’s a fear of confined spaces,” she said. “They made the (Squirrel Hill) Tunnels, and it didn’t improve a dang thing. It’s not a physical barrier. It’s a mental barrier.”

The idea of a narrow space, she said, makes drivers hesitate, whether they’re cognizant of it or not.

The city also remains a bit of a maze, she said — the old “you can’t get there from here.”

“You can look at something in our city and realize, ‘Yes, I need to be over there,’ but getting there is not the easiest thing,” she said.

Pittman has covered traffic for the TV station since 2002, she said, and people still don’t quite understand how the Parkway West and Parkway East work.

Pittsburgh drivers have never learned how to merge properly, she said.

“People don’t understand the zipper method,” she said. “State law says that you are supposed to use both lanes to the merge point, and people cannot get that through their mind. It’s what you’re supposed to do — it literally is in the state code.”

Honorable mention:

Construction on the Parkway

— Bethany Hallam (@bethanyhallam) December 12, 2019

The Terrible Towel (and most things black and gold)

The Terrible Towel, like most things on this list, has been around since long before 2000. It’s the longevity that gives it a spot here.

An idea from the late Steelers announcer Myron Cope in 1975, the Towel has been a mainstay at home games, especially playoffs (and often weddings). The Steelers write in their official history of the Terrible Towel that while a host of other official versions have been added — pink, camouflage, Halloween-themed — the original version is still the most loved.

Honorable Mention:

The ineptitude of the @Pirates pic.twitter.com/KRu19KJXa3

— Crispin Havener (@CrispinHavener) December 12, 2019

The Clarks are still playing

Born at Indiana University of Pennsylvania after an earlier iteration called the Administration, the music group the Clarks released their first album in 1988. Made up of Scott Blasey, Rob James, Greg Joseph and David Minarik Jr., the band has held steady ever since, releasing 11 studio albums, two “outtake” albums and two live albums.

Their latest, “Madly in Love at the End of the World,” was released in 2018, and they’re still touring (and still playing at IUP on the regular). Their next show is Jan. 17 at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County.

The Incline

Numbers from the Port Authority show that affection for the Mon Incline — one of the city’s two remaining funiculars — is enduring.

Average ridership of the Mon Incline in 2000 was about 2,100 per day during the week and 5,466 per day on weekends, according to Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. In 2018, the most recent year for which numbers are available, weekday ridership was 1,350 per day and weekend ridership was 4,509.

Brandolph called the incline a Pittsburgh treasure.

“Next year, it will be celebrating 150 years, and we are looking forward to celebrating with our neighbors,” he said.

The Mon Incline opened in 1870, and its 635 feet of track carry cable cars over about 367 feet of elevation in the course of the trip, which connects West Carson Street to Mt. Washington’s Grandview Avenue.

Speaking of Grandview Avenue …

Our Love of the Skyline

Little has changed in the Pittsburgh skyline, with only two new skyscrapers being added since 2000: Three PNC Plaza in 2009 and the Tower at PNC Plaza in 2015.

The changes haven’t taken away from that city entrance view coming through the Fort Pitt Tunnel or the observation decks along Grandview.

Just search “Pittsburgh skyline” on Twitter or Instagram — that triangle of city lights among the rivers lends itself to those panoramas.

The last sunrise of the decade in #Pittsburgh didn't feature any sun at all, but the view from Mt. Washington was still pretty awesome this morning. Dramatic clouds raced over downtown as the city glowed brightly below, making for a picturesque scene. pic.twitter.com/D4QYf2m6o3

— Dave DiCello (@DaveDiCello) December 31, 2019

Honorable Mention:

Potholes the size of the Hulk in the same spots on the same streets downtown.

— JC aka The Brown Recluse (@Tha__Problem) December 12, 2019

The St. Patrick’s Day parade

Pittsburgh celebrated the Irish holiday with a parade for the 149^th time in 2019. The tradition — held in rain or shine or snow (and even during the ’93 blizzard, according to Visit Pittsburgh) — usually draws about 300,000 spectators. The city’s Veterans Day Parade isn’t too far behind — it celebrated 100 years in November and is the second-oldest in the country.

Primanti Bros.

Throw some fries on there.

Though it’s another Pittsburgh tradition that goes back more than 20 years, it’s still a staple that hasn’t changed.

The basic recipe for a Primanti Bros. sandwich — including fries and coleslaw — has remained the same since the first spot opened in 1933, according to spokesman Ryan Wilkinson.

“We’ve grown, we’ve expanded, we’ve more than doubled the number of restaurants we have in the last 10 years, but we’re always serving the same original sandwich that brought us to prominence,” he said.

More than the sandwich, Wilkinson said, the Pittsburgh favorite — which now has locations in Ohio, West Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Michigan — is about community.

“I think what draws people to us and has drawn people to us for so long is the fact we’re authentic to who we are,” he said. “It’s really just about bringing people together and making sure we have a space ready to do that. It’s more about that than the sandwich.”

Dippy the Dinosaur

The Diplodocus skeleton inside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History has been on display there since 1907 (the first piece of Dippy, a toe bone, was found in 1899). Dippy is also in sculpture-form on Forbes Avenue near the library and museum.

Casts of Dippy are displayed in museums around the world, from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany. His statue form has an extensive collection of hats and scarves, and he’s been known to sport a Terrible Towel.

Before you cast your vote, here's a reminder of how good-looking I am. #humblebrag https://t.co/Ga3TZFcGKE pic.twitter.com/gYzj5bkhYq

— Dippy the Dinosaur (@Dippy_the_Dino) December 23, 2019

Honorable Mention(s):

Nicholas Coffee, The O, Nicky’s in the Grant Building, Fiori’s on West Liberty, the lobby of The Frick Building, ‘Burgh’s Pizza & Wings in Bridgeville, blast furnaces after commercials during Steeler home game broadcasts, insane parking fee across from City-County Bldg.

— Ok, Cool. Hail ‘em (@PittifulFan) December 12, 2019

Kennywood picnics

While the Log Jammer, Pittfall, and Turnpike have all gone the way of the original Steel Phantom (which made its last run in 2000 before a face-lift made it the Phantom’s Revenge), Kennywood itself maintains a sense of nostalgia in and of itself — particularly summer picnic days.

“It continues to be the backbone of what Kennywood is — what’s made Kennywood successful,” spokesman Nick Paradise said of the parks host of heritage, community and school district days.

“Kennywood is one of those places where, the more things change, the more they stay the same,” Paradise said. “Things are always changing about the park but at the same time, there’s some things that are so, so treasured. It starts with the three wooden roller coasters and other similar attractions: the Turtle, the Kangaroo, the Merry-go-Round.”

He said he likes the idea that his grandparents rode the Jack Rabbit, and it’s still a tradition carrying on with new generations today.

That Potato Patch sauce (and Heinz Ketchup)

As much a part of Kennywood as the Jack Rabbit and the “Goodnight” heart on the way out is the Potato Patch. The cheese makes the fries, and social media exploded in May when it became clear the park was changing up the food stand’s cheese sauce.

The reaction was swift and severe, and the park quickly announced it would revert back to the standard cheese recipe.

The park caught similar impassioned blowback a month later when Hunt’s ketchup took the place of Pittsburgh- based and beloved Heinz in Kennywood and its sister parks, Idlewild and Sandcastle.

The Pittsburgh condiment staple was soon back in all three parks.

“Some things that changed, but not for very long, were the cheese and the ketchup,” Paradise said. “We were happy to bring back the favorites.”