So Saturday is undoubtedly one of the biggest days of the year for PITT fans. 70,000 people are planning to take on the North Shore for what should be an insane day of tailgating and football. The only issue that stands in the way is the Pirates/Marlins game that is scheduled for 1:05pm at PNC Park. At this point in the season, most people kinda forget that the Pirates still have a solid chunk of games to play before a disappointing season comes to an end. But they gotta get their games in like everyone else.
So what can people expect when they get to the North Shore on Saturday? Complete chaos. There's no other way to explain it. Pitt released their parking and tailgate guidelines in conjunction with the Pirates game and it is complicated. Basically, if you are planning on parking for the football game, you can't do it until after 5pm. That is going to irritate the hell out of local fans AND those that make the trip from all over the state. They are recommending that you tailgate at the PPG Paints Arena lots, but who the heck wants to try to carry their drunky selves from uptown to Heinz Field for an 8PM game?
I get that the city and the teams do the best that they can under the circumstances, but this situation just sucks for everyone involved. Patience is a virtue, and not many people will have it when Saturday rolls around and they are trying to hammer some cold ones.
The full rundown of all the parking and tailgating rules can be found below, along with some write ups about the whole situation.
TRAFFIC AND PARKING DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR PITT VS. PENN STATE
PLAN AHEAD FOR SATURDAY’S PIRATES, PITT PARKING
What You Need To Know About Pitt’s Tailgating And Parking Rules
Pirates, Pitt vs. Penn State game prompt special parking restrictions Saturday on North Shore