November 21-24, 2014
http://pittstoplindyhop.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/462752233861799/
Welcome to PittStop 14! We're really looking forward to dancing with you this weekend! Here's some last minute info for attendees:
If you run into any problems during the weekend, feel free to contact the following committee members at any time for help:
Lisa Tamres 412-401-6393
Mike Kennelly 412-302-6504
All PittStop committee members will be wearing distinctive buttons and/or bandanas so you can identify them. We're available to help you any time throughout the weekend.
A printable version of the event booklet is available online at http://pittstoplindyhop.com/info.html. This includes driving directions to all venues. Check the info page for other useful information such as restaurant recommendations.
Have a smart device? Download our very own PittStop 2014 App! We created our app through aprogram called Yapp. To install, visit http://my.yapp.us/FXUZXS on your mobile device. NOTE: You will need to download the YappBox app first before you can access our weekend app.
In the spirit of the season, we're hosting a CANNED food drive at our Saturday dances. Give help to those who have not by bringing non-perishable food items or supplies to help restock the shelves of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in advance of Thanksgiving. For every item you donate, you will be entered into a drawing for TWO FREE TICKETS to next year's PittStop. That's one-for one: the more you bring, the more entries to win the free tickets! Please nothing in glass containers. Thank you for your support!!
Saturday evening is dress-up night! While you can wear whatever is comfortable, we encourage you to "dress to impress" at the main Saturday evening dance if you're so inclined: help us create an elegant tone for this dance in the classic old Soldiers and Sailors ballroom! (And spread the word! Incredibly, not everyone reads our emails.)
Staying over Sunday night and want more dancing? A certain long-time committee member hosts an official unofficial Sunday Late Night dance party at her large Squirrel Hill house. Details will be announced at PittStop; feel free to ask around if you need them.
If you requested housing, you should have received an email with your housing assignment by now. It's best to contact your host before you come to town, to see if you need to bring towels/blankets/etc, advise on when you will be arriving, etc. We will call for a housing meetup during the second band break at the Friday night dance to allow you to meet your hosts. The committee will be available throughout the weekend if you need assistance finding your host.
Remember we only coordinate housing to full weekend registrants who request it and have paid. If you believe you're entitled to housing, but didn't receive your assignment, please contact housing2014@pittstoplindyhop.com immediately to sort things out.
Traffic tie-ups outside the tunnels are an unfortunate fact of Pittsburgh driving. If coming in from the East on 376, there could be backups outside the Squirrel Hill tunnel. An option to avoid this is to get off at the Wilkinsburg exit and follow PA-8/Penn Ave to Fifth Ave to our Friday night venue. You can also get off at Edgewood-Swissvale (last exit before the tunnel) and take S. Braddock to Penn Ave to Fifth.
Soldiers and Sailors: You can park in the garage directly below Soldiers and Sailors Hall for $5 on evenings and weekends, although you can't take your car in and out. For our evening dances, the garage has agreed to stay open past their usual posted hours until 1 AM to allow PittStoppers to retrieve their vehicles. There is no connection from the garage to S&S hall, you have to exit the garage and enter the building from the street.
Saturday afternoon, street pay parking kiosks will be in effect until 6 PM. Street parking is free after 6 PM and all day Sunday -- you do not have to put money in the kiosks at those times. HOWEVER: that does NOT apply to privately run metered parking lots (there are a couple near Soldiers and Sailors). These may still be enforced 24 hours, so check the signs.
Rangos: Parking is free on Sunday in the garage near CMU's University Center, but you may have to take a ticket when you enter and use it to exit. Enter off Forbes between Morewood Ave. and Devon Rd. and walk out that entrance to University Center; Rangos Ballroom is upstairs. The garage is unlikely to fill up, but the Morewood lot at Forbes and Morewood is another free option.
Late nights: You should be able to find free parking on the street with a little hunting. Among pay options in the area, there is a surface pay lot by Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle at 24th and Penn and the Cork Factory pay parking garage is available two blocks away at 24th St. and Smallman St. [Top]
BTW, Friday evening is "Light-Up Night" in downtown Pittsburgh, a large street festival marking the start of the holiday season. This shouldn't affect highway driving -- but be sure to check out the lit-up Pittsburgh skyline if you drive by!
A taxi from the airport into town will cost $60 or more, so your best bet is to take the 28X bus from the Airport to the Oakland neighborhood for $3.75 (farebox accepts bills but does not give change). Schedule at http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/Apps/pdfs/28X.PDF
To get to our Friday evening dance, ask the driver to let you off at the University of Pittsburgh (Forbes Ave and Schenley Drive, just before Pitt's Cathedral of Learning tower). Cross Forbes and walk one block up Bigelow Blvd to Soldiers and Sailors Hall facing Fifth Avenue.
If you're arranging to meet up with a host at another time, it may be easiest to take the bus from the airport and meet somewhere in the city. A convenient meeting point could be the last stop of the 28X at Forbes and Morewood in front of the CMU campus.
We're pleased that our late night dances will be complying with the venue's guidelines for a Green event and minimizing waste. So we encourage you to bring your own reusable water bottle to fill up at the water fountain. Also kindly make sure to use the recycling receptacles for any cans or bottles. Of course you're welcome to bring your water bottles to all PittStop dances.
Coming into town early? Check out Tartan Swing at Rangos Hall at Carnegie Mellon on Thursday night.
Staying in town after? Check out Hot Metal Blues on Tuesday night at Peter's Pub in Oakland.
Whew!!! That's all for now. Did we happen to mention that we're all really really psyched? We can't wait to dance with you this weekend!
Your Friendly Neighbors,
The PittStop Crew