I was born in 1985, making me firmly a ‘90s kid, and right in the middle of the millennial generation. And those of us who were millennial Pittsburgh kids, we were lucky to grow up in an amazing, transformative time for the Burgh.
We are the generation that, in our formative years, saw the debut of the Eat N’ Park Christmas tree commercial, the opening of the Carnegie Science Center, the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup wins and the Steelers’ first Super Bowl win since our parents were young. So join us, won’t you, on this trip dahn memory lane!
1.Eat N’ Park Christmas tree commercial debuts – 1982
It’s now ubiquitous around Christmastime, but older millennials might remember a only brief time without the iconic Eat N’ Park Christmas tree commercial.
According to Eat N’ Park’s blog, the idea started in early 1982 when the restaurant chain was beginning to come into its own. The CEO at the time, Jim Broadhurst, wanted to create a holiday card on video to thank the city for their support of Eat N’ Park. He wanted an ad with a message that would “last for 20 years.”
This holiday season will mark 41 years since the commercial first aired. For me (and many other millennials), seeing it on TV growing up made us stop in our tracks and get excited — the holiday season was upon us! It still has that same effect today.
2. Speaking of Eat N’ Park, the Smiley Cookie debuted in 1986
Ah, the Smiley Cookie. While they’re not a particularly amazing sugar cookie (in my opinion! Don’t come for me!), what makes them good is their nostalgia factor. I remember going to Eat N’ Park with my entire family (as the oldest of five, this was no small feat) and if we behaved well, we would get a Smiley Cookie to take home. The best ones, of course, are the holiday shapes. I personally love the Halloween versions.
3.The Steel Phantom opens – May 10, 1991
Before this, life was all wooden roller coasters growing up in Pittsburgh, save for the few seconds of upside-down madness that was the Laser Loop. Sure, there was a sense of danger riding the Jack Rabbit or Racer (I’ll never forget how nervous I was seeing the DON’T STAND UP warning with the skull and crossbones) but when The Steel Phantom opened in May 1991, it was a game changer. The coaster went twice as fast as the wooden ones we grew up with, and when it went through the Thunderbolt, it was hard not to feel terrified that the coasters were going to crash. Of course, it’s now Phantom’s Revenge, but the Steel Phantom (which I’ll never stop calling it) will always be a rite of passage for millennials heading to Kennywood, finally tall enough to get on the “big kid” rides.
4. The Carnegie Science Center opens – October 5, 1991
As the oldest of five, my parents were always on the lookout for places to take my family that would be entertaining to everyone. I’m 10 years older than my youngest sister, so it was often hard to find places that catered to us all. Cue the opening of the Carnegie Science Center. I have fond memories of sitting in the Earthquake Café playing with the simulator. I loved the shaking when I was really little, but once I was old enough to realize what it meant, I was relieved we lived in Pittsburgh and not California.
My siblings and I adored walking around the Miniature Railroad and have lots of fun memories excitedly finding a seat in what was then the Rangos Omnimax Theater.
5. The Penguins back-to-back Stanley Cup wins – 1991 and 1992
I grew up in a fairly Steelers-only family. It wasn’t until I was 6 and 7 years old, in 1991 and 1992, when the Penguins won their first Stanley Cups one right after another, that I started seeing my uncle’s basement decorated with Penguins memorabilia. I remember my family all discussing how the Pens could be like the Steelers — on the verge of a dynasty.
Although we had to wait 17 years for the next win, it was well worth it. It was so fun to be an adult and watch the Penguins absolutely kill it in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
6. The Blizzard of ’93 – March 13, 1993
This blizzard and I did not start off well. It canceled a good friend’s 8th birthday party and I remember being livid about it, my then 7-year-old self not quite understanding the severity of the weather situation.
Fast forward a few days and I was happily reading a Baby-sitters Club book on a gigantic snow mountain made by the snowplow when it went through our neighborhood. (Don’t ask why I was reading a book outdoors in the freezing cold, but now that I’m older, I realize kids just don’t feel cold like adults do!)
7. Pittsburgh hosts the All-Star Game – July 12, 1994
The Pittsburgh Pirates have not won a World Series since our parents were our age or younger. That’s why 1994’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 12 was sheer perfection. We finally got to see some excitement surrounding baseball, and later, we realized just how cool it was that our hometown All-Star game launched The Baseball Network, and was NBC’s first national TV broadcast of an MLB game since game 5 of the 1989 National League Championship Series.
8. NSYNC as the last band to perform at Three Rivers Stadium – July 16, 2000
The very first concert I went to with friends was July 16, 2000 at Three Rivers Stadium. I had just finished my freshman year of high school, had just turned 15, and the late ‘90s-early ‘00s boy band era was in its prime.
My friends and I had floor seats, and one of my friend’s dads (who happened to also be our geography teacher) attended with us. Sisqo and Pink opened for NSYNC, and have fond memories of thinking “wow, she is really good and I bet she’ll be super famous one day” when Pink came out with her bright fuchsia pixie cut.
When Justin Timberlake appeared, I thought Three Rivers Stadium was going to crumble on its own from the noise. I still have a snow globe to this day that says Last Concert in Three Rivers Stadium: NSYNC, July 16, 2000.
9. Steelers first Super Bowl win since 1980 – February 5, 2006
Speaking of being an adult for big sports wins, the Steelers first Super Bowl win since 1980 was a core millennial memory for me. I was in my junior year of college in Washington, D.C., and I rented a car with two friends and drove back to Pittsburgh. We celebrated at home, and it was so much fun.
Heading back to D.C., it was the proudest I ever felt to be from Pittsburgh. We rode back into the city in our roadside Super Bowl XL Champions T-shirts, Terrible Towels waving. I’m sure people didn’t know what to think of us, but we didn’t care.
10. Iconic Pittsburgh commercials – Century III Chevrolet, Edgar Snyder
Sing it with me now: “Century III, Chevrolet, Lebanon Church Road Pittsburgh … minutes from the mall!” If you grew up in the ‘90s, chances are you remember that commercial jingle. I bet you still remember lawyer Edgar Snyder’s phone number too: “Call 391-2101, no fee unless we get money for you!”
As children born in the ‘80s and growing up in the ‘90s, these Pittsburgh commercials were always on in the background as you played Barbies or board games. I still have little flashbacks hearing them as my sisters and I played Pretty, Pretty Princess, or all five of us laughed hysterically as we made our way through a Mad Libs booklet.
