The Pennsylvanian

Our wedding was this past Saturday. It was rainy, cold, and miserable outside. We hoped to get just a few pictures in nice, dry places to help commemorate the day.
We stopped by the Pennsylvanian to get a few shots. We were promptly told, in rude and vindictive manner, that we were trespassing and the police would be called if we did not immediately leave.
I understand that they would not want us to use their overhang to take a picture, since we did not decide to use this venue for our reception, but if the manner in which we were ordered off the property is any indication of the staff’s demeanor, I would recommend staying as far away from this place as possible.
Our friends, one of whom was a groomsman in our party, were deliberating choosing this venue for their reception next year. They had a bad experience with the staff as well when trying to tour the venue.
After my experience with our wedding, I can tell you that service is one of, if not the, most important parts of the day. Choose wisely, and stay very, very, very far away from places with staff like the Pennsylvanian.

We’ve been living in the apartments for 8 months now and we love it here. It’s a really convenient location to all the neighborhoods/​freeway access/​bus stops. The free breakfast (fruit, pastries, mufins, coffee, and juice) Monday mornings, catered dinners every other month, a decent gym on the 3^rd floor, and valet parking ($ 125 per car… Don’t call last minute!) are all nice. The staff here are consistently all friendly and courteous. Although the kitchen could use an upgrade, especially appliances and the ventilation/​fans… But we definitely hope to stay here for a good long while!

Pros
— Ambiance — Prettiest venue in downtown Pittsburgh
— Space — you can fit a ton of people in the space!
— Rania’s Catering (required vendor and provided great service)
Cons
— Sound — Due to the vaulted ceilings, we were never able to get good sound on the mics. There was an echo and most people could not understand anyone talking (MC’s, Speeches, etc). Super disappointing not to hear your father or father in law’s speech. :(
— Management — The venue attracts well to do clientele, but the service does not match the price tag with high quality and accommodating management service. They are more like mean museum curators in the planning process. :) Hotels are far superior in management service.
— Common Space is NOT Exclusive, Building Residents are Allowed to Join (and sometimes harass) —
During dinner, my fiancé, I, and the photographer went to the rotunda to take pictures. A resident came downstairs and started doing Tai Chi in the middle of my party. A 70 y/​o man brought out a lawnchair and watched her. We held our tongue and ignored them, but the man shouted at us «of all the places in Pittsburgh why do they have to take pictures on our property, and in our way?». I told them we had rented the entire venue and it was actually private property, and they told Me to shut up. Me, the bride!
Im not saying it was a situation of racism, but I wonder if they would have been as ugly, if I was a white bride in a white wedding dress. Instead of a foreign bride, in a red sari.
My father in law tried to pacify the situation and told everyone to just calm down. Then the old man stepped up to my new father in law in a aggressive way as if to make him flinch. I told them, «I am the bride, why are you trying to ruin my wedding day?».response «shut up B***, and go inside.» They were joined by another older couple that also chimed in with aggressive and angry language about how they lived there and I was on their private property as we cut our session short and walked back inside. I didn’t know I had to hire security to protect myself from the Pennsylvanian residents. When they started behaving physically aggressive, my coordinator called the police. The angry senior citizens also told the police that my photographer (who never even spoke) instigated the situation. Afterwards, PA management did not take a side in the situation, and even suggested we were responsible for the situation occurring.
-$$$$ Everything must be brought in from the outside. Tables, chairs, kitchen supplies, silverware

I stayed at the Pennsylvanian for about a month in one of the Corporate Apartments. This place is old. I believe it used to be a hub for trains and buses.
The outside looks nice but the hallways to the rooms look a little dingy. There was mildew on the floors of my bathroom and bathtub. The washer and dryer was old. There was rust on some of the door hinges. The dresser, fixtures, coffee table, dining table, and dining chairs looked new and modern. The carpet for the most part was clean. The sofa looked old and was not comfortable. The bedsheets had yellow stains on them. I did not use the comforter and one of the layers. The Pennsylvanian has a maid service option with 1 week or 2 week intervals. I am not sure if they even changed or washed my bedsheets because they all had the same yellow stains? wtf?
The views from the apartment is nice, but the windows are hard to see through since the window screens are dirty.
The kitchen is ok. The corporate apartment comes with a fullsized fridge, dishwasher, coffee maker, silverware, platewear, pots and pans. There is also an iron and ironing board. There is also a 22 inch? CRT-​TV with about 100 cable channels. I had a router for internet but it was taken away from me 2 weeks into my stay. The Pennsylvanian claimed Comcast took it away without even telling me. They did not offer me a chance to pay for it.
The fitness room was nice. There are treadmills, elliptical machines, pullup bars, and other various machines. There are even a few sets of dumbells. I never used the sauna, so I cannot comment on that.
There is a 24 hour concierge that is always helpful and friendly. There is also an option to sign up for a dry-​cleaning service, which is outsourced to another company. You drop your dirty clothes into a room and pick it up a few days later after it has been cleaned. This is rather expensive as well. Everyone who has a dry-​cleaning Key has access to this room. Thieves could come in and steal your clothes.
If I had an option, I would not stay at the Pennsylvanian again.