insane to me that this could be considered a dead weight store with how busy it always is

larger (here mostly meaning longer)/nicer/more connected parks along the rivers

I lived in Busan, SK for a year which actually has pretty similar geography to Pittsburgh (except it's coastal, not inland) and their parks were just incredible. We have a lot of decent parks in Pittsburgh, but it kills me that the parks along the water are so short and disconnected by comparison. Not only are they disconnected from each other, but the riverfront parks are a little isolated themselves from the city, or there isn't a whole lot of development around them. In Busan the parks were expansive with thoughtful landscaping, many flowering trees, and often sites of events that encouraged sightseeing and walking along the river in warmer months.

WH foods in the strip is my go-to asian grocer, but you have a bunch of other good suggestions!