The Strip District tends to get busy during the holidays. A stroll along Penn Avenue on Friday, however, caught the area in a fairly quiet moment. In the next few days, you can expect to be shoulder to shoulder with fellow shoppers purchasing gifts and ingredients for special meals.

A store employee takes out the trash on a busy day in the Strip District, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Union Progress).
Store employees hang Christmas lights. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Union Progress).
Shoppers take in the sights. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Union Progress).
A vendor offers some Pittsburgh swag. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Union Progress).
Shoppers walk along Penn Avenue. (Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Union Progress).

Matt Freed is a photographer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.

Matt Freed

Matt Freed is a photographer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.