3 Things To Do During Memorial Day Weekend In Pittsburgh

It’s time to get ready for a long fun holiday weekend! With so many local activities to choose from and hot spots to visit, deciding what to do with friends or family this weekend may feel overwhelming. Not to fear - we’ve chosen a few of our own ideas to help you make this decision! Here are our recommendations for “what to do” during your holiday weekend:

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• Visit the Pittsburgh Zoo. A visit to the zoo is always a blast - but there's an extra special incentive to visit sooner rather than later. Earlier this year the Pittsburgh Zoo welcomed an adorable new addition: an Amur leopard cub! After lots of TLC, this darling baby has begun exploring the outside world, to the delight of zoogoers. She’s out and about in her exhibit from 9am - 11am every day, so as long as you don’t mind waking up a little early, you can start your day with this ball of adorableness!
• Avoid the heat at a museum. It’s definitely getting hotter outside, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying what our city has to offer! To avoid the worst of the heat during a day out, just head on out to a museum. The four Carnegie Museums always make for a great day out. The Heinz History Center is also a great place to visit, with a special exhibit on historic toys ending this month - and a flag folding ceremony on the 30th, in honor of Memorial Day. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, though, don't worry: Pittsburgh has a plethora of smaller museums as well (including the ToonSeum, which is right in walking distance!)
• Spend a day at Kennywood. While we can’t promise that you’ll have the park all to yourself, this is definitely a good weekend to head to Kennywood. The coasters…the Potato Patch Fries…the newly christened Noah’s Ark ride! It all makes for a classic day off in Pittsburgh, and is a must this summer.

Those are our top picks for a holiday weekend in town. What about you? Let us know what you plan on doing this weekend in the comments!

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Get Ready To Plan Your Memorial Day Weekend Party!

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The unofficial start of summer is here in T-minus 16 days. For those of you who are staying in town for the holiday, that means you have just over two weeks to get your plans nailed down and your apartment decorated for any holiday parties you may be planning. No worries - with this trusty planning guide, you'll be set to ring in the warm weather and summer vacation season in no time!

• Plan your menu. Any good holiday requires a little menu planning, and Memorial Day weekend is not exception. You’ll want to figure out what you’ll be serving now so you can purchase ingredients and figure out what you’ll be making when, to avoid last-minute chaos and panic in the kitchen. TasteOfHome.com, FoodNetwork.com, and TheKitchn.com have some great ideas to help you get the planning started!
• Decorate. Not only do you want to write up your kitchen-related tasks, but there’s also the issue of decorations to consider. Patriotic banners, streamers, tableware, door wreaths, window flower beds with red, white and blue flowers…all of these decoration ideas can up the “Patriotic” feel of your apartment. You’ll definitely want to consider your budget, and your decorating tastes, as you get the place ready for company!
• Get the games ready. Any good party needs activities! Whether you and your friends are the type to conquer a video game or to share some laughs over a board game, it won’t hurt to figure out what you have on hand and what you want to ask friends to bring to help liven up your party. 

Thinking about these three things now will make your party prep run much more smoothly in a couple weeks. Perhaps most importantly, however, will be remembering to take a moment to appreciate the meaning of Memorial Day. As we prepare to enjoy a relaxing start to the summer season, we are thankful for those who sacrificed for our ability to enjoy our lives and time off. Please join us in preparing to salute those who have made this possible later this month.

Thank you, and happy Memorial Day planning.

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4 Things To Do On A Rainy Pittsburgh Day

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We’ve all been there: we’ve all had to bail on plans to walk along Mount Washington or walk in a local park because of pouring rain. Recognizing that the weather isn’t always going to cooperate is simple a part of being a proud Pittsburgh native. But who says you need to cancel a fun day out entirely due to rain?

While you just want to get out and about in your city, or you promised to show your visiting company the local sights, there are plenty of other things you can do that are quite enjoyable. Here are just a few of our favorite "Rainy day" backup plans:

• Visit a museum. Few things can beat a fun museum visit, and there are plenty of museums to choose from in this city! Pittsburgh is home to four different Carnegie Museums, each of which are full of amazing activities and exhibits. And the Heinz History Center is fantastic for history fans, if you're feeling like connecting with the region's past. So our museums have definitely got you and company covered when it comes to a lot of historical or natural sciences topics!
• Hit up an alternate "museum." Not quite feeling like spending the day in a museum? No worries - there are other great spots you can visit while staying out of the rain. For example, if you're more of a live animal lover, then the Aviary is the place to go. And if you absolutely must surround yourself with greenery to make up for the park walk you're missing out on, Phipps has you covered!
• Head to Station Square. As a historical site and a shopping center, Station Square is a great "everything in one spot" sort of place to enjoy on a rainy day. Plus, the Gateway Clipper docks in the area - meaning, depending on the weather, you could probably hop on board a boat ride and enjoy unique views of Pittsburgh despite a little rain!
• Get artsy. If museums or shopping aren't what you're looking for, why not try out some artsty activities? Pittsburgh is home to local Paint Monkey and national franchise Painting With A Twist. Both are BYOB, and both are tons of fun and worth looking into as a way to brighten up a rainy day!

Did we miss your favorite rainy day activity? We want to hear about what you do on overcast days - let us know in the comments!

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3 Things To Do To Get Ready For Mother’s Day

Beautiful views can contribute to a bueaitful Mother's Day in Pittsburgh!
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Believe it or not, Mother’s Day is barely more than a week away. That means now is the time to get ready and to get those big plans finalized if you’re spending the day with your mother and your family! Fortunately, our Steel City has no shortage of options and resources for making Mother’s Day a good one. So as you’re getting the details finalized and completely your planning checklist, take care to ensure that you don’t miss on these great prep steps:

1) Find the perfect gift. Of course, any Mother’s Day gift should be as personal as possible. Do you know that your mother has been debating replacing something of value in her home? Perhaps a gift card to help cover the expense or even an order to Amazon will be appreciated. Does she prefer to buy local? One of these local gifts and shops may be just the touch you need. Whatever you decide, now is the time to begin thinking about it - otherwise, you may not have your gift delivered or purchased in time!

2) Make those reservations. If you’re planning on spoiling Mom with a meal out, reservations are a must. Lots of places are booking up quickly, and we know for a fact that Phipps’ own Mother’s Day brunch is already sold out! Still, there are plenty of places just waiting for your call. A visit to OpenTable can quickly ensure that you have a table ready on May 8th - and if you need some ideas on where to go, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a great local dining guide!

3) Pick the perfect outing (and photo spot). Need one final thing to bring the family together on Mother’s Day? Deciding on what to do together can make the day complete. An outing to Mount Washington is of course always a delight. Though busy on Mother's Day, Phipps can provide beautiful scenery and sights on even the grayest of days. On the other hand, if the weather is nice, a trip to the zoo might be appreciated. If the weather is really nice, the Gateway Clipper fleet is ready and waiting for you (with a Mother’s Day bunch and lunch of their own, no less!) Or perhaps a trip to the movies is more your mom's style. Whatever you decide, be sure to plan accordingly the day of - the last thing you want is for Pittsburgh traffic to completely ruin your plans!

These three prep steps are great ways to ensure you're ready for Mother's Day. Ultimately, of course, we don't recommend worrying about making the day perfect. Remember: it's the thought and appreciation that counts more than anything. Your time, and your attention, will likely be the best gift of all. Still, it doesn't hurt to finalize those Mother's Day plans now - just to help put the cherry on top of your appreciation!

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Find Fresh Produce in Pittsburgh This Spring

Imagine sitting by the river on a cloudless Pittsburgh day. The sun is shining, the warm breeze is blowing through the trees along the Allegheny. What could be better in that moment than a fresh juicy peach? Frankly, that sounds like the perfect afternoon. 

Image: Pixabay

Fresh produce is truly a blessing. In Pittsburgh, many of us are lucky enough to live within walking, biking, and driving distance to a grocery store of some kind. During the cold winter months, these stores are all we really have to choose from, but during the spring and summer, you may want to consider trying some of the many local produce outlets the city has to offer.

It’s pretty easy to see why everyone seems to be hopping on the buy-local-bandwagon. Local and organic fruits and vegetables stay fresh for longer, help keep money in the community by supporting small businesses, and simply just taste better most of the time. There are also plenty of ways to get in on this delicious trend right here in Pittsburgh.

Try a Farmers Market

Farmers markets cut out the middleman in the food-buying equation. These markets are typically held outdoors and feature foods sold directly to consumers by the farmers themselves. During the spring and summer, Pittsburgh actually has farmers markets every single day of the week! One of them even moved to a new location downtown at Mellon Park. Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership also sponsors a farmers market in Market Square which begins next month.


Join a CSA

CSA is an acronym for “Community Supported Agriculture.” This is how it works: farmers offer a certain number of “shares” of their crops to the public. Shares typically consist of vegetables and fruits, but sometimes even include dairy, egg, and meat products. Consumers can then purchase shares and receive a weekly box of fresh seasonal produce each week in return. So, it’s basically a magazine subscription, except for food!

The Pittsburgh area offers plenty of CSAs, usually with pick-up locations located all around the city. This is a great way to support the community, keep your home stocked with fresh veggies, and even save money on organic food.

No matter where you get your fruits and vegetables, be sure to enjoy all of the delicious seasonal treats that nature has to offer. Which classic spring and summer dishes are you looking forward to this year?

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Burning Bridges Comedy Festival

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This weekend, 50 extraordinarily funny people will rise from the depths of Pittsburgh’s smoky bars and greasy pubs. Rants, jokes, and straight up ridiculousness will be on display for all to see on stages across the neighborhoods of Allentown and South Side. In other words, it is time for our city’s very first stand-up comedy festival.

Burning Bridges Comedy Festival begins this weekend, and no matter what happens, it is sure to be a truly unique experience. This two-day event will feature dozens of below-the-radar comics alongside some better-known jokers from New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston.

Pittsburgh’s Standup Comedy Scene
In terms of stand-up comedy in the city, Pittsburgh’s Improv and Pittsburgh Comedy Festival feature mostly mainstream comedians. And while venues like Arcade Comedy Theater and various bars around the city often play host to shows, the local comics in the city don’t have a specific place to call home.

This is one of the reasons that John Dick Winters, the festival’s founder, decided to put together this ambitious project. He is confident that these events will allow local comedians to shine and continue to move Pittsburgh’s stand-up scene forward. “I find that audiences are often pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of the Pittsburgh comedy scene. There's a ton of funny people here, and they deserve more credit than they get.”

Getting In On the Laughs This Weekend
Burning Bridges is a great way to get out and support the small businesses that will serve as venues during the festival, like Black Forge Coffee and Drip Lounge. Their website describes the event as a "Do-It-Yourself" festival with very little influence or contributions. Instead of corporate sponsors, this weekend’s events are presented by Race to the Coffin Comedy and The Epicast Network.

Over the next two days, you’ll be able to find local comedy shows scattered all across Allentown and South Side. These 13 shows include local showcases, those with headliners like Geoff Tate, and also a few more uniquely themed shows, like the Worst Tattoo Competition and even some Comedy Debates.

Getting in on the laughs is also fairly cheap! Most shows are individually priced at around $5 and a pass for the entire festival is only $20. The first show begins Friday, at 8pm! See the entire schedule of shows by clicking here.

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100 Things To Do In Pittsburgh

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A new book has come out that shows all the great things Pittsburgh has to offer. From the incline to the Buccos, you could live here your entire life without seeing everything. Pittsburgh native Beth Geisler wrote the book "100 Things To do In Pittsburgh Before You Die". Keep reading and check out the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for more information about this book.

Pittsburgh native Beth Geisler knows how very much there is to do and see here. That’s why she had a hard time narrowing it down for her new book, “100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die” (Reedy Press, $16).

If your time is running out so fast that you can visit only one local attraction, the book advises you to make it the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland — 30 rooms devoted to different cultures in the hemisphere’s tallest educational building.

“I can’t imagine that there’s anything else like it in the world,” says Ms. Geisler, 50, a freelance writer and editor who still lives in the house her father built in Kennedy.

She loves Pittsburgh through and through and has worked for several local institutions, but it was her time as associate communications director at VisitPittsburgh that led to this gig.

The “100 Things to Do” series includes books on several U.S. cities (39, with another 10 in the works) published by St. Louis’ Reedy Press, which knows to look for authors through local tourism bureaus. Ms. Geisler’s resume included hosting scores of travel journalists here from 2000 to 2004.

“I remember clearly what they reacted to,” she says. “In large part that experience framed what I wanted to share.”

Reedy had a template for her to follow, with chapters titled “Food and Drink,” “Recreation and Sports,” “Music and Entertainment,” “Culture and History” and “Shopping.” But what she filled those with were up to her, and so the picks are subjective, as she notes in the preface. Outside of having the big “usual subjects” like the Nationality Rooms and the inclines, “No other Pittsburgher would list the exact same 100 activities.”

She knows some Pittsburghers will wonder why their favorites aren’t included, but she says 100 was not a big enough number to cover everything. That’s why she’s launched a “100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die” Facebook page where people can weigh in with their picks. She wishes she could have written more about hotels and bed & breakfasts (but she did work in a couple of references to her beloved Omni William Penn Hotel, Downtown, which is celebrating its centennial this year).

The Facebook page will keep the contents current, too, which is one of the challenges of writing such a book. She did last-minute updates, such as adding the phone number for Apteka, the hot new Eastern European vegan restaurant that just opened in Bloomfield, under the chapter heading “Line Up for Pierogies Almost Anywhere.” Otherwise, she tried to pick food and drink choices that weren’t likely to change, and she advises readers to seek the latest foodie updates through online sources such as Zagat, which, she proudly notes, honored Pittsburgh as best restaurant city in 2015.

“I love to see the coverage that Pittsburgh gets,” she says. “I love to see the word ‘hip’ in particular.”

She does provide some old-school context. “I did try in this book to combine history with what is happening now. I think it’s important to give a nod to how industrialists shaped a lot of what we have today. That is a legacy that we can all appreciate. ... They’ve certainly left us with some fine institutions, some arts and culture opportunities, that other cities just don’t have.”

She tried to weave in as much local flavor as possible, from using (and translating) Pittsburghese to introducing heroes such as Mister Rogers and Rachel Carson and recommending reading Thomas Bell’s “Out of This Furnace.” Dave Demarest introduced her to the book at Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned a master’s degree in professional writing.

In her upcoming book signings and other appearances, she wants to stress that it’s not just for out-of-town relatives and other visitors. “I’m encouraging people who live here to do some more exploring.”

That’s how she came to love some of the charms she included in the book, such as Conflict Kitchen as well as Bicycle Heaven and disc golf, two of many free things she spotlights. So that’s why she’ll keep exploring, too.

“It’s fun. I am still getting to promote my hometown. And that’s a privilege.”

The book will be available next week at Barnes & Noble stores and online, and the Facebook page will tell you how to order a signed copy. Her upcoming appearances include:

• April 17, 2 to 4 p.m., Classic Lines Book Store, 5825 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill.

• April 23, 1 to 3 p.m., Half Price Books, 4932 McKnight Road, Ross.

• May 7, noon to 7 p.m., Pittsburgh Vegan Festival, Unitarian Universalist Church of the North Hills, 2359 W. Ingomar Road, Franklin Park.

• May 14, 1 to 3 p.m., Half Price Books, 3757 William Penn Highway, Monroeville.

• June 11, 1 to 3 p.m., Half Price Books, 4000 Oxford Drive, Bethel Park.

• Sept. 10, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Beaver County BookFest, Irvine Park, Beaver.

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