2015 - Page 4 of 8 - Discover the Burgh

3 Ways to Exploit Pennsylvania’s Archaic Alcohol Laws in Pittsburgh

July 6, 2023October 6, 2015

Let's be honest, Pennsylvania is home to some of the most backwards liquor laws in the country.

Want to go buy a bottle of wine? ~~Good luck finding it in a grocery store~~. Yay, this law is finally going away!
Want a six pack of beer? No corner store will stock it. (But literally just a few gas stations in the state might)
Want to pick up hard liquor? The state runs a monopoly on the stuff unless you are a local distiller.

I could spend quite a bit of time ranting about how crazy these laws are, but instead I want to help you out with three ways we've come to exploit the system for the best.

Heinz History Center – Learning the History of Pittsburgh

July 9, 2022October 5, 2015

Every city needs a great museum to let its history shine, and in Pittsburgh that museum is the Heinz History Center in the Strip District.

Our first observation after entering the Heinz History Center was that it was much like the popular Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC. But instead of having separate buildings for each theme as in our nation's capital, the Heinz History Center has everything in one building.

Well, as it turns out the museum is in fact affiliated with the Smithsonian, and the legacy of the nation's most popular museum collection shines in every exhibit in this city gem.

Proper Brick Oven Review – Wood-Fired Pizza Downtown

October 5, 2023September 28, 2015

Pig and the Fig at Proper Brick Oven in Pittsburgh

When we heard that Proper Brick Oven had a wood-fired oven for making their pizzas, we knew we had to check the place out. You pretty much can't go wrong with a pie baked in one of those.

On our recent visit the pizza didn't disappoint, but nearly everything else was uninspiring at best- even the service.

Pittsburgh Local Resources We Love

August 7, 2022September 26, 2015

When it comes to websites and social media for the city of Pittsburgh, we're not alone here at Discover the Burgh. In fact, there are dozens of websites out there run by the city, neighborhood associations, or other individuals like us that we think are simply awesome or quite valuable to know.

If you are looking for more content from the city of Pittsburgh outside of this site, be it news, events, emergency updates, city info, or simply great local content, we recommend starting with these sites first!

An Evening at Mr. Small’s Theater in Millvale

August 3, 2022September 25, 2015

Much to the chagrin of music lovers in the city, Pittsburgh's concert scene often gets poor reviews. Sure, a super group may play at Acrisure Stadium once a year, a few big bands will play at the impossibly frustrating First Niagara Pavilion, and smaller but still well known bands may show up at Stage AE from time to time.

The frustration music fans have stems not from a lack of venues, we do have quite a few in the area, but more from the fact that for whatever reason, the huge bands people want to see just don't come here like in other cities. (To be fair, the music scene of lesser known groups can be quite good if you are looking for it).

Luckily for us, one of our favorite bands, the bluegrass-inspired Punch Brothers led by MacArthur Fellowship award winner Chris Thile (a musical God if there ever was one), loves to play in Pittsburgh and often hit a new venue during each visit. The most recent of which led us to a night out at Mr. Small's Theater in Millvale, where we have one of the most enjoyable music experiences in recent memory.

Healthy Ride Pittsburgh – A New Way to Explore the City

April 26, 2022September 23, 2015

In April 2022, Healthy Ride formally launched a rebrand to be called POGOH. Stations are being replaced and availability is presently limited. We will update this article accordingly when the POGOH stations are fully available in the coming weeks.

Over the past several months you've likely seen Healthy Ride bike kiosks popping up all over the city. These bikes are one of the many new services coming out to help encourage visitors and locals to get out and explore the many bike trails the city has to offer, and with over 500 bikes and 50 stations, they're doing a great job at it.

We finally got the chance to try one of these bikes on a day out exploring the North Shore bike trail, and had a pretty interesting experience with the service.

The Pub Chip Shop Review – Fish, Chips, and More

August 2, 2020September 21, 2015

From the name alone, The Pub Chip Shop might not sound like anything other than a greasy fish and chips place for those who have imbibed a bit too much (after all, the restaurant is located in South Side).

However, the menu is rather extensive and offers some tasty surprises that are delicious even when perfectly sober, as we were on our recent visit.

Maggie’s Farm Rum Review – Award Winning Rum in the Strip

December 19, 2023September 14, 2015

Everyone in Pittsburgh likely knows Wigle, the city's flagship success story when it comes to high proof spirits. But did you know that the Strip District is also home to a multi-award winning rum distillery? If you were like us up until a few weeks ago, you probably did not.

Enter Maggie's Farm Rum, winner of numerous national awards including Pennsylvania Distillery of the Year at the NY International Spirits Competition and America's Best Rum by the American Craft Spirits Association.

Thirsty yet?

The Mattress Factory is a Stellar Contemporary Art Museum

August 1, 2020September 9, 2015

When it comes to contemporary art, you never know what you are going to get. This is part of the fun in visiting these museums because there never seems to be one particular style that is on display. Sometimes it is disappointing, other times thought provoking, but overall you never really know what will be around the next bend.

At Pittsburgh's contemporary art museum, Mattress Factory, we found each exhibit to be more interesting than the last and left wondering why it took us so long to visit this museum in the first place.

Everyday Noodles Review – Taiwanese Noodles in Squirrel Hill

January 10, 2019September 5, 2015

Spicy Wonton Noodles at Everyday Noodles in Squirrel Hill

Sometime in the last few years, Squirrel Hill has turned into the Little Asia of Pittsburgh. Korean, Thai, Chinese, ramen, teppanyaki, sushi, and even Asian style baked goods- all of these foods can be found in this bustling neighborhood.

At first glance this seems a little it odd- how many different Asian restaurants do you need in just a few blocks? But we've been visiting these restaurants one by one, and the cool thing is that each one has a pretty specialized menu with a distinct type of cuisine that they focus on.

Everyday Noodle is one such restaurant, where the emphasis is on, you guessed it: noodles.