Year: 2017

Pittsburgh Children’s Museum 21+ Night – Being a Kid Again

One museum we've always wanted to visit in Pittsburgh, but had few to no opportunities to check out, is the Children's Museum. As adults without kids (or kids we can adopt as defacto parents for an afternoon), we always felt uneasy with the idea of going to this one on our own.

Our problems were solved when one of the museum's quarterly 21+ night events came about, and we put on our detective hats and went to work as the Murder Mystery theme ensured that all of us became a kid again- for one night at least.

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Zen Asian Review – Chinese Takeout in Lawrenceville

Zen Asian in Lawrenceville is a pretty standard Chinese restaurant with average food. The best parts about this restaurant are the large portion sizes and that they deliver – let's face it, sometimes you just crave a massive Chinese takeout feast.

After buying the house we were renting on our defacto “moving day,” we wanted just that.

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Distrikt Hotel Review – A Modern Business Hotel Downtown

Distrikt Hotel is rebranding to become the Joinery Hotel in 2022. This review is from our visit with the former branding. While we expect some details to be similar, we will update this review once we visit the updated facility.

What do you get when you take a historic Salvation Army and convert it to a modern and hip Pittsburgh hotel? You get the Distrikt Hotel– a boutique accommodation in downtown Pittsburgh.

The hotel opened its doors in summer 2017, and we rushed down to be one of the first guests for an overnight stay.

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Grandma B’s Review – A Greasy Spoon with Character

Grandma B's is a down home diner located in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Like most greasy spoons, this spot doesn't look like much on the outside. But don't let that fool you – inside is a huge well-seasoned griddle cooking up a menu full of classic diner plates.

On top of all that, the staff are as friendly and delightful as they come.

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Maxo Vanka Murals at St. Nicholas in Millvale are a Must See

St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Millvale was built in the early 1900s as a place of worship for the large Croatian population in the region. In 1921 the church was devastated by a fire, and was rebuilt in 1922.

In the years that followed the congregation worshiped in a church that was relatively devoid of imagery, and in the late 1930s the church commissioned acclaimed Croatian artist Maxo Vanka to adorn the walls with his work. He was given significant creative control in his art, and the resulting murals are nothing short of a masterpiece that is often referred to as his “gift to America.”

Since then, the murals been appreciated by countless parishioners and visitors, and in the early 2000s a comprehensive restoration effort began in order to ensure they survive for generations to come.

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A Drinking, Eating, and Attraction Guide to Lawrenceville

If there is any neighborhood in Pittsburgh that would be the perfect case study for a revival, Lawrenceville would be it. In just under 10 years the neighborhood went from being one you likely never stepped foot in (let alone drove through), to becoming a hipster mecca, to being so trendy it is beyond hipster, and is now one of the most popular neighborhoods in all of Pittsburgh for visitors with all interests.

As Lawrenceville has grown to be a shopping, eating, and drinking hot spot, our neighborhood guide was created to cover our very favorite spots in each category!

As with all of our neighborhood guides, this is not a complete list of everything in Lawrenceville. It is simple a guide to places we personally visit when exploring the neighborhood. If your favorite is not included, it is likely that we have not checked it out yet. If this is the case, please comment at the end of this post and we'll happily check it out on our next visit!

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Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival – A Trip Back in Time

The end of summer is marked with several annual events in the Pittsburgh region, and one that has been a favorite in the Laurel Highlands for many years is none other than the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival!

We have been to many Renaissance Festivals elsewhere in the past, but our recent visit to Pittsburgh's festival was a first- and it delivered the nostalgic experience we were looking for.

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Three Rivers Regatta – One of Pittsburgh’s Most Popular Festivals

The Three Rivers Regatta last took place in 2018. We are unsure if or when the event will come back.

The Three Rivers Regatta is one of the largest annual events in Pittsburgh and attracts over half a million people to the city during its three days.

The event historically was held on the Fourth of July; however, as of 2016 was moved to August to stand on its own.

We've visited this one many times throughout the years and have barely just begun to scratch the surface of all of the cool events worth seeing.

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