Year: 2017

Pittsburgh Beerfest Winter Edition Review – Beer Heaven

As a beer lover, my idea of heaven is being surrounded by free flowing and delicious creations from some of the world's best breweries. While I may not be in this particular heaven just yet, Pittsburgh does have an annual event that is about as close as you can get to my ideal scenario- the Pittsburgh Beerfest which during the winter edition featured here is at the convention center downtown.

Although this event is relatively young, the hundreds of samples available from local, national, and even a few international breweries makes this one as close to my picture of heaven as I can get.

Armed with an eight-ounce glass, an early admission ticket with all-you-can-drink access, and the Uber app on my phone ready to go for the end of the night, I was prepared to hit this one as hard as possible to try and find some new favorites.

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The Grand Concourse Brunch is a Classic Pittsburgh Tradition

Brunch at the Grand Concourse in South Side is perhaps one of the most classic and loved Pittsburgh experiences.

Although we'd visited several years ago, we recently made a return trip to refresh our memory on why this spot is so beloved by Pittsburghers.

It didn't take long to remember- the stunning and grandiose architecture of an old train station is a fitting backdrop to the decadence and grandeur of the buffet.

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Our Favorite Pittsburgh Skyline Timelapse Videos

A fire-red sunrise from the North Side in Pittsburgh

When it comes to Pittsburgh's skyline, we're rather biased in our thought that it is one of the most beautiful in the world. Not just because we run this site, but also because we've been able to enjoy the skyline every day for the past few years at our home.

Luckily for you, we haven't been keeping this skyline view to ourselves, and we have a Pittsburgh webcam set up to stream our view 24/7 for all to enjoy.

Resulting from this, we've also been able to record some amazing changes to the skyline be it from weather, fireworks, or simply because it was a gorgeous day and turn them into timelapse videos that we've frequently shared on our Facebook page. Now that we have a fairly decent collection of timelapse videos, we wanted to share them in this collection today!

As you progress through the videos below, you'll watch the seasons change as well!

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Squirrel Hill Neighborhood Guide – Attractions and Dining

Squirrel Hill is one of those Pittsburgh neighborhoods you can't help but love. It is primarily residential with tons of gorgeous houses and has two business streets that are among the most vibrant in the entire city.

We lived in Squirrel Hill for many years and enjoyed visiting the shops and eating at the plethora of restaurants that call this neighborhood home. To share some of our favorite places to hit during a visit, this guide was born!

It is worth noting that the following is not a collection of every business in Squirrel Hill. This article only features businesses that we personally visit when we explore the neighborhood.  As such, it should only be taken as a starting point and is certainly not a list of every establishment. 

If you see an interesting business while exploring Squirrel Hill, do yourself a favor and go inside!

Note: Squirrel HIll is a neighborhood whose businesses are often in flux. As such, businesses may change faster than we can keep up with. If you spot a place that has closed please contact us.

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Joe & Pie Review – Solid Pizza in Edgewood

This review was based on Joe & Pie's now closed downtown Pittsburgh location. They still have a location on S Braddock Avenue in Edgewood.

On our never-ending quest to find the best pizza in Pittsburgh, we were tipped off to a local pizza joint and cafe in Pittsburgh's Cultural District downtown known as Joe & Pie.

This restaurant takes on a bit of an odd structure in that it is open for almost the entire day, serving breakfast and coffee in the morning, and pizza, gyros, and sandwiches in the evening. That concept doesn't sound like it would be a combo with a delicious product, but we were pleasantly surprised with the pizza all the same.

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5 of the Best Hotels Near PNC Park in Pittsburgh

Exodus at PNC Park

When it comes to highlighting great hotels, it would be easy for us to simply list the five or so hotels that are right next to PNC Park and call it a day. But that would not be very much fun for us, and definitely not helpful to you. Instead, we wanted to take a look at a few different things visitors coming to Pittsburgh for a baseball game may consider.

Luckily for you, location is just one of those points, and we've found five awesome hotels near PNC Park you may want to choose for your stay!

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Mixtape Pittsburgh Review – The Neighborhood Bar Garfield Needs

Mixtape changed concepts to be a rotating themed pop-up bar. This review was from before this change when they had a fixed menu and may not be representative of their current offering.

It is our opinion that every neighborhood needs a good cocktail bar, and in Garfield the music inspired Mixtape has filled the need for thirsty residents quite nicely. But you better like music references!

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Revel and Roost Review – Two Restaurants in One

Revel + Roost in downtown Pittsburgh near Market Square is more than just a hotel restaurant.

In fact, we never even knew it was in a hotel until we dined there; we had only heard that it was a great place to hang out. Revel is located on the ground floor and has a more relaxed bar vibe while Roost on the second floor provides a more formal dining experience. We recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown that houses the restaurants and checked out Revel during our stay.

The highlights for us were the extensive craft cocktail menu and a solid burger. We also visited Roost for breakfast as it was included for free with our Hilton Honors gold status.

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Ski Resorts Near Pittsburgh – Head to the Laurel Highlands

Pittsburgh is in a unique position as a city because you can pick any direction, drive 30 to 60 minutes, and be out in nature.

Head southeast on your route and you'll end up in the Laurel Highlands, a region that is often referred to as Pittsburgh's backyard. And what a backyard it is! With many activities available throughout the year, this is one part of Pennsylvania that has us returning on easy day trips time and time again.

This past winter we had a goal, and that was to get out and check out some of the region's ski resorts. Our first instinct was to look to the Laurel Highlands and check out their three resorts all operated by Seven Springs (perfect for a weekend multi-park lift ticket!).

What did we find? Well, they're each tailored for various skill levels!

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