Year: 2020

8 Breweries You Can Visit from a Bike Trail in Pittsburgh

Over the years, we've had a growing interest in biking, and have developed a love of finding more and more bike trails in Pittsburgh. As much as getting out on the trails for ten, twenty, or forty-plus mile rides is something we quite enjoy, we have to admit it is even better when we can finish the ride at a Pittsburgh brewery for a draft (or two).

Thankfully, our beer scene is quite well developed and there are a number of breweries where you can access them straight from a trail (or within a block or two max on city roads). In this one, we wanted to share all of the ones we've hit to date!

Note: Beyond breweries that are located right off of the bike trails, this article will also give shoutouts to other breweries that are close to the trails but may require a short drive or a longer ride on city roads to reach. The accessibility for bikes varies with these. Some have private parking lots and windows where you can keep an eye on your bikes mounted on your car. Others do not. Some are larger and may allow you to bring your bikes inside. Others may not. As such, you may want to look into the supplemental breweries mentioned a bit more to see if you'd feel comfortable taking your bike as all of their setups are different.

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9 Things We Wished Pittsburgh Had from Food Boats to Transit

Over the past several years exploring Pittsburgh, we have started to get a good understanding of some of the best things the city and metro area has to offer. But on the flip side, we have also seen many of the area's issues, and are more than happy to admit there are several aspects in which the city is lacking (cough, metro system, cough cough).

As such, we thought it'd be fun to put together a list of some of the ideas we wish the city would have. 

But for this list, we wanted to keep things a bit light-hearted and fun as opposed to tackling some of the very real and serious problems our city faces. So many of the ideas below are pie-in-the-sky, likely never going to happen ideas, and none of them include a zipline from Mount Washington to the North Shore!

To put it bluntly, we did not let things like practicality, cost, or feasibility stop us in many of the below, and this list should mostly be considered what we would do if we had (a few) billion dollars, no concern for ROI, and free reign to make it all happen.

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Exploring the Westmoreland Heritage Trail on Foot or Bike

The Westmoreland Heritage Trail is a popular hiking and biking trail that spans roughly 18 miles between Trafford and Saltsburg, PA. 

We had heard great things about this trail and made the ~45-minute drive out of the city to check it out and were not disappointed. While the trail is broken up into two segments, we made a day of it and hit both during our visit.

Note: As of our visit in 2020 the Westmoreland Heritage Trail is split into two sections, each roughly 9-miles in length. One runs between Delmont and Saltsburg and the second runs between Export and Trafford. Eventually, these trails are supposed to be connected via a 3-4 mile addition. This article will discuss the two sections independently.

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2 Sisters 2 Sons Review – Caribbean Fare Comes to Sharpsburg

2 Sisters 2 Sons closed their Sharpsburg location in August 2022. We are hopeful they will find a new home soon!

2 Sisters 2 Sons opened in Sharpsburg, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh) in summer 2020 and was a much-welcomed addition to the city's Caribbean dining scene.

We had seen the buzz for this one building up after opening and knew we had to make it in right away. We were not let down.

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Going for a 10-Mile Ride on the Hoodlebug Trail Near Indiana, PA

While there are many bike trails in Pittsburgh worth exploring, one weekend we decided to go on a bit of a day trip east to Indiana, PA (roughly 60 miles from Pittsburgh) to check out a trail that is new to us.

This was the 10-mile Hoodlebug Trail which runs from Indiana to Black Lick, PA. With a relatively well-maintained path and an abundance of things to see (plus a few breweries nearby we enjoyed after), we certainly had a fun day out!

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Smoke Taqueria Review – Traditional Tacos with a Twist

Please note: For a brief period of time, Smoke Taqueria changed their concept to be a burger restaurant before returning as a taqueria. This review is from before the change and as such may not be reflective of the current menu. We will update this article the next time we make it in!

Smoke Taqueria in LawrencevilleHaving been to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico where tacos are nothing more than fresh, handmade corn tortillas topped with meat, I've since been a bit skeptical of the rise of the gourmet taco in the US.

Sometimes I think gourmet taco places try to do too much with this simple, humble street food. However, we were pleasantly surprised when we recently dined at Smoke in Lawrenceville where we had perfectly executed, inventive tacos. The flavors were not so out there that they didn't seem to belong in a taco, but rather evoked traditional Mexican flavors with a unique twist.

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The Coop Chicken & Waffles Review – From Food Truck to Restaurant

Coop Chicken & Waffles seemingly closed in 2023. The food truck seems to be still operating at this time.

In recent years it seems like a number of our favorite Pittsburgh food trucks are adding brick and mortar locations into their portfolio so hungry patrons can get their favorites without having to track their location on any given day.

The Coop Chicken & Waffles was one such food truck, and they opened their dedicated storefront on East Ohio Street in the North Side in the summer of 2020. Naturally, as fans of this one we rushed out to get an order on opening weekend and were not disappointed. If you liked the food truck, this one offers everything you remember and then some.

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Thai Tamarind Review – Large Portions and Some Twists

Thai Tamarind is a cute and cozy little Thai restaurant in Bellevue offering classic Thai noodle dishes and curries, plus a few signature dishes that are unique and equally delicious. 

Although we haven't dined in at Thai Tamarind, the space is quite adorable and feels like you're in someone's home – it would be a great date night spot. We recently ordered takeout, though, and judging from the number of people picking up orders, the restaurant seems equally popular for takeout.

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Riding the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to the Laurel Highlands

The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail-trail leading out of Pittsburgh that can only be described as a gem. This 150-mile path connects downtown Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, and links up with the C&O Canal trail which spans all the way to Washington DC.

While we are working our way up to the multi-day bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, we have been exploring the sections of the GAP closest to Pittsburgh in numerous outings. In this one, we wanted to share some of our favorite highlights and what you can expect when getting out on the trail for a ride!

This guide covers the first 40-miles of the Great Allegheny Passage between Pittsburgh and Belle Vernon, PA. As we explore further sections of the trail we will update this guide accordingly.

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Catching Views on the Doors Open Antique Skyscrapers Tour

You may know of the Doors Open Pittsburgh organization from the annual event of the same name that takes place each October. During this event, dozens of normally private buildings around the city open their doors for the public and is a pretty stellar event all around.

Since the founding of this now-staple event, Doors Open has expanded to included many custom walking tours with varying themes throughout the year. These vary month-to-month, but one caught our eye- the Antique Skyscrapers: Rooftops & Views tour. As getting on top of all of the downtown skyscrapers is a goal of ours, we naturally grabbed tickets to this one right away (as they quickly sold out).

In this one, we wanted to share a bit more about what the tour was like as well as share a few of our favorite photos!

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