Year: 2020

Thai Tamarind Review – Large Portions and Some Twists

Thai Tamarind relocated to a new spot in Bellevue in July 2025. This review was from a visit to their former location.

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

Note: This article is oriented for those riding the Great Allegheny Passage in the miles closer to Pittsburgh, typically on a shorter ride. If you're looking for advice about the full bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, click the previous link.

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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Scratch Food and Beverage Review – A True Scratch Kitchen

Scratch has changed concepts since our last visit and expanded to include pop up nights, a cafe, and more. As such, our review of their current food and beverage offering is likely not accurate. We will update more when we visit again!

Scratch in Troy Hill is a neighborhood bar and restaurant serving up, as you might expect, tons of scratch made sandwiches, entrees, salads, cocktails, and more. It's the little details here like house fermented shrubs, pickles, and sauces that add up to make each drink or entree more than the sum of its parts.

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12 Great Bike Trails Near Pittsburgh to Go for a Ride

Although Pittsburgh and southwest Pennsylvania is quite hilly, we are fortunate enough to have a number of fairly flat trails to go biking. Many of these trails are found on former train lines (rail trails), which thanks to their restricted grade makes for prime biking conditions.

In this one, we wanted to share a few of our favorite spots to bike in and around the city. So whether you're simply wanting to take a quick ride around the North Shore River Trail, ride the GAP, or go out for a few miles on a rail trail, this one is for you!

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A 5-Mile Walking Tour of Pittsburgh to See 17 Highlights

When we visit cities around the world as travelers, one of the first things we do is figure out a grand walking tour in order to get a feel for the city. We generally take anywhere from a half-day or full-day to do these self-guided city tours and really love checking things out on foot.

Until now, we had never put together one of these guides for Pittsburgh as our 90 neighborhoods often make it difficult to get around and see them all. Still, the neighborhoods in and around the central business district in downtown Pittsburgh have quite a lot to see and many of these spots are on the radar of those visiting Pittsburgh for the first time as well as long-time residents.

So in this one, we wanted to share what we consider to be the ultimate walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh! This walking tour covers five miles in the North Side, downtown Pittsburgh, Mount Washington, and Station Square and has 17 unique highlights worth checking out. 

So put your walking shoes on and get to exploring this beautiful city!

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Leon’s Caribbean Review – Fantastic Caribbean Food to Go

Leon's Caribbean closed their Allentown location in 2026.

There aren't too many places you can get Caribbean food in Pittsburgh, let alone Jamaican food, but Leon's in Allentown is one of them – and it's a spot we'd heard many good things about for quite some time. We recently made the trip there and fell in love with the kicked-up flavors of their traditional curries, stews, and wings.

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Exploring the Butler-Freeport Community Trail by Bike

The Butler-Freeport Community Trail is a converted rail trail that opened in 1992. The trail spans approximately twenty miles between the outskirts of Butler and Freeport and offers a great opportunity to surround yourself with nature on an easy-to-navigate path.

We took our bikes out on this one and did an out-and-back ride on the entire trail, and in this one we wanted to share a bit more about what it is like!

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Kiin Lao & Thai Eatery Review – Visiting for Laotian Cuisine

Kiin Lao and Thai Eatery in Squirrel Hill is Pittsburgh's first Laotian restaurant, having recently been transformed by the owners from a purely Thai restaurant into one serving both Lao and Thai dishes. Whether you're looking for some classic Thai dishes or are wanting to expand your palate and try Laotian food, odds are you'll find something that strikes your fancy on the diverse menu at Kiin which includes starters, salads, and entrees.

Kiin Lao and Thai Eatery used to be Bangkok Balcony, a beloved Squirrel Hill restaurant that we enjoyed over the years and used to be our go-to Thai place when we lived in the neighborhood. So when we heard the Bangkok Balcony owners were transforming the restaurant into a Lao and Thai eatery we knew we had to check it out.

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Our Favorite Pittsburgh Photographers You Should Follow

One of the first things we did after starting this website was to follow photographers in Pittsburgh. As photography addicts ourselves (having taken well over 100,000 shots of the metro region over the years), we absolutely love seeing how others view the city through their lens.

In this one, we wanted to profile some of our favorite Pittsburgh photographers that you should check out. We reached out to each of the photographers below and got their insight on how they got into photography, their favorite photography styles, the equipment they use, and more!

At the end of each profile, we feature links to each photographer's online portfolio and social media channels. Please give them a follow to support these awesome local creatives!

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