Leo. a public house opened its doors in Pittsburgh's North Side (Manchester neighborhood) in early 2019. Not being ones to say no to a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh, especially in a lesser-visited neighborhood, you should know we rushed down to check this one out shortly after opening.
Jeremy
The Traveler’s Rest Hotel Review – Rooms for Groups and More
Note: We stayed at The Traveler's Rest Hotel when it formerly operated as a hostel. Now the hotel has overhauled its offering to offer private rooms for various group sizes with shared facilities and is much more in line with a traditional boutique hotel. As such, we have updated the language of this article accordingly.
As avid travelers, we've done our fair share of overnight stays in hostels and boutique hotels- from $3 hole-in-the-walls in central China to high-end lodge-esque accommodations dedicated to hikers in Patagonia. Whenever we need to travel economically, we look toward shared dorms and private rooms in order to meet our travel goals.
One thing that always bothered me about the Pittsburgh hotel scene is that our budget and boutique hotel offering is much more limited compared to chain offerings.
Traveler's Rest is one boutique hotel that opened up in South Side near Station Square and it certainly fills a need!
I was invited to the hotel for an overnight stay and wanted to share a bit more about this hidden gem in the South Side.
Cambod-Ican Kitchen Review – Go for the Cambodian Staples
If you find yourself in South Side and are looking for dinner, or a late night snack, or a late late night snack, a visit to Cambod-Ican Kitchen may be for you. This particular spot serves staples from Cambodia from 6pm until 3 or 4 am!
So if you are in the mood for a different kind of Asian fare, you may want to try this one out!
During my first visit I opted for a Cambodian classic which hit the spot!
Carnegie Mellon’s Spring Carnival and Buggy Races
Carnegie Mellon University's Spring Carnival is a tradition that dates back more than a century and is a three-day event that takes place each April.
Sometimes it is hard to say no to traditions, and CMU knows how to really honor theirs!
If you are planning a visit to this one, the following is what you can expect.
Barking Slopes Conservation Area Is a Quiet Spot East of Pittsburgh
Barking Slopes Conservation Area is a rather small park located near Oakmont and New Kensington, PA- about 40 minutes east of Pittsburgh.
The park is roughly 150 acres and is managed by the Allegheny Land Trust as a conservation and biological diversity area due to its unique geological features.
For the casual hiker, this one is not much different than other conservation areas in the region. But the park offers a nice hike out in nature with potential wildlife spottings all the same.
YinzBurgh BBQ Review – Average Meats at a Higher Price
Yinzburhg BBQ is now closed.
We heard many positive reviews of Bloomfield's YinzBurgh BBQ, and were pretty excited to check this spot out. But with a fairly high price point and only decent meats, I left this one a bit underwhelmed.
Exploring the Historical Jail Museum in Downtown Pittsburgh
If you've spent some time walking around downtown Pittsburgh, odds are good you've seen the old Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail. This historical building is one of the most stunning in the city and even includes its own Bridge of Sighs walkway that connected the two buildings.
Today the jail has been decommissioned and converted into a Common Pleas court, yet many artifacts from the era exist and are available on display in the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum.
But if you want to check this one out you'll have to plan accordingly- it is only open from 11:30am to 1pm on Mondays, February to October!
An Attraction and Dining Guide to East Liberty
If there is any neighborhood in Pittsburgh that has changed the most in the last few years, it would be East Liberty.
The neighborhood is the poster child for gentrification and is now home to luxury lofts, numerous restaurants, and easy access to the growing tech hub in Bakery Square in nearby Larimer (although tenants there like to call themselves part of East Liberty partly due to association-by-gentrification).
While we could spend a long time discussing the gentrification of neighborhoods like these (we encourage it in the comments!), in our neighborhood guide series we want to take a look at what East Liberty is now and highlight the history and some of the spots we visit when exploring the neighborhood- namely the restaurants and a few limited attractions.
Behind the Scenes Tour at PNC Park is a Must for Baseball Fans
PNC Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and is also considered to be one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country.
While a great place to be during a game, the park is also home to a behind the scenes tour that goes to a number of interesting spots inside the stadium that you normally won't see in a regular game, including:
- Legacy Theater
- The Clubhouse (away days only*)
- Batting Cages, Tunnel, and Dugout
- The Press Box
- Club Level and Suites
Taking this tour was high on my Pittsburgh bucket list, but I always had trouble scheduling a visit to coincide with a date I could get inside the Clubhouse. Now that I finally made that happen, it is time to share a few highlights from the tour!
Fogo de Chao Review – All You Can Eat Meats in Pittsburgh
It is a rare event on Discover the Burgh for us to feature a national chain, but every so often we will make an exception if it is interesting and somewhat unique among what is available in the area.
When I was invited into Fogo de Chao in downtown to try out their menu of all-you-can-eat meat as part of a local media event, it was one such exception.
It is time for more churasscaria in Pittsburgh!