Downtown

Anthrocon’s Fursuit Parade and Block Party is a Ton of Fun

Out of all of the conferences that come to Pittsburgh, Anthrocon is one of the most unique and interesting. 

The conference is for fur suit enthusiasts, or furries, and has been coming to Pittsburgh every year since 2006. That year, 2,489 furries descended on the city for the event, and in 2024, the conference ballooned to over 17,639 participants!

Although the convention itself is primarily designed for those interested in the community, there are many opportunities for outsides to get to meet with visitors, see their incredible fur suits up close, and welcome them to the community.

But one of our favorites is Anthrocon's fursuit parade, which involves a massive promenade around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. So, let's talk a bit more about it in this one!

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Whisper Offers Classic Wines, Dessert, and More Downtown

We always love it when a new wine-forward bar opens in Pittsburgh, and when we heard that Bridges & Bourbon was opening Whisper, a self-described wine and dessert bar, we knew we had to visit shortly after opening.

As it turns out, this one actually has a robust menu of cocktails, wines, shareable savory foods, and dessert, all centered around classic recipes and wine brands you may recognize. This comes together for a bar with a high-end ambiance much like its sister bar next door and a welcoming sense of the familiar when reading the menu.

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How to Get the Most Out of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Pittsburgh is often considered to have one of the largest St. Patrick's Day Parades in the country, taking place the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day (unless the holiday falls on a Saturday, of course), and it doesn't take long after the parade starts to see why that is.

This one is massive!

Whether you're heading down to check out the parade or want to keep the party going and make a day of it, we have some tips you may want to keep in mind before heading downtown for the parade.

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Arepittas Review – Delicious Venezuelan Arepas Downtown

Arepittas on Cherry Way in downtown Pittsburgh is one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of spots.

Part of this is because it is on a less frequented stretch of downtown Pittsburgh outright, but the main reason is that it is tucked on the first level of a large parking garage. So much so that it feels almost like it is inside the garage properly. 

So when we drove down this road and saw the small Venezuelan street food restaurant, we had to do a double take. But after hearing many glowing reviews from others who have visited before us, we knew we had to get in right away.

To put it bluntly- Arepittas may be the best cheap eats in downtown Pittsburgh.

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The Aperitivo Club Showcases Italian Flavor Downtown

If you've frequented Market Square in recent years, you may be familiar with the Wine Bar at the Market Street Grocery. This little hangout spot tucked away in the back of the (now-closed) grocery store offered an assortment of Italian wines in a relaxing ambiance.

In 2024, the Wine Bar underwent a rebranding and expansion to become The Aperitivo Club. While still offering a stellar selection of wines, this one added on an impressive collection of cocktails featuring Italian amaro, spirits, and more, small bites, and more!

Naturally, we had to check out the cocktail side of this bar shortly after opening.

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Pizza Bari Halal Review – A Hidden Uzbek Menu Downtown

If you've ever spent some time walking around the Cultural District, you may have seen Pizza Bari and thought of it as just another pizza shop downtown.

But go inside and you will discover that this unassuming shop also has a not-so-secret Uzbek menu full of delicious cuisine to try. So on your next trip, look past the pizza and try some wonderful central Asian cuisine!

But be warned- the portions here are quite large, so go with a group and eat family style if you can.

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E.T.A. Review – Japanese Whisky and Cocktails Downtown

We love a themed cocktail bar, and when it is run by the team behind The Warren, even better.

E.T.A is a Japanese whisky and cocktail bar that opened in The Warren's back room in early 2024. The space was where the former wine shop was located and has been a bar we've been waiting to check out for quite some time. In fact, it wasn't until our friend Alex Eats Too Much stumbled upon this one on opening week that we even found it was close to opening at all. 

Naturally, we visited right away.

Whether you are visiting for whisky, a highball, one of their inventive house cocktails, or even a modest food menu, there really is a lot to enjoy about E.T.A.!

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Barcelona Wine Bar Review – Spanish Tapas and Wine Downtown

Barcelona Wine Bar is a new addition to the downtown Pittsburgh drinking and dining scene offering small plates and a huge selection of wine by the glass. Although it's a national chain, we absolutely love the concept of Barcelona Wine Bar- snacking our way through a meal and sampling Spanish and South American wines is our idea of a great night out.

Occupying the former Sharp Edge space on Penn Ave., Barcelona Wine Bar has completed a stunning reservation of the space; the decor suggests the kind of high end wine bar you might find in a much larger city. A long bar with sleek pendant lights runs the length of the space, with large, comfy booths beside the bar, and an adjacent room offers a larger dining space with tables.

Both the food and wine menus here are pretty extensive- it took us a while to take it all in and make decisions, as we truly wanted to order some of everything!

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Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show – Spring or Fall?

Ever since buying a house, we've been inundated with projects left and right. At times, it is really hard to know where to even begin as our list of improvements seems never ending.

So we've been heading to the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show at the convention center for their spring and fall shows to get ideas.

These events are quite massive and feature hundreds upon hundreds of local vendors covering everything from general contract work to gutter sales and everything in between.

While we'll be the first to admit that the spring show is the one to be at, if you are looking to get ideas for a future home improvement project, this one may need to be on your radar!

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Sippin’ Santa Brings a Christmas Tiki Pop-up Experience

Christmas popup bars are a dime a dozen these days, and we almost always treat new concepts with a bit of suspicion.

But when we heard the international charity pop-up, Miracle Bar, was launching a second concept, we were interested. When we heard that it would be called Sippin' Santa and was going to be tiki themed, we were in.

Naturally, we went to this one as quickly as we could after it open for the season. With tiki classics, unique house creations with tropical themes, and profits going to charity, this certainly makes for a different kind of pop-up bar that we hope will return in future seasons!

Note: This review is from a visit to Sippin' Santa in a previous iteration. Cocktails and designs may change in future popups.

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