East

The Festival of Combustion Showcases the Industrial Arts

You may be well aware of Pittsburgh’s historic iron, glass, and steelmaking past as well as many industrial producers that call the city home to this very day.

Naturally, with its history, Pittsburgh is also home to a thriving industrial arts scene, and the annual Festival of Combustion event at Carrie Furnace merges these two into one with a fun day of live demonstrations, music, and hands-on activities focusing all things industrial arts.

Industrial art with a former steel blast furnace as a backdrop? It doesn’t get much more Pittsburgh than that!

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Flight 93 National Memorial – A Somber Memorial to 9/11

Sometimes as travel writers there are just a few spots we visit that are impossible to put into words. Destinations so sobering about the low points in human history that I simply cannot do justice in any one article.

I’ve found myself in this particular spot in many places around the world- be it Dachau in Germany, the ground zero spots of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and the 9/11 Memorial in New York City to name a few.

In these particular cases I’ve tried time and time again to write about them, but end up being at a loss for words. Rather than ignoring the topic altogether, I ultimately end up only sharing photos as a means to try and provide a visual understanding of the experience.

So it should be no surprise that my visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, is no different. Today, I wanted to share a few photos from the memorial to encourage everyone to visit.

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Jillian’s Review – Farm to Table Perfection in New Kensington

Jillian’s in New Kensington is a fine dining farm-to-table restaurant with a menu that changes daily, showcasing all the best produce and proteins from across the region. The unassuming brick exterior belies the hospitality and delightful chef-driven food that’s going on inside the cozy space. It’s the kind of spot perfect for bringing a group of friends, sharing a little bit of everything, and lingering with good conversation and a bottle of wine.

We’d heard lots of good things about this fine dining haven in an unlikely location, so we knew we had to check it out. The space is pretty small with just a dozen or so tables, so a reservation is essential. Around the timeframe that we visited, they were offering a burger night on Wednesdays, with their regular chalkboard menu on other nights Thursdays through Sundays.

Although the burgers sound great, we knew our first visit had to be to experience the entire menu- and oh are we glad we did.

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The Bloop Museum Showcases the History of Modern Electronics

The Bloop Museum was a long-standing pop-up in Baltimore, showcasing the history of modern electronics in all forms from early RAM to the computers and electronic systems we are familiar with today.

But in 2026, The Bloop Museum relocated to Penn Hills Township, just east of Pittsburgh, and has slowly been building out their space for private tours and open houses.

So, naturally, we had to go check this one early in its build-out, and wanted to share a bit more about what you can see in this one!

Note: It is worth re-iterating that the Bloop Museum is, as of article publication, still a work in progress. Many rooms are still under construction and the museum plans larger expansions over time. What you may see in a future visit may have more/different exhibits than what we saw in our visit in June 2026.

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Braddock Public House Review – A Food and Beer Delight

Braddock Public House is the newest venture from the folks behind Brew Gentlemen, a local brewery also based in the Braddock neighborhood. Located just down the street from their original taproom, Braddock Public House brings approachable yet elevated bar food with a Pittsburgh-Asian slant, along with their world class beer.

We visited during opening week and were so thrilled with the space, the friendly vibe, and the beer, but what surprised us most was the excellent food.

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Braddock’s Battlefield History Center Connects Early History

You are likely familiar with how the British and French fought for control of the confluence in what is now downtown Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War in the 1750s.

Many local battles took place during the war, including the Battle of Jumonville Glen at Fort Necessity (where George Washington is thought to have inadvertently been responsible for starting hostilities), the Braddock Campaign’s devastating loss at the Battle of Monongahela, the subsequent victory of the Forbes Campaign taking the confluence for the British (giving us the Pittsburgh we know today from Fort Ligonier to Fort Pitt), and more.

The Battle of Monongahela is memorialized in the appropriately named Braddock and North Braddock, PA, and today you can visit the battlefield site at Braddock’s Battlefield History Center at the site of where the battle took place.

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Boyce Park Ski Slopes and Snow Tubing Offer Winter Fun

Boyce Park is one of the most popular parks in Allegheny County. It offers an array of trails and outdoor activities to be enjoyed all year round, but unlike other county parks this one is perhaps best enjoyed in Pittsburgh’s winters!

The reason for this is that Boyce Park is home to a modest winter resort that includes several trails, a tubing course, and many other outdoor activities scheduled throughout the season.

After having enjoyed tubing at Seven Springs, we made the trip to Boyce Park to check out their tubing slopes (plus skiing!) and had a great day out!

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Hemlock House Review – A Modern Take on Pub Fare

Hemlock House opened in a prime location on S. Braddock Street in Swissvale (near Regent Square) in 2023 and serves up an array of modern pub fare with some flavor twists that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

We visited this one with eager anticipation shortly after they opened and discovered this one is quite the gem.

Although we did not get to try the full bar menu just yet as the liquor license was still a work in progress, this pub is worth a visit for the food alone!

Note: At the time of our visit, Hemlock House had popups from local producers. So, while perhaps not their own bar program outright, you could still get a great drink with a meal all the same!

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Taqueria el Pastorcito Review – Food Truck Turned Restaurant

Taqueria el Pastorcito came onto the Pittsburgh food truck scene serving up delicious tacos with their star item being their tacos al pastor. This style of pork is cooked on the traditional Mexican trompo, a vertical rotisserie like what is used to make gyros and shawarma, and is something you don’t see all too often in the city.

We first visited this truck on one of its inaugural outings and fell in love with their food as they immediately transported us back to the many wonderful tacos in Mexico we were fortunate enough to sample when visiting.

Naturally, it should be no surprise that this food truck became an instant hit. In fact, in just about a year they went from only being a food truck to also opening a dedicated taqueria in New Kensington about 30 minutes east of downtown Pittsburgh.

We of course had to visit shortly after it opened to get more of their delicious taco creations. 

It was worth the drive.

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Zone28 Offers Indoor Fun for Kids and Adults Alike in Harmarville

Sometimes we just want to unleash our inner child. Thankfully there are a number of options to do so in the Pittsburgh metro region.

One such place is Zone28 in Harmarville- a 50,000-square-foot complex that has virtually everything you would want for indoor fun.

Whether you have a child or simply want to act like a kid yourself, this one is sure to please with their collection of arcade machines, VR machines, escape rooms, laser tag, bowling, an on-site restaurant, and for the adults, loaded bars to name a few.

We were fortunate enough to visit this one as part of a media event and share more about what you can expect in this one.

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