Oakland Archives - Discover the Burgh

Phipps Conservatory’s Summer Flower Show – Back in Bloom

We've been enjoying the great outdoors a lot during 2020's social distancing, and this is something that has not changed as businesses open back up. One indoor spot we were pleased to hear was reopening in the Green Phase is Phipps Conservatory as it is one of the places we love to visit multiple times per year to check out their seasonal flower shows.

The 2020 Summer Flower Show coincided with the botanical garden's reopening and has the theme Back in Bloom. This theme is a celebration of all things nature coinciding with the botanical gardens being welcome back guests who are in need of a little nature therapy.

While the artwork in this show is a bit more subdued compared to other shows, this really allows for the colorful flowers to shine as the focal point. While visiting, be sure to look out for uplifting quotes about nature found throughout the conservatory as well!

As with every review of the flower shows, we wanted to share a few of our favorite rooms from this one. However, as the focus point in this show is purely on the flowers, we have a bit reduced commentary when compared to other articles.

Phipps Conservatory for the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show

The Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show, aptly themed “Out of This World” for 2020, brings these two beautiful plants (both favorites of ours) to the forefront of the Conservatory.

As always with our show features, we wanted to share a few of our favorite rooms from this show and hope you'll make it out to visit for yourselves!

Phipps Conservatory’s Fall Flower Show – Japanese Inspirations

Phipps Conservatory is known for being one of the largest botanical gardens in the region, and also for their seasonal flower shows that are truly events not to be missed.

For the fall 2019 flower show, Phipps is transporting you to Asia with the theme Japanese Inspirations- recreating numerous festivals all adorned with stunning fall flowers!

As with all of our show reviews, we're not going to share every room in the Conservatory (you'll have to visit yourself to see them all!). Instead, we're going to feature a few of our favorite rooms from the show to highlight a cross-section of the displays!

Spirits & Tales Review – Elevated Dining With a View in Oakland

Spirits & Tales located in The Oaklander hotel fulfills the much-needed niche in Oakland of a chef-driven destination restaurant with creative small plates and entrees. We've been huge fans of Chef Jessica Lewis since her Carota Cafe days at Smallman Galley (now closed), and we are thrilled to see she now has her own spot where she can showcase her vegetable-forward dishes.

Phipps Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show – Gardens of the Rainbow

As the cold of winter begins to leave Pittsburgh, there is one thing we always look forward to in order to ring in the start of spring – Phipps Conservatory's Spring Flower Show!

2019's Spring Flower Show has the theme “Gardens of the Rainbow” and highlights the colors of the rainbow as well as other unique aspects of color theory- making this one of the most vibrant shows in recent memory!

We were fortunate to visit Phipps Conservatory shortly after this show opened as guests of Phipps and we wanted to share some of our favorite rooms and exhibits with you today.

As with all of our museum posts, we're only sharing a selection of our favorites because you truly must visit for yourself to experience it all!

Phipps Conservatory’s Winter Flower Show – A Festival of Trees

When it comes to holiday festivities, one of the best places in Pittsburgh to visit is Phipps Conservatory. Their winter flower show, which begins the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs until early-January, is a celebration of the holiday season with festive art pieces, an array of gorgeous winter flowers, and some of the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees in Pittsburgh.

The 2019-2020 flower show is themed Festival of Trees and features numerous decorated trees (both natural and abstract) as well as all of the gorgeous flowers we've come to love from the conservatory.

We got the chance to visit this one for a sneak preview before it officially opened for the 2019-2020 season, and wanted to share a few of our favorite rooms in this one!

FEAST at the Carnegie Museums – An Exceptional Dining Experience

The Carnegie Museums in Oakland have an annual dinner series known as FEAST which is a themed a dining experience in conjunction with a current exhibit. During the Carnegie International (running until March 2019), the museum is hosting three unique dinners in order to celebrate topics being presented during the flagship exhibition.

The first dinner was themed after the topic Beauty and hosted by Kate Romane from Black Radish Kitchen- a popular pop-up restaurant that is known for being highly sought after and almost impossible to get a seat at (we've yet to get in ourselves!).

I was invited to check out the dinner series as a guest of the museum, and share the experience of the dinner series in this one!

Chick’n Bubbly Review – Fast Korean Fried Chicken in Oakland

Chick'n Bubbly is a Korean fried chicken and bubble tea joint located in the heart of Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

While chicken and bubble tea are the two stars of the menu, this fast service restaurant also has a number of Japanese sides including menchi katsu and takoyaki to name a few.

I visited this one after hearing rave reviews from friends and was not disappointed.

Carnegie Museum of Art 21+ Night – Adults Only Museum Exploration

Sometimes you just want to be alone in a museum. Other times, you want to party at a museum.

At the Carnegie Museums, this means heading to one of the periodic 21+ Nights where you and other like-minded adults can experience the museum with a beer and participate in themed activities- 100% kid free!

We were invited to check out a recent 21+ Night, and in this one wanted to share what the experience is like for those looking to attend a future event.

Celebrate Christmas Internationally at the Cathedral of Learning

The Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning are one of Pittsburgh's true gems. These rooms function as classrooms for the University of Pittsburgh, but they are much more than that- they are also designed in the style of classrooms from various countries around the world.

Although we always love taking out of town visitors to these rooms, perhaps the best time of year to do so is the Christmas season.

From late November to early January every year, these classrooms come alive with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations that are representative of decorations from their respective countries. And if that wasn't enough, the common area of the cathedral is also decked out with even more Christmas trees and decorations as well!