Oakland Archives - Discover the Burgh

Phipps Conservatory’s Summer Flower Show – Van Gogh in Bloom

Last Updated On June 10, 2019

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland is one of the pride and jewels of Pittsburgh. Each season the conservatory unveils a new show that features impressive artistic displays as well as unique seasonal flowers that will have you coming back time and time again.

The Summer Flower Show in 2019 is themed “Van Gogh in Bloom” and features some of this master's wonderful works re-imagined with flowers as the medium!

As with previous shows, we do not like to give everything away in our reviews. Instead, we're only featuring a select few of our favorite rooms and are leaving the rest for you to enjoy on your visit!

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

Last Updated On June 4, 2019

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, 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

Last Updated On March 25, 2019

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!

Pie for Breakfast Review – Higher End Diner Fare in Oakland

Last Updated On February 12, 2019

Pie for Breakfast is a trendy diner in Oakland serving up creative diner fare and homemade pies.

The menu here goes beyond just the basic eggs and bacon staples and ventures deftly into steaks, kielbasa, quiches, biscuits and gravy, and a good selection of healthier vegetarian options as well.

Visit Phipps Conservatory for the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show

Last Updated On March 14, 2019

The Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show, aptly themed “Eye Candy” for 2019, 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 Winter Flower Show – A Festive Tradition

Last Updated On March 14, 2019

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.

For our visit to the 2018 show we made our way to the conservatory at dusk to enjoy the outdoor Light Garden which is only open from 5pm onward when the sun sets over the city.

As with each flower show, we are drawn to some rooms more than others, both for their photographic beauty as well as the ambiance in general. From the 2018 Winter Flower Show, the following were a selection of our favorite displays.

FEAST at the Carnegie Museums – An Exceptional Dining Experience

Last Updated On March 14, 2019

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

Last Updated On November 14, 2018

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.

Phipps Conservatory’s Fall Flower Show – 125 Years of Wonder

Last Updated On March 14, 2019

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 2018 flower show, Phipps went all out to celebrate their 125th anniversary. The theme for this show is 125 Years of Wonder, and brings a historical element (namely photos from different time periods) in addition to the beautiful flower displays you come to expect from the shows.

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!

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

Last Updated On March 14, 2019

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.