My Market Square Favorites

Since I've been back in Pittsburgh (approaching the three-year anniversary mark!), I've been with the same small law firm whose offices have gone from the stately Henry W. Oliver Building to the glass castle called PPG One. Transitioning over toward PPG Place has made me a frequenter of Market Square - before work, during lunch, and after work. Here are some of my favorite options for fueling and feeding myself throughout the workweek:

BEFORE WORK
Bluebird Kitchen
I enjoy Bluebird for many reasons. 1) Delicious coffee. 2) Different and always tasty pastries. 3) Actual FRESH-SQUEEZED OJ (one of my favorite things in life). 4) My neighbor Alex works there! I need to make a mental note to get to work early enough one day to sit down and have an actual breakfast there, cause I'm on a big eggs and toast kick right now. I can only believe that would make a great start to my morning.

Nicholas Coffee Co.
Lovely lattes, especially when a "pick-me-up" is needed on a rainy, gray Pittsburgh afternoon. (Having an entire wall of your office be a window with an awesome view can get a little depressing in a stretch of rainy days.) They've also got a great selection of teas, and this is a normal go-to for me when I'm out of coffee or espresso beans at home.

DURING LUNCH AND AFTER WORK
WINGHART'S
If you've been paying even the smallest bit of attention to EvBetPGH, you probably already know my love for this place. But I'm a fan of beating people over the head with information. So here we go again: Best burger you'll ever have. Ever. I never stray away from my usual order (FYI: empty with extra cheddar medium, which I then dip in what even I consider an obscene amount of ketchup), but anyone I have ever taken to this place (there have been lots and lots) agrees that whatever burger they had was MIGHTY good. I love this place for lunch, and I especially love it for after work. When I worked in the Oliver Building, my dad and I would meet at the Smithfield Cafe before Pens games or whatever event we were taking in that night). Now we meet at Winghart's. A definite improvement in many ways.

Las Velas
Let me be nostalgic for a moment: Back when I was at Pitt, back when I was under-21, I ate many a meal at La Fiesta. The restaurant wasn't much - chairs and tables set up in the front two rooms of a mostly-shitty (but livable) South Oakland building - but the food was cheap, the queso (THE CHEESE!) was amazing stuff, and no one asked for my ID when I brought in a six pack. The queso was so amazing that on return trips to Pittsburgh from Boston, I would asked to be taked directly to La Fiesta from the airport. Las Velas, whose quality of establishment is about a billion times less shady than La Fiesta, has THE CHEESE. They also have the tacos and all the other delicious Mexican fare. Though it's not BYOB, I'm now able to consume alcohol legally. And I have consumed many margaritas from Las Velas and I can attest to their wonderfulness (as well as their strongness).

Prantl's
For whenever my sweet tooth is aching for a treat. Love their cookies, although I have to stray away from the ones with too too much icing. I think I may have entered into a sugar coma-shock after devouring one of those once.

Primanti's
Admission: I did not have my first Primanti's sammich until the Steelers Super Bowl against the Seahawks. I was a bad Pittsburgher back then. Now, I'll hit up Primanti's on the regular for lunch. There's a way a double egg & cheese hits the spot like no other lunch option can.

Why PGH Is Everything Better: The Skinny Building

Throughout the day, I like to keep up with what's going on outside my lovely wall of a window in the PPG building. I get an amazing view of the city from where I sit every work day between 8:30 and 5:30. I refresh the Post-Gazette's website often. Today I came across one of those articles that made me think: "This is why Pittsburgh is great." So, here I offer you the first in what may become a series (especially because my activity-doing and adventure-taking has been nearly halted due to evil winter): Why PGH is Everything Better.

I have walked by the "Skinny Building" so many times. I bike past it every day. I had no idea it was a) a thing or b) its own building. Here I am, approaching three years working downtown, and totally unaware that we could have a world-record-setting building. Enjoy the article here.

A Pittsburgh Moment: February 6, 2013

Who: Me & Allie, walking to the bus stop after work.
Where: Route is PPG One through Market Square past the Fairmont and down Liberty. Event takes place in front of the Fairmont.
When: This evening, while it was still light out at 5:30 p.m.

Today during lunch, Allie and I had just discussed how we always run into celebrities when we're together. Willem Dafoe in Market Square. Gus Van Sant at the Brillobox. Charlie Batch outside of the Fairmont. Well, we were walking past the Fairmont after work when I saw a man. He was becoming quickly surrounded by people holding objects (a broken hockey stick, a large piece of cardboard) and pens looking for autographs. I looked a little closer and recognized him immediately. But I was flustered, cause - I know who this is and it is exciting! And I couldn't for the life of me get the to come to my lips. "Allie - look! It's... It's..." Allie looks. I continue looking like a stumbling fool. "Chuck? Chuck...?" I say, knowing it's not at all right.

"That's Bill Cowher."

Of course it was. We high-fived and kept walking toward Wood Street. We were excited to see Bill Cowher, but we were more excited that it was staying lighter later.

Surviving December: Larrimor's Windows

I'm one of the only people in my group of friends who works downtown. That seems odd to me, especially because in Boston it was unusual if someone did not work downtown. I've been downtown nearly every day for two and a half years now, and something I've truly enjoyed during my walks around town at lunch are the Larrimor's window displays. I've actually never thought to photograph these and document them, but they are normally truly bizarre. Their holiday offering, "It's Christmas in Pittsburgh and My True Love Gave to Me..." is a great example of why you should venture downtown more often. Goofiness abounds.

One view of a great city.

Two steep inclines.

Three Stanley Cups.

Four parking chairs.

Five golden rings (plus one).

Six Penguins Skatin.

Seven pickles picklin'.

Eight perogies fryin.' [sic]

Nine heads by Andy.

Ten gunbands snappin'.

Eleven Steelers chargin'.

Twelve I.C.'s chillin'. [sic]

PGH Book #8: Fallingwater Rising

Confession: This book took me like three months to read. It's a behemoth. Well, for someone who somehow neglected to read anything of importance in 2011, it was a behemoth. But I made it through! It only took several renewals from the Carnegie Library (I even had to return the book once because I had renewed it too many times) and a good solid Sunday of reading last weekend to get to the end. I may be making this seem way more taxing than it was, because I truly enjoyed this book. Before reading this, I had picked through Franklin Toker's Pittsburgh: A New Portrait (which, if you have not got a copy of this on your shelves and you love Pittsburgh like I do, you need to correct that ASAP). I really enjoy his writing style, and taking in his recap of Fallingwater from the very beginning was enlightening and fun. (In the latter chapters, he recaps some of the "bitchiness" between Wright and the Kaufmanns, and it is highly enjoyable.)

If you're interested in undertaking Fallingwater Rising, I would highly suggest first visiting Fallingwater (especially if you're a Pittsburgh resident). Maybe it's just me, but I thought it would have been really difficult to imagine the architectural descriptions of the house without having experienced myself, which I had the opportunity to do while I was back in Pittsburgh visiting in the summer of...2008? 2009? It doesn't much matter what year I was there. This place is completely timeless.

This house, simply put, is amazing.

What's even MORE amazing is something I discovered in the final pages of the book. When I read it, I was floored. I had to read it three or four times to make sure I wasn't seeing things:

Here is the quote in it's entirety, from the chapter Edgar Kaufmann Jr., The True Lord of Fallingwater: Working in the Oliver Building in Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh were Ethel Clinton Appel as the estate supervisor, and her assistants, Joseph Johnson, and Julia Tompkins. Those three plus E. J.'s old accountants Philip Smith and A. E. Rowland, also ran the Kaufmann Foundation out of the same office.

Why is this so significant? My first name is Allison. My middle name is Elisabeth. My last name is Rowland. I am A. E. Rowland. What makes it even weirder is that I worked for two years in the Oliver Building downtown. (The law firm I work for has since moved to PPG Place.) Sometimes life throws you these insane coincidences. Everything about this one is so awesome. 

Just like Fallingwater.

PGH Stuff and Things N'at: August 2012

Due to a combination of extreme discomfort (stupid poison ivy legs) and a return to high temps (stupid sweaty poison ivy legs), I feel like I haven't been able to do much fun stuff lately. The good news is the itchiness is gone! Now I just have to wait out the disappearance of these scabs and patches of dead skin (I know, sounds really cool, right?!), but I'm back to shorts, skirts, and dresses. Stupid work pants be damned! So, in lieu of a post dedicated to one thing, here's a post dedicated to five things. Stuff and things n'at. Enjoy!

Love Front Porch
This morning while I was eating breakfast (toad in the hole smothered in cheddar cheese) and drinking coffee, I was catching up on my Google Reader. One of the PopCity articles I had missed last week was about Love Front Porch, based in Homewood. Do yourself (and Vanessa German, creator of Love Front Porch) a favor and read the site's About Me section. Or, if you're more of a watcher than a reader, press play:

I was inspired to donate to Love Front Porch, and I hope you will be too. The amount of time I spend in Homewood is basically zero. When I first moved back to Pittsburgh, a friend suggested I take a route through the neighborhood from my apartment in Bloomfield over to Regent Square. I felt incredibly unsafe. After that first ride through Homewood - even what as probably a less dangerous section that borders Point Breeze - I have stuck to braving Penn Ave when I need to get over to that part of the East End. Here's the thing though: I want to spend time in Homewood. It's a neighborhood in our city with a rich past (the Carnegies had homes there), storied culture (John Edgar Wideman sets many of his novels on those streets and Billy Strayhorn moved his family there), and buildings I want to explore (the Homewood branch of the Carnegie Library and Victorian homes in need of some TLC).  But, because Homewood is a hotbed of violence, I stay away. I want to love Pittsburgh as a whole, not just the sum of the parts where I feel safe. I wish Vanessa German all the luck in the world with her project. And I hope it can bring a sense of calm and community to a neighborhood that is ailing.

Strata
Sometime in July, I saw these weird posters go up around Downtown. I was intrigued.

When I found out the project was of Bricolage's creation, that was all the mystery I needed solved before purchasing a pair of tickets. I'm not going to reveal much about Strata. I was specifically instructed not to on my visit. But, participating in this was one of the more unique things I have ever done in my life. My dad accompanied me and he not only enjoyed himself, but he had a completely different experience than me. Bricolage has undertaken a huge endeavor here, and they have succeeded. Do yourself a favor and get refitnessed before time's up. The production goes until September 1. Who knows when something this incredible and bizarre will pop up in Pittsburgh again.

The Calm After the Storm - Pittsburgh's Beautiful Sunset
If you're an Instagram user (follow me at everythingbetterpgh) and you have any Instagram friends who live in Pittsburgh, chances are they posted a picture of the sky from Sunday evening. We had a terrible day of rain and scary storms (which I was fortunate enough to get caught in on my bike!), but by 8 p.m., the rain had cleared and looking up was a treat. These photos: unedited.

Looking down Friendship from my corner on Gross Street.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church and The Highland Building

Happy Birthday, Andy Warhol!
Today would have been Andy Warhol's 84th birthday. While I was getting ready this morning, NPR aired a bit about it, and the unassuming cemetery in my hometown of Bethel Park where he is buried. Listen to the story here, and scroll down to watch a great time-lapse video that brings Warhol's grave to life over the course of two years.

Movin' On Up: To the 16th Floor of PPG One
Not going to lie about the rough string of ten days or so I just had to live through. Between the poison ivy, the anniversary of my mom's death, a bike accident, and two flats in four days, I was seriously down in the dumps. Add to that a crazy week of work, but not because of my day-to-day responsibilities. We packed up our offices in the Henry W. Oliver Building and bid farewell to the Daniel Burnham-designed mini-skyscraper and have said hello to PPG One, i.e. the glass castle that is so essential to Pittsburgh's skyline.

Sixteen floors up, with one of those baller window-walled offices is where you'll find me, Monday through Friday.

Now that the move is over, I am so happy. Walking into that building today, sitting at my desk and looking out the window at Pittsburgh, the Mon, the Smithfield Street Bridge, and the South Side Slopes... I feel like I won the office lottery. When I started with the law firm I work with, I didn't ever expect to a) have a job where I felt so challenged and engaged with my work (I had started off as the receptionist, but am now a writer/paralegal) or b) sit in an office that I truly think would make anyone jealous. I remember being a kid and visiting my dad at his office out in Robinson and thinking "Look how important he is with this office and this big window and wow!" (I was also OBSESSED with playing with the Xerox machine in his office; I was a weird kid.) Tomorrow, he's coming up to see my office and my window and I can't wait to show it off.

I feel like this move has been the 180-degree flip I needed in my grumpy overall mindset. I am excited about all the stuff and things n'at that are to come.

"LIVE" Blogging Sebak: Things That Are Still Here

Last time I sat down to watch a Rick Sebak doc, it was about things that no longer exist. This time, I sat down to watch one about things that are still around.

Here are the thoughts I had while watching. Enjoy!

- I'm excited to see things that are still here. I already can't wait to see them for myself. I am a nerd like that.

- Starting with dinos. OKAY! (This goes along perfectly with the PGH Book I am reading right now.) The dinosaur collection at the Carnegie is the best on the planet, and it's such a thrill to be able to go see them whenever I want. I can still remember being a kid and walking into the dinosaur hall and feeling so small and so in awe. Also: There used to be a LIGHT SHOW on the dino bones? Bring that back, ASAP. Nominee for best quote of doc: "Her office is in the 'Big Bone Room.'"

- Mmmmmm. Donuts. This is just cruel right now, Sebak. I love it when people say things like "I just have to take a box of Orem's donuts with me when I go out of town." (I'm going to have to make a Paddy Cake trip soon.)

- Nicholas Coffee & Tea is one of my favorite places Downtown, especially when it's cold out. There's something about a Nicholas latte on a really cold day.

- I need to go explore these coke ovens outside of Connellsville. They look pretty rad.

- Watching these clay jugs being made is honestly fascinating. HOLY CRAP. It looks like it is someone's job in the factory to smash the imperfect plates. I am envious. The Fiestaware plant might be my favorite segment of this documentary. It's really enjoyable. I absolutely love these people waiting to get into the factory sale. Heartwarming times a million.

- Officially putting the Braddock Carnegie Library on the list of things to see this summer. What an absolutely beautiful building.

- Ahh, Ligonier Beach. An interesting place, to say the least. A bar and a diving board in the same location? Perfection.

- Lots of interesting facts about the mobile hanging in the Pittsburgh International Airport. Can't wait to share those.

- Oh! The Belts! I love the belts. When I was learning how to drive to Oakland, I had to remember to turn at the one Blue Belt sign going up that hill. (How you know you're a Pittsburgh: you could never give directions with street names.) I love how no one knows what the belts are or what they do. It's seriously one of my favorite weird Pittsburgh things. "It's a unique system, and it works well." Another good nominee for best quote of doc.

(Someone please find a way to get an Orange Belt sign in to my possession. Thanks!)

Bike's in the Shop: My Walk to Work

In order to better the odds that I am actually able to make it to Washington D.C. by bike, I had to do something I really really hate doing: giving it up. Red had to go into the shop for some MAJOR work before the trip. I was going to be without a bike for both a morning and an evening commute. The worst possible thing. For no particular reason, I haven't been able to wake up very early lately. I've started taking cereal and instant coffee into work because there is nothing I can do to get up and have breakfast at home. Simply put: I don't wake up early.

However, take away my bike and force me to face the brutal reality of the bus? I will wake up early and walk. (Disclaimer: I believe the bus is a very important and vital tool to our city. I use it from time to time and it is something that really allows me to live without a car in Pittsburgh. I just like to use my own two feet to get around.)

Ultimately, walking to Downtown takes a bit longer than busing to Downtown. So I really would save time and sleep longer if I rode the bus. But it had been a while since I walked to work. I used to walk to work all the time in Boston before I got a bike. I'm never one to turn down a long walk, so I forced myself awake by treating me to a nice coffee for the way in.

And I took some photos along the way.

Flowers in Bloomfield

Looking over Lawrenceville into Millvale from Penn Ave.

I see this every morning coming down Penn. But I'm normally on wheels and not feet, so it was considerably easier to take a picture.

This place on Penn does great business in the mornings around 8:20 a.m.

If there were an award for most colorful building in Pittsburgh, Salem's would have to be a contender.

Troy Hill in the distance. Love that colored wall.

So, a few weeks ago, I started to see this mural slowly going up on the wall of Altar Bar. It's PRETTY incredible. We've got New Found Glory (which I initially thought was Meatloaf, cause it kinda makes more sense in my head that it would be Meatloaf), Hank Williams III (I think?), Snoop Dogg (because of course; he loves Pittsburgh, at least the Pens and Steelers), Leon Russell (???), and the Misfits. I almost hope they rotate new celebs up there seasonally. 

And I got to work *right* at 8:30; I couldn't have timed it better if I tried.

EverythingBetterPGH - Instagram May 2012

So, yeah. Here's the thing. My life feels completely out of control right now. I've had several action-packed weekends and work has somewhat exploded and my brain feels like it is in a million places at once. I take off for DC on bike in...just a little more then FOUR days. Like last year, I feel totally unprepared, but at least I have half the trail already under my belt, so I'm less nervous this go-around. Still though, I need to do the following before Friday night: go to REI for last-minute camping supplies, go to grocery store for initial foodstuffs, get Red all nice and tuned up, and figure out what exactly I'm packing. I know I'm going to leave Pittsburgh (okay, Homestead) by bike and turn up in DC a week later. But I still have no idea how I'm actually going to execute such a plan.

What I'm saying: I don't want to abandon EverythingBetterPGH this week, because I doubt I'll be posting much from the trail (though if I am, find me on twitter or instagram (username: everythingbetterpgh)). So here's a sorry excuse for a post. Some instagram photos I've taken over the past few weeks. Enjoy.

This is Mae. She is a dog. She is a pretty awesome dog. She is owned by Sarah.

Slowly, I am making my way through Fallingwater Rising. It's intimidating, but informatively juicy.

This is a perfect sky, in honor of the perfect weather we had all weekend.

Here I am on the South Side. I am a sucker for powerlines.

You may not be surprised to find out that I am currently working on a PGH puzzle. Here we have the top of the PPG Building.

PGH Beautiful: Street Art and a Sign, April 2012

I feel like I've almost abandoned these quick little photo posts of signs and murals and street art and so on. I don't want to do that, so here are a few things I saw and felt the need to capture.

This is hanging in the upstairs bathroom at Shale's. (gently!!)

Not so sure what Karate Coyote is (a band?), but this sticker on a pole along Liberty is great.

I was up early on a Sunday morning and walked to get coffee. I arrived earlier than the coffeeshop opened, but only by ten or so minutes. Not a problem. A quick walk around the block and down an alley I'd never step foot in before was plenty okay by me.

Pens Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: v. Flyers, Game 2

Well. That was certainly not how anyone (in Pittsburgh) wanted things to go. But, I guess that's hockey. Now we're down 0-2 in the series and there's undoubtedly a lot of nervous anxiety going on inside all Pens fans. My friend Rob reminded me that we went down 0-2 in a couple series the year we won the Cup; so this is not over yet.

Even though the game got more miserably depressing as the periods went on, I still had a blast. I was able to spring myself from work an hour early by skipping lunch. This gave me time to head to Shale's across from the Consol to meet up with one of my hockey-family buds named Matt. We had delicious Molsons on the back deck; it was a gorgeous evening for outdoor drinking. Eventually Matt's friends and my dad got to the bar for a couple before heading over the arena. Matt and I met a couple farmers who had come from Butler County for the night. The boys kept sending me inside for beers because I am a girl, and in a bar before a Penguins game full of bro-dudes, that is how you get beer quickest.

1. Back deck @ Shale's; 2. This dino is named "Dark Horse" after James Neal and it is pretty awesome; 3. In PGH, we put our churches to work...

One of my favorite things about games at the Consol is the sense of family we've created for ourselves. My dad knows most all of the ushers there by now, but last night a new guy named "Norm" was watching over our section. Norm looked to be in his late 60s, early 70s. He looked like a grandpa. My dad has a very particular way of singing the National Anthem when Jeff Jimerson is the game's opening act. He's loud and kind of obnoxious in a way, but he is sincere and earnest in his efforts, so it ends up being really endearing. Norm, through the boisterous applause after the Anthem was over turned to my dad, shook his hand, and said that was one of the best renditions of the Anthem that he's ever heard. My heart melted.

I hope Norm liked us as much as we liked him. He must have, because at one point me, my dad, Matt, two of my dad's CMU fraternity brothers, and Ron were all crowded behind the two seats in my dad's possession. We were having a blast.

1. Taken from inside the Consol - we live in a beautiful city; 2. Crazy crowd explosion during the Pens' entry onto the ice; 3. THE RARE PAUL MARTIN GOAL!

The last exciting moment of the night was a goal by TYLER KENNEDY.........KENNEDY! By this point, most everyone who frequents the area around the top of Section 227 knows about my obsession with the little pig man. So, when he scored a go-ahead goal, everyone in the vicinity went NUTS. Tommy, the beer vendor who seriously loves my dad and me, came RUNNING over to us with cans of Labatt and shouting my name and Kennedy's name over and over. He gave us those beers to celebrate; what a good guy.

1. When things were still going good; 2. For whatever reason, I always look like a maniac in the photos I take with Iceburgh; 3. Toward the end of the game when sadness was growing and my hiccups were ceaseless...

So. We lost. Yikes. Well, at least it was a super fun night spent with people I don't get to see all the time. Next game is tomorrow, and I think I'm having people over (woo! go NHL on NBC!). For now, it's time to fill the gaping hole in my stomach with pizza from Big Jim's.

Oh! And if you like those photos, you can follow me on Instagram, which I'm currently obsessed it. Communicating through photos?! Yes. Please.

everythingbetterpgh on Instagram

April Showers? No, but Downtown Flowers!

One of the reasons I love Pittsburgh: Seasons. I know this isn't unique to my lovely city, but it is an important thing to me, and I don't think I could live in a place that didn't have all four seasons. Granted, we didn't really have a winter this year, but spring has sprung and it has put me in the best mood. Regardless of the lack of snow and bitter cold, the city was still gray ol' Pittsburgh winter. The bursts of color as the trees start coming back to life and the flowers popping up in a variety of shades are putting the energy back on the streets. People are out walking around. Everyone's eating lunch outside. It feels good out there. So good.

I spent a bit of my lunchbreak the other day admiring the tulips growing between PPG buildings in Market Square.





And then I explored the cloisters at Heinz Hall for the first time. Always look up when you're in the city; you never know what you will find up there.

Happy Spring, Pittsburgh!!