I Bike A Lot. Read About It on Pedal for Pennies

So, we’ve covered the fact that we’re currently having the best weather ever in Pittsburgh right now, right? Right. I thought I might’ve mentioned it, but just wanted to make sure my bases were all covered. (Opening Day is right around the corner after all…) With the influx of lovely days, I’ve been on my bike way more than I thought I would be by this time of year. The other day I rode home while a lightning storm was over the city, and I crossed the 500-mile mark for the year before I got back to Gross Street. I’ve been writing about my biking adventures on the Pedal for Pennies blog. For now, all biking-related things will be collected there, but when one that warrants additional attention comes to pass, I’ll link to it here.

Here you can read about and see some nice pictures of a nice ride Carrie I took on St. Patrick’s Day. For the record: I wore an orange t-shirt from Canada (GO BC LIONS!) on this ride. I stuck out in the seas of green we were momentarily caught in during our rides through the South Side and Station Square. Enjoy!

Support PGH: Two Awesome Carnegie Library Events

In a few weeks, it will be October. My favorite month.

And this October, in addition to all the excellent Halloween things coming our way (Bloomfield Halloween Parade: I'm looking at you!!), there are two awesome events happening in support of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, one of the city's best public resources.

First is an event I found out about from the BikePGH blog. Lou Testoni is both the Chair of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees and a lover of cycling. To combine these two seemingly separate parts of his life, he has set out to raise $15,000 in September to benefit the library. If the money is raised, Lou will lead a 50-mile (!!!) "Cycle for CLP" ride that will visit each branch of the CLP system. Read more and find a donation link here.

The second event is one my friend Corey, who is a librarian at the main CLP location in Oakland, told me about. It's called Read to the People, and it promises to be 24 hours of nonstop reading aloud on the steps of the main building. The event is a rallying cry for the community to support the library on the November 8 ballot. This is definitely an event on my calendar that I'll be taking in. And - who knows - maybe I'll find myself on those steps reading something to the people.

Best Summer Camp Ever: Summer Dreamers Explore Downtown Pittsburgh

When I was a young 'lil yinzer growing up in the South Hills, my parents sent me to a few day camps in the summer. Mostly we made crappy tie-dye t-shirts and took stale bread to the Game Preserve in South Park to feed the ducks and check out the bison. For the most part, these memories have faded and it feels like that time was spent just idling away the days of summer. (Except for I still have the fascination with the bison at the Game Preserve, and I try to visit them at least once or twice a year.)

So reading this Pop City article about the Summer Dreamers made me extremely extremely extremely jealous.

Basically, these kids got to explore downtown Pittsburgh through a series of scavenger hunts set up for them by their summer camp organizers. They learned about the history of downtown, saw some of the most colorful and interesting murals and sculptures, and walked the streets figuring out clues to keep their discoveries coming.

Like I said, extremely extremely extremely jealous.

I've only recently - as a 28-year-old - started to discover downtown Pittsburgh, which is mainly a result of a job in the Oliver Building and being required to show up for work five days a week. Downtown is ripe for exploring; it's a shame there's no summer camp for adults like Summer Dreamers. I'd be first in line for such a venture.

I Will Buy This - Steeltown Anthem: The Printed Version #01

One of my favorite Pittsburgh blogs is Steeltown Anthem. Now, it's available IN PRINT.

Definitely making a mental note to swing by Wildcard very soon to pick up a copy!