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PGHCITYPAPER PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER
JULY 26-AUG. 2, 2023
VOL. 32 ISSUE 30
Editor-in-Chief ALI TRACHTA
Director of Advertising RACHEL WINNER
Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD
News Editor JAMIE WIGGAN
A&E Editor AMANDA WALTZ
Art Director LUCY CHEN
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GENERAL POLICIES: Contents
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COVER ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN
IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN! IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN!
IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN!
IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN!
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CLOSES JULY 30
IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN!
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Pittsburgh Scanner
@pgh_scanner
Update - Man now sees the police on all sides and is hanging onto a red buoy. PD informed RR that this is a known biter. RR is going to pick up POs and attempt to extract the man from the buoy.
LISTENERS OF RECENT RADIO transmissions among Pittsburgh police and first responders may have caught the usual chatter: ambulance dispatches, animal bites, noise complaints. But those who stayed tuned long enough heard about more outlandish incidents, like a group of Carrick construction workers fighting with tire irons. A porta potty reportedly on fire in a Downtown park. Police responding to a man driving up to people on Butler Street in a convertible, laying on an airhorn, then speeding away.
These were just some of the calls overheard by the Pittsburgh Scanner Twitter account (@pgh_scanner), described in its bio as, “Two guys with a couple radios.” The account listens to police, fire, and EMS broadcasts in the City of Pittsburgh via handheld radio scanner, curates a daily selection of calls, and posts them on Twitter.
Recently, the tweeted calls have
been so bizarre, the account’s veracity has been questioned. In particular, the weekend of June 3 brought a spate of strange incidents, including an “irate customer” at the infamous South Side Burger King, a case of vodka falling off a delivery truck and “causing a frenzy,” and a man identified as a “known biter” evading police by jumping into the Allegheny River and clinging to a buoy. In one of the account’s most-liked tweets, a “male in gray shorts” repeatedly hit people with a broom in Mount Washington. All of this occurred over the span of 48 hours.
Twitter @pgh_scanner
The account’s popularity quickly boomed, with 96.1 KISS FM’s Mikey and Bob featuring the “loaded weekend” on their morning show the following Monday. It’s also been highlighted on
KDKA NewsRadio and elicited TikTok reactions, causing more than one follower to wonder if it’s a parody.
“I can assure you what you read on this page is brought to you by the wonderful residents of this city, not our imaginations,” the account responded on June 4.
Bill Peduto, multiple sitting city council members, comedian Bill Crawford, writer Robert Yune, and the official Pittsburgh Regional Transit account counted among them.
Nick thinks the whole thing might’ve been his wife’s idea, originally. “I’m
Nick is the 34-year-old steelworker who created Pittsburgh Scanner from his couch. Until now, he has remained largely anonymous. This was his firstever interview.
Currently, the Pittsburgh Scanner account has more than 25,000 followers, with a cross-section of notable Pittsburghers including former mayor
nebby,” Nick tells Pittsburgh City Paper “Honestly, I am. My wife always gives me shit about it. But I don’t really watch TV. So [this is] what I do … I just think it’s entertaining.”
For however eccentric or unbelievable the Pittsburgh Scanner account may be, Nick himself is almost too on the nose, exactly who you might expect to be the
“I CAN ASSURE YOU WHAT YOU READ ON THIS PAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE WONDERFUL RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY, NOT OUR IMAGINATIONS."
Southside Burger King (yes that one). 1820 East Carson Street. irate customer refusing to leave.
Carrick. Maytide at Sawmill Run Blvd. Two construction workers are fighting each other with tire irons.
Somewhere in zone 4 (missed addressed just turned things on for the night) FD and PD are responding to a Port-a-John on fire in a public park.
Lawrenceville. Butler Street. A white male in a black Mercedes convertible is driving up to people, hitting an air horn, and then driving off.
Presented by: MCG Jazz
city’s chief onlooker. He arrives to our interview after working overtime as a U.S. Steel machine operator, wearing a Pirates cap.
The account’s origins go back to his Pittsburgh childhood. Growing up in North Braddock, Nick’s father was “always” listening to Mon Valley happenings on a police scanner, and he acknowledges there’s a “nostalgic” element to carrying on the hobby.
Though he first bought a scanner six years ago, he started listening regularly to digitally broadcast feeds on his phone in 2020. Often, he was at work, on the overnight shift.
“I’d be alone in a cab and it would give me something to do all night,” he says.
When he switched to day shifts, he would listen at home when he got a spare moment while caring for his two young children. The father of a 2-year-old son — who was a month old when the account started — and an 8-month-old daughter, he still catches calls during nap time and while doing dishes.
One day, a call came from a woman who reported seeing someone
parachuting Downtown; she wanted the police to investigate a possible plane crash, and it stuck with him. “Why do you think that’s what happened?” Nick asks. His reactions to calls are often bemused. “Do you think that’s a pilot that’s fallen out of the sky?
He noticed other cities had police scanner feeds. Pittsburgh itself maintains several police and public safety Twitter accounts, but he found them to be “cut and dry” with a “professional” tone and lingo a layperson might not understand. His vision was to create something “a little fun and different” that would still be informative. Nick still believes in reporting roadblocks, fires, shootings, and other crimes as a public service.
Naturally, the account’s most popular tweets are generally its lightest, involving colorful characters.
Nick also acknowledges it’s a fine line to walk between being entertaining versus exploitative, since these calls, of course, involve real people. He doesn’t post everything — for example, he says he omits calls reported as psychiatric incidents.
Though part of the appeal is listening in on occurrences across all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, Nick has a soft spot for Downtown, where “it’s always busy.” Summertime, heat, and full moons also really do spike weird run-ins, he believes.
Until recently, Pittsburgh Scanner was a one-man operation. But a follower named Mike reached out to Nick on Twitter, and now helps cover calls (thus the “two guys” in the bio). The pair hasn’t met in person yet. Mike’s improvement to the account is that he uses a recorder, allowing for playback and greater accuracy. Previously, everything Nick posted he heard once, in real time, “live and uncut.”
They’re unsure what the future of the account holds, but they’re toying with the idea of merchandise next: T-shirts or beer koozies, and possibly a giveaway for a police scanner.
City Paper asks Nick about the account’s popularity, if it captures some part of Pittsburgh’s nature, like the Florida Man meme.
“We’ll give him a run for his money,” Nick says. •
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TAIWANESE TEAHOUSE CULTURE has blown up worldwide in the last decade, and has found its way to the Burgh, with cafes brewing and bubbling all over the city, pun totally intended.
The easy-drinking, dreamy tea is a sensory explosion that combines the best of both worlds — rich, velvety tea, and those chewy, delightful pearls. The tea, typically brewed from high-quality leaves, comes in a variety of flavors, from traditional black to passionfruit yuzu, to everything in between. Call it boba, pearl, or bubble tea — it is those little tapioca orbs of joy that truly elevate the experience.
Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, boba tea was the brainchild of Liu HanChieh, a Taiwanese tea shop owner. Boba tea was born when he added tapioca pearls to his iced tea on a whim, creating a delightful texture, and enhancing the drink’s appeal.
Now, fast forward to the present, where the last five years have witnessed a boom of East Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh. A burst of new bubble tea spots has been a part of that. From cozy corners with vintage decor reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film to vibrant spaces that transport you to the bustling streets of Taipei, each bubble tea hotspot has its own unique charm.
Gone are the days of searching high and low for that perfect tapioca-infused delight. That said, the sheer number of tea shops available can get a little
overwhelming. To make things easier, we did the hard work and taste-tested our way through Pittsburgh’s best boba spots. Hold your straws — here are the five most slur pable (and buzzworthy!) spots in the city.
Tsaocaa
5871 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill tsaocaapgh.com
Tucked away in Pittsburgh’s lively Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Tsaocaa opened its doors in 2020. The minimalist, luminous space quickly became a beloved destina tion for bubble tea enthusiasts. But it’s not just the aesthetic that draws people in, it’s the exceptional boba creations crafted within.
This modern gem is all about elevat ing the bubble tea experience. Eschewing powdered mixes, Tsaocaa sets the stage for tea alchemy, meticulously brewing bespoke loose-leaf concoctions with an espresso-like precision. From the formi dable brown sugar milk black tea with boba — a caffeine bomb of epic propor tions, rich and irresistible — to a pantheon of ambrosial fruit teas, milk swirls, and luscious milkshakes all decked out with those delicious tapioca pearls and jellies, there’s a sip for everyone. Think delicate, floral Sakura-infused teas, tropical pas sionfruit and lime green tea, exquisite Osmanthus Oolong Tea with Asian Pear, and so much more. The spot earns bonus points because you can choose your pre ferred sweetness level.
SPILLING THE (BOBA) TEA, CONTINUES ON PG. 10
3920 Penn Ave., Lawrenceville ineffablecaphe.com
Ineffable Cà Phê was born in 2017 when a motorcycle store was transformed into a locally-owned, industrial-style cafe. Immersing guests in an artsy, hipster ambiance, the cafe boasts exposed brick walls, twinkling lights, and a rustic-chic aesthetic.
Partnering with the renowned La Colombe for their full espresso bar, they offer an extraordinary coffee experience. The traditional cà phê sữa, a Vietnamese delicacy, is meticulously crafted in collaboration with Càphê Roaster from Philadelphia. But the cafe’s beverage offerings extend beyond coffee, and many folks in town don’t even realize it. In fact, their bubble tea is somewhat of an insider secret. The offerings are pretty basic — classic black, vibrant green, and aromatic
Thai — but they are truly phenomenal and authentically Taiwanese. Pair your bubble tea with a bite — choose from dishes like savory cheddar jalapeno bagels, aromatic phở, delectable lemongrass chicken rice bowls, spicy tofu bánh mì, and many more. And for those seeking a sweet finale, the Viet honeycomb cake is a must-try.
Besides being a tea and coffee hotspot, the cafe is a whole vibe. Chill with friends over a game of chess, grab a book and settle into a cozy reading nook, or do some work — all while being fueled with plenty of heady caffeinated brews. Every so often, they host jazz nights and open mic nights, where you can unleash your inner comedian or slam poet (or, at least, watch others do it).
300 S. Craig St., Oakland 3800 Forbes Ave., Oakland fukutea.com
Fuku Tea, with its neon green signage in the bustling neighborhood of Oakland, is hard to miss. The tea shop is always busy, but the efficient service keeps things moving. The tiny spot packs in a big flavor punch and has a cult following, especially among the Pitt and CMU student crowd. Fuku’s appeal is easy to decode — a simple set-up, and sublime teas.
You can be your own tea maestro here. Whether you like it hot or bubbly, they’ve got you covered with options like jasmine green or black tea, a range of flavors (lychee, coconut, peppermint, you name it), with or without milk, and a galaxy of toppings. They also have set options if you don’t want to customize. Besides usual suspects like Masala chai, matcha, taro, and Nitro brew Thai tea, they also have fancier, bougie offerings like the Rose Oolong Boba Tea, with real rose petals, a fragrant delight.
Speaking of fancy, the summer special, the butterfly tea lemonade, is a blue-purple ombré drink that is as pretty as they come, and a favorite with the Instagram bunch. Oh, and did we mention they’ve got more than just tea? Treat yourself to cookies, mousse, and red bean cake. Sweet tooth, consider yourself satisfied.
229 Atwood St., Oakland
You know you’re in Pittsburgh when you order a bubble tea and the barista asks, ‘Ya want some fries with that?’ Make that a side of fried sweet potato at Love Tea. Another Oakland boba gem, this tea shop has pool tables, board games, crispy snacks galore, and even free parking up in the front.
With its giant floral applique art, flamingo murals, and fruity teas, Love Tea was made for the ‘gram. Impeccable aesthetic aside, when it comes to what’s in your glass, Love Tea delivers solidly. They have an extensive selection of fruit, milk, and specialty bubble teas. The quality of the brews is top-notch, with real fruits kept on-site, freshly cut for each order.
Love Tea’s prized arsenal is that it is one of the few places to offer the ubertrendy cheese tea, the real star of which is the indulgent Watermelon Cheese Tea with Pearls. The tea is a play in contrasts; addictive sweet-savory flavors and delightful textures from the refreshing watermelon juice, starchy pearls, a lightas-whip cap of cream cheese foam, and finally, a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Add a side of fried oysters for the ultimate aphrodisiac pairing.
Is it someone’s eclectic living room or a Korean-inspired cafe? Bae Bae’s Kitchen, an eatery nestled in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, is a whimsical spot perfect for a surreal tea party straight out of a storybook. With floating bookshelves, charmingly mismatched furniture, and even umbrellas clustered on the ceiling, Lewis Carrol would feel right at home here.
What truly sets Bae Bae’s apart is its tea expertise. They do the classics exceptionally well, with no artificial flavorings or powdered mixes — only real ingredients here. While their Vietnamese coffee and Thai iced tea are flawless, the purple Taro Milk Bubble Tea, a lusciously creamy tea with chewy tapioca balls, deserves a special shoutout.
And what’s a tea party without sandwiches? Tuck into delectable Asian eats; made-to-order Vietnamese-style bánh mì sandwiches, savory dumplings, and scallion pancakes that transport you to the bustling streets of Asia.
THE STEREOTYPES surrounding post-Soviet countries are rife with often unflattering images of people indulging in once-forbidden Western capitalism. Other depictions dwell on the instability many face in these countries — the reality show 90 Day Fiance and its many spin-offs, for example, latch onto the idea of Russian and Eastern European citizens marrying their way to a more secure life in the United States. The 2016 documentary The Road Movie compiles dashcam footage painting Russian life as a colorfully chaotic melange of exploding tractor trailers, fist fights, and wayward bears.
Artist Ester Petukhova, whose latest show If and When You Find Me, now on view at here gallery in the North Side, explores representations of post-Soviet identity in a more thoughtful and personal way.
Continues through Aug. 12. here gallery.
527 N. Taylor Ave., North Side. Free. gallery-here.com
“I think that, within the Western world, we have a very limited understanding of who a post-Soviet person is,” says Petukhova, a recent Carnegie Mellon University graduate who was born in a small town on the outskirts of Vologda, Russia, located just north of Moscow.
The show, curated by Sean Beauford, includes six new paintings and a 100-page artist’s book, through which Petukhova asks “what it means to be Russian today,
especially given the current political climate with Ukraine.” If and When You Find Me comes after Russia’s alleged interference in U.S. elections, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of and continuing war with Ukraine.
In Pittsburgh, a city built, to a major extent, on the labor and culture of Russian and Eastern European immigrants, many of whom came looking for jobs in the steel industry, the conflict especially resonates.
The war only confirms what Petukhova’s parents and others sought to avoid. In 2001, Petukhova says she came to the U.S. with her parents, who settled in Portland, Ore., an area to which many Russian and Ukrainian-speaking families were settling at the time. She adds that her parents chose to emigrate at the “height of the political shifts” in her home country, not long after Putin had been installed in 1999.
Friday, August 4th, spend a festive evening of suds and buds. Zythophiles and Anthophiles alike will groove to the musical stylings of Dr. D, share bites to eat from Hazelnut Catering, and quaff local brews from Back Alley Brewing and Lolev Brewing. To learn more, visit PittsburghBotanicGarden.org.
“And I think a lot of people in that moment realized, ‘Hey, maybe this isn’t the place we need to stay. It doesn’t seem like things are going to go in a positive direction,’” she says.
Petukhova explores how post-Soviet people are defined within the digital space, adding that she encountered thousands of videos and memes labeled as depicting Russian life. She incorporated one image from Facebook showing a young, shirtless fisherman holding a carp with a bottle of vodka shoved in its mouth. “Burgeoning Blue Screen,” one of the six new works on display, came from a meme of a young Russian man proudly showing off his desktop computer set up in, of all places, a refrigerator.
“And someone took a picture of that,” Petukhova says with a laugh. “And it’s such a strange image, and it makes me wonder, what is the logic behind organizing this DIY cooling system, and does it even have any effective function? But there’s something about the texture and the sort-of arrangement that happens in that photograph that I was like, I need to paint this, it’s just so crazy.”
In the decades since the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War thawed, those curious about life during and after the Iron Curtain can now access archival images, footage, and other material presenting a certain view of the USSR. Petukhova points to a 1998 commercial featuring Mikhail Gorbachev eating at a Pizza Hut in Moscow’s Red Square. The video went viral across social media after the 2022 death of the former Soviet Union leader.
internet provides more freedom and anonymity to post anything on any platform. While that may seem more democratic, especially compared to Russia’s notorious history of censorship, it also presents some interesting quadaries.
“I was like, who is collecting this? Who is uploading this? Where is it being generated from?” says Petukhova. “Do the people who get reposted even know about this? And I started to see it all around, all the different forums and online spaces
became very interesting to me, to collect materially, and try to understand where this kind of logic is being built.”
In working on the various paintings, Petukhova says that, as someone with Russian and Ukrainian Jewish roots, she wanted to understand the idea of “hyphenated identity,” and the “internal conflict” that comes with that. She also grapples with identifying as both Russian and American, two world powers Petukhova says are, in some ways, “foils for one another.”
Going forward, Petukhova says she wants to examine how post-Soviet populations have and will evolve in Pittsburgh.
Petukhova explains that, while content like the Pizza Hut commercial presents Gorbachev and Russia in a strategic way, the same cannot be said of the online content she encountered, as the
that identify something that has a certain texture or, maybe, image quality as somehow conducive of a Russian state or a post-Soviet state, where something reminds us of that landscape. And so, that
“I am so interested in learning more about Pittsburgh’s history and postSoviet diaspora itself,” she says, adding that the city boasts over 30,000 different Ukrainian migrants. “And so, I’m really looking forward to seeing how that cultural shape will start to change and what that will mean for generations to come. I think that there’s definitely going to be some kind of influence that we’ll get to see over the years.” •
PETUKHOVA SAYS THAT, AS SOMEONE WITH RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN JEWISH ROOTS, SHE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE IDEA OF “HYPHENATED IDENTITY,” AND THE “INTERNAL CONFLICT” THAT COMES WITH THAT.
Priced out of Lawrenceville?
Here are 8 affordable neighborhoods with lots to offer
BY MICHAEL MACHOSKY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
NOBODY IS EVER happy with the housing market, because it puts a definitive cost on living, and that’s never fun to think about. Even a fairly inoffensive statement like “Pittsburgh is still a pretty cheap place to live,” is likely to go badly.
Why is that? Well, it’s vibes, mostly. Median rent in Pittsburgh is somewhere around $1,043 (Niche) or $1,400 (Zillow). Show that to a New Yorker or Bostonian and watch them weep. But some things are true:
• America doesn’t build enough housing in places people want to live, for many reasons
• Pittsburgh, until recently, wasn’t one of those places people wanted to live
• Rents tend to go up in places people really want to live
• Salaries are a little lower here, which makes everything seem more expensive
So, yes, there are places in Pittsburgh that were once super cheap, that now are not: East Liberty, the Strip District, Lawrenceville, et cetera. And barring some unforeseen calamity, rents are going to keep going up.
However…Pittsburgh has 90 neighborhoods. Perhaps 5-10 are seeing upward pressure on prices, and are moving out of reach for the typical working-class Pittsburgher. The others are not, or there’s still time. Plus, there are even more municipalities just outside city limits (municipal fragmentation is kind of our thing) that haven’t caught on with the archetypal Google engineer moving from California or wherever. Many of them are pretty great!
So, instead of fretting about condos with $3,000/month rents in East Liberty, it’s probably a good idea to just look around. Here are some good places to start.
Squirrel Hill is literally “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” (he lived there), where long-standing Jewish traditions, infinite college students, and every kind of Asian food imaginable collide harmoniously. That said, it’s fairly expensive for Pittsburgh. However, next door is Greenfield, which is within walking distance of amenity-packed Murray Avenue and Schenley Park, yet retains its own distinctive personality. It’s topographically a Kennywood coaster, with hills and steep ravines, sidewalks and streets turning into stairs without warning, and stunning vistas as your reward for making it to the top. It’s steeped in the Eastern European flavors that give color to so much of the Pittsburgh region. Greenfield is filled with single-family houses on very small lots, built around the 1950s — each probably gave an immigrant steelworker the first piece of America to call his own. There’s a Giant Eagle, a newish whiskey bar, two Ukrainian delis, and Pittsburgh’s weirdest art gallery, Alternate Histories (if you need a historic print of King Kong climbing the Cathedral of Learning). Necromancer Brewing is coming soon, as well as the Greenhouse Co-op, which promises hard cider and, well, plants.
Median rent: $1,115 (Niche).
Pittsburgh seems like it has an infinite supply of self-contained, peculiar little neighborhoods hidden away among the verdant hilltops, terrifyingly steep ravines, and bridge-trolls that demand you name four Steelers linebackers — past or present — before passing. But it doesn’t. Troy Hill is a perfect example of this particular type of neighborhood, a quiet, semi-forgotten ethnic enclave (German), beginning to welcome outsiders after 100-plus years of unintentional seclusion. It somehow contains one of Pittsburgh’s best and most ambitious restaurants, Scratch & Co. (don’t sleep on their pop-up nights), and St. Anthony’s Chapel, has more astounding religious relics — like purported splinters of the True Cross and scraps of the Virgin Mary’s veil — than an Indiana Jones side quest. Housing is mostly single-family rowhomes, considerably older than the median house in Pittsburgh, with some impressive Victorian-era details underneath the ubiquitous aluminum awnings and Insulbrick siding. If you want to commute by bike Downtown, you’re in luck. If you want to ride back up Troy Hill at the end of the day, well, good luck.
Median rent: $850 (Niche)
Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall are all kind of hopelessly commingled in Pittsburghers’ minds, so we’ll throw them together here – and add in that giant blob of retail and parking lots, The Waterfront, which has pretty much everything, from Target to Barnes & Noble, to the region’s biggest movie theater. But venture across the tracks to the Eighth Avenue corridor, and you’ll find a fascinating neighborhood in transition. Homestead was the beating heart of Andrew Carnegie’s worldwide steel empire, and he literally went to war with the city and his own employees in the Homestead Strike of 1892. Carnegie felt pretty bad about it later in life, and started rehabbing his reputation by putting massive, ornate libraries everywhere. The one in Munhall is one of the best, a true community center with a stunning concert hall, and swimming pools in the basement. Homestead has some unusual cultural assets like Rivers of Steel and breweries and taprooms in restored buildings (Golden Age, Voodoo). The monolithic-columned former Monongahela Trust Co. bank now houses an escape room complex, an axe throwing arena, and the Co-Sign Speakeasy, decorated in ornate Prohibition-era style. Housing is all over the map, from turn-of-the-century mansions up the hill surrounding the library, to longabandoned houses that are clearly past the point of no return. Homestead has a lot of rental options, including several historic former schools redeveloped into
If Mount Oliver was in Brooklyn or Boston, it would be romanticized in innumerable coming-of-age movies and ill-fated attempts at the Great American Novel. Instead, this ornery little borough — completely surrounded by the city of Pittsburgh, but technically independent — is obscure even to most Pittsburgh residents. Hey, it’s literature’s loss. Go to visit Pittsburgh’s best coffee/breakfast/ ornamental metal fabricator combo, Echt Coffee House — stay for elevated eats at The Finer Diner, Flavor of Puerto Rico, TC Homemade Chocolate Candy, and a small, walkable business district surrounded by rugged little $50,000 homes with million-dollar views. If there’s a place where the urban precariat can find purchase, and grab a small piece of the American dream, maybe it’s here.
Median rent: $966 (Niche).
An urban suburb, with a lot going on at the fringes. On one side, there’s the lively, walkable Regent Square business district, with beer mecca D’s Six Packs & Dogz and new restaurants like Hemlock House. It also borders Edgewood Towne Centre, a large suburban-style retail strip with a Giant Eagle and Planet Fitness, and another small business district with a great new Indian spot, Bombay to Burgh. Towards Rankin, there’s battleship-sized sandwich spot Triangle Bar & Grille. Most residents are renters, but there are a number of mid-century houses on the hills behind the big shopping center.
All the inconvenience of a suburb, and all the taxes of the city! No, really, Banksville’s low profile actually works in its favor. It may be missing a few important things — walkability, foremost — but it has some advantages too. It’s quiet and has lots of parks and green space, and easy access to employment centers on the other side of the tunnel (Moon, the airport, Parkway West). On a typical summer night at Banksville Park, you’re likely to see the Pittsburgh architects’ softball league, kids playing dek hockey, and a dedicated South Asian crew playing cricket — sometimes all at once. Without much notice, this part of town is getting quite diverse, reflected in the delicious cuisine nearby: kebabs, curry, arepas, barbecue, and, uh, cold cheese thrown on pizza (for some reason) at Beto’s. Housing ranges from single-family suburban, to gigantic apartment towers.
Median rent: $1,040 (Niche).
by now, at least among those who like black coffee and black metal. Yes, Onion Maiden, the diner that made vegans wail like Ronnie James Dio, is closed for the moment, and Black Forge recently turned into Grim Wizard Coffee. However, there are also two weird and macabre curiosity shops, The Weeping Glass and Dr. Tumblety’s Apothecary, and the venue Bottlerocket Social Hall, which has some of the wildest programming anywhere — think psychedelic cumbia from Colombia to national touring comedians, to the unclassifiable puppet/video-driven mayhem of Everything is Terrible. There’s also excellent no-frills Caribbean food at Leon’s and old-school high-end Italian at Alla Famiglia. Houses and apartments range from small to very small. Rents are going up, of course, but that’s coming from absolute rock bottom a decade or so ago.
Median rent: $832 (Niche)
the hometown of Heinz — and a future that finally seems as bright as the past, Sharpsburg points the way forward for a lot of riverfront factory towns. It’s never going to look as postcard-perfect as Aspinwall, but it’s got character to spare and a price point (not to mention, topnotch Fox Chapel schools) that’s hard to match. Plus, there’s that intact, walkable business district, which seems to be adding amenities with startling rapidity, from excellent breweries (Hitchhiker and Dancing Gnome), to vegan ice cream (Sugar Spell Scoops), to coffee (Redhawk). For a long time, the Allegheny River was treated like an industrial sewer, and the riverfront is as good a place as any for a giant scrapyard, but that’s rapidly changing. There are plans in place for bike trails, green space, housing, and retail, connecting Sharpsburg with the river for the first time in a hundred years or so.
Median rent: $873 (Niche).
ART • SHARPSBURG
Expanses Explored 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Continues through Sept. 2. ZYNKA Gallery. 904 Main St., Sharpsburg. Free. zynkagallery.com
THEATER • SOUTH PARK
The Shining Lives 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sat., Aug. 12. South Park Theatre. Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park. $18. southparktheatre.com
FILM • DOWNTOWN
28
Afire 5 p.m. Continues through Thu., Aug. 3. Harris Theater. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $11. trustarts.org
THEATER • NORTH SIDE
Disney’s Descendants 7 p.m.
Continues through Sun., July 30. New Hazlett Theater.
Six Allegheny Square East, North Side. $20. newhazletttheater.org
MUSIC • WARRENDALE
Pop 2000 Tour with Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, O-Town, BB Mak, LFO, and Ryan Cabrerra 8 p.m. Doors at 6 p.m.
Jergel’s. 103 Slade Lane, Warrendale. $40-55. druskyentertainment.com
GAMES • OAKLAND
Schell Games presents E-Parks.
8:30-10 p.m. Schenley Plaza.
4100 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. pittsburghparks.org
DRAG • LAWRENCEVILLE
A major RuPaul’s Drag Race contender will grace Spirit during Vain Local drag performer Lola LeCroix welcomes Anetra, the runner-up from season 15 of the megahit reality competition show. The Las Vegas native became a fan favorite for her acrobatic, challenge-winning, martial arts-influenced moves. See her live and gag over her immense talent. 11:30 p.m. Doors at 9 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $30-55. 21 and over. spiritpgh.com
SAT., JULY 29
FESTIVAL • SOUTH SIDE
Goat Fest PGH. 12-4 p.m. South Side Park. 2000 Julia St., South Side. Free. All ages. southsidecommunitycouncil.org/goat-fest
ART • OAKLAND
Transcendental Arrangements: 109th Annual AAP Exhibition. 12-6 p.m. Continues through Sept. 3. Miller ICA at Carnegie Mellon University. 5000 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. aapgh.org/109th
MUSIC • MUNHALL
The Magic of Motown. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $52-72. All ages. druskyentertainment.com
SUN., JULY 30
OUTDOORS • OAKLAND/BLOOMFIELD
OpenStreetsPGH: Oakland to Bloomfield. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Multiple locations, Oakland and Bloomfield. Free. All ages. openstreetspgh.org
SUN., JULY 30
TacoMania, touted as a “first-of-its-kind” festival in the city, will feature over a dozen local restaurants serving up great flavors at the SouthSide Works. Witness a throwdown by the pros of Enjoy Wrestling, hear DJ Samule Andres blast some dance tunes, and see live music performances (including a Mariachi band). Food trucks and breweries galore will also be on hand. 3-7 p.m. Early entry 1 p.m. 424 S. 27 St., South Side. $6-20, free for kids 9 and under. southsideworks.com
Smokin’ Betties Burlesque Presents Sin In the Sun. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Club Cafe. 56-58 South 12th St., South Side. $15. 21 and over. opusoneproductions.com
LIT • SQUIRREL HILL
An Evening with Bestselling Author Shari Lapena. 7 p.m. Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. 5738 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. $4-35. riverstonebookstore.com
FILM • ALLENTOWN
The Room with Greg Sestero 8 p.m. Continues on Tue., Aug. 1. Bottlerocket Social Hall. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $15. bottlerocketpgh.com
MUSIC • DOWNTOWN
Kinetic. 5 p.m. Agnes Katz Plaza. 667 Penn Ave., Downtown. Free. trustarts.org
ART • BLOOMFIELD
Brocade 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Continues through Sept. 1. BoxHeart Gallery. 4523 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Free. boxheartgallery.com
MUSIC • BURGETTSTOWN
Gwar with Mudvayne. 7 p.m. The Pavilion at Star Lake. 665 Route 18, Burgettstown. $29.50-250. gwar.net/pages/tour
COMEDY • STRIP DISTRICT
City Winery welcomes Peter S. Kim and Eunji Kim for the live comedy show 2 Kims & Friends. The duo, who are self-described as “two queer Korean comedians,” co-host the weekly podcast 2 Kims 1 Pod, through which they examine “relationships, politics, culture, personal victories, failures and very rarely: sage advice.” The pair also boasts a litany of television and performing credits. 8 p.m.
Doors at 6:30 p.m. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $30-33. pittsburgh.citywinery.com
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PUBLIC NOTICE
A petition for Involuntary Transfer of Ownership of a Vehicle has been filed by Wain Maszkiewicz, Case No. GD-23-7849 for a 1999 Isuzu Amigo, Vin# 4S2PN57W9X4302502. A hearing is scheduled on August 1st, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. before the Civil Division Motions Judge of Allegheny County.
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-007601
In re petition of Mataya Marie Costello for change of name to Mataya Marie Souza. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 21st day of August, 2023, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.
PUBLIC NOTICE
A petition for Involuntary Transfer of Ownership of a Vehicle has been filed by Dennis Hart, owner of Golden Hook Roadside Assistance, Case No. GD-233255 for an 2013 Dodge Charger, Plate #LHK935, Vin# 2C3CDXGJ4DH648181.
A hearing is scheduled on August 4th, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. before the Civil Division Motions Judge of Allegheny County.
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played in when not working on cognitive development?
48. Moonbeams
49. Bowery neighbor
50. Fed chair Powell
53. Cuba or Mallorca, e.g.
54. Compete (for)
57. 1972 Bill Withers hit that begins “My friends / Feel it’s their appointed duty”
58. Type
12. Scatter Fitzgerald
13. With 50-Down, stage name Carl used when not studying the collective unconscious?
18. Very sly
22. The Constitution, for one
23. Money left on a table
24. Card in Uno 25. Video game character in a green hat and overalls
26. Quidnunc
27. What an on-screen arrow may mean 28. It’ll keep you going 29. Actress Saoirse 30. Mean comment 33. Voting district 35. Clambake clams
Hailed as the perfect musical comedy, this award-winning classic gambles with luck and love under the bright lights of Broadway GUYS & DOLLS features some of Frank Loesser’s most memorable tunes including the hilarious “Adelaide’s Lament” and the crowd-pleasing classic “Luck Be a Lady.”
