Tasty Drinks on a Summer Night

It’s official! Last Friday was the first day of Summer and as most Pittsburghers know, now is the perfect time to celebrate by sharing a nice cold brew in the setting Summer sun. Luckily, Pittsburgh is a city who likes their drinks and with all the different breweries and restaurants around town, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the most fitting place for you! So, to help out the Pittsburgh newcomer, we’ve put together a small guide of some of Pittsburgh’s best places to grab a drink outdoors.

Grabbing a Drink in Pittsburgh:

1. Penn Brewery. If you’re looking for locally brewed pilsner - this is the place. Located on Troy Hill, Penn Brewery is a great place to grab a beer and some of Pittsburgh’s best German food. With seating both indoor and outdoor in the Summertime, Penn Brewery is a place where you can enjoy live music and actually watch as their beer is brewed!

2. Round Corner Cantina. With margarita and micheladas served in mason jars, this Mexican style corner bar combines the charm of blue collared Pittsburgh to create the perfect summer ambiance. While the inside aesthetic is great in its own right, the true draw of this Lawrenceville gem is its backyard patio. Tin top roofs held up by wooden beams, red adobe-esque brick layered floor, the Round Corner Cantina's backyard patio is the place to be on a warm Summer night.

3. Harris Grill. With great waiting staff, good food and some of the best cocktails in Pittsburgh, Harris Grill has become a Shadyside must. Located on Ellsworth Avenue, Harris Grill’s outdoor patio is an ideal place to start or end a fun evening with friends. And it’s best kept secret? While most bars have unlimited peanuts, on Tuesday nights Harris Grill has unlimited baskets of bacon!

While these are just three amazing places to grab a drink and some food on a Pittsburgh Summer night, this city is thriving with options! For a better idea of where to grab a good beer, check out Pittsburgh Magazine’s “The Burgh Beer Bible” here: http://bit.ly/QgbEmD

And for other great places to grab some food and drinks you can check out the Urbanist's guide here: http://bit.ly/14MgheL

The Coffee Spots

With over 100 million cups of coffee consumed daily by Americans, it’s clear that we all need our daily “pick me up”. And when you move to a new city and don’t know where to get that “pick me up” those first few weeks can tend to drag by slowly and painfully. Luckily, when it comes to living in a city like Pittsburgh, there are plenty of places to get a good cup of joe before you start your day!

Pittsburgh's Freshest Coffee Spots

1. Lili Cafe. Hidden at the bottom of one of Polish Hill’s steepest streets, there stands a little coffee shop known as Lili Cafe . With it’s worn wooden floors and rustic feel, the vibe of this coffee shop is something most people yearn for in their early morning routine. Their homemade baked goods and breakfast foods will make for a delicious start to your day, while their different styles of coffee will give you that extra pep in your step.

2. La Gourmandine. Located in the heart of Lawrenceville, where Lower Lawrenceville meets Upper Lawrenceville, you’ll find a quaint little French Bakery on Butler Street known as La Gourmandine. Being owned by a married couple, Fabien and Lisanne Moreau, both of whom were born and raised in France, La Gourmandine is one of the only opportunities to get a true taste of France from the comfort of Pittsburgh. While primarily a French bakery, La Gourmandine offers coffee and tea, both of which delightfully compliment the delicious smells and tastes of freshly baked pastries in the morning.

3. La Prima Espresso. Buried deep inside the hustle and bustle of the Pittsburgh’s Strip District, you’ll find La Prima Espresso. An Italian styled espresso bar that has become a second home to many regulars, La Prima Espresso is a coffee shop with a mission: to source, roast and brew quality coffee. And if you become hooked, as many Pittsburghers do, you’re welcome to buy your own freshly ground coffee and brewing equipment so you can taste that same great stimulating mug full from the comfort of your own home.

4. Beehive Coffeehouse & Dessertery. If you live on the other side of Pittsburgh, in the South Side, there is a zesty little coffee shop on East Carson street called Beehive Coffeehouse & Dessertery. A real down to Earth hole-in-the-wall kind of place, the Beehive is a great place to start your morning with the delicious welcoming taste of warm coffee and even warmer personalities. It’s lively painted murals and decor create a an energetic vibe that compliments its relaxed and easygoing vibe.

So, don't let your first few weeks of living in Pittsburgh drag by. Start your morning fresh. Grab a hot cup of joe. Taste the delicacy of countries like France and Italy from the town you call home. And enjoy one of the many coffee spots the great city of Pittsburgh has to offer!

A Park To Get Away

It’s a basic human need that stretches back to our primitive ancestors. To feel the rough bark of a tree within the palm of your hand. To hear the echo of insects calling to one another. And when the concrete sidewalks and exhaust fused air of a city become too much, it’s important to have a safe haven - a natural place to get away from it all. In Pittsburgh we have two such havens. Their names? Schenley Park and Frick Park.

Schenley Park is located between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Squirrel Hill and Greenfield. Today the park is 456 Acres and in 2011 was name one of “America’s Coolest City Parks” by Travel + Leisure Magazine. This historic park is home to 13 tennis courts, an all weather running track, an ice skating rink, soccer field, 18-hole disc-golf course, a public swimming pool, as well as an 18-hole golf course. In addition, Phipps Conservatory is located within the park, and the parks entrance is identified by Schenely Plaza - a plot of land speckled with food kiosks and a carousel residing next to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

The largest park in Pittsburgh is Frick Park. Conquering an entire 561 Acres of land, Frick park ranges from Point Breeze, into Squirrel Hill to the border of Edgewood. With its many hiking trails, along the paths can be found wild turkeys, foxes, owls and an abundance of other wildlife native to the area. Within Frick Park there is an area known as Blue Slide Park - named after the steep blue slides that snake their way down from the top of the hill. In addition to being a popular sledding area in the winter, Blue Slide Park was most recently made popular by professional rapper and native Pittsburgher, Mac Miller, who named his album “Blue Slide Park” after the area.

So when you feel the need to get away from it all - to kiss the sky scrapers and noise pollution goodbye for a few hours - think about the 1,000 acres of preserved land which, as a Pittsburgher, you have right in your back yard.

Schenely Park - Panther Hollow Lake

Frick Park - Nine Mile Watershed

An Education for Everyone

The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning

With its three rivers smoothly wrapping around its luscious green mountains and beautifully crafted skyscrapers, Pittsburgh is an awe striking city. Its economy is flourishing, its people are friendly, and yet there is still one more outstanding building block that helps to lay the city’s foundation - Pittsburgh’s colleges and universities. Pittsburgh is home to over twenty colleges and universities including the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

Founded in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is a public university located in the neighborhood of Oakland. Known worldwide for its research expenditures, the University of Pittsburgh has ranked in the top 25 research universities by the Center of Measuring University Performance, and in the top 20 public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to the University’s achievements in research, such as having a prominent role in the development of the first polio vaccine, the University of Pittsburgh is also known for what has become the ‘face’ of the University, the Cathedral of Learning. The Cathedral of Learning is a gothic styled tower which holds the title of being the second tallest educational facility in the world. Additionally, the Cathedral of Learning hosts an array of classrooms, known as the Nationality Rooms, that are permanently designed to seem, when you walk into them, as if you just stepped into the culture of another country.

Carnegie Mellon University Campus

Consistently ranking amongst the top 25 universities in the nation by U.S. News and Reports, as well as amongst the top 50 universities worldwide, Carnegie Mellon University is located just a few blocks down from the University of Pittsburgh, between the neighborhoods of Oakland and Squirrel Hill. Carnegie Mellon University is a private school known for its leadership in human-computer interactions, computational finance, information systems, entertainment technology and much more. In fact, Carnegie Mellon University plays such a prominent role in the future of computer science and engineering that in recent years Google has opened an office right here in Pittsburgh in an effort to better situated the large influx of Carnegie Mellon University employees it was hiring.

And if you’re worried about the cost of a college education these days (if you’re anything like us than you are!), remember that in-state tuition for public schools is significantly less than out of state and if your child attends a Pittsburgh Public School, you always have the amazing help of the Pittsburgh Promise!