Highmark Fist Night

New Years is just around the corner! Pittsburgh citizens of all ages are reflecting upon the past 365 days, and while it is important to look back on what you’ve accomplished in this year past, it is just as important to look ahead. New Years Eve in Pittsburgh is a time to be with family, friends, and come together as a city to celebrate the bright future ahead. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Highmark First Night celebration, ensuring a night to remember.

Run by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Highmark First Night is the city of Pittsburgh’s way of saying “Happy New Year!” It is a giant celebration in which families from all Pittsburgh neighborhoods gather downtown to see fireworks, parades, live music, comedy and much more! And when you reside in one of the most affordable places to live in the country, you can bet on the night being a bargain. For just $8 in advanced, $10 the night-of and free for those 5 & under, you and your family has access to over 150 vendors and venues throughout the night.

Highmark First Night has become a Pittsburgh tradition. It’s become a time to step away from the stress of your Pgh job and enjoy the Pgh arts and different activities that you don’t regularly get to take in. It’s a way to start your year off right, and a way to do it in the city you love. So, come welcome in the new year the right way when you celebrate like a real Pittsburgher at the Highmark First Night!

For more information on the night and its activities, visit the Highmark First Night website here: http://bit.ly/1bQn9dV

Local Holiday Shopping

The Pittsburgh holiday season is here! It’s a time to be with family and it’s a time to give presents. Unfortunately, with our Pgh jobs, many of us here in the great city of Pittsburgh have had little time, if any, to get out and shop for gifts. And with the largest gift-giving-day of the year just a few business days away, it may be too late for the lot of us to order online. Fortunately, there is no need to worry because we here at Vibrant Pittsburgh understand what you’re going through. Which is why we’re here to let you know that when your home is in the city of Pittsburgh, one of the most affordable places to live, you reside in a city of opportunity. You reside in a city that cares, and a city that makes, buys, and sells local.

Scattered throughout the streets of the many Pittsburgh neighborhoods are local stores that have plenty to offer for the last minute shopper. LivingPittsburgh.com, a website dedicated to helping our city’s citizens enjoy Pittsburgh, no matter their income, has composed a large list, “Pittsburgh Buy Local’s Gift Guide,” to help highlight some of our city’s best local holiday offers for both the pre-planned and last minute shopper.

To check out the local gift guide, click here: http://bit.ly/1aVc4Vi

Pittsburgh: Winter Activities

While the city of Pittsburgh has a reputation for being one of the most affordable places to live, it also has a reputation for being one of the snowiest. Pittsburgh winters are frigid. Pittsburgh winters are cold. Pittsburgh winters are covered in snow, which for many newcomers will often pose as a reason to stay in doors. However, as cold and frigid as Pittsburgh winters can be, every Pittsburgher knows that they can be just as beautiful. With blankets of white crystal covering the many Pittsburgh neighborhoods and vast acres of parkland, it’s easy to forget about the freezing temperatures and find yourself wandering into the glittering white hills of Pittsburgh. That’s why we here at Vibrant Pittsburgh urge you to get outside this winter with a few of our favorite Pittsburgh winter activities.

Winter Activities

Sledding. A city built on hills, Pittsburgh is the perfect place to ride a sled! Whether it’s on the monstrous Flag Staff Hill (Schenley Park), the speedy hills of Blue Slide Park (Frick Park), or one of the many other famous Pittsburgh hills, there is no doubt that one of the best ways to enjoy a snowy Pittsburgh day (or night!) is sled riding.

Ice Skating. Whether it’s hanging out with friends, a family outing, a romantic date, or even some necessary alone time, a great Pittsburgh winter activity is ice skating! With multiple rinks throughout the city, our two favorite outdoor rinks are Downtown’s Rink at PPG and Schenley Park’s ice skating rink that is located just off Panther Hollow Road.

Skiing. While there is no skiing within the city of Pittsburgh, just outside the city borders lies a skiers paradise. With a range of skiing from the beginner slopes of Boyce Park to the largest ski resort in Pennsylvania, Seven Springs, Pittsburgh winter offers the optimum skiing experience for skiers of all levels.

As brutal as a Pittsburgh winter can be, it can also be just as beautiful and tons of fun. It’s important to get outside this winter and enjoy Pittsburgh for what it is. Whether you decide to go sledding, ice skating, skiing or partake in one of the many other snowy activities offered in the Pittsburgh region, make a decision to take a break from your Pgh jobs and enjoy living in the great city of Pittsburgh.

10th Annual Handmade Arcade

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again - Pittsburgh is a city of opportunity. And while much of that opportunity lies within the boundaries of Pgh jobs or Pgh arts, there is also that which falls in between. Being one of the most affordable places to live, Pittsburgh grants its citizens with the fortune of being able to do what you love and even make money from it at the same time. Tomorrow, December 7th, 2013, is the 10th Annual Handmade Arcade - an exhibition filled with people making money by doing what they love.

The Handmade Arcade is an enormous annual craft show. Held Downtown at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Handmade Arcade offers a surplus of locally made crafts ranging from jewelry and lighting to t-shirts and posters. With over 350 people who applied to be apart of the exhibition, a volunteer group of artists whittled the selection of this years vendors down to a satisfying 150. And after taking into consideration both originality and price range, this years selection will most definitely satiate your need of finding the perfect holiday gift whether it be for yourself or someone else you care about.

This year doors open at 10am, although the first hour of the Handmade Arcade is designated solely for the 250 people who have paid $15 to purchase an early bird ticket. After 11am, however, the doors open at free admission to the public until the assigned closing time of 7pm. And with last years traffic swelling above 9,000 people throughout the day, this years those running the show expect to see even more people, which means get there while the crafts are still available!

With the theme of ‘A Decade of Do It Yourself,’ this years Handmade Arcade is sure to be a blast. A great way to support local artists, all the while checking off your holiday gift list, the 10th Annual Handmade Arcade isn’t just another craft show, rather its the chance to become an important part of the Pittsburgh community. For more information on the 10th Annual Handmade Arcade: A Decade of Do It Yourself, as well as a chance to buy early bird tickets, visit the Handmade Arcade website here: http://bit.ly/1cYi7er