Lifestyles category, Page 82
John DeSantis remembered fondly by Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show exhibitors
The late John DeSantis “never met a stranger.” Those are words from Jenn Tompkins, co-owner of Rent The Chicken in South Buffalo Township. Her company will be one of the more than 1,500 exhibitors for the 40th annual Duquesne Light Co. Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, which DeSantis founded. He...
Invisible Man Brewing secures enough Girl Scout cookies to host brew pairing event
Cookies and milk are a classic combination. Kids love them. Santa loves them. Cookies and beer? Not quite as common. Despite supply-chain issues that have affected the delivery of Girl Scout cookies in some parts of the country, the annual treats will be paired with several local beers, courtesy of...
Phipps Conservatory unveils long-term ‘Tropical Forest Hawai’i’ exhibit
Nature, history and culture intertwine in “Tropical Forest Hawai’i: Aloha ‘Aina,” a new long-term exhibition in the Tropical Forest Conservatory at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh. The major redesign of the 12,000-square-foot, 60-foot-high space is the result of a multi-year process of research and planning that took Phipps...
6 ways technology is evolving travel in 2022
For the athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, travel entailed … robots. Everywhere. These machines prepared and served noodles, rice and burgers, and roamed hallways to take the temperatures of passersby. They even passed the Olympic flame underwater. Yet even if you’re not an Olympian, your travels these...
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank gets protein boost from Giant Eagle, Dietz & Watson
People served by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will receive a protein boost, thanks to a donation of more than 5,000 pounds of fresh deli meats, sausages and cheese from Dietz & Watson. The Philadelphia-based deli company presented the donation Tuesday at the food bank’s Duquesne headquarters, along with...
Sign-ups start for Greensburg Walk a Mile gender violence-awareness event
All kinds of feet in all kinds of shoes will gather April 23 in downtown Greensburg’s St. Clair Park for Westmoreland County’s 11th annual Walk a Mile in Their Her His Our Shoes, an event that raises awareness of gender-based violence. Participation shows a commitment to ending violence against people...
Road trip with a dog? Tips for making you both happy
San Francisco dog owner Ben Lowenstein loves to travel — and he never leaves his dog, Javi, behind. Together, the pair has taken road trips to Chicago, Lake Tahoe and Los Angeles. They have hiked the trails of New Mexico, explored Utah’s national parks, and gallivanted through Colorado snow banks....
Out & About: Party at The Palace Theatre a winter wonderland of fun
The Palace Theatre in Greensburg was transformed into a winter wonderland for the annual Party at The Palace on Saturday night. About 250 revelers flocked to the event, happy to be partying in person after the signature fundraiser went virtual in 2020. Planners went all out with food, fun and...
Out & About: Weekend kicks off with Westmoreland Museum’s Art After Hours
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art stayed open late on Friday for Art After Hours, a happy hour-style event that offered a little something for a variety of tastes and interests. Pittsburgh fiber artist Tina Williams Brewer was on hand to talk with guests about her artistic process and the...
Organizations meet challenges to serve up Lenten fish fries
Lenten fish fries are more than a Western Pennsylvania Catholic tradition. They are nationwide and also found in Protestant faith communities as well as secular groups. Serving up fish dinners to the public is a great way to raise funds, not just for churches, but also for fire companies and...
How joining the Great Resignation could hamper homebuying plans
If you joined the Great Resignation in the last year, you may have found it even harder to compete in the already wild pandemic housing market. A record number of Americans quit their jobs in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and while it was a liberating experience...
Contest seeks Pennsylvania’s best homebrewers
Are you a home beer brewer? If so, and if you believe you have a winning ale, you can put your drink to the test in a new statewide contest searching for the best homebrewed beer in Pennsylvania. The first-ever Breweries In Pennsylvania Homebrew Invitational will have five regional competitions,...
4 Pittsburgh chefs named James Beard Awards semifinalists
Four Pittsburgh chefs are semifinalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards. Bethany Zozula of 40 North at Alphabet City on the North Side, Wei Zhu of Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill and Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka in Bloomfield are semifinalists in the category of Best...
Shorty’s Pins x Pints opens on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
Shorty came up tall on Monday. By 3:30 p.m., there was a line to get into Shorty’s Pins x Pints on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The take-you-back-in-time game room and bar establishment opened at 4 p.m. after nearly two years because of delays from the pandemic. People of all ages filled...
Alta Via restaurant to expand into Pittsburgh’s Market Square
The Downtown Pittsburgh hospitality scene is buzzing again and adding another popular restaurant to the neighborhood. Alta Via, an Italian restaurant inspired by California cuisine, is expanding from its original home and into Market Square, according to the big Burrito Restaurant Group. The group owns the Mad Mex chain and...
Serving up smiles: Whitehall Eat’n Park employee celebrates 50 years and counting
Carol Kusan was working as a server at a bar/restaurant. She explained that if her infant son was sick, she would need to call off. Her boss told Kusan she was required to be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for her shifts. “I left, and applied for a job...
A guide to Pittsburgh: Strip District blends best of old and new
For a small stretch of land, Pittsburgh’s Strip District has a big history. From its roots as an industrial center, through its reinvention as a produce distribution hub, to today’s vibrant blend of uses, it has continued to evolve. Today’s Strip District is a mix of old and new, traditional...
Romance fraud: Looking for love in wrong place proves costly
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — For the victim, a 78-year-old man from Annandale, it started with an effort to find some companionship. He created an account on a social network called iFlirt, then made contact with someone identifying herself as a widowed woman in her 30s who seemed interested. As the...
Pittsburgh International Auto Show drives into town
After stalling last year, the Pittsburgh International Auto Show is rolling once again. “We are so happy to have the show this year,” said Lisa McIntyre, CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association, host of the event. “It is always the perfect opportunity to see what’s new in automobiles from...
Beer here: East End Brewing Co. expanding to Mt. Lebanon
East End Brewing Co. is moving south. No need to panic, the beer will still be brewed and served in Larimer. The brewery is expanding to add a taproom in Mt. Lebanon. “We will bring the beer, other drinks and food to the South Hills,” said owner Scott Smith, a...
Growers will share ‘joy of orchids’ at annual show in Upper St. Clair
Beautiful, exotic blooms aren’t the only draw at the Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania’s annual orchid show. This year’s two-day event also will include a silent auction, an hourly raffle of orchid plants and orchid-related items, a sales area, a repotting table and educational opportunities. Show hours will be noon-8...
How to lower your grocery costs when prices are soaring
Even with high inflation, there are plenty of ways to save money on your next trip to the grocer. Grocery runs have gotten more expensive. Anyone who has taken a look at their receipts in the last few months can tell that prices have gone up on nearly everything from...
Forget pandemic sourdough, it’s time for hardtackVideo
Remember when we were lifting our spirits with loaves of homemade sourdough during the early days of the pandemic? It was only 23 months ago, but it feels like a lifetime. Cooking and baking have been reliable mood boosters during covid-19, but pots, pans and muffin tins aren’t bringing me...
Flowers for Valentine’s Day? Expect to pay more this year, Western Pa. florists say
Local florists with decades of experience agree: Flower prices this Valentine’s Day will be historically high. Janet Woloszyk, owner of McCandless Floral, estimated her cost of flowers has increased about 20%, while her cost of hard goods such as containers and glassware is up nearly 40%. Those increases are tacked...
Emotional support or hogwash? Man fights to keep his pet pig
CANAJOHARIE, N.Y. — Ellie the potbellied pig snuggles up to Wyverne Flatt when he watches TV and sometimes rolls over to let him pet her belly. The 110-pound pig is “family,” Flatt says, an emotional support animal who helped him through a divorce and the death of his mother. Officials...
