The most reliable places to buy a car in and around Pittsburgh
There’s so much to consider when buying a car. Fuel economy, price, and practicality are just the tip of the iceberg. Finding the right dealer, let alone perfect vehicle, can be daunting. Luckily — for those of you in the market — I have narrowed down the most reliable local dealers based on what Pittsburghers covet…
Remember Sports talks graduation and maturation
After 2014’s stomping Sunchokes and 2015’s power-pop-pelter All of Something, the then-college rock band Remember Sports (fka SPORTS) almost decided to call it quits upon graduation. Thankfully, the quartet skirted a premature demise by relocating from Ohio to Philly, solidifying a permanent lineup, and making its best album to date. Slow Buzz, which was released…
It was bound to happen: veganism gets “manly”
It was bound to happen: “manly” veganism is a thing now. It’s the newest trend carried by masculinity’s widespread wings, swept along with brosé and brogurt, a powerful alternative to yogurt, designated as “chick food” by Men’s Journal. Masculine veganism, according to Dutch advertising company Marielle Bordewijk, is hot in 2019. Along with eco-conscious packaging…
Brian Quijada shines in Where Did We Sit on the Bus?
One-man shows sometimes have the ego of the performer who believes they can carry the weight of a whole production themselves, but in Brian Quijada’s autobiographical Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, the opposite is true. The show, starring and written by Quijada, revolves around his funny and touching personal anecdotes which might lose…
A conversation with Pittsburgh City Paper cover artist Christina Lee
There’s a cartoon on Christina Lee’s Instagram page that caught my eye immediately when scrolling through her posts. It’s a colorful illustration of a super cute girl positioned in a Buddha Squat, her hands held together in a prayer pose. And then, when you click on the cartoon to view it larger, the girl ……
In The Heights is nice, but a little too tame for its own good
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2005 musical In The Heights is about a neighborhood filled with very nice people. These neighbors fill their days with playful ribbing, harmless flirtation, and wide-smiled singing and rapping. OK, there’s a grumpy dad and a vandal named Graffiti Pete, but overall these are friendly, hard-working folks who just want to sing and…
Cast your vote now to send a part of Pittsburgh to the Moon
A little bit of Pittsburgh will launch as part of the first commercial lunar landing.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman renews calls on state Sen. Daylin Leach to resign
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-Braddock) has renewed calls for state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) to resign. In a 2017 Philadelphia Inquirer story, Leach was accused by multiple women of inappropriate touching and overtly sexual comments. Leach also recently filed a defamation suit against Cara Taylor, who alleges that Leach lured her into performing oral sex…
Pittsburgh Humanities Festival announces 2019 lineup, “carrot cake with chocolate chips”
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced the lineup for the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival 2019, which features events with Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians, and the hosts of the comedy/horror show Last Podcast on the Left. Now in its fourth year, the festival aims to bring together both local and national artists, writers,…
Frederick Douglass’ 19th-century publication The North Star revived with Pittsburgh professor at the helm
Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass once said: “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” That guiding principle helped power America’s abolitionist movement and continues to energize today’s fight for racial equality. With that doctrine in mind, a new media company focusing on social justice is forming with a Pittsburgh professor at the helm. The…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/29/19
Video Archive The extreme cold is the first topic of discussion between Lynn and Susan this morning. They are also talking about Marianne Williamson who has announced she is running for the democratic nomination for 2020. Then there is the shirtless photo of Bernie Sanders going viral from his honeymoon. In news that hasn’t received…
A small group of Pittsburghers want to impeach Mayor Peduto, but the effort is almost certainly unconstitutional
There are a lot of things that rile up Pittsburghers about Mayor Bill Peduto. Bike lanes, lead in the drinking water, and secret Amazon bids have motivated residents to yell at Peduto in person or on social media. But new anger over City Council’s new gun-restriction proposals, which Peduto supports, is reaching a fever pitch…
It’s about to get really cold in Pittsburgh – here’s where area homeless people (and pets) can find shelter
With the National Weather Service predicting record low temperatures this week in Pittsburgh, questions arise about what kinds of services are available to those experiencing homelessness. CP put together a list of places where vulnerable populations can escape the extreme cold. In partnership with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety…
The Burgh Boyz member Jason ‘Big Hus’ Jackson dies in tragic car crash Saturday
Friends and family of Jason Jackson, aka Big Hus, are taking to social media to mourn and remember The Burgh Boyz member after a fatal car crash Saturday afternoon. Jackson was an online radio host, who talked about Pittsburgh’s rap and hip-hop scenes. While attempting to get Jackson’s disabled car going again, Jackson and Landen Manning Jones,…
Nonprofit Hello Neighbor selling local Syrian bakers’ treats for Valentine’s Day
Sweet treats are truly a signature romantic staple in Pittsburgh. Whole tables of cookies can be found at any self-respecting wedding within city limits. If you’re at a loss for what to get your beloved on Valentine’s Day, relax. Some newly-arrived residents have got your back with a few fresh pastry options. Hello Neighbor, a…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/28/19
Video Archive A lot has happened over the weekend. Lynn is trying to cover as much as she can. First she is discussing the people who have already announced intent and/or interest in running for president in 2020. CNN is having a town hall with Kamala Harris tonight. Lynn says she won’t even begin to…
Mattress Factory museum appoints new interim executive director Hayley Haldeman
After a sexual-harassment scandal erupted at the Mattress Factory last year, the Pittsburgh arts museum knew it needed to make some changes. The board placed the director on administrative leave and then hired Judith O’Toole as the interim director. O’Toole’s last day will be Jan. 31, and the Mattress Factory has found her replacement in…
Pittsburgh pizza-makers competing in Pizza World Championship
World Champion Pizza Team Pittsburgh’s pizza pros are headed to the big dance. Nick Bogacz, owner of Caliente Pizza & Draft House, and the local chain’s regional chef Eric Von Hansen are joining a team of pizza all-stars and taking their talent to Parma, Italy. Bogaz and Von Hansen are now a part of the…
Women in the local comedy scene are not happy with the Improv’s decision to book Louis C.K.
Tickets for Louis C.K.’s three-show run at the Pittsburgh Improv sold out before most of the public was even made aware of the event. But when they were, it sparked anger from many in the local comedy community, especially women who felt particularly hurt by the booking of a man who, a little over a…
Concert Announcements: New shows coming to Pittsburgh
Rivers Casino has a new event center.
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/25/19
Video Archive Roger Stone’s arrest by the FBI this morning is the first thing Lynn is covering today. She is also discussing Nancy Pelosi, and how she believes Pelosi has been handling Trump better than anyone else has so far. The FAA has just halted flights into New Yorks’s LaGuardia due to air traffic control…
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is going on 67-county listening tour about legal marijuana
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-Braddock) has always been a proponent of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. He campaigned on it when running for U.S. Senate in 2016 and for lieutenant governor last year. He believes it can bring in significant revenue for state coffers and play a big part in criminal-justice reform. But in…
Pittsburgh music community rallies after Nathan Zoob’s car is robbed
Tuesday night in Lawrenceville, someone broke into local folk/rock staple Nathan Zoob’s car. The culprit took over $1,000 worth of equipment, including a Klon Clone Zoob recently built himself. “Honestly it’s the worst feeling,” says Zoob. “This feeling of having been violated. That my car has been entered. I’m not in an impossible professional situation,…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/24/19
Video Archive Sally Wiggin is joining Lynn today. They are discussing a wide variety of topics including hag fish slime, hippos, Sally’s adventures traveling and the Oscar snub of Won’t You Be My Neighbor. You never know what these two will end up covering. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/23/19
Video Archive Lynn is back! On today’s show, Lynn and Susan talk the government shutdown, Covington kids, Jewish unicorns and other strange assumptions. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Battle of the Bands winner Nick Barilla reflects on his life-altering moments
For Nick Barilla, City Paper’s Face The Music: Battle of the Bands 2018 winner, everything in his journey aligned to bring him to where is today. Each moment, unplanned or not, served a purpose in his grand scheme. And he credits it all his faith in God. With his debut release Moments on the horizon,…
How the members of Snowdonia are using their schooling to their advantage
As many college graduates know, majors don’t necessarily correlate to career paths or hobbies outside of school. But the members of Snowdonia, who all attend Pittsburgh CAPA, are making use of their majors beyond the classroom. Currently juniors in high school, every member of the six-piece band, except one, majors in the instrument they play.…
Quiet down! Said the old, fat man to the gym
Exercising is difficult. Weights are heavy. Cardio is exhausting. And gyms are one of the few places where no matter how many times I go, I can’t grasp a sense of belonging. “Do I need one of those cool, oversized leather belts? Would I get better results in a sleeveless shirt? Why is that guy…
One-man show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? is about art, family, and Latino identity
American history classes are notorious for excluding entire groups of people without even noticing the problem. For playwright and actor Brian Quijada, this proved to be a gift in disguise. While learning about the civil rights movement in elementary school, Quijada asked the teacher where Latinos—his people—would have sat on a segregated bus. She answered,…
Submit your Pittsburgh fan fiction!
Ever fantasize about Mayor Bill Peduto riding bareback on Dippy the Dinosaur through the streets of Oakland? Who hasn’t, right? We want your Pittsburgh fan fiction! Sure, our staff could fill pages with our own fairy tales about Sally Wiggin and Wiz Khalifa and the ghost of Myron Cope coaching some young stud Yoda-style, but we…
Jessica Lang Dance closes out seven-year run with performance at Byham Theater Jan. 26
Awareness of the dearth of female choreographers in dance (especially ballet) has become more widespread in recent years. Dance companies and presenters have lined up to showcase programming exhibiting more inclusion on that front and celebrating female dance makers. For veteran choreographer Jessica Lang, this current climate of female empowerment represents a bit of a…
Science says Bloody Marys taste better on planes, so we tested it
In 2015, two researchers from Cornell University conducted a study to see how high noise levels, like those on an airplane, would affect subjects’ taste buds. They found it suppresses sweeter tastes and enhances savory and umami flavor, like tomato juice. The release of the study prompted many clickbait articles boasting that Science Proved Why…
J.D. Barker teams up with Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew for prequel to Dracula
Novelist J.D. Barker was signing books at a horror convention a few years ago when he noticed the man next to him was Dacre Stoker, the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. When Barker was 7 years old, he convinced his mother to buy him a used copy of that classic novel…
LeoGreta is a Carnegie treasure
I was speechless leaving LeoGreta. Finding words to describe the simple and delicious dishes seemed impossible. It was a soul-warming, familial experience with no wrong turns. There was no question about it: LeoGreta did everything right. Open since April, LeoGreta quickly became the new Carnegie hotspot. Named after chef/owner Greg Alauzen’s parents, Leon and Greta,…
Pittsburgh and New York artists collaborate for New Archives: Visions & Voices from the August Wilson Center Lab
A new exhibition at the CLP-Main brings Pittsburgh and New York artists together for a collection of collaborative works. Organized and produced by VIA, New Archives: Visions & Voices from AWC Lab (opening Jan. 26) features videos, sculptures, manuscripts, and digital artworks described as engaging “collective and personal approaches to storytelling and archival practice, Afrofuturism,…
Backstage with scenic artist Leah Blackwood
Who: Leah Blackwood, Greenfield Title: Scenic Artist Where: Seasonal full-time at City Theatre; additional freelance Recent work: The Revolutionists and Pipeline, City Theatre; Grey Gardens, Front Porch Theatricals; Rules of Seconds and HIR, barebones productions What do you do? I take drawings from the designer and make them into scenery. Carpenters build pieces — walls,…
7 Days of Concerts
Thursday The Bad Plus 8 p.m. August Wilson Center, Downtown. aacc-awc.org Friday Chrome Moses, Jakethehawk 8 p.m. Howlers. howlerspittsburgh.com Saturday No Quarter – The Tribute to the Led Zeppelin Legacy 9:30 p.m. Hard Rock Cafe, Station Square. hardrock.com/pittsburgh Sunday Bon Journey 9 p.m. Crafthouse Stage & Grill, Whitehall. crafthousepgh.com Monday Hot Club of Cowtown 7…
Top 5 best-kept secrets just outside of Downtown Pittsburgh
Mancini’s Bakery, 601 Woodward Ave., McKees Rocks My wife grew up on this McKees Rocks-based favorite. One bite of their hot-from-the-oven twist loaf and I was hooked. Grandview Park, Mt. Washington Everyone goes to the Mt. Washington overlooks to see the Golden Triangle, but try viewing the city from this vantage point. McArdle Roadway Viaduct,…
Downtown Gallery Crawl celebrates 15 years with a night full of events
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Downtown Gallery Crawl, and on Jan. 25, the Cultural District celebrates the occasion with new exhibits, performers, and other offerings from here and abroad. “The Gallery Crawls have always represented a sharing of community through artistic cultural exchange and immersive events,” states Terri Bell, vice president of Strategic…
Laurel and Hardy biopic Stan & Ollie is fine but dull
Normally when people say “times used to be so simple,” they’re full of crap. Life has always been complicated. Comedy, though, really used to be so simple. In the earliest era of modern theater and film, an uproarious joke consisted of a man with a big head wearing a small hat, or a guy walking…
Searching for insight into how oppressive beauty standards affect both women and men? Look to the sex industry
Sex workers hold men’s secrets. Many of these secrets are the type you’d expect. They talk to us about their marriage frustrations, the kinks that they are afraid to tell their partners about, their anxieties, their relationship regrets, and the panties they wear under their suits. What I didn’t expect when I started doing this…
Don’t let the trolls win. Watch Gotti.
Gotti had a rough year. Since its release in June 2018, the mafia biopic about John Gotti, starring John Travolta, secured a rare zero-percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, racked up six Razzie nominations, and inspired breathless takedowns from gleeful critics everywhere. The film’s marketing squad hit back against those critics (just like Gotti would…
Free Will Astrology
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A motivational speaker and author named Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs, although he has two small, unusually shaped feet. These facts didn’t stop him from getting married, raising a family of four children, and writing eight books. One book is entitled Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously…
