CP Year in Review: Looking back on senior writer Ryan Deto’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive senior writer Ryan Deto’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham A Chinese woman lost her job at Westinghouse in Shanghai, so she flew all the way to Cranberry to ask…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on senior writer Amanda Waltz’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive senior writer Amanda Waltz’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham Thrifty Podcast // Feb. 27, 2019I’m a little obsessed with sub-cultures, so when I met Toddy Tondera from Thrifty Podcast,…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on staff writer Jordan Snowden’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive staff writer Jordan Snowden’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham The Music Issue // June 19, 2019 Man, oh man, did I get a lot of slack for this issue. “What…
Buku reflects back on his ‘beautiful and chaotic’ 2019
Exactly one year ago, Buku was getting ready to close out a monumental 2018 with a bang. After spending the year performing at a slew of music festivals – many of which had been on his bucket list – Buku, aka Robert Balotsky, was gearing up for a headlining New Year’s Eve show at the Rex Theater.…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on managing editor Alex Gordon’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive managing editor Alex Gordon’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham Bike courier cleans 40th Street Bridge // Feb. 27, 2019Nothing against publicists or press releases, but it’s always nice to…
Going out on New Year’s Eve is silly — just silly!
How many times this year did you drink too much? How often were forced to listen to music you don’t like? Did you lie about having to go to the bathroom to get out of small talk? Well, congratulations! You have already experienced everything that a New Year’s Eve party has to offer. Now you…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on staff writer Josh Oswald’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive staff writer Josh Oswald’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham Figuring out what the hell they sell at Pool City // March 5, 2019 Pool City’s biggest sellers are getting…
Nutella chocolate chip cookies that will ‘change your life’
It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh wedding without a cookie table. But why keep the tradition exclusive to happy couples? In the spirit of the season, Pittsburgh City Paper is celebrating the holiday cookie table. We’re reviewing bakery favorites, family recipes, and grocery store staples until the table is full. Since its inception in the 1940s,…
Concert photos: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at PPG Paints Arena
Lights, Camera, Christmas! Trans-Siberian Orchestra is celebrated for its impressive stage show, with dazzling lights and explosive special effects, almost as much as its progressive music. On Sunday evening, the rock group brought both to PPG Paints Arena for its “All-New Christmas Eve and Other Stories” winter tour. Below are photographer Mike Papariella’s photo highlights from…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on staff writer Maggie Weaver’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive staff writer Maggie Weaver’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham LeoGreta is a Carnegie treasure // Jan. 23, 2019In the past year, I’ve eaten a lot of food. LeoGreta, one…
The best Pittsburgh restaurants open on Christmas
For most Pittsburghers, Christmas is a time for visiting family and eating traditional, home-cooked dishes like spiral ham, roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, eggnog, and all the delicious holiday treats. But there are still plenty of locals who either don’t celebrate the Christian holiday, or just don’t want to deal with washing all of those dishes,…
Listen to Stone Throwers new single ‘Game’
Dance into 2020 with “Game,” the newest release from rock-soul-funk-fusion band Stone Throwers. The track starts with a short cheery guitar riff that sets the upbeat tone for the rest of the song. With a smooth saxophone, powerful brass, and tight drum and bass line, “Game” sounds both new and familiar, and is infectiously danceable. But…
Pk Delay wrote a song a day for 365 days. You have until Jan. 1 to hear them all
On Jan. 1, 2019, Pk Delay started releasing a new song every day of the year as part of his 365 project. On Jan. 1, 2020, he’ll delete nearly all of them. “I feel relieved and ready for what’s next,” says the musician, whose real name is William Hawkins IV. “It feels good though. ……
Gerwig’s Little Women honors Alcott’s characters with fresh energy
It feels confusing to end the decade with such an excellent adaptation of Little Women since it was preceded by 10 years bloated with an excess of remakes and reboots. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women could have felt tired and pointless, like the remakes of The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet before it, but it…
Other ways to spend Pitt chancellor’s $600,000+ raise and bonus
For a second consecutive year, top executives at the University of Pittsburgh received pay raises, especially Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. In 2019, Gallagher was compensated with more than $1 million. His base salary for 2020 was raised to $669,738 a year, up from $555,000 — a difference of about $114,000. This is a combination of a…
CP Year in Review: Looking back on staff writer Hannah Lynn’s favorite stories of 2019
Editor’s note: As 2019 comes to an end, I’ve asked Pittsburgh City Paper’s editorial staff to select their five favorite stories from this year. Relive staff writer Hannah Lynn’s 2019 highlights below. — Lisa Cunningham Pierogi Mayhem // May 21, 2019 When I first pitched a story ruminating on the purses used by Pirates pierogis, it…
Memory … all alone in the theater
It’s the Saturday before Christmas, and I’m the only person at this screening of Cats, Tom Hooper’s digital-and-human film adaptation of the once wildly popular Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical, itself adapted from T.S. Eliot poems. My previous knowledge of Cats had been hearing the chorus to “Memory” during late-late-night TV commercials for a very…
Sinful Sweets cinnamon roll cookies are doughy monsters that can feed a family
It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh wedding without a cookie table. But why keep the tradition exclusive to happy couples? In the spirit of the season, Pittsburgh City Paper is celebrating the holiday cookie table. We’re reviewing bakery favorites, family recipes, and grocery store staples until the table is full. Homemade cinnamon rolls are a major…
Reviewing the sad, leftover cookie from Pittsburgh City Paper’s last day in Centre City Tower
It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh wedding without a cookie table. But why keep the tradition exclusive to happy couples? In the spirit of the season, Pittsburgh City Paper is celebrating the holiday cookie table. We’re reviewing bakery favorites, family recipes, and grocery store staples until the table is full. Today is the last day Pittsburgh…
Meek Mill sponsors Holiday Giveaway at Hawkins Village Community Center in honor of Antwon Rose II
Tonight, from 5-7 p.m., children ages 8-16 who reside in Rankin* could be gifted J4A hoodies, Puma sneakers, and basketballs. Meek Mill and his record label, Dream Chasers, are honoring the late Antwon Rose II with a holiday giveaway at Hawkins Village Community Center, where Rose spent much of this life playing basketball. Over the past month,…
Ahead of The Affordable Floors’ sold-out show, here are some of our favorite tracks
After splitting up in 1995, The Affordable Floors is making a comeback. Last year, the popular mid-’80s New Wave band released the EP, Every Broken Heart Will Mend, the first new tunes to come from The Affordable Floors since releasing the single “The Big Sky” 24 years ago. More music is expected to come from the band in early…
Screenplay for Mac Miller biopic makes coveted Black List (but don’t expect a movie just yet)
The untimely death of rapper Mac Miller in 2018 left Pittsburgh mourning a local talent who made it big while still using his music to spotlight his hometown. Now a screenplay for an unofficial biopic about his short, but influential life has made it into the Black List, an annual compilation of undeveloped scripts voted…
Pittsburgh-area congressional candidate Sean Parnell sure does thank a lot of trollbots
Since announcing his congressional run against U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Mt. Lebanon), Republican candidate Sean Parnell has made quite a splash. Even before he announced, Parnell received a shoutout from President Donald Trump at the Shale Insight natural gas conference in Pittsburgh. Trump then officially endorsed Parnell on Wednesday. Before his run, Parnell was well…
Now Playing: Bombshell, a Star War, nightmare Cats, and more
Every Friday, Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a round-up of new releases and second-run films playing around the city. This only covers films that are new to theaters this week; check out what movies opened last week here. Bombshell Fox News says bad things all the time, but did you know that behind the scenes, the…
Concert Announcements: Brittney Chantele, Kurt Vile, The Expendables, and more
Stay up-to-date with your favorite artists and musicians coming to Pittsburgh. Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper will bring you the most recent concert announcements so you never miss a show. Pop Brittney Chantele. Sat., Feb. 22. Thunderbird Café & Music Hall, Lawrenceville. Dermot Kennedy. Sun., March 8. Roxian Theatre, McKees Rocks. Sleep On It. Tue., March…
Head organizer of Pittsburgh Pride takes leave of absence after charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer
Yesterday, Delta Foundation Board President Gary Van Horn turned himself in on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer stemming from an April 6 incident in Shadyside. In response to these charges and upcoming legal action, the Delta Foundation, Pittsburgh’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, announced that Van Horn would be taking a leave of absence…
Opinion: Wrapping paper is bad and wasteful
The holiday season is full of waste, from uneaten leftovers to plastic gifts that will be trash in a year. According to Washington University in St. Louis, Americans produce 25% more trash from Thanksgiving to Christmas than the rest of the year. Wrapping paper is especially useless; its only purpose is to conceal the surprise…
Pittsburgh Grooveline: Dance parties at Ruggers Pub, Brillobox, and more (Dec. 19-25)
Each week, the Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a list of Pittsburgh dance parties for you and your crew to bust loose to the best bangers, EDM, pop hits, and more. (All events are 21 and over unless otherwise stated.) And this month, Grooveline is making it easier to get funky and festive by highlighting the…
Lynn Cullen Live – 12/19/19
Video Archive It’s the last show of the year, and the final one from this building. Yesterday Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, becoming only the third president to be impeached. That’s the first topic Lynn is discussing today. She is also talking about the Washington Post’s 19 good things that happened…
Test kitchen: Baking cookies from dough found in pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh wedding without a cookie table. But why keep the tradition exclusive to happy couples? In the spirit of the season, Pittsburgh City Paper is celebrating the holiday cookie table. We’re reviewing bakery favorites, family recipes, and grocery store staples until the table is full. Looking for a truly unique cookie…
Lynn Cullen Live – 12/18/19
Video Archive Pittsburgh City Paper’s Ryan Deto will be joining Lynn for the final time this year later in the show. Before he gets here, Lynn is talking about last night’s March for Impeachment. She was at the one in front of the City County Building. Today is also the day the House will hold…
‘Not fussy, but not your typical fare’ rounds out the menu at Independent Brewing Company
Independent Brewing Company has a “terrible name,” according to owner Peter Kurzweg. And it’s true that it’s a bit of a misnomer: The Squirrel Hill tavern doesn’t brew a single beer, but serves in support of other independent, craft breweries. Kurzweg opened the bar with his brother six years ago, only five days after they…
How Pittsburgh is attempting to lower and help its homeless population
For the last three years, donations on Giving Tuesday have been growing for Light of Life Rescue Mission, which provides food and shelter to the homeless at its facility in the North Side. The Tuesday following Thanksgiving has become an unofficial day to donate to charity, and locally, Give Big Pittsburgh compiles all the donations…
Stones and Roses features photography and paintings of two of Pittsburgh’s worst tragedies to emphasize the importance of community
Pittsburgh experienced some of the most difficult events in its history in 2018. In June, 17-year-old Antwon Rose II was shot and killed by an East Pittsburgh police officer, who was later found not-guilty in his homicide trial, both of which sparked passionate protests in the city. Then in October 2018, the shooting at Tree…
Drag queen moon baby returns to Pittsburgh for special Christmas Eve event at Ace Hotel
In the year and a half since former Pittsburgh drag queen, the moon baby, moved across the state to Philadelphia, she believes her act has evolved. “When I was in Pittsburgh, I was good but I was very, like, drunk girl in a t-shirt aesthetic,” says moon baby, real name Sam Perry. “I didn’t…
Waves drowns under its own melodramatic weight
Waves. Opens Fri., Dec. 20 at Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. cinema.pfpca.org Florida is an ideal setting for familial turbulence, because it has a physical and cultural climate that is constantly shifting. It’s a chaotic place, which is maybe why director Trey Edward Shults chose it as the location for Waves, a drama about…
INEZ releases her debut album, an audio diary of her growth as a woman
As soon as INEZ’s food came out at Friendship Perk & Brew — a hot and steamy steak sandwich — she pushed it to the side. “I’m not hungry anymore,” she says. “I’m going to save it for my mom.” INEZ, whose real name is Danielle Walker, was nervous, and it took a few minutes…
Clothes Make: Hoa Le, entrepreneur and chef at Shaka in Federal Galley
Name: Hoa Le Work: Entrepreneur and chef at Shaka in Federal Galley (200 Children’s Way, North Side. federalgalley.org) When did Shaka open? How did you get started? Shaka opened in August 2019, but prior to that, I ran a Vietnamese concept in Smallman Galley for two years called Banhmilicious. Poke is not a big thing in…
Meet the detective who investigates Carnegie Museum of Art’s collection
Name: Costas Karakatsanis, Shadyside Work: Collections Research, Carnegie Museum of Art What do you do? Investigate the background and history of works in the collection, the provenance and various stories associated with the artist or the work itself. I go methodically through the archives sequentially. If we have specific interest because of an exhibition or…
An oral history of my elite solo-parenting performance
Reggie Jackson. Michael Jordan. Josh Oswald. You’ve heard these names countless times. The best of the best in their individual fields, you’re thinking. In Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs with three swings of the bat to lead the New York Yankees to the world championship. Michael Jordan…
Trunk full of condoms gets important conversation started
As an organizer with the Pittsburgh chapter of the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP), I often receive swag and supplies from some of the organizations we partner with. Recently, Planned Parenthood physicians gave our group several bags of condoms to pass out at events we host. After the meeting, I put them in my trunk…
Decorate your cocktail glasses with something you’ll actually want to drink this holiday season
Every year, I find myself drinking the same things at holiday gatherings: beer, wine, and mugs of uninspired eggnog. Craft cocktails fade into the distance as calendars descend into chaos, replaced by bowls of too-spirited punch and vodka on ice. This year, we’re leaving dull drinks behind and turning to three painless holiday cocktails that…
Writing about chronic illness is ‘super interesting for a poet’ but ‘awful’ as a person
Shannon Sankey grew up in various communities in the South Hills, moving frequently, never staying long enough anywhere to feel comfortable. Suffering from Crohn’s disease — she underwent chemotherapy for five years as part of her treatment regimen — added another layer of discomfort. Sankey tackles these issues in her recently published chapbook from TAR…
Free Will Astrology (12/18-12/25)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1933, Sagittarian artist Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a huge mural in one of the famous Rockefeller buildings in New York City. His patrons didn’t realize he was planning to include a controversial portrait of former Soviet Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. When the deed was done, they ordered him…
