Category Archives: South

SANTARCHY!

santa

So. Before you go you go curling or see Mamaspell this Saturday, Dec. 10, you need to check out the first annual Pittsburgh SANTARCHY. This Santastic event has been held everywhere from Tokyo to San Francisco. The evidence at left is from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Good Lord, I never thought I’d see the day where Pittsburgh was playing catch-up to Antarctica on a cultural trend. But anyway. We got it, finally.

From the organizer’s post at craigslist:

What is it? Santarchy is a nonpolitical, non-religious, not-for-profit (i.e. free), demented Santa Claus convention — a mass gathering of Santa Clauses that will spread a little disruptive, holiday cheer to everyone we encounter. It’s part pub crawl, part culture jam, and part prank.

Meeting place: Southside, Beehive Coffee House, corner of 14th and Carson.
When: 3:00 p.m., this Saturday
Until: ??? (But plan on a long day.)

The itinerary will be kept secret until the actual day, but expect the following:
— It will start and end in the Southside.
— Lots of walking
— Use of public transportation system
— Visits to Station Square and Downtown.
— Pub hopping
— Lots of funny looks

This event is free and open to all Santas, however, the drinks and food along the way will not be.

In order to participate you MUST dress like Santa Clause. Here is some advice from Pittsburgh Cacophony Society:

“Santa apparel is mandatory. A Santa hat is not enough. Get a Santa suit. Make a Santa suit. Steal a Santa suit. Buy a Santa suit. If you don’t have any money, be creative. If you don’t have any creativity, slap yourself three times and ask your mom to help you. Glue cotton balls to red long johns. Make it purple. Make it pink. Already have a Santa suit? Make a spare so Santa can assimilate strangers. Past examples: pimp Santa/Santa garcia/Santa’s naughty little helper/misfit toy/elf/reindeer. Traditional suits can be bought at local party stores or ordered online for $12 and up.”

I am looking forward to the insantaty.

Loova

In college, I studied abroad in London. And I spent too much money I didn’t have. Too much of this money was spent on soap. Yes, soap. You see, in London, there is a wonderful boutique chain called Lush. Lush specializes in fresh, hand-made, all natural, super-good smelling soap and beauty products. Their products are ridiculously expensive, yet addictive.

Thanks to Lush, I returned to Pittsburgh a soap addict. But Bath and Body Works did not fulfill my needs. The Body Shop was too far away. I wanted my soap and beauty products with expiration dates. I wanted to see my bath scrubs made and packaged right in front my eyes, made with fresh ingredients.

So imagine my surprise when I entered LOOVA, located in Station Square in the South Side. Could I believe my eyes? It was exactly like Lush – but (slightly more) affordable! And more importantly, local!

Soap by the slice? Check!
yum

Soap kebabs? Check!
soapy soap soap

Home-made bath cup cakes? Check!
tub cakes

Creatively packaged bath fizzies? CHECK!
fizz fizz

You can also buy Loova products online (orders of $50 get a 15% discount.) And … if you can’t afford the soap, I highly recommend visiting the store. The smells are free. (But don’t be surprised if you walk out wondering why you just bought a dozen bath fizzies.)

Sandwiches at Il Padrino

I absolutely had to add a post regarding my Brookline neighborhood. I love that it still has a city neighborhood feel to it. People that grew up there still know each other and their families. It’s great!

Adding to its uniqueness is a fabulous new eatery, Il Padrino. On Brookline Blvd., there are many pizza places, drug stores, bars, that you can find a quick snack. None of them come close to Il Padrino.

This deli has more sandwiches than you can imagine. Gyro? Yes. Cheesesteak (with real steak)? Yes. Chicken Wrap? Yes. Club sandwich? Yes. Anything! Chalkboards full of options. And every sandwich comes with chips and a pickle. Mmmmm.

No only are these great creations affordable, they are huge! They use all quality ingredients (I believe Boars Head) and you can buy them to take home from their deli case. The soups are spectacular, too.

The only thing is, this is a deli. They have 4 bar stools to grab a quick bite, but most of the business is take out. But you don’t even have to go there to get a delicious sandwich – they deliver!

It’s a great addition to the Boulevard.

Pierogi Madness

Compact, tasty, and filling, pierogies are perfect food for a Polish girl on the go. That’s why they’re my FAVORITE! While I prefer making them at home, I do occasionally have to buy them.

For out-of-towners who have stumbled upon this page:

pie·ro·gi also pi·ro·gi n. : A semicircular dumpling with any of various fillings, such as finely chopped meat or vegetables, that is often sautéed after being boiled.

There are a couple of places I like to buy them in bulk in the ‘burgh:

First up is Pierogies Plus owned by Helen Mannarino, located in a former gas station in McKees Rocks, and staffed by the sweetest Ukrainian and Polish ladies and gents. Second up is Clara’s Pierogies, which is owned by Kathy Davis (daughter of Clara!) The business started out as a catering company and is now located in the South Hills on Route 51.

Both Pierogies Plus and Clara’s have similar menus, offering some crazy fillings like apricot and jalapeno, while staying close to traditional favorites the kraut, potato, and cheese. They also offer kielbasa, potato pancakes, and other fixin’s.

Helpful hints: you can print out coupons from both websites. And and now you can order from Pierogies Plus online! And DEAR GOD, Helen can even show you how to Make Your Own Pierogies on DVD. (Best PGH-esque stocking stuffer EVER Award.) Someone please take away my credit card.

Any other places to stock up on pierogi? Let us know.

Wild Turkeys

breathtaking majesty.

Some days on my way to school, I am lucky enough to see a bunch of turkeys bopping around on the side of the road. They are very cute and make me smile. Take that, Manhattan!

I was curious as to what a “flock” of turkeys is called, and so I found this handy dandy website:

“Benjamin Franklin wanted wild turkeys to be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. He felt that the stately, majestic qualities of the wild turkey would make it a fine symbol for the new country.

“Most people are familiar with the term “flock of pigeons” and even “gaggle of geese,” but did you know that a group of turkeys is called a “rafter”? And baby turkeys are called poults.”

You can see a happy, safe rafter of turkeys at the South Park Nature Center in South Park, PA (about a 20 minute drive outside the city). The Nature Preserve also has pheasants, ruffled grouses (our state bird!), peacocks (which make the weirdest noises ever) deer, and … buffalo! That’s right, buffalo. You can attempt to feed the animals grass and seed without getting your hands pecked or bitten off. It’s pretty fun. The Center also has nature programs incorporating the trails, streams, and other resources of the park.

Check out other nature programs at Parks in Allegheny County here:
http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/2005/ncenter.asp

Hmm. I still haven’t found out why I only see turkeys in the fall. What are they doing during the rest of the year? Hiding? Mating? Sleeping? Any turkey experts in the audience?

Directions to the Center:
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