Mayor O’Connor read a Dr. Seuss book to preschoolers on Read Across America Day.
He also announced that he will issue these hats for all city workers.
(We just couldn’t resist. Please send any other quirky photos to info@iheartpgh.com.)
Beleza Community Coffee House
This story was in the Post-Gazette this weekend. The brand-spanking new coffee house is located at 1501 Buena Vista St. on the North Side and, according to Pittsburgh Dish, the business hours are:
6 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F;
8 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturdays;
and 8a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays.
Looks like the North Side is blowing up! (In the best way.) We wish the Beleza Seven the best … and we hope this inspires others to start businesses in their own neighborhoods. Everyone will love you.
Saturday Diary: Beleza Community Coffeehouse — changing the world, one cup at a time
Saturday, April 01, 2006
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
My neighbors file into the Beleza Community Coffeehouse every morning, each of us still marveling that we have such a place. It’s small, just slightly funky enough and run by seven people who must be lauded by someone, so it’s going to be me.
And I swear I do and always will pay for my coffee there.
Beleza — which means “beautiful” in Portuguese — opened a little over a month ago, in a storefront building at the corner of Jacksonia and Buena Vista in the Mexican War Streets. People were standing outside at 7 a.m., an hour early.
“We didn’t advertise,” said Joanna Deming, one of the owners, grinning in amazement. “We wanted to ease into it, so we just e-mailed some friends. I expected to know everyone when we opened, but I didn’t know about 70 percent of them.
“They all knew each other, and everyone rotated around, talking. I thought, ‘This is so cool.’ Then it just started being full all day.”
What Beleza means to our neighborhood is estimable, but the Beleza Seven’s potential is a gift to the entire city of Pittsburgh, profoundly inestimable. The more I learn about them, their values and devotion, I think of what the anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”
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Post-a-rama
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Pittsburgh Skyline … from every angle …
ever.
This link was sent to us as a comment, but I decided it merited its very own post. Thanks to Bob for putting together this splendid montage of the Pittsburgh skyline. No wonder we have one of the top in the world:
e house
one of the many hip shops on carson street in pittsburgh’s bustling south side is the e house. not only is it hip, but it’s also green. e house is one of the few places in this city where you can buy organic household products, all natural clothing and accessories. e house also takes recycling, particularly some tricky items like battreries. to go back to the hip comment, some of the stuff they carry is just really creative. they carry products from pittsburgh-based littlearth- you know, the company that makes belts out of recycled tires and bottle caps. they’ve also got bags made from old billboards and serving dishes from traffic lights. it’s a great place for the stuff you need and for finding the right gift. check them out: 1511 east carson street.
ps- according to a 2003 article in the pittsburgh business times, littlearth, “contracts with two plants in China that manufacture a majority of its products.” i thought that those of you interested in supporting local businesses and living a life with minimum environmental impact would want to know.
pps- you can calculate your eco footprint here.