Treader’s Choice: L2D2

Treading Art has been putting together an amazing list of weekend events around Pittsburgh. Each week we will highlight one of those events here on IheartPGH and link you back over to Treading Art’s weekly events post.

This weeks Treader’s Choice event:

Saturday, July 27th

Magic Organs Presents: L2D2

From the Minds of Julie Mallis and D.S. Kinsel comes a night of both sights and sounds. With 21 artists on the bill for the evening, collaborations are a sure bet… plus food trucks.

Most Wanted Fine Art @ 5025 Penn Ave- Garfield

5-9pm//FREE

Most Wanted Fine Art hosts a variety of events including both musical and visual. Check out L2D2 on Saturday for a taste of both experiences.

Make sure you check out the rest of the Weekend Threadings!

Steel of the Week: Pittsburgh Magnet

This week’s Steel was found while browsing The Shop in East Liberty. Located on Highland Avenue (and conveniently around the block from our office), The Shop is a lovely place to find art, home goods, and jewelry handmade by artists in Pittsburgh and around the country. The storefront has been open for about ten months, and you can also shop online.

Something that caught my eye for SOTW while in The Shop was this Pittsburgh magnet.

The laser-cut maple wood magnet was made specifically for The Shop by Kristen Shearon of Havok Designs. It does a great job of capturing the beauty of the cityscape as well as show the geographical location of our city within Pennsylvania. There are other magnets and also jewelry by Havok Designs available to purchase at The Shop.

I will definitely be going back sometime soon to look around more. If you are furnishing a new apartment or shopping for a gift, make sure to stop in The Shop!

If you have an item you would like featured as our Steel of the Week, submit to sotw@iheartpgh.com!

National Hot Dog Day: The Hot Dogs of Pittsburgh

It was quiet morning in the super secret iheartPGH headquarters until one intern abruptly cried out “It’s National Hot Dog Day!” The Yinzterns rejoiced and it was decided that they would take a crawl through the various hot dog vendors of Pittsburgh. Here, we share our ups, downs, and general stomach aches after consuming multiple dogs.

Name	Hours	Cost	Fun Fact
	Breakfast & Lunch Monday-Saturday	$	The proprietors of Steve’s were on vacation at the time of the crawl. We will be back for you Steve…
	Lunch & Dinner	$	An interesting hybrid of Chicago and Pittsburgh, they serve up a mean hot dog. They are also located in a basement, so keep your eyes peeled or you will miss a delicious spot. It’s also cash only.
	Lunch & DinnerMonday-ThursdayLunch, Dinner & Late NightFriday-SaturdayBrunch Sunday	$$	Franktuary is now offering a Sunday brunch at its Lawrenceville location. They also have trivia Tuesday nights!
	Lunch & Dinner Everyday	$$$	Station Street has been open since 1915.
	Lunch, Dinner & Late Night Everyday	$	Decent beer collection, pop in for a hot dog.
	Lunch & DinnerSunday- WednesdayLunch, Dinner, & Late NightThursday-Saturday	$$	Over 1,000 types of beer with a wide offering of food beyond just hot dogs.
	Lunch & Dinner Monday-Saturday	$	This dog joint packs in a lot of character. Cash only.
	Lunch & Dinner Monday- Friday Lunch Saturday	$	Beyond selling dog hots, Wiener World is known for its fish sandwich.

Steve’s New York Hot Dog

This place has great reviews on Urban Spoon. Unfortunately, Steve decided it was a good idea to go out of town during one of the most important hot dog related holidays on the year. We yelled out in agony as we drove by, vowing to return at a later date.

Yovi’s

Unassumingly tucked into a basement right outside of Market Square, Yovi’s brings Chicago dogs to Pittsburgh. It’s simply decorated with both cities’ memorabilia and they also offer sandwiches and deep-fried pizza puffs. The token all-beef Chicago dog was topped with mustard, green relish, diced onions, tomato wedges, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt, on a poppy-seed bun. It’s a great, cheap, and friendly place to pop in for a quick lunch while downtown.

Franktuary

The new Franktuary location in Lawrenceville is charmingly rustic and beautiful, not to mention very spacious compared to the original downtown location. They have a variety of unique hot dog styles (including vegan tofu dogs), plus salads, poutine, pierogies, desserts, and more. We loved the Memphis dog (slaw, barbecue sauce, and crunchy potato sticks) and the Pittsburgh dog (smooshed pierogi and slaw). Their bar is fully stocked with tasty cocktails and craft beers, and you can sit at the open garage door windows when it’s nice out.

Station Street

This hot dog joint has opened and closed a few times since it’s creation in 1915. The latest version is run by restauranteur Kevin Sousa. Bringing food science down to hot dog level, Sousa includes a couple crazy combinations on the menu. I went out on a limb and ordered the Kimchi Dog, topped with seaweed, kimchi, and tangy mayo. I was pleasantly surprised how delightful the tastes were together. The beef hot dog is delicious stand alone, but I’m anxious to try a few more combinations. Station Street also offers Vegan doggies for those less inclined to meat The only downside? It’s a bit pricey for your everyday hot dog–save this spot for special lunch occasions (like National Hot Dog day).

Packs & Dogs

The first thing you notice when you enter this shop in Mount Washington is its expansive beer collection. The bar is lined with bottles and two plasma screen tvs. You have to go to the far back to order your hot dogs. The varieties have canine-themed names, such as the German Shepard (sauerkraut and spicy mustard) or the Chihuahua (chili, cheddar cheese, and onions). Beer is definitely Packs and Dogs’ forte. There was not much outside seating, as there were only two tables outside, but there are a nice number of booths and bar seating.

D’s Six Pax & Dogs

Located in Regent Square, D’s is the perfect place to pop in for a dog. While you are there, make sure to check out the legendary Beer Cave, where you will find over 1,000 different brews. The Chicago Veggie dog was a classic that didn’t disappoint with relish, onions, pickles, tomatoes, sport peppers, and yellow mustard. D’s offered some interesting varieties, such as the Big Ben with fries, creamy cheddar and coleslaw and the Angry Tiki loaded with fries, creamy cheddar and coleslaw. We can’t forget to mention how great the poppy-seed buns were, which can also be substituted for whole wheat.

Dormont Dogs

Dormont Dogs was one of our favorite stops of the day. Located a bit out of the city, it was worth the voyage. When you first walk in, you are taken back in time with the lovely decor. The hand written menu and little colorful tables added to the character at Dormont Dogs. The dogs were very good, as well as the buns. The menu featured hot dogs styled after different states (and streets in Dormont), from Louisiana in the south to Wisconsin in the west to Connecticut in the north. We also learned that in addition to being a hot dog shop, the area used to be a barber shop and a waffle/pottery shop.

Wiener World

Wiener World is located in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh on Smithfield St. and you can’t miss the giant neon sign. This place is a hot dog shop. This is a take out spot or stand-at-the-counter-and-eat-your-hot-dog place, no tables, chairs or restrooms, just hot dogs (or a hoagie). We ordered the all beef hot dogs with all of the fixings, well ok most of the fixings, which was more than filling enough. We’ll have to try the fries on a return visit. The beef hot dog was great and next time I’ll limit the fixings to one or two and let the hot dog take center stage.

We know there are a ton more hot dog spots in Pittsburgh, but we couldn’t stomach another after a full day of chowing down. Where do you think the best dogs are in Pittsburgh? Check out our Facebook album for more pictures of our day-long crawl.

A Chill Evening with Zac Brown Band at First Niagara Pavilion

The view from the lawn at First Niagara Pavilion for Zac Brown Band

This past weekend I attended the Zac Brown Band show and it was the first time I made the trip out to First Niagara Pavilion to see a concert. Strange to think, I know. I was a little apprehensive, I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about what a pain it is getting in and out of there and most of them were true. I actually got lost going out there and took a detour, plus the traffic just getting to the point where you can get lost is trouble in and of itself.

But once you get past the fact that it’s in the middle of nowhere, First Niagara Pavilion turns into an awesome venue. The stage is huge and offers a lot of options for artists to use it in different ways- something Zac Brown Band took full advantage of during their show with flashing lights, narrative images on the big screen, as well as a live concert projection for those of us hanging out in the lawn. The giant lawn opens things up and gives people room to breath and the acoustics are fantastic. No matter where I was throughout the night I could clearly hear everything coming from the stage. Unfortunately I missed opening act Levi Lowrey because of my little detour getting out there, but when Zac Brown Band finally took the stage everyone was itching to get the night started.

The cool thing about Zac Brown is that he has this uncanny ability to stretch across a wide range of topics and niches. He’s country to the bone there’s no doubt about that. But he’s also got some Jimmy Buffet-Beach Bum in him and that Beard-Beanie trademark screams (pun intended) aspects of hard rocking metal. This all-encompassing genre medley is seemingly effortless for him and his band as they rolled through song after song for over two hours. Just take a gander at some of the covers they played: snippets of Bob Marley’s “One Love,” John Mayer’s “Neon” (pre Born and Raised, country-ish Mayer), Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, and a fast-paced rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” It’s such an odd assortment of songs, and would definitely be an iTunes playlist fail in theory.

But Brown strings reggae, classic rock, metal, and back-woods country in a manner that comes across so naturally authentic, which is what makes him such a mass appeal. One look at the crowd and you can see the people there were just as diverse as the set list. There were rowdy Marlboro men, hard rockers, hippies, borderline Parrotheads- all thrown together with families and people just looking to have a good time and see a great show-something everyone can agree on. If you asked me to describe the show in one word I would honestly say “chill”, in the best urbandictionary definition possible. People hung out on the lawn, danced, and had a blast. The crowd couldn’t get enough, and Brown delivered with a stacked show full of jam sessions and a 25 song set list. It got to the point where I was checking my phone to see what time it was because I thought he’d never get off the stage.

Plus Brown loves Pittsburgh, look he specifically says he means it:

Pittsburgh was ON IT tonight. Can’t wait to come back. Love you. Mean it.

— Zac Brown Band (@zacbrownband) July 21, 2013

So to all of the other cities that Zac Brown has loved in the past, HE DIDN’T MEAN IT.

Full Setlist:

Jump Right In

Whiskey’s Gone

Settle Me Down

Highway 20 Ride
Where The Boat Leaves From/One Love
Zac Brown Band @ BamaJam Music Festival (Photo credit: ConcertTour)
Toes
One Day

As She’s Walking Away

Neon/Isn’t She Lovely (John Mayer cover)
Free/Into the Mystic (Van Morrison cover)

Acoustic

Seven Bridges Road
Babylon (David Gray cover)
Day That I Die
Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith cover)
The Frozen Man (James Taylor cover with Percussion solos)

Keep Me in Mind

Colder Weather

Knee Deep
The Wind
Enter Sandman (Metallica cover)
Goodbye In Her Eyes

Chicken Fried

Encore:

Uncaged

Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover-short version)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band cover)

Via setlist.fm

Thanks to the awesome fan in attendance who took this really clear, great quality video (unlike most self-shot concert videos) of “Knee Deep.”

A hater’s guide to Jimmy Buffett

Ok. Ready for an unpopular opinion? I hate Jimmy Buffett.

I can’t explain it and neither can anyone else. There’s always a resounding “but why?!” when I let slip that he and his music drive me absolutely up the wall. My only answer is a pathetic yet indignant “I just don’t know.”

Honestly, what is wrong with me? How can I hate this face?

In theory, I should be totally on board with Jimmy. He and I seem to value and appreciate a lot of the same things: relaxing on beaches, drinking margaritas and beer, a carefree attitude, nature conservation. The man has a song about cheeseburgers, for heaven’s sake. We should be best friends. Even I don’t get it.

So when I was invited to attend his concert last Thursday at First Niagara Pavillion, plus partake in the legendary tailgating, I was a bit apprehensive. Am I going to fall deeper into nonsensical loathing with the poor man? Or will I end up devoting the rest of my days to the Parrothead religion?

I figured if I ever was going to make some sense out of my feelings (and honestly, hopefully dispel them– I feel like a terrible person for hating, essentially, America’s Grandfather), I should go with an open mind. And a significant amount of beers in my belly.

So I did. And you know what? I had an absolute blast. While I may not be his biggest fan now, I think still saying that I hate him simply isn’t true. I can definitely appreciate the experience. So here’s what I learned at my first, and hopefully not last, Buffett concert:

The lawn at Jimmy Buffett was absolutely packed. And the Panoramic feature on iPhones gives people weird arms.

Everyone is so friendly! Since Jimmy is a general promoter of all things happy and a good time, I wasn’t entirely surprised by this. But people were generously sharing food and drinks, getting to know each other, having spontaneous dance parties, and generally being good, fun neighbors, despite the oppressive heat. Oh, and if it’s your first time at a Buffett concert, they’ll definitely take care of you.
People take Buffett very seriously. My friend who organizes the outing each year said “This is no joke. I take Buffet more seriously than when I plan for Christmas or birthdays.” People travel for hundreds of miles to attend as many of his shows as possible. Lawn seats sell out in a manner of minutes and it’s absolutely packed. I have to give it to them, Parrotheads have an admirable and unwavering devotion.
There’s no such thing as taking the tropical theme too far. Everything goes for Buffett: Bathing suits, Hawaiian shirts, leis on leis on leis, blow-up parrots and palm trees and fish. Margarita and lime flavored everything. Cars turned into sharks. A stage with a kiddie pool and actual sand (which was the site of many dance parties).
It’s a drinking affair. Most tailgates are, but this was on an entirely different level. You’ll probably learn a new drinking game or two or discover a new tequila delivery methods (it’s fairly delicious mixed in with Landshark lager). There is something to be said for moderation though and it probably wouldn’t have hurt for some fans to indulge a bit less. To each his own. Just stay hydrated and be careful.
The man puts on quite a show, especially for being 66. He and his band sounded great and full of energy, even from where we were standing way back on the lawn. Everyone was up dancing, singing, and really getting into his music.
Sunscreen and water are your best friends. This is really just general life advice but is doubly important when you’re standing outside all day in the hot, hot sun drinking. While a couple rain showers gave us a brief reprieve, I have a fairly awkward sunburn to remind me of my lack of sunscreen application.
Have an open mind. I never ever thought I would give in to the call of Margaritaville, but it happened and I had a wonderful time. I met lots of great people, danced in the rain, and saw a fun show. What more could you want out of life?