Steel of the Week: “Bridges of Pittsburgh”

For this week’s Steel of the Week, we are featuring one of the perks from the Knit the Bridge Indiegogo campaign! “Bridges of Pittsburgh” by Bob Regan with photos by Tim Fabian is available when you make a donate through their campaign site. This paperbound book includes photos from the many bridges in our city, including the Warhol that Knit the Bridge will be yarn bombing! Through vintage and modern photographs and descriptions, this book highlights some of the 446 bridges in Pittsburgh. Another interesting aspect of the book is that it contains ten self-guided tours for walkers, cyclists, drivers, and boaters. You can earn this perk with a $50 donation to the Indiegogo campaign.

Interested in learning more about this project?

“Knit the Bridge is a grassroots, community-led arts project that brings the many diverse communities of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania together to create a large-scale, aesthetically stunning, fiberarts installation on the Andy Warhol/7th Street Bridge. The installation will be on view from August 12th until September 6th, 2013.”

Visit their site for me and to see how you can get involved!

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

New Perk – StandUp Paddleboarding in Pittsburgh

Standup Paddleboarding in Western, PA

I’ve got just 6 days to raise the money for a seat on the inaugural Millennial Trains trip. What has been most incredible is the response that I have received from the Pittsburgh community. Thanks to all of our readers who have been sharing and supporting this project.

As you can see I’ve got a ways to go to raise the rest of the $5000 for the trip.

I’ve just added a new perk to the Millennial Trains Project fundraising page – A StandUp Paddleboard tour! Have you seen some crazy folks driving around Pittsburgh with a surfboard on their car? Have you been wondering where you can use a surfboard on the three rivers?

Over the past two years, I’ve spent many an afternoon paddling the Allegheny River from a standup paddleboard. And I’ve made some new paddleboard loving friends – like Ian Smith, owner of SurfSup Adventure. Ian has generously offered to help support my project by offering a paddleboard tour as one of the perks for supporting my project.

If you contribute $80 or more to the crowd-funding page – you can join SurfSup Adventures for a standup paddleboard lesson and tour. Once we’ve successfully reached our funding goal – we’ll pick a date/time that works for those who are interested (likely a weedkday evening or weekend morning). Beginners welcome, no prior paddleboarding experience necessary.

Click here to make a contribution to my Millennial Trains Project and reserve a spot on this paddleboard tour.

Ian and I took some paddleboards to help Paddle Without Pollution with a river clean up

About SurfSup Adventure: SurfSUP Adventures is an independently owned outfitter specializing in guided Standup Paddle Boarding excursions, eco-tours, instructional workshops, SUP yoga, and board and equipment sales in the Pittsburgh area and throughout Pennsylvania. With SurfSUP, experiences are customized for individuals and groups of all ages, skill levels and desired locations. Standup Paddle Boarding, also known as SUPing, offers a unique and exhilarating new way to enjoy our local waterways. From serene lakes and gentle rivers to wild class III whitewater, SurfSUP Adventures provides an experience you will not forget.

You can learn more about the Millennial Trains Project here.

Four Awesome Pittsburgh Projects That Need Your Support

Here are three amazingly awesome crowd-funding projects by some of my favorite Pittsburghers and my current project that are looking for some crowd-funded support. I know each of these projects creators personally and I think all of these are great projects for Pittsburgh. Check out some of the great thank-you perks for supporting each projects.

http://storify.com/iheartpgh/four-awesome-pittsburgh-project-to-support

Guide to Pittsburgh’s Independent Movie Theaters

When the weather starts heating up, sometimes the only thing to do is go inside. This season many of us will take to the air-conditioned refuge of our local megaplexes. To switch things up, I offer you a list of local independently owned theaters. Many of the theaters screen the same new releases, but also provide character and unique programming.

Hollywood Theater

1449 Potomac Ave., Dormont

(412)563-0368

The Hollywood plays a wide variety of movies as well as special film events. Known for its Rocky Horror Picture Show performances, as well as its “Breakfast and a Movie” series (just what it says, breakfast, and a movie) there’s something for everyone. The single-screened theater is a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing Potomac Avenue and Dormont by providing a theater and community center.

The Strand

119 North Main St., Zelienople

(724)742-0400

The Strand offers a variety of films as well as live performances. The Rocky Horror Picture Show screens regularly (17 & over only) and yes, you can throw things at this performance. The theater screens classics like Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, but you can also find live shows at The Strand. The nonprofit theater was restored in 2002, and wants to expand the project.

The Manor

1729 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh

(412)422-9851

The Manor theater screens both wide-release and independent movies, at often lower prices than the megaplexes. The Manor also boasts “The M Bar” in the lobby where patrons can bring alcoholic drinks into the theater. Check out the “Manor at Midnight” series, when the theater screens classic movies Saturdays at midnight.

Harris Theater

a little history? (Photo credit: macwagen)

809 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh

(412)682-4111

Owned by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and programmed by Pittsburgh Filmmakers ,the Harris Theater is a classic movie house in the heart of the Cultural District. The theater screens foreign and contemporary independent films, and is also part of the Three Rivers Film Festival.

Oaks Theater

310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont

(412)828-6322

The single screen Oaks Theater screens both new releases and cult classics. Check out the summer series “Moonlit Matinees”, where Oaks screens a cult classic every Friday and Saturday night. Once a month, the theater hosts the “Cine Bruch”, where movie fans can watch and munch on a delicious Oakmont Bakery brunch.

Regent Square

1035 South Braddock Ave., Pittsburgh

(412)682-4111

Owned and operated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers, this single screen theater plays limited release independent movies seven days a week. In addition, every Sunday night the Regent Square theater hosts “The Sunday Series”, a monthly series of film screenings based around a theme, era, or director.

Melwood Screening Room

477 Melwood Ave., Pittsburgh

(412)681-5449

Located within the Pittsburgh Filmmakers building, the Melwood Screening Room is the youngest of the independent theaters on this list. The screening room plays independent features, and hosts “Film Kitchen” on the second Tuesday of every month.“Film Kitchen” is a series featuring local short films. The filmmakers are present at the screening and available for discussion after the show.

View Independent Theaters in Pittsburgh in a larger map

What’s your favorite theater in Pittsburgh? Seen any good movies lately?

All Aboard – 2 Weeks to Get Some Pittsburghers on the Millennials Train

If you follow IheartPGH on Facebook and Twitter you may have noticed that I’ve been linking to the Millennial Trains Project.

The Millennial Trains Project is a cross country train trip this August that will start in San Francisco and end in Washington, DC. The train will stop in 10 cities over 10 days. The Millennial Trains project was founded by Patrick Dowd (not the Pittsburgh city councilman Patrick Down) who helped to organize a similar project, Jagriti Yatra, when he was a Fulbright scholar in India.

The inaugural journey of the Millennial Trains project will be stopping in Pittsburgh!

The route of the inaugural Millennial Trains Project trip

The Millennial Trains project has put together a beautiful video that describes the trip which is worth two minutes of your time and can be watched here. To get a seat on the train, passengers must create a project and use the Millennial Trains Project’s custom crowd-funding platform (kind of like Kickstarter or Indiegogo), CrowdHitch to raise $5000.

I think we need to make sure that Pittsburgh is represented on this train! I’ve created a project and I would love to see some other Pittsburgh folks create a project and get a seat on the train.

Get on board

If you are interested I would be happy to help you with your project and your application. Please drop me an email lindsay – at -IheartPGH.com

Check out my project – The United States of Pittsburgh

The United States of Pittsburgh will explore what the Pittsburgh folk who left town are doing now and we’re going to build a big bad directory of Pittsburgh businesses across the US. There are many more Pittsburgh places than those listed on Steeler Bar directories.

I’ve just added some awesome perks – I am honored to have the support of some of my favorite Pittsburghers in supporting this project.

Here are some of the “perks” I’ve put together for this project and more are on the way. If you are a local business and would like to contribute to the perks please drop me an email lindsay-at-IheartPGH.com

A Postcard from Pittsburgh – let someone know that Pittsburgh misses them.

$7 – I’ll send a Pittsburgh postcard to the person you choose

Pittsburgh Love – we’re offering a few of our favorite items, all will be printed with love by our friends at Commonwealth Press

$25 – The Heart of PA T-shirt One of our best selling t-shirts – the state of PA with a heart right in the most important location

Printing Party at Commonwealth Press

$100 – Come on down and print your own Pittsburgh gear with our friends at Commonwealth Press. We’ll provide the t-shirts and some beer. Commonwealth Press will teach you about screen printing and you’ll screen print your own t-shirts. We’ll pick a date/time that works for everyone.

Social Media Consulting – I’ve worked with both local and national business to help strategize and grow their online presence. I’d love to help you with your project and I’m offering a super discount on my usual rate to folks who support my Millennial Trains Project.