Tag Archives: new years

Our New Yinz Resolutions – Better Late Than Never

an old post card

an old post card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A belated happy new year!  I know – I am a little late with the new years resolution post.  Better late than never.  Back in November – I started making a list of all sorts of things that IheartPGH could be covering.  I have used the first few weeks of the year to refine this list and to plan out a few things for the coming year.  I started writing this post the first week of January – but it seems even more important to share this list now that the excitement of the holidays is starting to wear off.

Here a few of the things I hope this little blog will cover in 2013:

More posts about Pittsburgh Non-Profits

One of the best things that happened in 2012 was rallying the readers of this blog to support some local non-profits that really needed some help.  When Light of Life Ministries ran out of clean underwear – the bloggers and blog readers of Pittsburgh raised money and donated new clean underwear to meet the need.  In 2013 – I hope we can profile more Pittsburgh non-profits and continue to work together to raise money to support Pittsburgh organizations.

Some of the non-profits we want to feature in 2013 include:

What Pittsurgh non-profit organizations would you like to learn more about in 2013?

Profile 100 Local Blogs

My other blogging project is BlogLocal – which is a map of local blogs all across the US.  Some of the most popular posts on the BlogLocal blog have been the interviews with local bloggers – the goal for 2013 is to profile 100 local bloggers on the BlogLocal Blog.

Voting & Civic Engagement

English: Mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl ...
In just 4 months – Pittsburghers will have a chance to vote in the primary election for Mayor, City Council and a bunch of other elected offices.  Elections are not just about electing a leader – but the election process is an opportunity to have a conversation about what is working and what can be improved in our communities.

Community Spaces & Church Re-Use

Over the past year – I keep finding myself in having conversations about

  1. Public Spaces – where to have a meeting/party/event wedding
  2. Old Churches – what is happening to them and how to preserve them

There is a need for space and at the same time there are lots of amazing spaces – some in excellent condition  some that need some work (and some that need alot of work) – but I hope to explore and highlight public spaces  here in Pittsburgh and examples from other cities.

A Pittsburgh Book Club

Cover of "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh"

One of my personal new years resolutions is to read more books.  I spend lots of time reading blog posts but not a ton of time reading things offline.  I started chatting with our friends at East End Book Exchange and we’re working on a year long book club of Pittsburgh related book.  A book-of-the month, a monthly meet-up and even some guest appearances by authors.

What Pittsburgh books would you like to see on the reading list for 2013?

Do you have any New Yinz resolutions? What would you like to see more of on IheartPGH in 2013?

Ringing in the New Year with Bar Marco

So the dilemma was this: New Year’s Eve was approaching and I had nothing to do that I hadn’t done before. When suddenly out of the sky falls Bar Marco’s niche bash, including all-you-can-drink, all-you-can-eat, and a burlesque show… problem solved.

Having only been to Bar Marco once, I had only somewhat of an idea what the clientele and drink selections were. I arrived to a swanky cocktail party filled with people dressed to the nines. The upstairs hall was subtly-lit with red spotlights and candles on a bunch of small tables. For the first time in recent memory, this was also a party with music just loud enough, but not too loud to drown out conversation. Kudos to you, sound crew.

Drink and food service was quick and with a smile. I personally can’t imagine having to tend bar on New Year’s Eve, but they did it with gusto. The tip jar overfloweth, and rightly so.

There’s something unique about conversing with total strangers about the merits of gun control and the finer points of Libertarianism, followed by a tasteful burlesque show. The new year was rung in by everyone with much rejoicing and champagne spillage.

The only downside to the evening was the coat situation. No rack or check was provided, which created a bottleneck at the exit at the end of the night. We’ll excuse it for everything else excellent about the party.

I highly recommend Bar Marco’s New Year’s Eve bash for next year, supposing they host again. It was every bit as fun as First Night, only warmer and with burlesque. So, I’d say that it actually one-ups First Night.

Looking for a Few Good Volunteers – Attend First Night PGH for FREE

Beau's New YearImage by binarystatic via FlickrSo far one of the only replies to have been First Night Pittsburgh.

The First Night team is looking for a few good volunteers to help make the event a success.  Spend a few hours helping and you can attend the event for free.

To volunteer with First Night, please email Kathi Radock, First Night Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@pgharts.org, call 412-390-4660, or download an application online

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