At 403 East Ohio Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side, there is a two-story brick building that has been part of the neighborhood since the 1890s. It started as a soda fountain. It became one of the first licensed bars in Pittsburgh after Prohibition ended. It survived a pandemic closure and came back under new ownership.…

There is a building on Market Square that has been serving food and drinks since Ulysses S. Grant was president. Not a building that looks old. Not a place that leans on vintage aesthetics as a marketing strategy. An actual bar and restaurant that has been continuously operating in the same spot in downtown Pittsburgh…

The Day Someone Blew Up a Payroll Convoy Near Pittsburgh On a quiet South Hills road on the morning of March 11, 1927, the ground exploded. Not metaphorically. Not as a figure of speech. Someone had buried hundreds of pounds of black powder beneath the roadbed, waited for a Brink’s payroll convoy to roll over…

If you lived in Pittsburgh in January 1902, you couldn’t escape the story. Kate Soffel—wife of the Allegheny County Jail’s warden—helped the condemned Biddle Brothers escape and fled with them into the winter night. The scandal shocked Pittsburgh and became one of the most notorious crimes in the city’s history. Who Was Kate Soffel? Kate…

The Real Blue Mist Road – A Secluded North Park Byway Blue Mist Road is not a name you’ll find on an official map, but locals in Allegheny County know it well. The road’s real name is Irwin Road, a narrow lane tucked deep into North Park, just north of Pittsburgh. By day, it’s a…

Imagine you’re attending a wedding in Pittsburgh. The bride and groom are swaying through their first dance, the band is playing a familiar tune, and guests are clinking glasses. In the corner of the reception hall, however, another star of the show awaits: a cookie table overflowing with homemade treats. Tiered platters display hundreds of…