A Yinzer's Summer Checklist

Summer is quickly winding down and with that all of the fun and excitement that has come to Pittsburgh will soon be ending as people will have their minds focused on the Steelers and the upcoming winter season. I too will have an abrupt end to summer so I thought that I would make a list of a Pittsburgher's vacation in their own city. One quirky characteristic of Pittburghers is that we always like to act as if making a trip to the city is like a cross country trek. With that being said a Pittsburgher is sure to take advantage of the summer vacation season and make their once a year trip to the following destinations.

All of the following are in no particular order and should be done on different days to ensure you got the most out of your day.

The Yinzer's Summer checklist:

Kennywood: A summer tradition, should be done to kick off the season
Sandcastle: Take a day off from work, but not a Friday or Monday you wouldn't want to deal with too many people or traffic
Pirates game: Nothing says Pittsburgh like a night out for a ball game, just make sure it is a promotional night for a bobble head or fireworks
Station Square: Although there is not much to do it is essential to go there and walk around and pick up a Pittsburgh souvenir, if you're lucky you can take the 'T'
Downtown: Again, take a day off because Pittsburgh shuts down at 5pm, make sure you plan accordingly again to avoid traffic and enjoy a restaurant in Market Square
Ride the Inclines to Mount Washington: You may say can't this be combined with going downtown? Of course not, you have to ride up walk to a restaurant, and return in time to beat the traffic.
The Strip District: Even though grocery store prices are comparable it is the event of the Strip that keeps people coming back, stop by Wholey's and Primanti Brothers
Oakland: Walk around to see the museums or the Cathedral
Southside: Be sure to do some daytime drinking and extend it into the night
PPG Zoo: As this is hard to get to from many parts of the city a whole day is needed to enjoy the animals
Regatta: Need I say more?
4th of July Fireworks: Again, need I say more?
Outlet Mall: Grove City or Tanger for a nice day out
Give up on the Pirates: We were lucky that is lasted until the end of July this year
Get your Steelers gear out of the closet: Some may already have it out, but once training camp hits you can now wear it without shame or seeming too anxious
Steelers training camp: No summer is complete without a trip to Latrobe, heck go crazy and rent a hotel for the week... this is vacation!
Watch a pre-season Steelers game: Go ahead admit it Pittsburgh, you say you don't care about the pre-season, but just admit that you want to tailgate or throw a party to watch the black and gold during any season, you were probably breaking down film all summer with your VHS player
Clear out you Sunday schedule: Do I have to explain?

As you can see the theme here revolves around avoiding traffic, having fun at the beginning of summer, and then focusing life around the Steelers. So let us know what you have 'checked-off' this summer or what you would add. It was a great summer...until next year.

Destinations: East End Brewery

Located inside the sampling area.  No signs were visible outside of the brewery.

Last Friday, your PghBlastFurnace made its official visit to the East End Brewery.  And although it was our first to the brewery itself, it will most likely be the last at this location.  That is because the brewery is moving, and will no longer be located in Homewood as of March / April 2012.

This information was delivered by the lone bar keep working the 'bar' inside the brewery.  It is a bar in the literal sense, with a small bar located directly past the entrance, which is also unusual in itself.  This is because it is a microbrewery, and not a brewpub.

Left: The building where the brewery resides. 
Right:  The actual entrance to the brewery.

When we first pulled up to the East End Brewery, only those of us who had visited before knew what to expect.  There is no grand entrance like Anheuser Busch or restaurant area like Penn Brewery; merely a nondescript door left ajar at the bottom of a plain, red building.  Resembling an extremely large barn, it is less than spectacular in appearance.  Absent are any signs of what -- if any -- business resides in the building, and there are no signs advertising the presence of a brewery as visitors drive up the lonely gravel road towards the building.  Once you stumble upon the entrance, it is simple to see why it could be easily overlooked.

Upon entering the brewery, visitors are packed into a small tasting area.  The bar is to the right when entering, and all of the taps are lined up on a refrigerated room behind the bar, where all of the kegs are kept inside.  On the day we were there, eight different delicious varieties were available, along with a ginger ale and root beer for the kids.

Left: The entrance to the refrigerated room for the kegs; the barkeep.
Right:  Taps showing the different varieties available.

All of us took turns sampling every flavor, while the barkeep described the various ways each was crafted.  It was truly amazing how fully flavored each beer tasted.  Each of us had a great time sampling every flavor, and in the end, all of us had a different favorite flavor.  My personal favorite was Big Hop, which is a very hoppy, full tasting beer.  If you still like the bitterness, but not the hoppyness of a full flavored IPA, the Best Dressed Chicken may be the right choice for you.  More of a Stout guy?  The smooth taste of the Black Strap Stout will leave your mouth watering; and the delicious aftertaste will make other stouts seem tasteless.  The hefeweizen 'Monkey Boy' was also great, with a more robust taste than others, and is a favorite of many East End visitors.  Personally I do not like hefeweizen types, but this one tasted great.

Each of the remaining flavors were just as pleasurable as well.  These included: Pedal Pale Ale, Fat Gary Nut Brown Ale, BlueberRye Ale and Chicoree Red.  I could go on at lengths describing the flavors, but in no way would be able to do them justice.  To really understand just how great each craft brew tasted, the experience must be made first hand.  No second hand account is truly sufficient.  Also, each visitor has the opportunity to take home a Growler of their favorite beer.  A Growler holds 64 oz of beer -- a half gallon -- and is priced anywhere from $10 - $15, depending on the beer.  Even after adding the surcharge of $3 for the actual glass bottle, it is still a great deal, and much cheaper than a beer at a bar.  Next time a visitor comes back, the growler can be refilled, and the $3 charge is avoided.

East End Growler filled with beer.  The bottle is clear glass.

After finishing the samples, we were encouraged to look around the brewery.  It doesn't take long to enter the brewing room, because the entrance to the room is about ten feet down the hallway from the bar.  In fact, upon entering the brewery and passing the bar on the right, visitors walk through a small gift shop where they reach the open-air doorway to the brewing room.

Various East End apparel located in the Gift Shop area

The brewing room contains numerous vats, all brewing different varieties of beer.  All of the vats are controlled by a centrally located panel, which is seen below.  There are also many kegs located in the back - some empty, some full - all ready to deliver the beer to its final destination.  Some will go into the refrigerated room for sampling and growler purchasing, which was what brought us to the East End Brewery in the first place.

Vats in Brewing room

Central Area with Control Panel

Kegs ready to go!!

We all had a great time visiting the East End Brewery, and look forward to the many new beers it will brew in its long future.  We also look forward to checking out the new location.  My rating: 5 out of 6 Irons.

What is your favorite???

For more information, visit the East End Brewery website.  Descriptions of each beer are available on the website.  And remember, it's a microbrewery, not a brewpub!

Opportunities to 'invest' in the brewery is also available on the East End website.

East End Brewery is also on Facebook and Twitter.  For more pictures of our journey to the East End Brewery, check out PghBlastFurnace on Facebook.

Beer Review: Oskar Blues variety pack

This month's case is a variety pack from the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado. Their shtick is that they're the premium beer that is sold in a can. If you've been to a beer distributor lately, you've probably at least seen their Dale's Pale Ale. One the one hand, being the only craft beer served in a can makes them stand out. On the other, I put off buying it for a long time because I didn't take the can seriously. That turned out to be a mistake, as this was yet another excellent case of beer.

The variety pack came with three varieties, a six pack of Mama's Little Yella Pils, six Old Chub's Scoth Ale and twelve Dale's Pale Ale.

The Pilsener is what you would hope the Miller's and Bud's of the world would be, but, alas, are not. It's light, yellow and carbonated just like the big boys of the American beer world, but, surprise, has actual flavor, not just the imaginary flavor that only exists in beer commercials. I typically go for stronger flavored, darker beers. I usually reserve Pilsener-types to when I'm playing softball or when I'm eating tacos. That usually means an Iron City on taco night in my house, but when I substituted this beauty instead recently, it took my taco night to a whole new level.

Scotch Ales are my favorite type of beer. This one gets the flavors just right. It's dark, malty and smoky. It's not very heavy, but does leave a lingering aftertaste. I read some reviews that described its carbonation as very light, but I actually think the carbonation could be stepped down. I thought this beer was best enjoyed after dinner when you are planning on just having one brew and taking your time with it.

The Pale Ale wasn't as sharp as what I would have expected. It's got the hoppy flavor of a Pale Ale, but it's almost muted and doesn't stick around very long. Instead, it has a very nice, almost sour malty aftertaste. This a great beer to accompany something like a steak on the grill.

All in all, I was very impressed with this case. I'm always glad when a variety pack contains a wide-ranging variety of flavors. I won't necessarily be running around to grab another case immediately, but it's one I'd come back to when I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Brute Strength on the Big Screen

It has been way too long since my last movie review. That means that I have either been extremely busy or there have not been many movies recently which have peaked my interest. With this hiatus from the theater I am left with little time to complete the summer blockbuster list. I had to choose between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Captain America: The First Avenger. I preferred to see Captain America first because it has been out longer, but due to time restraints I decided on Rise of the Planet of the Apes starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, and Andy Serkis as the star ape, Caesar.

Just watching the trailer I knew that Rise would be a great summer movie for me to enjoy complete with action, a good story, and the origin theme (which you know I like from my previous reviews). I have never seen the original Planet of the Apes movies from 40 years go nor the 2001 remake, but I was very familiar with the story as most people are. That being said, there was no prep work or studying to do before or after the movie in order to see how Rise fits into the story arc and all questions could be answered based on this knowledge.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes begins in the Genesis bio-tech laboratory where Will Rodman (James Franco) is testing an Alzheimer's drug on apes before human testing begins. This experimentation leads to a some problems, a shut down of the lab, and we are first introduced to Caesar. Rodman and Caesar's relationship grows throughout the movie, but as the two become separated it is clear that lines must be drawn between human and ape. It is interesting to see how both Rodman and Caesar answer this question. In addition, this is the philosophical portion of the movie which asks us to look as ourselves and determine if humans are actually humane or if others species should have that tag line.

Because the movie is about apes there is no unnecessary dialogue and this gives drama and body language the opportunity to tell the story. This is done quite well as I was able to become emotionally involved in the story and also root for the apes throughout the plot. Also, the apes were made very well and the computer animation that was done was done well so that it was not distracting and added entertainment value to the movie.

The movie had an obvious outcome because it is a prequel, but it was crafted impressively and the finale gave everyone some closure. In fact, I thought that the manner in which the apes would rise to power was not what the movie actually had in store for the audience. I won't go any further because I don't want to mention any possible spoilers.

All in all Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a great summer movie that I recommend to all. It has even inspired me to go out and rent the originals from 40 years ago.

Pills gives Rise of the Planet of the Apes 4/5 Irons.

The Round Corner Cantina

Located in Lawrenceville, PA, the Round Corner Cantina is aptly named for its location at the corner of Butler and 38th street.  Visitors to the cantina can come hungry and thirsty, as this venue offers a wide selection of great mexican food and drinks. 

A few of us visited the Cantina this past Saturday, and were pleased with our visit.  It was to be the final destination of the night as we had already visited several other establishments that evening. 

Walking up to the Cantina, we encountered various locals enjoying their Saturday night by drinking along the street.  Most were in their 50s, and it was easy to tell they were having a good time.  As we walked by, they attempted to engage us in conversation, but it was getting late and we really wanted to get inside.  Had we more time, we definitely would have liked to speak with the locals and hear their stories.  This will have to wait until another time.

The entrance to the Cantina serves well with the name of its location - the main door sits right at the corner of the building, as shown in the picture above.  Upon walking up the three steps to get to the door, we entered into the main interior bar.  It is rectangular in shape, with the bar running the length of the back wall.  The other side has large windows looking out onto Butler street. 

The beer selection has everything you would expect from any bar, but the Cantina specializes in Mexican products.  Negro Modelo, Dos Equis, Tecate and Pacifico are just some of the various Mexican beers on the menu; Negro Modelo being one of my overall favorite beers.  The Corner offers buckets of these beers, five a piece in each bucket, which is a popular selection and frequently ordered by many of the patrons.   We, however, grabbed some Tecates and made our way towards the back of the bar. 

The bar wraps around a cramped corridor until it spills out into a smaller dining room area, an area for people looking to enjoy some dinner.  It offers a more personal, quiet feel for those not interested in hanging in the bar areas.  The food offered runs along the same Mexican and Spanish theme seen throughout the Cantina, and is above average.  Although we did not eat there on Saturday night, I have eaten there previously, and was pleased with the quality of the food.

Passing along the dining room, the corridor snakes past the restrooms and up the stairs to the exterior section of the establishment.  The entire outdoor section is surrounded by high wooden fences; a good idea since it is surrounded by busy roads.  In two of the corners sit small bars that offer everything the interior bar has plus frozen margaritas.  The margarita machines sit on top of the bar, three total on top of each bar, each offering a different flavor.

The outdoor area offers a place where patrons can stand and enjoy their drinks, or a seated area with tables that wrap along the fences.  The atmosphere is also a pleasant loudness, with patrons talking, laughing and having a good time.  We decided to grab a table, and ordered some more Tecates and chips and salsa.  Nothing needs to be said about the Tecates, as they are always great.  Similarly, the chips and the service need to be mentioned, for how good they were as well.  The server was checking on us consistently, and was very polite.  The chips were also very good, as they were deep fried and unlike chips encountered at other Mexican restaraunts.  And although I am not a big fan of deep fried anything, these chips were good.  Not to be forgotten, the salsa was nice and spicy, however its consistency could have been a bit thicker.

After filling up on drinks, chips and the atmosphere of the Cantina, we decided to call it a night.  We definitely had a good time, and would definitely visit the place again.  Next time we go, we would like to get there earlier, so we can order some food and make a night out of it.  Overall: I would recommend it.  Based on everything - including prices - I would give it 4.5 Irons out of a possible 6.

Side Note:  The age of most of the patrons was 25 - 45; mode being around 31.  While a younger crowd would enjoy themselves, it is more for the age range mentioned.

The Round Corner Cantina is available on Facebook and Twitter.

Burgh Verified!

On August 4, 2011, The Blast Furnace was officially "Burgh Verified" by BoringPittsburgh.com.  So, what does this mean?  Well, The Blast Furnace has been welcomed into the Pittsburgh cyber community.  We are now able to use the ✔ *Burgh Verified* tag in our twitter profile and have been recognized on the Master List of Burgh Verified Official Members.  The Blast Furnace is listed among the pantheon of Pittsburgh bloggers, tweeters, businesses, institutions, and celebrities such as Souf Oaklin fo' Life, McGinnis Sisters, Turners Premium Tea, PghLesbian24, and Troy Polamalu.

How does one get verified you ask?  First, one must follow @BoringPGH on twitter and nominate yourself with a tweet about your interest in becoming Burgh Verified.  The Boring Pittsburgh committee then votes on membership.  The Blast Furnace had the arduous task of lobbying the committee for access into this exclusive community.  After minutes of deliberation, Boring Pittsburgh bestowed the honor of Burgh Verification to The Blast Furnace.  The tweet that I believe put us over the top:  @pghblastfurnace Batman watch in full force. did they dig up all these "security guards" from Diesel? bunch a jags #batburgh, which they promptly retweeted to their 4,618 followers.

Some of the benefits of being "Burgh Verified" is placement on their master list and eligibility for fun games and other special stuff on BoringPittsburgh.com.  This also could increase our followers on twitter, facebook, and the blog.  T-shirts are also available, but seem somewhat difficult to obtain.  T-shirts would fit perfectly on the backs of  Blast Furnace contributors.

It is comforting to know that former Pirates backup 1B and Baseball Tonight analyst Orestes Destrade's handsome profile will be listed alongside of Pittsburgh's finest 140 charactersmiths.  Special thanks goes out to The Blast Furnace contributors and followers, BoringPittsburgh.com, and Gibbons Beer for making this possible.  We are very excited for this new opportunity to spread our good word.

Shark Week Finds Victims Dahn On 'Da Mon

It is hard to miss a facebook posting or commercial hyping up one of the most anticipated week long events in nature TV known as Shark Week. In honor of this week Pittsburgh had the luxury of finding it's own sharks swimming through the Monongahela River, but these were not your average sharks, they were the business sharks of Sandcastle Water Park. That's right, just when you thought Sandcastle was all fun and games, Danille Sullenberger was practically eaten alive by the new policies of the water park and a WTAE Call for Action was in store for the Sullenberger family.

WTAE's Wendy Bell was sent to the scene where she was able to uncover the preposterous changes to the Blue Tubaluba. Apparently, Sandcastle decided to make height safety changes to the Blue Tubaluba, which is the favorite ride of Sullenberger's daughter, Paige. The height was changed from 36" when riding with a parent to 48" for all riders as per the manufacturer's recommendation. Aghast at this change Paige began to cry and the Sullenberger's were forced to take action against Sandcastle for upsetting their daughter. Luckily, Wendy Bell was able to be the hero for Sullenberger's as she was able to persuade Sandcatle to donate a cabana, a waiter, and pizza in order to make up for the new policy upsetting the family.

It was either a slow news day or society has really become pathetic that people are more concerned with getting their own way over their childrens' safety. I really don't know which is worse: the fact that the Sullenbergers complained, that WTAE actually sent someone to cover the 'story,' or that Sandcastle gave in and provided them with first class extra services. This just goes to show the fools get the reward while rational people get the shaft.

Screw you, Penn American Water

From today's Post-Gazette, a huge water main break has sunk storage levels of water and residents of the South Communities, my home in Dormont included, are being asked to conserve water.

The incident itself isn't worth getting that upset about, it happens. However, I can see where this is heading. I've dealt with Penn-American before and can tell you the results aren't pretty.

At my old apartment, I randomly got hit with a $1,400 water bill. After calling to try to get the obvious mistake fixed, I got told that I can't just decide I don't want to pay a bill. This lead to months of complaining, being passed around to different departments, and generally being jerked around in hopes I'd give in. Eventually, I did get the matter resolved, but I can tell you that it wasn't easy.

It was very shortly thereafter that we all got hit with rate increases. When one of the public utilities decides to raise rates, they need to inform their customers and ask for public feedback. I wrote a letter about how they should focus more on being more efficient with internal processes before asking the consumer to fund their incompetence, but, of course, it did no good.

Another incident related to them happened just in the past few weeks. I was walking my dog in my neighborhood when I saw water streaming steadily out of one of those water caps in the road. Trying to be helpful, I called them to let them know about it. First off, it took considerable effort and time just to navigate the phone system to get someone on the line who could help me with this. It was obvious that the person's phone script didn't include how to deal with a situation like this, because she kept asking me for information like account numbers, despite the fact that this had nothing to do with my account or my house.

I didn't see anyone come to do anything about the leak for a few days. Then the problem just re-occurred one cap down the road, which also continued for at least a full day before being addressed.

When you consider the who knows how many gallons of water being lost in my neighborhood plus anywhere else this is happening, plus what must have been a huge loss of water today, I'm sure Penn-American has lost a pretty penny. But you can be sure it won't be them who ends up paying for that water, it'll be us when our rates get raised yet again and there won't be anything any of us will be able to do about it.

Beer Review: Sierra Nevada Best of Beer Camp

I'm a little behind on my beer reviews, as I finished up this case a couple of weeks ago already.

I picked up a case of Sierra Nevada's Best of Beer Camp, 2011 edition on the recommendation of the woman who works at Colonial Beer in the Hillcrest Shopping Center on Library Road in Bethel Park. She's fantastic by the way. If you're ever looking for something good and want some advice, I'd go talk to her. She's probably around 50 or so with reddish hair and knows her stuff.

For a little background, the case features four beers that were made at Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp at their brewery in Chico, California. The Beer Camps are for beer enthusiasts who enter to win a few days at the brewery to develop a beer under the tutelage of Sierra Nevada's brewers. Their site shows almost 50 beers that have been created at Beer Camp thus far, with this case being the first time they've made a selection available commercially.

At $40 a case, the beer camp variety pack was the most expensive case I've ever bought. Although, with all of the beers checking in at 6.5% alcohol or greater, you don't need to drink much of it to start feeling the effects. In short, you can make the case last longer than a cheaper case, so the cost can be justified.

The four beers in the case are the California Common, the Weizenbock, the Double IPA and the Juniper Black.

The California Common is the same type of beer as Anchor Steam. It was the lightest of and most accessible of the case. It was slightly sweet, slightly hoppy and probably the least remarkable.

The Weizenbock was interesting. I typically am just lukewarm on wheat beers and I wouldn't say that this one blew my socks off or anything. But, it was very smooth with a very subtle, almost banana-y flavor. Very good.

The Double IPA was a very nice IPA. I'm not sure what makes it double, it wasn't like one of those hop monster beers. Simultaneously hoppy and malty, this one was great.

Finally, the Juniper Black was the star of the case, if you ask me. It's a very dark, malty beer, though not heavy. And, unlike most fruit beers, which I normally despise for being way too fruity, you could barely even notice the juniper berries.

All in all, this was just a fantastic case of beer. Each one was strong, unique and better than the average of its type. It might not be the best case of beer I've ever had, but it's up there. And, knowing where it came from, it was perhaps the most satisfying case I've ever bought. I would gladly spend $40 again on the next iteration in 2012 and recommend going out and tracking down a case before they're gone.

Meat Loaf Passes Out On Stage in Pittsburgh

Meat Loaf was in town for his tour on Thursday at the Trib Amphitheatre when four songs into his set he collapsed on stage after singing "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)."  Paramedics attended to 'Meat' as he was down for 10 minutes on a hot and humid Pittsburgh evening.  Fans were wondering if he had a heart attack and would possibly die on stage.  Meat Loaf was ok, publicist Maureen O'Connor said, "He hadn't been feeling well the past few days as his asthma had been bothering him."  Meat Loaf continued with his show and went right into one of his hits, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."  Meat Loaf explained to the crowd why he passed out: “I f**king fainted.  I have asthma…I can’t breathe…and then…oh wait, I forgot…I got poked by a pin and bled half to death…and then I got slapped in the face and my tooth is loose.”

U2's Space Oddity Lands in the Burgh

Throughout Tuesday's U2 show at Heinz Field, I halfway expected the spaceship stage to actually take off. I wouldn't put it past Bono to make it happen.

After going over the set list and reliving the night, I think the show can basically be walked through in four parts.

Part 1: The Intro
The show was appropriately kicked off when David Bowie's Space Oddity began piping over the speakers as the band made their way to the stage. From other reviews I had read of the tour, I had been anticipating an Achtung Baby-heavy set list, so it wasn't a big surprise that the opening was a no-stop, high energy run through four AB songs: Even Better Than the Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, and Until the End of the World. This was followed by their first hit, I Will Follow. I wouldn't call any of those songs particularly memorable, but it sure did set the tone right with heavy lifting being done by all four band members to show off their cutting edge stage. It was at this point in the show that Bono did his introductions and also reminisced about a long tour and his first time in Pittsburgh, at the Decade in Oakland, and even joked about his mullet.

Part 2: The Spaceman
In the second part of the show, we were shown that Bono can basically make anything he wants happen at a U2 show. Following Get on Your Boots (the worst song of the show), I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Stay, we were greeted with a "Hello, Pittsburgh" from astronaut Mark Kelly in outer space. Remember, this is an active duty military officer who was leading a sing along of Beautiful Day via satellite in space. Appropriately enough, Bono also mixed in some Space Oddity lyrics.

This portion of the concert continued on with another All That You Can't Leave Behind tune, Elevation, staple U2 anthem, Pride (In The Name of Love), the operatic Miss Sarajevo, and, as the spaceship stage began transforming, Zooropa.

Part 3: The Spaceship Soars
This show was every bit as much about proving that a stadium show can draw you in like an arena show as it was about the music. In the third act, we really got to see it. With a video screen netting that extended multiple stories down from the "claw" stage putting on a dazzling red and white light show, U2 launched into one of my personal favorite songs, City of Blinding Lights from the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album. This is a song that really shows off what Bono's enthusiastic vocals and lyrics and The Edge's trademark rapid-paced guitar sound can accomplish together.

After Vertigo and an odd medley that featured The Rolling Stones' Miss You, I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Discotheque and the refrain from the Talking Heads' Psycho Killer, we were treated to another trademark U2 anthem, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, before closing out the main set with Scarlet and Walk On.

Part 4: The Encore
The encore kicked off as most U2 encores do, with the classic One. I might not be saying enough about their sound in this recap, but every song is what you'd want to hear and more. More than just faithful-to-the-album performances, they all had that "live" sound with some surprises built in along the way. By the time we got to Hold Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, Thrill Me, Bono was wearing some sort of light suit, while swinging from a dangling, neon red glowing microphone.

The show finished off in grand style with my all-time favorite U2 song, With or Without You, my favorite song off the newest album, Moment of Surrender, and the fan favorite Bad.

This was the third time I've been to a U2 show. While I wouldn't put it at the top of my list (that would be the Vertigo tour at Mellon Arena in '05), it was definitely better than the other time I saw them in a stadium on the Pop Mart tour at Three Rivers in '97. I'm a huge fan, so would see them again any time they came back. But, I'm pretty sure that all it takes is a basic appreciation of their music to feel like any U2 show is well worth the price of admission.

Here are some other random thoughts about the show:

• How cool is the story about how U2 came to add Pittsburgh to their schedule? I won't rehash it, you can read it here. But speaking of people who can pull off great feats, Pittsburgh is lucky to have someone like Dan Rooney on their side. The acknowledgment from Bono last night speaks for itself.
  
• I've had two people over the past year tell me they don't like Bono. Otherwise indifferent towards U2's music, they harbor anti-Bono feelings. To me, this is inexplicable. He's not even overtly political, he just hates injustice, poverty, AIDS and other ills of the world and uses his position of influence to pressure politicians the world over to try to do something about it. What could be more noble than that. I never get the impression that he is anything but genuine in his charity and advocacy. I even heard rumblings that some people were turned off by the Amnesty International update. To these people I say, "It's a U2 concert, dummy. What did you expect?"
  
• After some research, I found out that Andrew Rowen, to whom the show-closing Bad was dedicated to, was actually the inspiration for the song. He is the brother of Peter Rowen, the boy on the cover of the War album. Andrew has apparently battled addiction in his life. This review of the show was just one of my sources in piecing together that history, which also confirms that the couple who slow danced on stage together were celebrating their 60th concert together.
  
• While I'll still take a show at the smallest venue possible, the 360 set made me a believer that it is possible to do a stadium show that feels the same as being in a closed building.
  
• The Post-Gazette review can be found here. Trib here.
  

Obituary of a Legendary Eatery: Johnny's Place

It is a sad week on North Craig Street in Oakland this week as Johnny's Place will be closing it's door for good at the end of the week. Johnny's Place has arguably the best sandwiches in all of Pittsburgh and I have yet to taste a sandwich outside of the city which compared either. Unfortunately, there will be no more delicious meals being served at 256 North Craig Street as Johnny and Karen are closing the door on their restaurant for the last time at the end of the week.

Johnny and Karen were restaurant owners who set the bar for food, service, and genuine friendliness. I made my last trip to Johnny's yesterday and I did not need a menu as I have tried everything on it at least once. I thought I would go full circle and order the first meal I ever ordered there, the Steak and Egg sandwich and Johnny's famous fries. Johnny even gave a dozen of his famous wings to us on the house. What more could you ask for? Although the food was fantastic, the mood was melancholy as everyone reminisced with Johnny about life and what the future holds. Johnny told me that he would have loved to stay open, but there were too many factors that forced him to shut down such as the economic downturn and people not eating out as much and the closures or moves of local business that supplied steady customers. I felt the worst when I said, "I guess everyone is making a farewell stop?" Johnny replied, "Yeah, it is too bad that if only everyone came in more often maybe I would not have to close, but everything happens for a reason and I am going to make the best of the situation. Just don't say good-bye because then we'll all be sad." It was this friendliness and honesty that made Johnny's Place more than just a restaurant.

Although, the building that housed Johnny's has been on the market for a while, Johnny and Karen are still not sure what their future holds. Will their recipes be sold? Will they open another restaurant in the South Hills where they reside? These are a few of many questions that they did not have answers to. One thing is for sure, Johnny and Karen will always be remembered by their patrons as friends and their food will always be the best. If they do decide to open a new store I am sure that people will drive the distance in order to say 'hello' to old friends and eat delicious food.

No one really wanted to walk out of Johnny's for the last time, but as we did we said good-bye, good luck, we all hoped to see each other in the future, and there was a tear in everyones eye.

Good luck Johnny and Karen, Johnny's Place will be missed, but never forgotten.

Wiz Khalifa Up For "Best New Artist"

It seems like the possibilities of recognition just keep growing for Pittsburgh. This week Wiz Khalifa was nominated to the "Best New Artist" category of the MTV Video Music Awards for his single Black and Yellow. The MTV Music Video Awards will air on MTV on August 28 at 9PM.

Be sure to vote for Wiz and help Pittsburgh earn another coveted award and solidify Wiz's place among music legends.

Celebrities Flock to Pittsburgh

If you have been paying attention to local news for the last few months it is obvious that Pittsburgh has been at the top of it's game by being named with many honors such as 'Most Affordable City', 'Most Livable City', and most recently '#3 Worst Dressed City.' We know that in a few weeks downtown Pittsburgh will be another traffic nightmare while parts of the city shut down for filming The Dark Knight Rises. Although all of these distinctions have made Pittsburghers proud there were still some that questioned Pittsburgh's place among the nation's elite cities. All of that debate can now be put to rest as Pittsburgh can be dubbed as a new advertising home of Gary Busey as he stars in a commercial for Century III KIA.

It is clear that Busey and Century III KIA were a match made in heaven because Century III KIA's general sales manager Rich Ward said,"his high-octane personality aligns well with the company's energetic approach to selling cars."

Go get 'em Gary!

Pirates all over ESPN

You know the Pirates have begun making waves nationally when ESPN begins paying attention. Just today, the Pirates were both the lead story and the subject of their Top 10 list on SportsCenter, a front page story on ESPN.com, featured in a segment on Outside the Lines and debated on both Around the Horn and PTI. To top it off, the Pirates will be on Monday Night Baseball for the first time since 2002 next week in Atlanta.

Seems like a coordinated effort as anchor Steve Levy tweeted the following: spent 30 minutes on the pirates alone today in the sportscenter show meeting...that's a first...#firstplace

For the record, the question on PTI was "Will the Pirates make the playoffs?" Wilbon gave 25% odds, which basically means he puts their chances at even with the other three contenders in the current quagmire. Guest host Tim Cowlishaw put them at 11%.

Bonus Pittsburgh coverage: For good measure, PTI also covered James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall today.

Post-victory update: Just minutes after I posted this and the Pirates clinched their eighth straight series victory, the Pirates are the lead story on Baseball Tonight. Coverage of the NL Central was wrapped up with speculation on how many wins it'll take to win the division. Larkin said in the 90s, Kruk said he felt 90 would definitely do it, may even be lower. For the Pirates to finish with 90 wins, they'd have to go 39-28 over the last 67 games, which is obviously an even better pace than they are currently on. For perspective, if they played .500 ball over those last games, they'd end up with 84 or 85 wins. 85 would have won the division four times over the sixteen year history of the division.