Happy Tuesday! Thanks to a bunch of folks in local Facebook groups over the last 2 weeks, we have a wide variety of different events to choose from this week. I’m always on the lookout for the coolest events, and sometimes those aren’t the ones that show up on feeds. I had posted to see who had cool events that they wanted to share, and the city showed up! Keep ‘em coming!

South Side is the spot for the newest restaurant in town - El Dorado. It’s a Mexican-inspired restaurant with a massive outdoor patio and bar. Their goal is to be the hangout spot of the summer.

I, for one, love a restaurant with a patio to enjoy the nice weather while we have it. I don’t think it’s possible to have too many restaurants with outdoor seating so this is a welcome sight. They claim that it’ll be Pittsburgh’s largest restaurant patio. I have not fact-checked it, but I like to believe it’s true.

Their menu has twists on both traditional Mexican food and cocktails. The one that stood out to me was their tuna guacamole that has chopped yellow-fin tuna, charred corn, smoked goat cheese, and pickled peppers. It’s outside the box, and I love it.

Their opening day is Thursday, July 2nd, which is a great kickoff to the 4th of July weekend. As with any restaurant opening, it’s good to reserve a table in advance as more people start to catch wind of it. You can get your table here.

We have a couple cool interactive contests going on in the city right now. Both are cat-related, but that was unintentional on my part. It just so happens to be the theme right now.

The first is the cute new lion cub at the Pittsburgh Zoo that I posted about a couple of weeks ago. They’re doing a naming contest, Dub the Cub, so everyone can pitch in to give their ideas. For a $5 donation, you can submit your name idea here. The contest is open through July 17th.

Nose 2 Tail Cat Rescue is holding their Coolest Cat in Tahn contest, where participants can submit a drawing of their idea of the coolest cat. Tell your kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews about this cool contest. The age groups are 4-8, 9-12, and 13-18. Winners get a t-shirt with their artwork, stickers with their artwork, a social media shoutout, and a Nose 2 Tail prize pack. You can read more and submit artwork here.

What year did the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park open?

Last Week’s Answer: 7. There was only 1 correct answer last week!

Any time I see a Victorian, I stop whatever I’m doing to stare at it. They’re the most beautiful architectural style in my opinion. And this house fits the bill. My favorite room is probably the one with the drafting table and bookshelves. It feels like that’s where you should be writing your novel. This house also has a ton of history as it’s been around for 150 years.

See the listing here.

Submit your favorite houses

🆓 = free event
💲 = paid event

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🆓 America250 - Western Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary Era - The history told by storyteller Alan Irvine. 6:30 pm at Bethel Park Library. Register.

💲Alex Warren: Finding Family on the Road - 7:30 pm at PPG Paints Arena. Buy tickets.

🆓 Salsa Nights - The inaugural Salsa Nights kickoff this Wednesday. They’ll run every other Wednesday through September 16th. 6:30 pm at the Dollar Bank Stage at Arts Landing. More details.

🆓 Greensburg Night Market - Check out downtown Greensburg from 5:30 to 9 pm to see tons of local vendors. See the full list.

💲History After Hours: America 250 - Celebrate the 250th anniversary of America with 5 floors of fun. 6 pm at Heinz History Center. See full details.

💲Sunset Paddle: North Park - Spend a couple of hours on the river kayaking with Venture Outdoors. 8 pm to 10 pm at North Park. Buy tickets.

🆓 U.S. Men’s World Cup Watch Party - See the U.S. take on Türkiye at F.N.B. Stadium. Kickoff is at 10 pm, gates open at 8 pm. RSVP here.

🆓 Greek Food Festival - Eat great food, see live performances, and support local vendors all weekend through the 28th. 12 pm to 9 pm at Oakmont Greek Orthodox Church. See the menu.

💲Echo After 9: Sounds Under Cedar Album Release - Their sound is 90s alternative rock mixed with a modern edge. 7 pm at The Government Center. Get tickets.

💲Sports Haven Bowling Alley Friday After Dark - They’re starting a new event this Friday at 8 pm called Friday After Dark. Bowling until 2 am with good food and drinks for $20. See more here.

💲Phipps After Dark: Pittsburgh Pride Night - Celebrate Pride under the glass and get a free potted violet if you’re one of the first 300 guests. Get tickets.

🆓 Antonio’s Comedy Showcase: Pride Edition - Hosted by Cassi Bruno, come see some of Pittsburgh’s best comics, including Roy Gloeckl. 7:30 pm at Antonio’s Pizzeria. More info.

💲Steel City TCG Card Show - See 300+ tables with on-site card grading. Both Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm at AHN Sports Complex at Cool Springs. Buy tickets.

🆓 Andy Warhol Bridge 100th Birthday Bash - Enjoy music, food, games, and art to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Andy Warhol Bridge. 11 am to 3 pm. See the activities and vendors.

💲Freedom Farms Berry Festival - Berries galore with local vendors, food, and activities. 11 am to 5 pm at Freedom Farms. Details here.

🆓 Sewickley PRIDE! - Keep Pride Month rolling and celebrate the first-ever Sewickley Pride! It’ll be at Thorn & Broad from 12 pm to 4 pm. More info.

💲Cool Cat Hangout - Hang out with cats at Nose 2 Tail Cat Rescue and maybe find a furry friend. 2 sessions; the first starting at 2 pm. Get tickets.

🆓 Yinzilla Day - A mini maker’s market, screenprinting workshop, a new Yinzilla t-shirt by Alternate Histories, live music, La Palapa food truck, and a special Yinzilla beer collab with East End Brewing. 3 to 7 pm at Alternate Histories Studio. More info here.

🆓 Squirrel Hill Night Market - Support local vendors from 6 pm to 10 pm at Murray Avenue from Forbes Ave to Beacon St. Details.

💲Date Night at the Farm - Get a hayride, flower bouquet, 2 glasses of wine, and a charcuterie board at Triple B Farm. 7 to 9 pm. Get tickets.

🆓 Raven’s Quill Mobile Bookstore - If you like dark romance, gothic romantasy or mystical fantasy literature, check them out. They’ll be at Compass Point Coffee in Millvale from 10 am to 2 pm. More info.

🆓 OpenStreetsPGH - OpenStreetsPGH is back! There will be a 2 mile stretch between Downtown and South Side closed off to any car traffic. Enjoy biking, walking, running, skating, or however you get around from 10 am to 2 pm. See more.

🆓 Baldwin Township Community Day - There will be a special appearance by The Rambler Cafe where you can try out their new Iced Campfire Latte. 12 pm to 4 pm at Armstrong Park.

🆓 Great Lawn Movie Night - Bring the family to see The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. It starts at 9 pm at Arts Landing. More details.

🆓 Pride in the Park - A youth and family-focused pride event at Allegheny RiverTrail Park. 4 to 8 pm. More info.

Remember to tag us @steelcityledger on Instagram if you check out any of these events!

Jackworth Gingerbeer x Community Cultures Naturally Fermented Soda - Made with spruce, white pine, reishi & chaga mushrooms, candy cap mushrooms, and maple. It tastes like an earthy root beer!

Nothingman PGH Strawberry Pretzel Salad - I mean…what more needs to be said. You either love it or you hate it, but my go-to food reviewer Big Mike Cheats said himself, “This is so unbelievably f-ing good for no reason”.

Curbside on the Run Toy Story Drink Menu - Flavors of cookie butter, pistachio, cookie dough, cherry, you name it, they have it. Not every place does good specialty coffees but Curbside always nails it.

Facebook taught me about this arena yesterday and I thought it was too unique not to share. Some of you may know about this already but I didn’t. This is Duquesne Garden which was a converted streetcar barn that held all sorts of events starting in 1895 until it was demolished in 1956. You can read more about the history here.

I had the pleasure this last week of learning about Sophie’s Potluck, a local non-profit that supports families who have members with disabilities. It’s named after Sophie, who is a Junior at Bethel Park High School and is on the autism spectrum. They plan 2 events every month that are specifically catered to be friendly and inclusive. It’s not always easy to find things to do that people with disabilities can actually enjoy. They’re working to solve that. Their next two events are on July 12th, a Live Action Moana showing with a potluck. And a guided walk at the Frick’s Sensory Nature Trail on July 26th.

There was a lot of sadness last month when Hemingway’s officially closed. Many people made countless memories there over the years. I saw so many people say it was where they had their first (legal) beer. They haven’t yet announced what they’re going to do with it yet but stay tuned. Read the full story.

The harpy eagle, Dariena, that arrived last month, has been drawing crowds. About 20% of the visitors to the Aviary are there to see her specifically. It’s the only place in the Northeast where you can see a harpy eagle, which holds the title of most powerful eagle in the world. Read more.

Meet Phoebe here.

In the next couple of weeks, some of you may be seeing a physical piece of mail from Steel City Ledger. I’m sending a new printed flyer called the Pittsburgh Business Almanac to mailboxes in select ZIP codes. The whole point is to help neighbors find businesses right near them and allow businesses to get discovered without paying the big corporations (Google, Facebook, etc), who don’t really care about our community.

If you’re a business or know of a business that should be on it, let me know. I’m aiming to have it done in the next two weeks and have been filling up spots over the last few weeks. We still have a few spots left.

If you’d like to be sure you receive one, let me know and I’ll personally hand-deliver it once it’s complete!

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