Hi,

From the desk of the Parador.  Someone told me I have to work my name in for page ranking, I’ll see what this does and try and be a little more creative in the future.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of the creation of the Internet (1969), birth anniversary of Paul Josef Goebbels (1897)-I’m reading a really good book “In the Garden of Beasts” by Erik Larson.  It’s about Ambassador Dodd, the American Ambassador to Germany as Hitler rose to power.  And it’s the anniversary of the stock market crash in 1929 that started the Great Depression.

“Atticus Adams: An Appalachian in Paris” is a new free show at the Borelli-Edwards Galleries 3583 Butler Street in Lawrenceville.  It run through November 12 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturdays.  Addicus uses screen wire to create these sculptures that many of them resemble sea sponges.  Initially created with uncolored wire, but has recently started using some bold colors.  More info at Atticus’ web site, the Gallery’s web site or by calling 412.687.2606.

Ashton Kutcher is cheating on Demi Moore, who cares.  🙂

Project Coffee House was started by Nathan Mallory, the owner of Cannon Coffee in Brookline and Kevin Acklin, president of Renew Pittsburgh, an organization the organizes volunteer services.  (You may recognize the name Kevin Acklin, he is the attorney that ran against our current mayor in the last election.)  Coffee Houses are notorious for bringing residents together.  I remember when the Bee Hive opened on Carson Street over in Southside and how all the locals started meeting there.  The coffee house on Buena Vista that opened about four years ago really became a hub for the Mexican War Streets.  Mallory & Acklin supply the expertise, help with the funding and help coordinate marketing and other endeavors needed to make the coffee houses a success.  Their latest, Brew, on Broadway Blvd in Beechview should be turning a profit by next year.  They are working on plans for coffee houses in Castle Shannon, East Liberty, the Hill District, Sheraden and elsewhere in the city.  The chain coffee houses are OK, but for a real taste of local with locals, go to a local coffee house.

This is the same neighborhood that Crested Duck has their production facility and shop (most of their sales are down at the Pittsburgh Public Market on Smallman Street in the Strip),  Davio’s restaurant has been there for years and a number of other new small businesses.  Who would have thought Betty would be so cutting edge.  🙂  She moved to a senior apartment there last year.

Here’s something that was in the back of the paper and should have been on page one of local papers.  Pittsburgh was in National Geographic’s top twenty destinations in the WORLD.  The only other American location to make the list was Sonoma Valley.  They site “It’s mourning for it’s industrial past long concluded, this Western Pennsylvania city changed jobs and reclaimed it’s major assets:  A natural setting that rivals Lisbon and San Fransisco, a wealth of fine art and architecture and a quirky sense of humor”  I don’t remember them interviewing me.  🙂

Here’s another tidbit, Forbes Magazine ranked Pittsburgh as “the best place to buy a house.”  Forbes says “For a housing market to be attractive it should have appreciating prices that show homeowners are making wise investments; an affordability rating that give middle-class families with good credit entry into the market; and a relatively low number of foreclosures, which keeps prices stable and indicates there isn’t an excess of inventory.”   Forbes says we have all three:  85% of our houses are affordable for those making the median family income of $62,500.  Foreclosures are low, we have the second best of all the cities they looked at.  And our home prices are expected to rise.

Trader Joe’s has opened there second Pittsburgh location at 1630 Washington Blvd, Upper St Clair.  I talked about this about a month ago.  I hear Whole Foods is opening a location in that area as well as the organic chain out of North Carolina (I think).  Add these to the Uncommon Market right at the top of the hill between the Galleria and South Hills Village and you have all kinds of foodie stuff going on in that area.

They are planning on imploding the Greenfield bridge in two years and build a new one.  In case you don’t know which one it is, that the one that when you come out of the Squirrel Hill tunnels, it has the mini bridge over the Parkway to keep chunks of concrete from hitting cars.  There’s also nets strung under the bridge for the same purpose.  I guess it’s time to replace it.  BUT, can you imagine them closing the Parkway for five or six days????  AND it’s going to take two years to build the new bridge.  What a nightmare.

Did you see where the US Army is responding to the Taliban’s use of Twitter broadcasting misinformation?  The Army’s Tweeting the evens as they actually occurred, as apposed to the embellished versions of the Taliban.  That’s too funny.  Here we have one of the poorest countries in the world (that’s not funny) that’s communicating with Twitter?

I have a wedding tomorrow, here’s pictures of Sarah & Joe’s favors:

Pretty cute.  Well, I’m hosting a wedding Saturday and then Sunday D, Quay and myself have to turn the entire Inn for another sell out night Sunday for the Steelers.  Busy weekend, enjoy,

ed