I remember that when I was a kid, Christmas took a very long time to show up. Now, I have the distinct impression that I packed away the holiday decorations just a few months ago.
In regard to time, we are honored to welcome the former Poet Laurete of Pennsylvania and the founder of the internationally famous Poetry Forum, Samuel Hazo, as a Strip! contributor.
I think you’ll enjoy his poetic treatment of time.
With the seemingly overnight popularity of pickles—pickle festivals like our own Picklesburgh, pickleball courts and tournaments, etc.—it’s “time” that someone started a pickle factory, which is exactly what has arrived in Pittsburgh. Dan Casciato tells us all about it.
Vendors bring color, variety, and ambiance to the Strip. As reported by writer Anne Oyler, a number of them will be under one roof at the corner of Penn Avenue and 19th Street. BITS, or Best in the Strip, is the novel idea of Nino Sunseri, the venerable Strip District entrepreneur, and is a welcome addition to the many retailers who make the Strip a fun place to shop.
Christmas dinner—tired of serving the same thing every year? Cynthia Weisfield, our globe-trotting gourmet-food writer, sat down with Ray Turkas and daughter Christie Bengele, owners of Strip District Meats, to discuss the many possibilities other than ham. You may be surprised at the wide selection of often-exotic choices available locally.
Driving through Lawrenceville, you see them on many residential streets: breezeways—open spaces between a row of houses. David Conover takes us on such a tour.
Our “time” theme festively continues, as editor Greg Suriano looks back upon how Pittsburgh expressed “Season’s Greetings” in its varied publications 100 years ago.
So to all of you from us, best wishes for joyous holidays in 2025-26— merry Christmas and a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
—Andy Warhol