Welcome, spring!
This issue, like all previous ones during the past 20 years, was designed editorially to provide our readers with a variety of interesting articles relating primarily to the Strip District and Lawrenceville neighborhoods, with occasional editorial coverage beyond the Strip. The spring issue includes articles regarding food, craftsmanship, and the history of a notable local weather event, among others.
Although landlocked, or maybe because of it, seafood restaurants have always been popular in the Pittsburgh area. Cynthia Weisfield talks with Luke Wholey about his popular Luke Wholey’s Wild Alaskan Grille on Penn Avenue. Turns out that Luke is an avid fisherman, probably a not-surprising revelation.
Editor Greg Suriano introduces a new series spotlighting businesses doing well by doing good in the community. Paris Baguette in Shadyside is that kind of business. As always, Greg enjoyed a number of their menu items while gathering info for this article. If you know of a business that is successful and contributing to the betterment of the community, please email us at deba101@verizon.net.
After publishing for a decade we finally had a reason to say something about the local weather, and it was a good reason. “Remembering the Lawrenceville Macroburst” by Jude Wudarczyk is a story worth retelling, so now we have (it was first published in our spring 2017 issue).
Through the decades, the Strip District has gone through various phases, from farmland to heavy industries—and those supported by literally dozens of workshops staffed by craftsmen of all disciplines. These are all pretty much gone now, but one major exception is NIKO Contracting. Christopher Cussat’s article—fancifully titled “From the Strip Disrtict to Heaven”—describes the talent, the skill, and the experience necessary for Nick Lardas and his staff to successfully restore the domes of a local church.
Enjoy—and see you in the neighborhoods.
“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”
—Katherine Hepburn