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Pittsburgh Ranked Third Best Mid Size City for Art
American Style Magazine Cites Carnegie Museums and " Emerging Glass" Status.The Pittsburgh Business Times is reporting that "AmericanStyle" Magazine has released it's list of the top 25 cities for art in America. Pittsburgh is ranked 3rd in the Mid Sized City category. Pittsburgh, long known as the global center of the glass industry is being recognized as an emerging center for glass art. The magazine cites Pittsburgh's glass art scene stating that "Pittsburgh, making a name for itself in the glass world, is home to the respected Pittsburgh Glass Center, which offers exhibitions, classes, studios and demonstrations. "Read more at AmericanStyle Magazine
The West Coast of Pittsburgh
 Please take a minute to read about some proud "West Coast Pittsburghers". The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that on June 4th, over 200 people gathered in Los Angeles to "sing" the praises of Pittsburgh. The group gathered to take a photo, sing a Mr. Rogers song, and celebrate the amazing talent that has come out of Pittsburgh. Last year, a similar event took place on Broadway in New York City. In my view, it is extraordinary that a group of busy people (most of whom had never met) were willing to gather in honor of their home town. Some may be tempted to look at this photo and say - " Look at all of the people who have left Pittsburgh." I see it and say - "Look at all of those talented Pittsburghers. Even though they are on the other side of the country, their hearts are still in Pittsburgh." This is at the core of the Pittsburgh Nation - people living in every city around the country who still consider themselves Pittsburghers. Read More about the West Coast Pittsburghers at The Pittsburgh Post GazetteRead More about the East Coast Pittsburghers at The Pittsburgh Post Gazette Photo by John Beale, Post-Gazette
UPMC Expands it's Reach to Qatar
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has agreed to provide emergency medical training and technical support to four hospitals in the Arab nation of Qatar. The $100 million deal would require UPMC to provide technical training to a Doha-base medical non-profit that oversees 4 hospitals. A spokesperson for UPMC stated that the deal would help UPMC to achieve it's goals in Western Pennsylvania. Currently, UPMC is providing similar training services in Dublin and Sicily. Read More at the Pittsburgh Business Times
'Mysteries of Pittsburgh' will film in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that the long-awaited film "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" will be filmed in Pittsburgh. The movie is an adaptation of the celebrated novel by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon. Many films and television shows have been filmed in Pittsburgh over the past several decades including "Silence of the Lambs", "Wonderboys", "Flashdance", and "The Guardian". Read more at The Pittsburgh Post Gazette See a list of Pittsburgh Movies at About.com
New Hotel Planned for North Shore
The Pittsburgh Business Times is reporting that Continental Real Estate and RockBridge Capital, LLC plan to develop a new 200 room hotel on Pittsburgh's North Shore. The hotel would operate as either an Embassy Suites or a Hyatt Hotel and would cost approximately $20 Million to complete. The hotel would compliment the existing buildings on the North Shore, including the Del Monte headquarters and the Equitable Gas headquarters. Future development plans for the site include a large-scale entertainment/retail complex. Read More at The Pittsburgh Business Times
Esquire picks Dee's Cafe as One of America's Best Bars
Check out the June Esquire Magazine. They have picked South Side's Dee's Cafe as one of America's Best Bars. Dee's might fall into the category of an authentic Pittsburgh dive bar. ( This is a good thing! ) Dee's has followed the fortunes of the South Side throughout the years changing from a traditional working class bar into a bar catering to a young crowd. In previous years, Esquire magazine rated Pittsburgh as the number one " City that Rocks"; and although I don't frequent Dee's Cafe I do believe that Pittsburgh's nightlife is one of the best that the country has to offer. Congratulations to Dee's! Read the full list at Esquire Magazine
PRA searching for 800,000 s.f. of Space in the Region
Friday's Pittsburgh Business Times reported that the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance is searching for up to 1 Million s.f. of office space for an undisclosed tenant. This would create one of the region's largest real estate transactions in recent history. There is a lot of internet speculation that the space is for Westinghouse's nuclear power division, although the PRA is not disclosing who the tenant might be. Previously, Westinghouse had announced it's intention to hire 2000 employees in the region in anticipation of a number of overseas nuclear facility contracts. If Westinghouse does build a major new facility in the region, it may be the most important (good) economic news that the region has seen in decades. If the current search for office space is for Westinghouse, it provides hope that the company could become as important to Pittsburgh's future as it was to our past. Read More at The Pittsburgh Business Times
Wind Energy Conference Boosts Pittsburgh's "Green" Image
 Today marks the first day of the Nation's largest-ever wind energy conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. The conference is expected to draw over 4500 attendees who are studying how to increase the use of wind power in the United States. It should be no surprise that an energy conference is being held in Pittsburgh because our region has a rich heritage in developing oil, coal and nuclear energy. Westinghouse Electric's Nuclear Division is about to add several hundred jobs to the regional economy. What might be surprising is that we are seen as a leader in alternative energy and sustainabilty. Our reputation grows with every green project that is built in the region, including the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and many of PNC's facilities. As an architect, I have seen the trend toward sustainability and alternative energy growing exponentially, and the current high fuel prices will only feed that trend. Because we are still known in some remote corners of the world as a "smoky city", it is doubly important that we promote ourselves as a "green" city. Please read more about Pittsburgh's energy heritage and future in Chris Briem's column in last August's Post Gazette.
MLB markets All-Star City
Three Rivers Arts Festival Starts Today
 18 day Downtown Festival Has Big Impact on City Merchants
Today marks the opening day for the 47th Three Rivers Arts Festival, an 18 day event spotlighting regional and national artists. The festival takes place throughout downtown at multiple venues and is expected to attract over 600,000 people into the city. This year also marks the debut of the 4th River Project, a series of new programs intended to push the edges of mainstream art at the festival. In an article in today's Pittsburgh Tribune Review, a spokesperson for the festival estimated that the impact on Pittsburgh's merchants would be dramatic. "For every $1 we spent on programming in 2004, there was a $19 impact on the city of Pittsburgh's merchants," said festival spokeswoman Lindsay Clark. "Considering we spent over $1 million that year, that's very promising." All of the money spent on the festival is raised through vendors, sponsors or donations, and the festival pays the city for the additional services it requires. This weekend's main stage acts include:Friday: Raul Malo at 7:30pm in Point State Park with special guest Autumn Ayers at 6:00pm. Saturday: Buckwheat Zydeco at 7:30pm in Point State Park with special guest MonGumbo at 6:00pm. Sunday: Soulive at 7:30pm in Point State Park with special guest Poogie Bell Band at 6:00pm. I hope that you can all make it downtown over the next couple of weeks to enjoy the music, art, food and the spectacular setting. Read More about the Three Rivers Arts Festival and find festival schedules at: Three Rivers Arts Festival WebsiteThe Pittsburgh Tribune ReviewThe Pitsburgh Post-Gazette
Nano Technology Report Ranks Pitt Second for Nanotechnology Research
Small Times magazine has Ranked Pitt second in the Nation for Nanotechnology research, and the University of Pennsylvania first. The survey asked 50 universities a series of questions about their nanotechnology specific courses and degree programs. It is great to see that two Pennsylvania universities ranked so high in the research category. It would be better still if Pitt could become a leader in the commercialization category. A combination of world-class research and aggressive commercialization has the potential to be the generator for Pittsburgh's next great economy.
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