City Cast Pittsburgh

Nearly everyone has an opinion on where to find the best pizza in Pittsburgh, and the debate's expanded far beyond choosing between Aiello's and Mineo's. We have shops specializing in everything from sourdough pie to New York thin crust, and some of our local spots even won awards in the World Pizza Games. Pizza journalist and returning guest Dan Tallarico joins host Megan Harris to dish on which...

Pittsburgh has lots of Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, but the rules about who owns these spaces and how they're maintained are relatively lax. City Councilor Deb Gross proposed legislation to regulate these properties, but the plan has divided both housing advocates and short-term rental owners. PublicSource's Femi Horrall joins us to break down the proposal and Pittsburghers' reactions. Le...

A funicular in Portugal crashed, so some Pittsburghers are worried about our own inclines. After all, they're about the same age as the one in Portugal, and the Mon's been closed multiple times in recent years. We're sharing what we know so far, along with explaining how you can book an appointment for your new COVID-19 booster and flu shot this season. Plus, find out how you can get free museum t...

Goodbye popsicles and pools, hello hayrides and pumpkin beer! We're heading into fall festival season this weekend, so City Cast Pittsburgh's Megan Harris and Francesca Dabecco are running through some of their favorite spots for apple picking, corn mazes, and more. Plus, we're previewing a few frights to get you in the spooky spirit.  Can't keep track of all the fun? Find a full list of fall fest...

The Steelers kick off their regular season this weekend, and if you go to a home game, you'll likely hear Styx's 1979 hit "Renegade" between the 3rd and 4th quarters. What started as your average in-game timeout song in 2002 became a good luck charm in the minds of Pittsburgh fans all over the world. But does the song produce tangible results or is it all just superstition? Researchers at Point Pa...

The beginning of fall in Pittsburgh doesn't just mean cozy drinks and county fairs. It's also the season for milk-chugging contests and parallel parking competitions. The City Cast Pittsburgh team is sharing some of our favorite ways to experience our city this September, from a party on the Roberto Clemente Bridge to a creepy book club. And if you're looking for more fun, check out our episode ab...

Good news, bad news: three major cultural institutions — Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre, and Pittsburgh CLO — are considering a merger to stay open and the historic Hollywood Theater in Dormont is about to reopen. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee was turned away from our region's largest ICE detention center even though it’s literally part of her job, and we’re talking about Pittsburgh wins and losse...

A brewery is taking over an old Missile Command Center in Oakdale, the South Side's got a new showstopping patio on top of a six-story distillery, and cigar bars seem like they're having a moment in Pittsburgh. Host Megan Harris is with City Cast team members Francesca Dabecco and Zack Durkin to talk about new restaurant openings, a new Sunday Supper series, and a festival celebrating a divisive f...

PA has millions of acres of state and local parkland, but none of them have that coveted national park status. Why doesn’t Pennsylvania have a national park? And where should we go instead? Host Megan Harris brought these questions to PA’s director of outdoor recreation, Nathan Reigner, who's part of a new department all about championing our outdoor spaces. He shares a few of his favorites, inclu...

Upright Citizens Brigade — the world-renowned comedy group — just opened a full-scale training center in Pittsburgh, in partnership with Bottlerocket Social Hall. It's UCB’s first location outside New York and LA, which has us asking whether the Steel City is the next big comedy hotspot. We're taking the question to Chris Copen, partner and owner at Bottlerocket. He explains how Pittsburgh became...

We've heard that driving in Pittsburgh is like driving on "hard mode," and people have been complaining about our streets for decades. In the 1930s, renowned journalist Erine Pyle wrote, "Pittsburgh is the cockeyedest city in the United States. Physically it is absolutely irrational. It must have been laid out by a mountain goat.” That still rings true today, and we're joined by friend of the pod...

The Carnegie Museum of Art is in the spotlight for breaking its own rules about hosting political events. We explain why the $5,000-per-plate dinner with U.S. Senator Dave McCormick is back in the news. Plus, we talk about the first candidate to officially challenge Governor Josh Shapiro's reelection bid: Republican Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania's two-term state treasurer. And we share some (potenti...

Feeling snacky? The next time you're grocery shopping, pick up one of the many potato chips made right here in Pennsylvania! The City Cast Pittsburgh crew is crunching it up with our friends at City Cast Philly to taste test as many PA-made potato chips as we can find, explore how the commonwealth became the "potato chip capital of the world," and crown the tastiest snack in the first ever (maybe?...

Pittsburgh knows its way around a natural disaster — snow and ice, tornadoes, landslides, sinkholes, and even the outer rings of hurricanes. But our No. 1 most frequent disaster? Flooding. And you don’t need to live near a body of water to be at risk. We’re with Penn State’s Ben Reppert, a lecturer on meteorology and emergency management, to talk about what’s at stake and whether any of us are rea...

Smoothie King and Heinz's ketchup smoothie collaboration is now available in Pittsburgh! We're trying it today, along with City Cast friends across the country. Plus, we're talking about all the upgrades at our museums, cultural institutions, and outdoor spaces. Pittsburgh's bringing in new zoo animals, swapping out Andrew Carnegie's name to honor modern-day philanthropists, and looking forward to...

Pittsburgh City Council is sitting on 168 acres of land that they bought for $1 from the federal government, and their plan is to build a training facility for police, fire, and EMS. But their proposal has been put on pause. Host Megan Harris is with PublicSource's Ember Duke, who explains what's at stake with this facility, why Pittsburghers have reservations about it, and what to look out for wh...

If it feels like the grossest summer in city history, you’re not wrong. And that could affect air quality in the Mon Valley after the explosion at Clairton Coke Works. Incoming college freshman will be moving in next week – to Oakland and also Downtown – and a lot of them will find themselves in hotels instead of dorms. And we’re talking about a bunch of wins for Pittsburgh this week, like an impr...

Pittsburgh has so many beautiful parks — 176 to be exact! — and each one offers something a little different. If you're looking for the perfect spot to soak up the last few weeks of summer, we've got you covered. City Cast producer Sophia Lo is with Matthew Hileman, the director of operations and visitor engagement at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, to talk about the best parks for gorgeous view...

It's Restaurant Week! When places all over the city offer special menus with three or four delicious courses. But choosing where to go can be tough – this week and any week, really – because there are so many great options. So we're tapping in food writer Emily Catalano, who's tried more than 80 spots for Pittsburgh Magazine, to share her personal favorites – most surprising, most perfect, where t...

An explosion at Clairton Coke Works in the Mon Valley killed and injured workers yesterday. We're talking about what we know and what questions still remain. Plus, we're sharing ways to support your neighbors as ICE raids pick up in the region and celebrating something we think Pittsburgh does surprisingly well. Notes and references from today’s show: Explosion at U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works...

If you're at a Pirates game, the highlights are taking in the gorgeous view, eating some hot dogs, and cheering on your favorite pierogi. But most of us aren't actually expecting the Pirates to win. After all, it's been 45 years since we fielded a team that could make it past a single playoff series, and some Pittsburghers contend that it's all because of Bob Nutting. You've seen the billboards ca...

Downtown is in flux — a high and growing office vacancy rate, but also big goals for building conversions, more residential housing (market and affordable!!), and stunning new art. Your household bills like water and electricity are likely to rise soon, but it’s not too late to invest in solar. And a bunch of companies headquartered here in Pittsburgh have found themselves in the news, from THAT A...

Pittsburgh's the birthplace of American whiskey, and hundreds of years later, our local distilleries have branched out to make all kinds of spirits. While you can enjoy local brands at bars all over the city, you can also go directly to the sources themselves for samples and tours. Host Megan Harris is joined by City Cast team member Zack Durkin, who is sharing more about Pittsburgh's distilleries...

Can a city truly go broke? City Controller Rachael Heisler has been sounding the alarm on Pittsburgh’s “unsustainable” budget for months. Too much overtime. No more savings. It’s happened before: In the early 2000s, City Council voted to let the state take over our budget through a process called Act 47, and it took us 15 years to crawl our way out. Are we headed there again? Heisler’s here to tal...

Will Pittsburgh sweep the Emmys this year? This year's hottest new medical drama, "The Pitt" is up for 13 Emmy nominations, and Season 2 started filming this summer. While the City Cast Pittsburgh team doesn't get a say in the awards process, we can judge the show on how well it captures our city. The City Cast Pittsburgh team is sharing our favorite local homages and Easter eggs, guessing which n...