Bloomfield Citizens Council presents the 40th Annual Family Night Halloween Parade tomorrow, October 29, at 7:30 PM on Liberty Avenue. The parade will be led by through the business district by Grand Marshals Father John Dinello and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. Expect marching bands, floats, lots of candy and plenty of characters. Prizes will be awarded for best costumes.

The parade starts at West Penn and ends at the Bloomfield Bridge. Marchers assemble at Winebiddle Street at 7:15.

Bloomfield Events Calendar

Texan Ashley Todd probably doesn’t read Shopping Bloomfield, but she might have thought twice about her recent hoax had she read my post about surveillance cameras on Liberty Avenue. Maybe she would have at least stayed on the “right side of Pittsburgh”.

If you’re unsure which side of Pittsburgh is the right one, I’m referring to a post Todd wrote on  microblogging site Twitter which stated “Pretty sure I’m on the wrong side of pittsburgh”, shortly before her faked attack Wednesday night in Bloomfield. A screen capture of Todd’s Twitter page was posted by The Smoking Gun:

Bloomfield became a Hot Political Topic on Twitter’s Election 2008; in fact, Bloomfield is a currently a hot topic in lots of media, including partisan blogs by both parties. But politics aside, how has the media portrayed Bloomfield?

Ryan Tate from popular news and gossip blog Gawker questioned the meaning of Todd’s Twitter post in an article titled ‘“Attacked” McCain Volunteer Was On ‘The Wrong Side Of Pittsburgh.’ Or Was She?‘. Did she just mean the wrong side of town geographically, or was she insinuating that Bloomfield isn’t safe? Despite referring to Bloomfield as “Bloomington”, the New York author does a good job of describing our Little Italy, using Wikipedia and Shopping Bloomfield as sources and citing our gourmet bistro, art gallery, antique store and farmer’s market. Tate writes:

The ATM is across from a church and some nice-looking houses and next to a sports supplements store, clothing shop and Italian-themed cafe. Across the street is a Thai place. Doesn’t look like too bad a neighborhood.

As a visual reference, the article included this Google Street View panoramic picture of the intersection where the attack didn’t happen (click the white arrows to move around):

I’ve walked down Liberty Avenue at all hours of the day and night, and never felt unsafe. In fact, I’ve used that ATM at all hours. I think Ashley Todd chose the wrong neighborhood in which to cry wolf. What do you think?

As of September 11, 2008, Pennsylvania’s new Clean Indoor Air Act bans smoking in public places and workplaces.

Most workplaces will be require to go smoke-free, including restaurants, most bars, warehouses, offices and factories. For more information on the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act or to receive Clean Indoor Air materials, please visit the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco website or call the Pennsylvania Clean
Indoor Air Helpline at 1-877-835-9535.

Bloomfield’s newest restaurant, Sausalido, made the Development News section of this week’s Pop City. Located in the former Mezzanotte building at 4621 Liberty Avenue, Sausalito is an intimate B.Y.O.B bistro and catering company focusing on New American & European cuisine.

Owner Nicholas Mineo previously ran his family’s Shadyside Market’s Deli, which he transformed into a successful catering business. He has brought his knowledge of catering and passion for gourmet cooking to his own business, which will bring upscale Napa Valley dining to our neighborhood. Read more in Jennifer Baron’s article “Sausalido bistro brings Napa Valley dining, catering to Pittsburgh’s Little Italy”.

In a discussion titled “zombie flicks, mozzarella sticks, and Steelers tix…” on the Flickr: Pittsburgh group, user Tiffany asked “How about any good Italian places… maybe like Olive Garden, only local?”

I was happy to see Jennifer recommend Alexander’s Pasta Express, one of Bloomfield’s good Italian places. Not to exclude any of our other good Italian places, I penned the following response:

I am biased, but I have to recommend the neighborhood of Bloomfield to anyone seeking a good Italian place in Pittsburgh. Shopping Bloomfield has a list of restaurants (not categorized by cuisine, but that’s a good idea).

Good Italian places include Alexander’s, Café Roma, D’amico’s Place, Del’s Bar and Ristorante DelPizzo, Donatelli’s Italian Food Center (Italian deli w/ great cheap mozzarella sticks), and Lombardozzi Restaurant.

John

P.S. None of the above places should be compared to Olive Garden.

If you have a Flickr account, feel free to share your favorites with the rest of the group. And if you ever upload photos of Bloomfield, let me know!

Tomorrow at 11 AM, Bloomfield will host Pittsburgh’s 23rd annual Columbus Day Parade. Organized by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America with chairman Guy Costa, the parade will begin at Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue and end at the Bloomfield Bridge.

This year’s parade will feature marching bands, floats, an authentic gondola and even a donkey cart, as well as representatives from Italian-American fraternal organizations such as the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, the Spigno Saturina Society, Sons of Italy and the Sons of Columbus. The grand marshal is Carla E. Lucente, a professor of modern languages at Duquesne University and director of the Center for International Relations.

Streets along the parade route will be closed by 10:30 AM, so get here early for a good spot.

DOC Economou, the developers of the Baum-Liberty Crossing complex on the former Don Allen Auto City site, are holding another community presentation today to address community concerns about the project.

For information call Christine Fulton, vice president of public finance and external relations for DOC Economou, at 724-935-4480.

Monday, October 6, 2008
6:00–8:00 PM

First United Methodist Church
5401 Centre Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Bloomfield Events Calendar

Bloomfield celebrated its 7th annual Little Italy Days on September 26, 27 and 28. Red and green tents lined Liberty Avenue where the sound of Italian Music and smell of delicious Italian Food were in abundance.

For three days, huge crowds descended on Bloomfield for the entertainment, food, bocce and games that are all part of this festival sponsored by the Bloomfield Business Association.

Thanks to all the businesses, residents, volunteers, and sponsors who made this event possible.

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