If you have holiday shopping left to do, some local bloggers have a few good ideas for you.

Burghsounds wants you to give the gift of Pittsburgh music, and one of their hippest recommendations is The Harlan Twins‘ self-titled album, which includes the song “Can’t Be Blue in Bloomfield”. I’ll spare you a joke about a blue Christmas and just remind you that I recommend this band. Burghsounds recommends emailing the band about getting the album and t-shirt for $15 (if you’re shopping for me, I already have both). You can also buy the album at Paul’s CDs and not have to worry about getting it in time for Christmas.

Another blog, Steeltown Anthem, recently posted about some great prints of Bloomfield that they found on Etsy. The drawings by artist Chantal DeFelice come mounted on wood, and beautifully capture some sides of Bloomfield. To buy Chantal’s work in time for Christmas, you can try visiting Wild Card on Butler Street or contact the artist directly.

And if you’re shopping for me, I don’t own any of those prints yet.

2009 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll Results

City Paper’s “2009 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll” included several winners from Bloomfield. While we didn’t have as many winners as last year, we got a few repeat victories (“Best hipster bar/club”, “Best karaoke bar”, “Best hamburger”), and one new business (Pinky’s Pet Parlour) on the list:

Culture & Nightlife

Best hipster bar/club
1^st Brillobox

Best karaoke bar
1^st Nico’s Recovery Room

Food & Drink

Best Italian restaurant
2^nd Del’s

Best Southeast Asian restaurant
1^st Tram’s Kitchen

Best coffeehouse
1^st Crazy Mocha, various locations

Best hamburger
1^st Tessaro’s

Best cheap eats
3^rd Ritter’s Diner

Goods & Services

Best place to buy used CDs
2^nd Paul’s Compact Discs

Best place to still buy vinyl
3^rd Paul’s Compact Discs

Best pet grooming
3^rd Pinky’s Pet Parlour

People, Places & Propaganda

Most of these categories aren’t location-specific, but the following winners are tied to Bloomfield in meaningful ways:

Best blogger
1^st Pitt Girl, Virginia Montanez: Before PittGirl revealed her identity, she wrote a guest post for us. Look for another guest post from the artist formerly known as PittGirl in the new year.

Best bus route
1^st 54C: We’re proud to share this route with a lot of other great neighborhoods.

Best Form of Alternative Transportation
1^st Biking: We’ve had bike lanes since 2007, and urban cycling magazine Urban Velo is based here.
2^nd Walking: Bloomfield is a Walkers’ Paradise.

Best thing about hosting the G-20
1^st Publicity and exposure for our city: We had some of that.

Best Pittsburgh politician
2^nd Bill Peduto: Councilman for City Council District 8

Best of 2009 Staff Picks

Besides the readers’ poll results, City Paper staffers also choose “Best Of” winners of tomorrow — some of Pittsburgh’s best that readers may not yet know about, in categories that weren’t on the ballot. Each pick is explained in a short description that is worth reading, so click on the main categories for more information.

Culture + Nightlife Staff Picks

Best reinvention of a venue
Howlers Coyote Café

Food + Drink Staff Picks

Best food to come in both carnivorous and vegetarian forms
Thai Gourmet’s General Tso’s chicken/tofu

Congratulations to all of the Bloomfield businesses that were recognized this year. Maybe next year we’ll put together a Bloomfield ballot — what do you think?

Birkenstock & Best-Made Shoes (Pittsburgh’s Birkenstock Store) are proud to announce they are partnering this holiday season with Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity dedicated to providing shoes to people in need.

Through January 5, 2010, Best-Made Shoes will be collecting footwear donations as part of their Give the Gift of Comfort Holiday Promotion. Everyone donating gently worn shoes of any brand will be eligible to receive 10% off any new Birkenstock footwear.

“Birkenstock is a terrific partner and we are excited they are offering customers a great way to get involved in our mission,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. “Their efforts will benefit many people in need and we are proud to have their support.”

The Department of Environmental Protection is looking to help small businesses become more energy efficient. With the growing concerns for the environment and saving money, this is a great way to get started.

This program, that was started in 2004, provides grants to small businesses to help them with the costs of becoming energy efficient and preventing pollution. The deadline to apply for this grant is  Jan. 15, which is just in time for the winter heating bills. Check out this document to apply and to make sure you qualify for the grant.

For more information, contact Polly Grimpe from State Rep. Dom Costa’s office at 412-361-2040.