Don’t forget to vote today! If you’re not sure where your precinct’s voting is held, you can go here.

Thanks to all of you who participate in your civic duty!

So, whomever you are planning on voting for, I just want to say first that I am glad to see the recent wave of political activity and especially that among the younger generation in Pittsburgh and, overall, Pennsylvania. Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that this is one of the closest Democratic primary elections in years or anything…

Speaking of Democratic primaries… I would like to publicly express my belief that Barack Obama, who is speaking at 9:30 tonight at the Petersen Event’s Center in Oakland, is by far the best candidate for United States President. And, I would like to remind you all to vote - tomorrow!

I just can’t feel comfortable endorsing over 30 years of the same two parties ruling in the United States - I mean, it just feels a little too anti-democratic, if you ask me. Further, after reading Barack’s The Audacity of Hope, I can’t help but feel that even though he may be lacking some experience that others could CLAIM to have, he entirely makes up for it in smarts, logic, and common sense (something we ALL know politicians, especially those TOO caught up in the political system may not quite embrace).

Hopefully, the smear attacks and negative campaigning don’t affect people’s good sense too much and Barack receives the support he so deserves.

For those of you against the man, please read one or both of his books just to hear what he has to say - it’s honestly pretty brilliant. And, those of you for him, please help all of us spread the word! And, if nothing else, at least I was reminded by my friend who told me I said a year ago “You watch out for that Barack Obama…he’s going to be something one of these days soon! Probably the next President” Let’s just see if I was right!

But, no matter what, just VOTE!

Oakland Housing Series Continued…

“Current zoning permits Multi-Unit Residential Moderate Density (RM-3), which makes it difficult to control the spread of substandard rental properties: landlords can legally increase the occupancy of the properties up to the maximum allowed by the Zoning Code” – Meyran Ave study.

Overcrowding in Oakland (Pittsburgh)

A problem in Oakland, the home of the University of Pittsburgh, is the over-crowding of off-campus student housing. The 2000 Census defines overcrowding as 1.01 people per room fit for human habitation and severe overcrowding as 1.51 or more people per room. In renter occupied units in South and Central Oakland, 3.2 % of units are overcrowded and 1.6% are severely overcrowded, contrasting with owner occupied units where 1.6% are overcrowded and none are severely overcrowded.

Strangely, one archaic Pittsburgh law says that no more than three unrelated persons may dwell in the same building. Yet, many landlords circumvent this law by having students sign more than one lease, or only asking three residents to sign the lease. Stacey Papa, Esq, advises that students run away from these dishonest landlords as fast as they can should this happen…and, to be safe, stick to 3 maximum occupants in a rental unit. One Oakland resident who was worried about overcrowding asked Robert (bob) Eckenrode (the notorious Oakland slumlord with the most complaints against him - and ALSO one of the top 5 keywords driving traffic to this site - via Google Analytics), “’[H]ow many people do you have in your apartment?’

Bob Eckenrode replied to this older Oakland resident (occurring to an OPDC study), ‘I don’t know, the check just comes to my house. Oh, I’ll check it out tomorrow to see how many is in my house.’

The Oakland resident said, ‘He didn’t check it out. As long as he’s getting that rent and paying his bills, he’s fine.’”

Lax Building and Health Code Enforcement in Pittsburgh

The residents of Oakland also believe the lack of landlord property supervision results from the lax building and health code enforcement by the city of Pittsburgh. Many believe that landlords do not keep their properties up to code and do not respond to complaints on time due to the lenient code enforcement. The new zoning code, RM-3, allows a mix of housing and rental units in urban areas. It allows for single-unit detached residential, single-unit attached residential, two-unit residential, three-unit residential and multi-unit residential. Full Story »

My family and I have recently outgrown our 2 bedroom duplex. While it’s really a great house and we have the best landlord in the world, we just need some more room (and a better backyard for our little one). So, we are (once again) performing the rental search. We need another year or two to save to buy and we all know it will be a buyer’s market for a long time, so we decided to just rent for another year.

Well, I forgot how painful the renting process is. Not only is it hard to find a 3 BR house right now, but we supposedly need to worry about scammers from across the world tricking us. Within only one week of looking at a small number of properties online, I have received two scam offers and thought I should share my experiences with everyone in the area so no one else is scammed. Luckily, I was smart enough to do some heavy research the first time, which saved me a large sum of money, but I am afraid that others have been scammed, which is why I’m writing this. Keep reading for the whole story and what you can do to avoid being scammed. Full Story »

A Pittsburgh Parade to Remember…or Forget!

Pittsburgh is well-known for its exciting St. Patrick’s Day Parade [official site] held each year (rain, sun, snow, or shine), which is noticed as one of the largest in the country.  Due to many reasons (my honeymoon, broken leg, etc), I have only celebrated St. Patrick’s Day one time in Pittsburgh - and it certainly was one to remember (despite the fact that I forget most of the day LOL!).

But, a TYPICAL St. Patty’s Day in Pittsburgh may follow a similar schedule to this:

• Wake up - 5:00 AM
• Jello Shots - 5:30 AM
• Party - 6:00 AM
• Keg Stand - 6:30 AM
• 6 Green Beers Later - 8:30 AM
• Head Downtown - 8:45 AM
• Bar - 9 AM
• Wait…was there a parade?

Okay, so this may be an exaggeration (although I’m sure some of my readers could share some crazy stories and schedules that are worse than this one). But, you get the point - this is an adult parade and the Irish like to drink - and so do the Pittsburghers!

I am really excited for this year’s parade and will definitely be capturing some footage to re-post on this site. Be careful what you’re doing downtown when my video camera comes around! The parade starts at 10 AM this year (as always) and you can continue reading this post for more info on the parade this year (and past years too!)

Here are some fun facts about the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: Full Story »

So, while trolling the Pittsburgh Bloggers site, I came across an article about Pennsylvania potholes. “Potholes!” I exclaimed out loud (hey, I hit relative ranting writer’s block and was very excited!). I read the blog posting, which was interestingly enough from “Edgar Speaks Out” or the blog for Edgar of Edgar Snyder’s law firm. The article cursorily explained how to recover damages from Pennsylvania potholes. But, the part that really GOT me and made me want to really RANT is that you can not claim property damages on PA (PennDOT) roads (although you can sometimes recover some injury damages).

So, you get into an accident that was not your fault and PennDOT refuses to take any liability. Did I mention that Pennsylvania has consistently been named the state with the worst roads in the United States (I almost started typing Universe and you know…I think the roads in Pittsburgh ARE actually comparable to the crevices on Mars, so this may be an entirely accurate comparison). We actually get hit with a double whammy here in PA because not only does the terrible wintry weather we’ve all been experiencing so frequently erode potholes, but our road system is seriously screwy and the potholes barely get fixed.

I guess we all have to learn to be super careful when approaching potholes - being that the responsibility for an accident caused by one may fall squarely on your shoulders. Edgar Snyder says:

“You can’t recover property damages on PA state roads, but you may be able to receive compensation from PennDOT for your injuries. For roads in local municipalities, you may be able to collect both property damages and compensation for personal injuries from local governments.”

Check out another helpful feature of good ol’ Edgar Snyder’s Web site: A Q&A section where you can find all the answers to hazardous road questions you may have. And, Pittsburghers will surely agree with me that we unfortunately have many - hazardous roads AND questions (especially for you PennDOT employees….boy, have we got questions for you).

A Pittsburgh Bar For the Kid At Heart

This Pittsburgh nightlife rave is long overdue. My friends and I have been fans of BAR 11 since discovering the South Side long, long ago. The bar, located at 1101 Bradish St [Google Maps], right on the corner of South Side’s 11th St. and Bradish. The bar is hard to find and doesn’t even resemble a business from the outside. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d miss it in a heartbeat. But, once you get inside, it’s hard to imagine that the outside could even contain and conceal the color, noise, and fun that fills the inside!

There are fire-breathing costume-wearing bartenders (oh yeah), toys galore, blacklights, strobelights, and any other kind of lights you can picture and a very eclectic music mix (P-Funk to Backstreet Boys) which suits the very eclectic crowd perfectly. There are LOTS of Pittsburghers here: young and old, hippies and preppies, men and women - all quite drunk - all having the time of their life. And they’re all housed behind a nondescript stone gray wall…

Even better, the bartenders are quick and skilled (and the drinks always pack a punch for a low price). In fact, I asked Rob, the owner, about drink price hikes after the Pittsburgh drink tax - and guess what? Minus a 25 cent increase in mixed drinks, BAR 11 prices stayed the same (which were always very good to begin with) and this equals many very happy Pittsburgh night owls!

My production crew (okay, my girlfriends) and I spent a Friday night at BAR 11 with my banging new camcorder and we got great footage (coming to a Web site near you soon!) and even better, some EXCLUSIVE interviews with the BAR 11 staff: Bartenders Howdy & Dave and Doorman 2T. We heard some uncensored stories and even got the answer as to why they were all wearing raincoats (It was a theme because it was raining outside). Read more to find out what we learned and keep an eye out on Pittsburgh Rants and Raves for the VIDEO Exclusive! Full Story »

So, I just learned upon visiting some of my favorite Pittsburgh blogs that Pittsburgh Blogfest 13 (although it’s only the 3rd year…so I’m still working on figuring that one out) will be held this Friday evening. The details below come from Cynthia Closkey, blogger of MyBrilliantMistakes.com.

I’m excited to go and network with fellow Pittsburgh bloggers and would love to see others (non-bloggers welcome too) who have the interest. Thanks to the organizers for a great idea to get together some smart Pittsburgh minds!

Here’s the info:

“BlogFest is an informal and friendly quarterly gathering of local bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and anyone who enjoys life on the Internet. It’s more happy hour than meeting: No talks will be given, no credentials required. There may be nametags, but that’s only because I’m terrible at remembering names.

WHAT: Pittsburgh Blogfest 13
WHEN: Friday, February 22, 2008, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM and beyond
WHERE: Finnegan’s Wake (near PNC Park, 20 General Robinson St., North Shore, 412-325-2601), in the Pub Room
WHO: All local bloggers, vloggers, podcasters (and their friends!) and Pittsburgh Bloggers

Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Finnegan’s Wake, as always. Arrive when you like, leave when you must.

UPDATE/CLARIFICATION: Please note that our events in the Pub Room are smoke-free. The main bar area at Finnegan’s Wake, just on the other side of the door, allows smoking of course.

Please note that we’re gathering on a Friday evening this time around. We’ve received requests to vary the nights of these events, so that people who can’t go out on a work night can join in the fun, so we’re eager to see any new faces. And we’re equally eager to see old faces. Wear whatever face you have handy, and you will be welcome.

As always, if you plan to attend, please send an e-mail to “blogfest@ closkey.com”

Hey friends,

So, I put a new poll on the site asking what YOUR Pittsburgh Rant is…help me out and take it so I can write more of what YOU want to hear!

Any additional notes on the subject can be left in comments to this post… And, I always accept submissions from other Pittsburgh writers

Thanks all and I hope the weather hasn’t got you too chilly!

Not the amusement park but…your fly?!

I just had to write about a little piece o’ Pittsburghese slang I heard today that I found hilarious!

So, turns out Pittsburghers say “Kennywood’s Open” to let you know your fly is open! I thought I’d write to help those of you who are being told Kennywood’s Open. It doesn’t mean the amusement park…so, look down! And, being that I grew up on the other end of the state, I found this super funny and was hoping someone could shed some light on WHAT this saying means and/or where it came from. Share if you know!