January 4 Run/Walk: Meet at the Parisi Cafe 7107 Harrison Ave, Swissvale... but TOMORROW is New Year's Day Holiday run, 7:30 at 61C

Sunday we'll swing around Swissvale, but tomorrow (sorry, this is a bit late 😬) is the annual New Year's Day holiday run starting at 61C at the late hour of 7:30.

Last week we also had a twofer, on Christmas Day, touring the familiar grace of Chatham campus and surrounding mansions, redolent of the 1%, and then on Sunday, into the strange depths of Lower Bloomfield where apparently there are hobbits (photos below).

Much talk ensued of course, only some of which will appear here.

• Apparently there is a Feast of the Seven Pigs.
• Chatham campus is lit by gaslight at nightime (and some daytime these days).
• We reminisced about when Tom led us on a themed run:  Homes of the Bad Judges.  Tom claims that he has no recollection of this.
• Advice:  work on your core, and use less detergent.
• Watch documentaries:  Jayne Mansfield and Queen Victoria.  
• Watch Rob Reiner's movie The American President, if only for the last speech.
• Read Chris Armitage on Substack for some bracing political commentary.
• There is Senior Tax Relief available from Allegheny County. 
• New bagels in town on Liberty Avenue, judged "meh".

Resistance action of the week:  Try to repair your mental health by not reading any political news for an entire day.  

December 28 Run/Walk: Meet at Yinz Coffee in Bloomfield, 4525 Liberty Ave., and TOMORROW HOLIDAY RUN/WALK, 61C cafe, 7:30

This week there is a holiday run/walk TOMORROW, Christmas Day at 7:30 at the 61C.  And on Sunday, meet at Yinz Coffee in Bloomfield, 4525 Liberty Ave.

Last week we wandered among the ghostly elegant statues of Allegheny Cemetery and thereabouts, dodging the goose droppings and saluting several young bucks along the way (the deer kind.) At the Ineffable, the atmosphere/coffee was fine but the cookies could break your teeth.  If we return, maybe BYOBaked goods.  We were still able to voluminously chat, endorsing:

• The good Felician Sisters, who have two surprise RG connections.
• The special Holiday Tour at the Frick, especially one given by Linda.
• Driftwood Oven Pizza in Lawrenceville - sad they don't open until 11 - this pizza could make a great breakfast.
• Casa del Tequila restaurant in Squirrel Hill - evidently the name says it all because the food is meh but still 2 thumbs up.
• Istanbloom Mediterranean looks adorable - promises a New Year's Eve party.
• Read or watch Hamnet (book, movie).
• Massage guns, available at the JCC - look in the recovery room
• Avoid a bloody horror scene: Aimee shares the right way to peel a pomegranate.

Resistance action of the week:  Tell Rep. Summer Lee (here) and Sen. Fetterman (here) to make publicized oversight visits to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in central PA, the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast, with about 1600 inmates.  Conditions there are known to be abusive and dangerous, with 2 deaths reported. Rep. Lee tried and failed to enter in August but efforts should be repeated - unannounced prison oversight is a Congressional legal right, and our legislators should be drawing attention to this.

December 21 Run/Walk: Meet at the Ineffable Ca Phe, 3920 Penn Ave.

We'll meet at the original Ineffable Ca Phe (map) for coffee with a Vietnamese flavor, and have a romp through Allegheny Cemetery.  We will also head past the legendary haunted house that is part of the Allegheny County Health Department.  Questions? Ask Beth.

If this sounds familiar, it's because it is.  We are repeating last week's plan, since in almost unprecedented fashion, nobody showed up.  This may have been attributable to snowy streets, memories of the Treacherous Ice Storm of long ago, or advancing age - probably all three.  Hoping for a warmer rerun!

Resistance action of the week:  Attend the weekly interfaith anti-ICE vigil any Friday, from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. at ICE's Pittsburgh facility, 3000 Sidney Street on the South Side.  Organized by Casa San Jose, Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi, and the Sisters of St. Joseph to stand up against immigrant persecution.  

December 14 Run/Walk: Meet at the Ineffable Ca Phe, 3920 Penn Ave.

We'll meet at the original Ineffable Ca Phe (map), for coffee with a Vietnamese flavor, and have a romp through Allegheny Cemetery.  We will also be heading past the legendary haunted house that is part of the Allegheny County Health Department.  Questions? Ask Beth.

Last week was our decades-old annual Downtown Holiday Run: see photos below.  Ensconced in the old world glory of the Wm. Penn lobby, we endorsed some seasonal delights.

• Alicia Keyes Hell's Kitchen was amazing!  Too bad most of us missed it last month at the Benedum.  But lots of dates available in NYC.
• Dwayne Dolphin, internationally known, super funky jazz bassist and beloved Schenley graduate. Hopefully will appear in a jazz club near you.
• More jazz:  City of Asylum has free concerts on Thursday nights. And keep an ear out for RG fave Small Hours Trio appearances.
• Fleece overalls.  We saw someone wearing them and they looked, well, warm anyway.  Apparently if you try to buy them, only Amazon has them from its weirdly named stores. But we're boycotting Amazon so we're out of luck.
• Wendy's hair stylist - Feng at In Style.  It helps if you speak Chinese but you don't have to.
• Deer may be shifting from Regent Square to Squirrel Hill.  Maybe they like dumplings.
• Watch:  The Staircase.  (Also: worth re-connecting your DVD player - movies free from Carnegie Library).  
• Listen to:  Rachel Maddow's Burn Order

Resistance action of the week: Too many! It's time to bring back 5 Calls, which now has 32 vital issues and will make your contacts to legislators easy.  Or, scroll through the suggestions in Alison Huettner's Upcoming Protests and Events.  Even if you can't settle on anything now, it helps to see what's out there.

December 7 Run/Walk: Meet at the Omni William Penn, 530 Mellon Square, for the Annual Holiday Run!

Meet at the Omni William Penn, 530 Mellon Square (map), for the Annual Holiday Run! Supposedly there are life-size Mr. Rogers characters outside of Heinz Hall, and of course, the magnificent creche at US Steel.  Parking onstreet may be iffy so give yourself a little time - there's also Mellon Square Garage on 6th around the corner.) 

Last week we met on Frew Street outside Baker Hall, one of the original buildings, designed by Henry Hornbostel, that became Carnegie Tech.  It’s fact, not merely legend, that the halls slope to aid the movement of heavy equipment.  Andrew Carnegie, always practical, asked Hornbostel to implement this design, thinking that the building could be used as a factory if the school failed. 

 

Carnegie Tech welcomed its first class in 1900 and became Carnegie Mellon in 1967.  Two years later, the Creative Writing Program was launched by Gladys Schmitt.  In 1991 Jane B joined the program, followed a short time later by Jane M.  Now Jane M has taught her last class and is setting off on the next phase, and Jane B will join her in May.

To celebrate their departures, they arranged for the Big Book Giveaway, and RG members were invited to take whatever books they wanted. Fun! And since Jane B is staying on, she will again do a Big Book Giveaway, if invited to do so.

Resistance activity of the week: Call or write Senators McCormick and Fetterman to sign on to the bipartisan War Powers Resolution to“direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.” Trump has recently said that he is planning land strikes on that country “very soon.”

Sen. McCormick – Pgh office (412) 803-7370; DC 202-224-6324; Email

Sen. Fetterman – Pgh office (412) 803-3501; DC 202-224-4254; Email

 

November 30 Run/Walk: Meet at the entrance to Baker Hall, 4825 Frew Street on CMU campus

On Sunday, we'll meet at the entrance to CMU's Baker Hall, 4825 Frew Street (map) as our Janes invite us post-run to their professorial lair for a Big Book Giveaway! There will be a post-run breakfast and free books (mainly literary fiction) selected over years to delight and enlighten their students, and now us. There should be parking on Frew Street, but if not, there's more in front of Phipps.

Last week we delved into deep Shadyside and did a reconnaissance of the spanking new Market District emporium in E. Liberty.  It looks pretty good, especially the beer.  Some highlights from our 2! coffee confabs this week follow.

But first, as this week's Resistance Activity, a reminder to be part of the "We Ain't Buying It" boycott of Amazon, Home Depot, and Target from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday.  Explained here and organized by Indivisible, No Kings, 50501, etc.  Boycotts work.

Other stuff we like:

• Pearl Nail Salon continues its appeal with added benefit of Mormer ladies in the house.
• Nouveau Designer Consignment in Aspinwall for the special occasions.  But enter the shoe store next door at your financial peril.
• Save the date for the upcoming Bhangra in the Burgh which will be wild.
• We remembered the brilliant Sally Kalson, PG columnist and human being par excellence.  (See below for a classic piece unearthed by Wendy comparing the original Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle to a vagina.)
• Sharon, Aimee, and Wendy shared tips on finding money in the street (Wilkins & Wightman corner is good) and how to preserve karma on finding it.
• Watch movies:  Strictly Ballroom; Loving.
• If you're planning a trip to Canada soon, make sure you've figured out what you need to cross the border - passport card, real ID, Global Entry, ??
• Not endorsed:  "taking care of shit" fatigue.

November 23 Run/Walk: Meet at Tous Les Jours cafe, 6226 Penn Ave in East Liberty. ALSO Thanksgiving Holiday Run/Walk from 61C at 7:30 Thursday.

Sunday we returned to the lovely Ka-Fair Cakery on Chislett St. and sampled lots of their treats.  We agreed with Maryann that when it comes to our hair, leaving a stylist is like breaking up with a boyfriend. And if you’ve cheated on your stylist, what then? Will they take you back?

Endorsements:

• Supermarkets:  AARP likes Aldi. Roye votes for Trader Joe's because the ingredients are better. Many questions about the new Giant Eagle in East Liberty, with its weird checkout design and mysterious entrance.
• Amba! Wikipedia tells us it is a tangy condiment made with mango pickle, popularized by Iraqi Jewish merchants in (formerly known as) Bombay, who brought it back to Baghdad. Elaine introduced us to Ruhama’s Amba Chicken and Rice.  You can order Amba from Amazon or Walmart, or you can make a quick version -- different from the above description, but you never know…
• Read:  The Many Lives of Mama Love – a memoir of addiction, etc., by Lara Love Hardin
• Watch:  Death By Lightning – on Netflix, about assassinated US President James A. Garfield;  The Gilded Age – on HBO Max.
• Support:  the White Whale and other indie bookstores, particularly now that B&N has moved in. You can also support local bookshops by ordering books from Bookshop.org.
• RG-approved delicious Winter Retreat in Troncones Mexico with yoga maestra Linda Meacci.

Resistance activity of the week:  from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, be part of the "We Ain't Buying It" boycott of Amazon, Home Depot, and Target. Pause on shopping at these major corporations actively enabling the current administration - and buy local instead. Detailed info. here - organized by Indivisible, No Kings, 50501, etc. 

Two upcoming events of note:

• Save the date! The Janes are hosting a Big Book Giveaway for RG members on Sunday, November 30, post-walk/run. RG will meet at the entrance to Baker Hall on Frew Street. Post-run breakfast and free books selected by experts.
• A retirement happy hour, January date TBA to celebrate the last days at work of various happy RG members.

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 16 Run/Walk: Meet at KaFair Cakery, 806 Chislett St. in Morningside

Okay, there were some complaints about the pastries at 61C, but as Janet said:  “it’s like going to a relative’s house who can’t cook.” It’s our place – "just not all the time."  And the prices are great.

The country of the week was Wales.  Recommendations for Welsh-related films and books include a documentary about Richard Burton.  

• Turns out there are two - Burton: Wild Genius and In from the Cold:  A Portrait of Richard Burton
• How Green was my Valley – can be streamed on Amazon or Apple+
• The Pillars of the Earth  - is also on Amazon Prime or Apple, or you can read the book, by Welsh author Ken Follett.

For those of us wanting to get out of the house, there's Banjo night Wednesdays at the Elks club.  What is the Elks Club?   AI tells us that The Elks, officially the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, are a fraternal, non-profit organization. They're "dedicated to community service through various charitable programs that benefit veterans, youth, and those in need. The organization's core principles are Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love, and Fidelity. The Elks are a “patriotic organization…" To join you have to be over 21, have good moral character and believe in God.”

Endorsements From the Transportation Division: 

• Kindred Cycles  - also sell used bikes and racks.
• Recommendation for bike rack:  Kuat NV 2.0.  And if you’re a member of REI or know a member, deep discounts are available through November 24.

Department of Recycling & Composting:  There are many devoted composters among us.  

• Home pickup and a gallon of their free “tea” is available from the beloved Worm Ladies.
• Zero Waste Wrangler is great for those of us who don’t mind carrying our compost to a site beside East End Food Coop.
• If you're somewhere in the East End, it's easy to drive and deposit compost at Howard's garden.  Contact roye.werner@gmail.com if you want more details.
• City of Pittsburgh now recycles a wider range of materials curbside, including plastic tubs like yogurt and sour cream containers

Division of Sad Truths:  Moving very old people is very hard.

Division of Mixed Opinions:

• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and that’s that.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and also on Friday.
• Thanksgiving is on Thursday and on Friday is a kind of Thanksgiving-ish with leftovers.

Resistance activities of the week:

• Got an hour?  Join an Outrage one, every day from 4 to 5pm on the corner of Shady Ave and 5th Ave in Shadyside. Here are details and info about others. Be energized by all the car horns blaring in support.  This is what democracy looks like!

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 9 Run/Walk: Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead in Schenley Park

Meet at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead, corner of Greenfield Rd. and Overlook Drive (map).  Coffee locale TBD, though probably Divvy Coffee and Buns, 3714 Forbes Ave.  On our walk/run we can check out the Neill Log House, where later in the day there will be a Harvest Festival to celebrate its restoration.

Many endorsements: 

• To watch: Trumbo on AppleTV or Amazon Prime;  Outrageous, about the Mitford sisters, on BritBox; Downton Abbey (on several sites); Schitts Creek (same); Dark Winds – set on a Navajo reservation (same); Upstairs, Downstairs – “prevented postpartum depression.”
• The fifth novel in the Outlander series, The Fiery Cross, gets a thumbs up. (2, actually.)
• RADPass offers free and discounted tickets to museums, theaters, etc.  To apply, all you need is a library card (also free!)
• The amazing Max will be teaching an introductory pilates class at the JCC, starting next Wed.
• And yoga classes at Yoga Hive are recommended.
• To get some privacy in your car, keep binder clips and a sheet handy.  Because: public urination gets a police record. 

Not endorsed:

• Fake faces
• Gold bathrooms

Resistance Activities of the Week:

• Take courage from election results!
• Stand up for democracy and justice any day of the week, 4-5 pm, on the corner of Shady and 5th: Outrage Hour.  Bring a sign or a flag or just yourself.
• Listen to the What’s the Plan, a weekly one-hour Q&A from Indivisible’s founders, available at any time on Youtube. (Also live on Thursdays at 3.) 

Composed by Jane Bernstein

November 2 Run/Walk: Commonplace Coffee, 7514 Thomas Boulevard

Commonplace Coffee - another entrance is across from the East End Food Coop.

Inspired by Roye, we turned our backs on Starbucks and found the very delightful Divvy.  Plenty of space, worth a return trip. 

 

There was so much serious business to discuss that the Louvre heist felt like comic relief.  We laughed, fretted, were sentimental about old clothes (red shoes, black undies).  Close to home, we endorsed the Squirrel Hill Shoe Repair, run by two buff, ageless shoemakers, and their neighbors at Pearl Nail Salon, a whole lovely family, complete with babies and well-behaved dog. Both are on Murray Avenue. 

 

And now work:  Resistance actions of the week - 

• VOTE next Tuesday, Nov. 4!  In particular, make sure to retain the judges (Supreme Court and all others) who are listed on the back of the ballot.  (Retention elections don’t list party but they are all Democrats.)  Also tell friends and family.
• Spotify is running ads to recruit for ICE.  Indivisible is organizing a boycott (details here). Cancel your subscription to speak out (here’s how). You can always re-up when they hopefully cave, a la Disney/Kimmel.  Boycotts are integral to resistance.

October 26 Run/Walk: Meet at Schenley Plaza, near the tent

 October 26 Run/Walk: Meet at Schenley Plaza, near the tent 

Hi Runners and Walkers -- forgive this stripped-down blog.  I wasn't around last week and don't know where we met or what amazing endorsements we shared.  But we do have some helpful advice for Sunday's run/walk.  The road through Schenley will be closed for buggy practice so come on Forbes/Fifth.  

And in case you missed this: "Elaine has promised that the crows will be around..."  

I hope to see a big group!

October 19 Run/Walk: Meet at Biddle's Escape, 401 Biddle Ave. for a Frick Park excursion

On Sunday. we meet at old favorite, Biddle's, corner of Biddle and S. Trenton (map).  They will have plenty of chairs (unlike last Sunday's locale where we grabbed almost all of them).  Leaves are turning in Frick Park!

Last Sunday, we trekked through a somewhat dowdy but endearing Sharpsburg, and found places to enjoy the view over the Allegheny.  Later at coffee, I gave up on capturing anything from 13 ladies kibitzing nonstop, but did get to taste Redhawk's signature Jewish Pizza (you would think Sharpsburg an unlikely spot to get it). It was good! 

• Resistance action of the week:  PLEASE GO TO the No Kings Rally this Saturday 10/18 - downtown at City County Building at 12:30 - and other locations listed here.  It is SO important for millions to stand up now -  please read why in this David Brooks article in The Atlantic.  
• Finally uncovered, thanks to Bobbi:  on the last Sunday of September 2025, RG celebrated its 32nd birthday 🎂🙌🩷

October 12 Run/Walk: Meet at Redhawk Coffee Roasters, 1019 N. Canal St. in Sharpsburg

We'll see what's doing these days in Sharpsburg starting at Redhawk Roasters, 1019 N. Canal St.  The last time we went there we were wearing mittens.

As for last week, many photos (below) tell the tale.  We were way up (see stairs) in Spring Garden and Troy Hill, seeing the actual Spring, the first Croatian Catholic Church in America, and the fence that Bobbi's Mom jumped over to get the phone call saying her Dad was coming home from WW2.  And the views.

• Not endorsed:  ticks.  They are legion.  Cover up, stay on the trails and away from meadows.
• Endorsed:  Meditation.  Really anything that will induce calm.  I'm trying it out, plus whiskey.
• Also endorsed:  Small Hours jazz trio (starring Gretchen's marvelous Margot), at The Hotel in Sewickley this Saturday at 7.
• Resistance activities for the week:
• This is last-minute but Indivisible Regent Square is meeting again tomorrow (Thursday) 7604 Charleston Ave. (off Braddock) at 6:30. Learn what can be done and meet kindred souls.
• (A repeat) Check your voter registration and your whereabouts on Nov. 4 to make SURE you get your vote in to RETAIN the judges on the PA Supreme Court (and others).  Also nag friends and family.

October 5 Run/Walk: Meet at Kinder Being Cafe, 715 East St. (sort of Troy Hill, sort of North Shore - see map below)

We'll return on Sunday (7 am sharpish) to Troy Hill (last seen, June 2024) and, after trekking up the Hill and back, try out a new coffee spot, Kinder Being Cafe (map) found by our Scientist/Cafe Scout, Beth.  A highlight may be crossing the bridge over he parkway.

Last Sunday we penetrated a dense creepy fog surrounding Homestead - we circled its iconic library, and tried out the new, endorsed! Arabica Robusta cafe.  The sun came out in the end, hopefully a metaphor.  Just caught a few more endorsements:

• The Savannah Bananas - a wilder version of our national sport, sold out everywhere, was recently at PNC Park and super fun.  Get your tickets early for next year.
• On that theme, the new Clemente documentary, showing that Pittsburgh's beloved Roberto was a mensch for all time.
• The Johnstown Flood National Memorial - I never understood the historic significance of this astounding event until I went there.  On second thought, this now has a referral to: doi.gov/shutdown, so maybe wait a bit.
• Resistance activity of the week:
• For something that gives you the feeling that you've actually helped, as well as meeting some great people, try one of the Pittsburgh Overpass Project sites.  You can just show up and be part of a team holding a giant banner over the parkway.  Thousands will see it.  It's a national phenomenon.  And it's short.
• For an uber-listing of many things to do, see Alison Huettner's "Upcoming Protests and Events".  It's a smorgasbord so it's easy to pick one.

September 28 Run/Walk: Meet at Arabica Robusta Coffee House, 207 E. 8th Ave, Homestead

Another Sunday, another new coffee house:  we'll discover the new Arabica Robusta (prize for best name) in Homestead (map), and explore that quirky, historic locale, home apparently of the "most famous event in labor history,"  Also a former church that is now a Dragon's Den, and an old bank given over to axe-throwing.

Last Sunday in Oakmont we skirted the Allegheny in the dawn light, and then encountered the most unusual cafe emporium in RG history.  We were not quite prepared for the Oakmont Bakery.  But we decoded the kiosks and responded appropriately when numbers were called.  We found a table away from the melee inside, and managed to accumulate some fine pastries without day-glo frosting.  For some reason, the "expresso drink" list didn't contain an expresso, but the coffee worked its charm anyway. 

• Resistance activities of the week - 
• Protest Citizens Bank (here are ways and more info.) for funding immigrant prisons.  At least sign the petition.
• Put this on your calendar: the next national NO KINGS rally - Oct. 18, 12:30, City-County Bldg.  There are some preliminary ones, too - this one is this Sunday in Oakland. But on Oct. 18, we need everyone in the streets.
• Things to do in DC (besides avoiding masked federal agents): the National Building Museum, the Postal Museum, and Ford's Theater.
• the new VW Electric Camper - it's not at Woodstock anymore
• Chiboust wedding cake - was it fair to assign someone to make this for 70 people?
• Listen to podcasts:  The Rest is History; Throughline
• Our Senator Dave McCormick lives in Squirrel Hill - who knew? His real home has been in CT.
• For RG devotees of the Boden Sample Sale - it's Oct. 4 at the Convention Center.

September 21 Run/Walk: Meet at the Oakmont Bakery, One Sweet Street (really), in Oakmont, naturally

Here's the map for the Oakmont Bakery - much to explore around there!

Last week we moseyed around Allegheny West and Manchester.  We are continually surprised by the myriad lovely/curious/weird vistas hidden away in this town.  Bobbie, who used to live here, gave us the lowdown on local edifices, and Beth, as always, found the garden.

Thumbs up (¡pulgares arriba!) for Colombino Coffee - delish, comfy and friendly - we'll try the one on Butler St. next.  Mainly we talked about what to do in this time of alarm and dismay.  We agreed it would be good to use this forum for sending out ideas - so stay tuned. For today:  

1. Call your congresspersons.  First, listen to AOC here (adorable) and find out why calling works best.  Then use 5calls.org (or any other way) to make your calls.  Important: don't worry about crafting a long message or getting tongue-tied (we all do), it just takes a little practice.
2. Tell everyone you know and love about the upcoming judicial election on Nov. 4.  Are they registered? Need a mail-in ballot? See this.  The judges on the ballot that need to be retained are all Democrats (just vote YES on each retention - there are no party labels) in order to keep their majority and hold on to our voting rights.  More info here and here.

But also there was joy and cheering about the two precious new RG babies born last week - mazel tov to Elaine and to Linda R. and their families!