Orient Express
Location: 4609 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 412-622-7232 Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Prices: Soups and appetizers $1.25-4.95; entrees $6.50-8.95 Fare: Mostly Chinese Atmosphere: Light, bright and casual Liquor: BYOB The cliché — not to mention the truth — about ethnic restaurants is that the good ones are where the natives eat. Sure,…
Murphy’s Law
With this week’s election, Mayor Tom Murphy just got one step closer to looking for a new job. He probably won’t find work as a goodwill ambassador. But I know a career Murphy might be good for: newspaper columnist. He’s got just the kind of self-righteous recklessness the job requires. On Oct. 27, for…
Bobbled Presentation
Have there ever really been that many great political orators? JFK inspired us to reach for the stars and fly to the moon. Ronald Reagan yelled at that Russian guy with the map of India on his forehead to “tear down this wall.” But let’s face it: Most politicians are about as entertaining…
When and why did Pittsburgh stop using street cars?
Street-car service in Pittsburgh ended not with a bang but with a transfer — usually to a bus, and over the course of decades. At its height, local trolley service was operated by the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which was formed at the turn of the century from the consolidation of…
Dead Again
With its attention to horror, human drama and, most importantly, craft, Robert Kirkman’s comic book The Walking Dead harkens to the brilliance of George Romero’s locally produced 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead. Like people who presumed that story to be just another monster movie, those who presume this book to be…
To The Mat
“Biker Al! Is a gal! Biker Al! Is a gal! Biker Al isn’t, strictly speaking, a gal. He’s a burly tattooed guy. His jeans are ripped, his ball cap is on backward, and he looks like a guy who just might fight dirty. Like with brass knuckles, maybe. Or perhaps with a trash can, a…
DJ Big John Stud
“I’ve played something like 30 to 35 states and four continents. I was doing stuff with DJ Hank D. back in the day, headlining with DJ Diesel Boy, who is a super well-known deejay. I know all the original DJs, whether hip hop or drum and bass or techno, all those guys…
Change for the Better?
For a woman sitting on a sidewalk hoping passers-by will throw spare change into a cardboard box, Dot is in a surprisingly good mood. In an informal survey of Downtown panhandlers, she was the only one who said she knew anything about a new city ordinance that could put a crimp in her livelihood. …
Brian’s Song
There is an old saying that if you buy a diamond ring for a dime, you probably have a ring not worth a nickel. And that’s exactly what a few Pittsburgh-area women learned this summer. During this year’s preseason, with the Steelers reporting for training camp in Latrobe and opening their 2005 campaign, at…
A Conversation with David Collura
David Collura has been a professional trapper for four years, ridding the county of invasive, sometimes rabid wild animals. Collura, 47, lives in Elizabeth Township and is director of the Allegheny County Conservation District — a state agency – as well as the Peters Creek Watershed and Tri-Community Anglers. He traps for many Mon Valley…
Screw Music
Paul Wall The People’s Champ (Chopped & Screwed) Swisha House/Asylum Mike Jones Who Is Mike Jones (CD + Ltd. Bonus Chopped & Screwed Version) Swisha House/Asylum Slim Thug Already Platinum Star Trak/Geffen Bun B. Trill Rap-A-Lot/Asylum When ‘Trina dropped, everybody paid. We ain’t talkin’ about ‘Trina, the Bazooka-butt former-stripper emcee from…
