Once a month, we’re helping you show your Pittsburgh pals that you care by sharing things, consumables, and experiences made by locals, for locals. Below are my end-of-summer August picks.
“Nothing. Everything.” by Virginia Montanez inside of City Books on the North Side. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
📖 For the (River) Beach Readers
You may remember her from her blog “PittGirl,” but now she’s a published author. Virginia Montanez’ new book, “Nothing. Everything.” is a story of “ trauma-damaged, panic-addled Ellis Sloan, an irreverent YA author who is pretty sure she's broken.” My friend Andrea said that she “laughed out loud and sobbed” while inhaling this book at the beach. Pick it up from Pittsburgh’s oldest used bookstore, City Books, in Allegheny West on the North Side.
A grapefruit Barmy Soda made by East End Brewing. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🍋 For the Summertime Sippers
We have no shortage of giftable local brews here, but if you’re looking for something for all ages and tastes, try Barmy Soda made by the crew at East End Brewing. The staple flavors are root beer, ginger beer, and grapefruit, and they also have a line of seltzers: plain, grapefruit, orange, lime, and lemon. Pick up a pack of pop from the brewery or find it carried at local shops, like Chantal’s Cheese Shop in Bloomfield.
- Want more tasty seltzers to quench your thirst? 🎧 Go inside Pittsburgh’s nonalcoholic bottle shop.
🌻 For the Flower Fans
August is the Sunday of Summer, so make sure you take time to admire every bloom. Take your Pittsburgh pal to build their own bouquet at Armful of Flower’s first-ever Flower Fest on Bingham Street in Mount Washington from 12 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 20. Pick from the urban flower farm, then stick around for acoustic music, food, drinks, and flower-themed vendors.
