Pittsburgh Beyond The Sports – Four Fun Ideas

Tarot Reading at the JuJu Boutique in Point Breeze

Leslie McAllister is the sweetest soul and will welcome you right into her adorable shop. Inside, you will find a well picked and stylish eclectic mix of vintage clothing for sale, fun house trinkets, beautiful crystals, assorted tarot card decks, sage, and mystical, other worldly cool trinkets. We knew that she held tarot readings for ~$60 at the time of our reading, and knowing nothing about how this works, we found out up front that these are positive readings. I said sure, why not.

My friend and I went together, going one at a time (each reading takes ~1 hour) and jotted down notes while the other was fixated on listening to Leslie regarding how our individual year would unfold. Using the Wild Unknown deck, Leslie clutched her grandmother’s crystal as we sat around the little turquoise table, pulled 3 cards that represented my mindset, body, and spirit “theme” of the year, and proceeded with 12 cards that would signify the coming 12 months.

Picture of the Wild Unknown Tarot Deck reading — The Year Ahead Tarot Reading – Wild Unknown Deck

Examples of what some of my cards boiled down to – someone giving something to me (monetary wise), rising above (something), staying the path that previous month cards had played into, etc. Leslie took such a thorough time explaining the meanings and providing examples. It was very insightful and I found it quite interesting. We really enjoyed our time at JuJu with Leslie. We bought a beautiful selenite crystal from her shop as a reminder of this experience.

Grab a Drink (And Some Food Too) at Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill

Take a visual break from the industrial looking bars and make a stop at a tastefully decorated Tiki Bar (including a giant Tiki god named “Happy” carved out of a real palm trunk) that spins up some very well done drinks (and food too) for something different.

Some might say that the food menu is small, but this doesn’t bother me one bit when it’s fresh and good. The mango chicken tacos were delicious, and the poke bowl with crab meat and wasabi was also something that I would order again.

Picture of tropical drinks — A Mojito and Josie’s Vacation

The cocktail menu is where this place really impresses – with an assortment of tropical concoctions. Order the Josie’s vacation to fulfill your craving for a blended beachside delight (similar to a Piña Colada but with hints of ginger), or the Curse of Pele – which comes literally lit on fire. Each drink comes in its own unique drinking vessel – a golden fish shaped glass, a shareable drink that comes in a conch shell, a mug that appears to be made for a tiki god.. you get the picture. The bottom line – the drinks are good and pretty. Who doesn’t love a real orchid garnish?

Go Ape in Wexford’s North Park

For an active, different kind of social activity (and to burn off some Josie’s Vacation calories) when you’re feeling adventurous, Go Ape in Wexford is so much fun. This ropes course has five sections of various treetop crossings. Each section ends with a ride down from the tree tops on a zip line. There are also two Tarzan swings to really get the adrenaline going as you crash into a cargo net as your means of brakes. Climbing the cargo nets may have been the most exerting thing. The safety overview in the beginning is rightfully detailed and course #1 is a practice before unleashing you out into the other courses that are more..high up. Allow 2-3 hours from start to finish and leave your fear of heights at home.

Picture of Go Ape Ropes Course in Wexford — Every treetop crossing is different.

The Neighborhood Flea in the Strip District

With all of the food related shops and eateries in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, it’s no wonder that the Neighborhood Flea “lives” in the parking lot at the corner of 23rd Street and Penn Avenue (according to their Facebook page – the second Sunday of the month from 10 am – 3 pm April – October). This intimate setup of vendors boasts everything from antiques, to vintage clothes, to all kinds of stuff made by local artists, plants from local green houses (where I’ve purchased unique garden veggies), repurposed furniture, macrame wall art.. and beyond. Pittsburghs finest food trucks line up in a semi circle in one part of the parking lot, unleashing the smells of all things yummy while also making it impossible to decide what to eat. While it may seem like a negative, the market isn’t huge in square feet. It easily makes up for this in quality though. It’s been going on for a few years now, and I can assure you (because I’ve been going since it came about), that it has grown every year. This spot is easy to incorporate into an afternoon pursuing the shops in the Strip. There are even pop-up crafts held at the Flea (which are posted on their Facebook page). In past Flea’s, I have made a terrarium, a vertical succulent garden, and even taken a class on how to do brush lettering.