Before your New Year's Resolutions...

Treat yourself to Primanti's!

7 Days A Week
11am-11pm

(412) 261-1599

We all know about the sandwiches, with the fries, the coleslaw, the flavor, mmm... but did you know they also have soups and salads?  Don't let that friend or co-worker say "no," there is something for everyone.  Even vegetarians can grab a 3-Cheese sandwich!
 
We all have our favorite sandwiches that we get again and again (Pastrami and Bacon are my downfall), but last time I was in, I took a good look at the menu and was surprised by the variety.  I love my favorites so much that I never really look at the others, like the Ragin' Cajun Chicken Breast, Knockwurst, Tuna, and Sardine.  Now where else in the City can you go and get a sardine sandwich?!  Some might ask "who would want to?" but that little sandwich has more omega-3 fatty acids than you can shake a stick at!
 
It's such an important part of the fabric of Pittsburgh, it's even used as a test.  You know what I'm talking about.  (And if you don't, listen to this best-man explain it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKL_2YLPpS8)

Even Adam Richman from the Travel Channel's Man v. Food fell in love here in Pittsburgh.  And the greatness of the mighty Primanti sandwich has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and National Geographic.

For more info on Primanti's world take-over check out the links on their website...
http://www.primantibrothers.com/06news.html

Galardi's 30-Minute Cleaners

Need a last minute gift for a business associate or an office gift swap?  Caught short getting something cleaned for a Holiday party?

Galardi's is here for you!

Get your duds cleaned at the cleaner for the stars.  Galardi's does all the work for the movies and concerts that come to town.  Your suit could be rubbing elbows with Anne Hathaway's dress or Russell Crowe's shirt.

If you bring your items in before 11 a.m. on any weekday, they can return them in the same day!

Plus, they do free pick up & delivery to the Downtown area. If you call in the morning, the delivery person will come to your home or office and have the item returned after lunch.

And they have gift certificates.  After all, who needs one more candle or ornament?  Give a gift you know they'll appreciate, and the convenience of being right Downtown!

You can see their old horizontal sign in this picture as we look up Forbes Avenue towards the old Diamond Market which spanned the street. Originally owned by Mr. Galardi, the business is now owned by William Martinko who began working for Mr. Galardi when he was 15 years old, over 50 years ago.  When you stop in you are sure to find a member of the Martinko family there to assist you, as they have been for the past 50 years.

Galardi's 30-Minute Cleaners

Dry Cleaning & Laundry Service

same-day cleaning, free delivery service available

Monday - Friday 6:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday 8:00 a.m. - Noon.  

412-471-7968 

See below for their prices...

 

Prices:

suits $11.00

blazers $8.00

pants $5.50

dryclean shirts $5.50

blouses $5.50

winter coats $15.00

skirts $5.50

dresses $11.00

ties $3.00

sweaters $5.00

button down dress shirts $2.75 with or with starch (starch shirts takes 2 days) no starch can be done same day.

we also offer laundry service, prices vary

if you bring a blazer and any bottoms (pants or skirt) we will suit price at $11.00

suede and leather jackets start at $45.00

 

These prices are general prices. More detailed garments may vary.

It's Going to Look Different!

Market Square looked the same for a very long time...
then we got trees. 
Now we're about to see a big visual change again...

Pavement!

The team is prepping the area that will become roadway in the renovated space. 

They expect to pour concrete this week (weather depepndant). The concrete will form a base of support for the belgian block and brick that we've saved to reuse.

You may have noticed that the City is doing some work on Forbes Avenue as well.  Right now they are updating utilities.  This means a big long trench. 

After seeing them all over town, I finally asked what "those metal box things" are that stick out of the ground (see above photo).  I couldn't imagine them being left in the ground for any great purpose (and the way they are always sticking up it didn't look like they would even fit!). 

Did you figure it out yet?  They are temporary walls  to make sure that the edges of the trench don't fall on the crew while they are working!  Here is one in Market Square...

I also peered into the ditch on Forbes...

Can you make out some bricks under the pavement?  That is a water box.  They build boxes around the things that need to be accessed frequently...




that way they can pop the lid off...

and what you see underneath is something like this...

which they can easily access to tighten a valve, etc.

And now you know!

The Holiday Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Need a gift for a business contact?  Looking for a simple way to thank someone who's helped you out this year?  Or a small gift for  your cousin in Mt. Lebanon or the aunt in Greentree that you won't be able to see this holiday season?  Lubin and Smalley has your answer!

Flower arrangements, and potted plants are a great way to send the compliments of the season.  And as we head into winter, a potted plant is the gift that keeps on giving through out those cold months.  Lubin and Smalley also handles fruit baskets, balloons, specialty arrangements, and have an assortment of gift cards.  They personally deliver almost anywhere in Allegheny County and their network of fellow florists can deliver next-day anywhere in the US.  Simplify your holidays with Lubin and Smalley. 
http://www.lubinandsmalley.com/ or search their extensive options at http://www.ftdfloristsonline.com/lubin/
You can shop online or stop into the store and place orders by phone, fax, or email.  And by ordering through a local florist as opposed to a national floral delivery service, you could save up to $15 in surcharges!

Lubin and Smalley Flowers has been a part of Market Square since 1917. The original storefront was at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Graeme, in the space that is now Heinz Healy's mens clothing store. Here is an old postcard of that first location.












The building they are in now has been used by the company since the '40s for storage, design space, etc. but in 1993 the company moved all its Downtown activities under one roof. If you've never stopped to look up at their building in Market Square, take a moment and do it - you don't know what you've been missing!

In the postcard above, just under the name that wraps the windows in black and white, you can see a yellow shade that runs the full length of the windows. It looks like it has a pattern of rectangles.

In fact, it is not one shade, but individual pieces of etched class that were then painted gold and hung.  You can see both the postcard and the glass panel hanging inside the current Lubin and Smalley location.  Its also nice to just go in and get a whiff of all that sweet oxygen a roomfull of plants provides - its invigorating!

Don't forget to use your coupon!

The Construction Coupon is good through the end of this month!

If you're down with family for some Saturday ice skating, taking your sweet heart for a horse-drawn carriage ride, or just antsy in the office during this exciting time of year, use your coupon and save some money for all the extras that make this time of year special.

Click here to download a printable copy from the PDP website.

Nicholas Coffee

Warm up this winter with “Pittsburgh’s Best Perk”, a cup of coffee or tea from Nicholas Coffee located in Market Square. The Nicholas family has put nearly 100 years of devoted sweat and sacrifice into their coffee. Their dream turned into reality when Grandpa Nicholas came to America in 1919. When Nicholas Coffee first opened, its location was where PPG Plaza now sits. After surviving the Great Depression and a catastrophic fire in the 1950’s, he bought the building where they are currently located and where they offer a huge selection of coffees and teas.

For you coffee lovers out there, Nicholas coffee politely challenges you to find a better tasting coffee than theirs. What makes their beans so special is their roasting method. The beans still come to them green so they are as pure as can be so they can roast, not bake, them to perfection. They offer free samples all the time!

Not only do they sell coffee, but they also sell a wide variety of loose leaf teas and boxed teas, fresh roasted peanuts, cigars and accessories that make perfect gifts for the holiday season.

For more information about Nicholas Coffee and their products, visit http://www.nicholascoffee.net/.

Construction Update

Here you see the team prepping the base for a lightpole in the southern half of the Square (we've shown completed bases from the northern half in previous posts).  They create a wooden frame, screw in the pipes which you see at the one workers feet, then fill the wooden structure with cement.  Once the cement is set, they remove the frame.  You can see how deep the hole is in order to make a sturdy fixture - the structure for the base is chest-high.

Stand at the fence by PPG 2.  The fire hydrant you see will be on the sidewalk by the building.  When you see that, you realize how WIDE the renovated sidewalks will be.  It's very surprising.  There will be plenty of room for sidewalk cafes!

Here you see a compacting machine.  Before you lay a sidewalk or road, you must make sure the soil is well-compacted.  Dirt slowly settles over time and without any support pavement will crack.  You can avoid settling by compacting your dirt first.  You may see this machine at other Downtown work sites, like Three PNC's work on Market Street, a block from the Square.  This is another chance to comprehend how deep pavement layers are; the mulch around the tree will be flush with the sidewalk when finished.  The City-standard 3'x3' tree pits are protected during this process by fencing.  This is another reason to use small, hand-held machines instead of large ones - to protect the tree pits and branches.  When working on the larger open areas, where the trees will not be endangered, you will probably see larger compacting machines.

This week they are also focusing on the electricity that runs to the tree pits.  They are setting the stage for the lighting that will be installed later in the project.