Author
Zack Tanner

Bar keepers

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It was the sociologist and author Ray Oldenburg who first posited the notion of the “third place” and its importance as a not-home, not-work gathering spot where all are welcome. Often a bar or a pub is that place, and whether it’s a shot-and-beer joint or a place for martinis and Manhattans, the tone of the experience is set by the bartender who can wear the hats of jester, therapist, father confessor and friend, all at the same time. Here are some of our favorite barkeeps.
"Batman" and "Bane" rehearse their "fighting" scene with a walkthrough in front of the Mellon Institute during filming in Oakland. Snow was added in the final takes. (Darrell Sapp / Post-Gazette)

Hollywood east

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
We could fill this magazine with stories about where movies were shot in Western Pennsylvania. Here are some other local sets.
The Carnegie Science Center is home to a 104 year old Tesla coil consisting of 6,000 feet of copper wire that gives off one million volts of electricity. The coil was made by a teenager named George Kaufman of Ben Avon. The center now mostly uses it during their “High Voltage Show” and in shows about light or electricity. (Katelyn Jones/Post-Gazette)

Hidden gems

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Everyone has favorite museum objects they like to visit -- and revisit. But to what items would Pittsburgh museum curators steer visitors in their collections? Here they share their best-kept secrets and hidden gems -- the cool stuff they’d take their out-of-town friends to see.

Art works

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
From venerable museums to public spaces, Pittsburgh has an abundance of art surpassing that of most cities its size. Works that I like to take visitors to see run the gamut from traditional to contemporary, indoors to outside.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater on December 7, 2006

Celebrity sites

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It was good enough for Brad Pitt's 43rd birthday and drew another famous couple who couldn't even tour the inside. Fallingwater, the house Frank Lloyd Wright designed, is usually name-checked in interviews with celebrities spending a little or lots of time in Pittsburgh. Other favorites: Dave & Buster's at the Waterfront for the cast of "She's Out of My League;" The Milk Shake Factory on the South Side for Nina Dobrev during "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and Tom Cruise's family during "Jack Reacher;" and Dish Osteria on the South Side, where Alec Baldwin broke bread with Dr. Cyril Wecht while filming "Concussion."
Russ Stratton , of the North Side, gets a "bite" while fishing in the Allegheny River , on the North Shore. (Darrell Sapp / Post-Gazette)

Go fish

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With one of the highest boat-ownership rates in the United States, two world-championship bass tournaments in the last decade and bald eagles nesting within city limits, the Three Rivers region has clearly traded its blue-collar industrial past for a future more closely linked to outdoor recreation.
"Furries" pose for a group photo at the 2014 Anthrocon Annual Convention at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. (Tony Tye/Post-Gazette)

Geek city

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
To borrow a definition provided by actor, writer and inveterate geek Simon Pegg, "Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection." In that respect, Pittsburgh should be crowned the world's No. 1 Geek City. We embrace our geekdom and wear it as boldly as a Bat Signal on the skyline.

‘Burgh books

By / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Despite its relatively small size among big cities, Pittsburgh is awash in literary complexity. Blessed with a vibrant literary scene, Pittsburgh has produced more than its share of authors with national reputations. From Lori Jakiela and Sam Hazo to Stewart O'Nan and Kathleen George, the region has first-rate writers to spare. So it isn't surprising that those nurtured or inspired by this scene have produced books about dramatically different aspects of life in the 'Burgh. The following are just a fraction of the books that tell Pittsburgh's story from different directions