5 things to know today

🇺🇸 President Donald Trump and presidential nominee Joe Biden will both be in Shanksville today to mark the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Here’s what to expect from their visits and how to watch this year’s Flight 93 memorial service. (CBS News / PennLive)

🚲 A cyclist was hit and seriously injured by a driver in Shadyside, where residents successfully pushed back against a bike-infrastructure proposal two years ago. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

💲 Have thoughts on Pittsburgh property taxes and public safety spending? Tell officials by filling out this 2021 operating budget survey before Oct. 16. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

⚾️ Major League Baseball celebrated Pirates legend Roberto Clemente this week. This article explains why we can honor him “by pursuing equality.” (America Magazine)

📈 Current COVID-19 totals: Allegheny County (10,969 cases), Pennsylvania (141,877 cases), and the United States (6.39 million cases).

5 things to make you smile

📍 Bloomfield’s welcome sign is coming back a year after it was damaged in a car crash. (Pittsburgh Public Works on Twitter)

🔍 We’re having a blast zooming in on this ultra-high-resolution photo of Downtown Pittsburgh and we think you will, too. (James Watt)

📷 There’s something deeply satisfying about this photo of the Stamoolis Brothers sign in the Strip getting a touchup. (Katie Blackley on Twitter)

⌨️ Scientists are using a Pittsburgh supercomputer to create a 3D map of the human body. (90.5 WESA)

👀 An old church in Homestead will house a new multilevel rope challenge course, complete with a 160-foot zip line. (NEXTpittsburgh)

Meet Alex Goodstein, a.k.a Alex Eats Too Much. 

He’s a South Hills-based food blogger who started posting photos of his meals to Instagram and soon added his own website and a name to sum up his gastronomic gusto. We talked with Alex about finding good Nashville hot chicken in Pittsburgh, why you should try that place you’ve been eyeballing forever, and more. Our interview follows here, edited for clarity and length.

The Incline: What’s been your go-to takeout meal or spot during the pandemic? 

Alex: The Fairlane in Mt. Lebanon, which is sadly closing, and Pittsburgh Sandwich Society, specifically for their Nashville hot chicken sandwich nights.

The Incline: What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten in Pittsburgh?

Alex: This is so difficult. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh now for over a decade. I’m going to narrow it down to my two favorites. The first is such a Pittsburgh classic, and it’s The Morning After Breakfast Special at Pamela’s Diner. It has almost everything you could want for breakfast with the inclusion of the hotcakes, but I always add on the Lyonnaise potatoes. The second is much more of a personal comfort food, but I absolutely love the General Tso’s chicken and egg rolls at Downtown’s Chinatown Inn.

The Incline: What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Pittsburgh food”? What does that phrase mean outside the city? 

Alex: I always think of pierogies, pickles, and Primanti’s. And beer. Beer is totally a Pittsburgh food. However, I think people outside of Pittsburgh may not even be aware that there are “Pittsburgh foods.” They don’t get the same type of hype and national attention as some other cities or regions.

The Incline: How has the pandemic changed what you do with and around Pittsburgh food? 

Alex: Since March, I’ve focused the most on what is available through takeout. I still have not done much dine-in eating for personal reasons, and only at restaurants with outdoor seating when I have. The pandemic has made getting to feature new restaurants or new items from existing restaurants much more difficult. Big grand-opening events aren’t happening as much. The overall restaurant scene is frequently changing. Restaurants are still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t as rules change and weather changes. I could feature a food item that might not be offered tomorrow due to the changes. I’ve struggled to write reviews when the experience of eating at a restaurant could change often. I also found myself cooking much more during the pandemic. I was trying out at least one new thing a week in the kitchen for a while.

The Incline: What’s the best-kept secret in the Pittsburgh-area food scene? We’ll only tell everyone reading this.  

Alex: There are so many restaurants in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas that you pass by walking down the street or driving down the road and think this place has been here forever and I really need to try it. Those restaurants are Pittsburgh’s best-kept secrets and they are right in front of you. They stay open for years getting business just on word of mouth. There is a good chance it could be one of the best restaurants in your neighborhood and you should definitely give them a try next time you’re thinking about where to get dinner.

Thanks, Alex. Here are a few more food headlines we’re following this week …

📺 BIPOC students at Pitt created their own cooking show to stay connected this summer. (University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering)

🍞 Why Millvale’s sandwich scene “runs on Duncan.” (Pittsburgh City Paper)

🍸 Can a hydration salon cure a South Side hangover? They’re gonna try. (TribLIVE)

🚨 Gaucho is now open for dine-in service at its new Downtown spot. (NEXTpittsburgh)

So, how’d you do? 

Yesterday we asked you to tell us where this face lives, and a good number of you knew that it lives on the 16th Street Bridge, otherwise known as The David McCullough Bridge.

Congrats to Frederick E. for being this week’s I Spy winner. Here’s more on the bridge’s fascinating history, including that time the police thought it was swept away in a massive flood.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. We’ll see you back here on Monday.