Boaz Frankel

1 week ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Boaz Frankel

Location: Noah’s Ark, The Exterminator and Ghostwood Estates at Kennywood Park, West Mifflin Featured guests: Taylor Bulischeck, director of marketing for Kennywood Park3 things that surprised me:1. Taylor led me underneath Noah’s Ark to show me the mechanism that powers the rocking boat. There were wheels and gears moving a giant mechanical arm that rhythmically shifted the boat back and forth.

2 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Boaz Frankel

You can’t throw a pierogi very far without hitting a historic spot in this town. A morning commute takes you past the birthplace of the Ferris wheel, the Big Mac and commercial radio. George Washington fought wars here, and the Underground Railroad passed through local basements. The emoticon smiled here for the first time. : – )My wife, Brooke Barker, and I are always looking for excuses to tell these Pittsburgh stories. Recently we found one in an unexpected place – an empty Downtown storefront.

3 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Boaz Frankel

Location: The new landside terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport Featured guests: Bob Kerlik, director of public affairs at Pittsburgh International Airport3 things that surprised me:1. Bob explained how massive this construction project is. There are around 1,200 workers on-site everyday. Recently they’ve been busy attaching ceiling panels and pouring terrazzo floors. So far, everything is on schedule to be ready for a fall 2025 opening. 2.

1 month ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Boaz Frankel

Location: Robert Wholey Co. (aka Wholey’s Market) in the Strip District Featured guests: Jim Wholey, co-owner of the Robert Wholey Co., and Muriel Maze, marketing coordinator3 things that surprised me:1. When Jim Wholey was a kid, his first job in the store was to lay down a layer of sawdust on the floor every morning. That sawdust would absorb water and miscellaneous fish juices. That’s no longer the preferred way of keeping the shop clean, though.

1 month ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Boaz Frankel

Location: St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale Featured guests: Anna Doering, executive director, Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka, and Naomi Ruiz, conservator3 things that surprised me:1. Anna explained that Maxo Vanka immigrated to New York from Croatia in 1934 with his American wife. A trip to the industrial centers of America brought him to Pittsburgh for two weeks in 1935 when he walked the streets and sketched the city.