New in Pittsburgh's Little Italy:

Shopping Bloomfield contributor Norm Huelsman wrote a short post on his blog about using Crazy Mocha as a second office. I myself have been known to use Crazy Mocha and several other spots around Bloomfield as mobile offices — sometimes it’s nice to get out of the “first office” and get into the lively business district along Liberty Avenue.

Do you work remotely from Bloomfield? Leave us a comment and share your favorite Wi-Fi hotspot.

This summer, City Council is traveling to all nine districts for “City Council Road Show” town hall meetings. This evening, Council will meet in District 7 at Union Project in Highland Park. Join Councilman Patrick Dowd and the other members of City Council to voice your ideas, questions and concerns.

For more information about each district and a full schedule of meetings, visit the Pittsburgh City Council website.

Thursday, July 24, 2008
6:00–8:00 PM

Bloomfield Events Calendar

The field under the Bloomfield Bridge is better than ever with new natural turf, fencing, landscaping, dugouts and a warm-up area for pitchers. Today, come celebrate the renovations to Dean’s Field with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, followed by a Tri-Ward baseball game. Light refreshments will be served.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
6:00 PM

Bloomfield Events Calendar

Ever wonder about those cars parked at the Ella Street side of the ShurSave parking lot? Those are Zipcars, vehicles that can be rented by the hour or day. Zipcars are available in key cities and neighborhoods, and are used by business and personal drivers who prefer not to own their vehicles for a variety of economic, health and environmentally-conscious reasons. On the Zipcar website you can learn more, find cars and rates around Pittsburgh, and sign up for an account on their online reservation system.

Low-Car Diet

In 12 North American cities, Zipcar has launched The Low-Car Diet Challenge: “for 30 days, put down your keys, dust off your bike, trike or roller skates and find out what the Zipcar way of life is all about.” Check out the Low-Car Diet website to meet the participants and you will see that Pittsburgh has more volunteers than almost any other city, including one of our forward-thinking City Councilmen, Bill Peduto.

City Councilman Bill Peduto, right, takes the Zipcar Low-Car Diet Challenge.
Photo Copyright Michael Heater, Post-Gazette

Yesterday at a ceremony in Market Square, Peduto gave up the keys to his Mini Cooper to join 16 other Pittsburghers in taking this challenge. When I asked about his decision, Peduto explained:

I want to break my dependency with my car. This is a great opportunity to prove to myself that I don’t need a personal vehicle to get to everywhere I am going. I can utilize public transit, take out a Zipcar, get my lazy butt on a bike or even walk and get to the places I need to be. To me, this is a great opportunity to change my lifestyle to a more healthy, more environmentally-friendly and more cost efficient way of living.

Read more about Councilman Peduto and others who are taking that challenge in today’s Pittsburgh-Post Gazette article “City councilman among those giving Zipcar a whirl”.

You know you should eat your locally-grown fruits and vegetables, but did you also know you could have a say in local politics? Did you know you can do both at the Bloomfield Farmers’ Market?

The Citiparks Farmers’ Market is held every Thursday from 3:30 to 7:30 PM in the Immaculate Conception parking lot, and every third Thursday of the month, Councilman Patrick Dowd will hold his “Council to Go” at the market. Council to Go is an outreach program that Dowd began in order to make himself available to his constituents in locations throughout his district. Once a month, at a rotation of locations in five neighborhoods, Dowd will be available to provide you with information, answer your questions and listen to your concerns.

Councilman Patrick Dowd, center, talks with a constituent during the first Council to Go at the Bloomfield Farmers’ Market.
Photo Copyright Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette

During inclement weather (and after the Farmers’ Market closes in November), Council to Go will be held at the Crazy Mocha at 4525 Liberty Ave. The full Council to Go schedule and more information can be found on the District 7 website.

Could you use a weekly reminder about the Farmers’ Market? Subscribe to the Bloomfield Events Calendar in your program of choice, or check it regularly online. Have a Bloomfield event that we should include in the calendar? Leave a comment on this article and get free promotion.