What’s happening: The NFL released the official 2026 Draft campus renderings, and it’s a two-site setup stretching from Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore to Point State Park, connected by the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

What that actually means: Draft Week won’t be one dense crowd — it’ll be hundreds of thousands of people spread across Downtown, the North Shore, and the riverfront, moving all day, every day.

What you’ll feel first: Parking pressure, pedestrian traffic, and “why is this street blocked already?” moments — especially if you’re anywhere near the North Shore or Downtown.

Important clarification: The Strip District isn’t part of the official campus, but it will feel it. When 700,000 people need food, bathrooms, and places to wander, they don’t stay in neat zones.

Transportation reality: The Clemente Bridge will be pedestrian-only during the event, and river transport (Gateway Clipper) is part of the plan. Translation: walking and transit will matter more than cars.

What to do: Start mentally tagging Draft Week like a marathon or major playoff run — plan errands early, choose walking routes, and assume your usual shortcuts won’t work.

What to avoid: Treating this like a “normal busy weekend.” It won’t be. If you can shift plans out of the North Shore/Downtown core, you’ll save yourself time and stress.

The local takeaway: This isn’t just a stage — it’s Pittsburgh turning itself into the broadcast.

Garbage and recycling pickups are back to normal this week after the city canceled all collections during last week’s winter storm — if your bins have been lingering longer than usual, this is the reset.

The NFL released official 2026 Draft campus renderings, showing Draft Week stretching from Acrisure Stadium to Point State Park, connected by the Clemente Bridge and designed to handle massive, moving crowds.

Draft Week is already warping Pittsburgh’s short-term rental market, with bookings projected to approach 90% in late April — raising fresh questions about neighborhood impact, pricing, and regulation.

Pittsburgh has athletes competing in the Winter Olympics right now, giving the city something to root for during a long, cold stretch and a reminder how far local talent travels.

More homes hit the market, and more sellers adjusted quickly.
New listings stayed strong, but price reductions climbed, signaling a shift toward realism rather than waiting things out.

Sales kept pace, but fewer deals felt automatic.
Homes are still moving, just with more scrutiny around inspections, financing, and terms.

Mortgage rates gave buyers a small but real break.
Rates dipped again, helping monthly payments slightly and improving buying power at the margins.

The gap between “priced right” and “priced optimistically” widened.
Well-positioned homes found buyers. Others stalled, reset, or quietly came back to market.

Point Breeze: Pino’s is suddenly having a moment again.
A pop-culture shoutout put a long-time neighborhood Italian spot back on people’s radar, and it’s a reminder how quickly attention can swing foot traffic in this city.

Downtown: Market Square’s redesign is in the awkward middle phase.
Half-finished and a little annoying right now, but this project matters because Market Square’s layout shapes how usable Downtown actually feels day to day.

Sharpsburg: A real grocery store is finally coming back.
Harvest on Main is expected to open in 2026, which turns years of “food access” talk into a real quality-of-life shift for residents.

Homewood: Street-level safety upgrades are moving from talk to planning.
Sidewalk, accessibility, and traffic-calming work may not grab headlines, but it’s the kind of change that quietly reshapes how a neighborhood functions.

North of the city: Wegmans choosing the region is a bigger deal than it sounds.
Grocery competition changes where people shop, eat, and spend weekends — even for folks who don’t live near the store.

This stone farmhouse was standing before Pittsburgh was really Pittsburgh — before steel, before bridges, before neighborhoods had names.

It originally served as the Old Congruity Tavern, which means it has seen travelers, trades, conversations, and probably a few heated arguments over the last 200+ years.

Inside, the history isn’t subtle: exposed stone walls, heavy wood beams, wide plank floors, and six fireplaces that have warmed a lot of different eras.

What makes it special is that the updates didn’t erase the soul. The kitchen is modern, but the house still knows exactly what it is.

Outside, it sits on 4+ acres with a barn, a heated six-car garage, and an old summer kitchen that feels like it’s waiting for its next chapter.

It’s listed at $524K, but that’s not really the point.

The point is this is one of those homes that makes you stop scrolling and think about the lives that passed through it.🏙️ Pittsburgh IRL