City Life Adventures by Carla Cardello

City Life Adventures by Carla Cardello Pittsburgh based cityscape photographer born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh may have dinosaur statues, but up in Erie, PA they have both frogs and fish! They’re from two separate art pr...
09/04/2026

Pittsburgh may have dinosaur statues, but up in Erie, PA they have both frogs and fish! They’re from two separate art projects - GoFish! and LeapFrog! The artist who started GoFish! in 2001 was inspired by cow statues they saw in Chicago. LeapFrog! debuted in 2004 to celebrate leap year.

Over the years I’ve been photographing the statues here and there, so I figured it was about time I shared them with you. This is Part 1 as there are a ton I still haven’t seen yet.

Which one is your favorite?

1 - Bogwatch Frog at Waldameer Park
2 - Statue of Liberfrog at 534 E 26th St
3 - Rosie the Ribbiter at Sportsmen’s Athletic Club
4 - Accentuate the Positive Frog at Blasco Memorial Library
5 - On Golden Pond Frog at Tendto Credit Union
6 - Infinity Frog at Shriners Children’s Erie
7 - Reproducing Frog at Gerlach’s Garden and Floral
8 - Leap Into Your Reflection Frog at Lupo Chiropractic Center
9 - I Only Have Flies For You at Nash Library
10 - Thrifty Hopper Frog at Erie City Mission
11- Experience Frog at current location unknown (was at the Children’s Museum)
12 - Experience America Frog at Hawthorn Suites Hotel behind Splash Lagoon
13-15 Croaker Soaker Frog, Hibiscus Fish, and Stained Glass Bass at Splash Lagoon entrance
16 - Chocolate Covered Bassberry Fish at Romolo Chocolates
17 - Hooked on Flying: Semper Fi(sh) at Veterans Park
18 - Orange Fish at Hagan Business Machines
19 - The Cosmic Fish at Palumbo Academic Center

Here they are - photos of Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse atom smasher in Forest Hills! Several of you asked for an update sin...
09/03/2026

Here they are - photos of Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse atom smasher in Forest Hills! Several of you asked for an update since it’s being preserved and eventually relocated to the Westinghouse in Cranberry. Looks like they finished sandblasting it and are now disassembling it into pieces for easy moving. What’s really impressive is you can see the coils cleaned up inside. No timeline on moving day yet but looking to be soon.

As promised here are the photos of the Irwin Pizza Hut’s 90s mural wall. These were all painted by Dana King, one of the...
09/02/2026

As promised here are the photos of the Irwin Pizza Hut’s 90s mural wall. These were all painted by Dana King, one of the employees at the time. It features a lot of pop icons including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bart Simpson, Madonna, New Kids On The Block, sports legends, and lots more. I remember when the murals went up because this was my hometown Pizza Hut where I would redeem my Book It program. Glad to see they’re still here albeit a little worn out.

As I was walking to Pittsburgh’s South Side Works yesterday, I saw Greb’s Bakery has been repainted and is…very red with...
08/31/2026

As I was walking to Pittsburgh’s South Side Works yesterday, I saw Greb’s Bakery has been repainted and is…very red with brick now 😭 Although Greb’s has been closed for a really long time, they would still decorate the windows for the holidays. Finally they sold the building to what looks like to be a fitness center now. RIP Greb’s facade

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile twice in one month?! Today I stopped by Bacon Burgh in Pittsburgh’s South Side Works to catch a...
08/31/2026

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile twice in one month?! Today I stopped by Bacon Burgh in Pittsburgh’s South Side Works to catch a glimpse of everyone’s favorite hot dog on wheels. Even Fredosaurus Rex got in on the action 🌭

It’s been a really long time since I’ve shared a Pittsburgh puddle underneath the bridge railing. Truth is I’ve lost mot...
08/29/2026

It’s been a really long time since I’ve shared a Pittsburgh puddle underneath the bridge railing. Truth is I’ve lost motivation with reflections. However I was walking back to my car after a rainy morning and had to take this beauty again.

Fun fact: The dilly bar was invented at the Dairy Queen in Moorhead, MN so there’s a giant dilly bar statue there. You r...
08/28/2026

Fun fact: The dilly bar was invented at the Dairy Queen in Moorhead, MN so there’s a giant dilly bar statue there. You really can’t miss it! When I realized I was visiting Fargo ND this summer, I knew I had to stop because it’s the town literally across the state border.

Because of its old and unique franchise contract, they also have a heritage menu which are items discontinued at other DQs. I was torn on whether I should get a dilly bar since this is their birthplace or something not available anywhere else. I ended up getting a Mr. Maltie which is chocolate malt on a stick. However, it tasted like chocolate soft serve on a stick and not much malt flavor.

They also don’t have fried or grilled foods. Instead they have homemade barbecue and chili. Unfortunately I was too full to try multiple menu items. Maybe someday I’ll be back.

In case you haven’t heard yet, Pittsburgh’s beloved Star Wars vending machine in Mount Washington was stolen and replace...
08/27/2026

In case you haven’t heard yet, Pittsburgh’s beloved Star Wars vending machine in Mount Washington was stolen and replaced by an imposter! Of course I had to go see it for myself today.

JK. Allegedly some influencer “stole” the machine for some dumb stunt but the fire station confirmed the original machine is actually out for repair, so no crimes were committed. It’ll be back soon and hopefully working again.

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Monroeville, PA

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