We Have Three Rivers Wine Fest Tickets for Our Wine Fest Package

The Pittsburgh (Three Rivers) Wine Festival is May 3 and coming fast! We have a limited number of discounted General Admission tickets to the event which you can tack on to one of our well priced Wine Fest packages ($179 for a King room; $159 for a Queen room -- includes cheese and fruit tray in your room, vouchers for two complimentary glasses of wine in our Monks' Bar, and transportation to and from the event). The discounted event tickets are $100 apiece if you book one of our packages, and we'll have them waiting in your room for you. Tickets from the venue are $125 apiece.

Call us at 412 231-3338 or at 1-866-3PRIORY to book now; we have only a limited number of festival tickets.

Judy Collins at the Nearby New Hazlett Theater

Folk music legend Judy Collins is appearing this Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m., at the nearby New Hazlett Theater. The creative force behind "Both Sides Now" and many other fabulous songs of the 60's and 70's heyday of American folk music, Ms. Collins' new show highlights her biography in words and song. Tickets are $35 and $25 and are available through the New Hazlett website. For more information, click here.

Monks' Beer for the Monks' Bar

Talk about a perfect fit. A Benedictine monastery in New Mexico (the order which operated our Priory and St. Mary's Parish for more than 100 years) has begun brewing and selling several varieties of "Monks' Ale." The Monastery of Christ in the Desert is distributing several types of beers, including a traditional Belgian ale and a Wit, or Wheat Beer. We are carrying both at our own Monks' Bar in the Priory Hotel while supplies last. So come to Monks' and order a Monks'!

Here is a Post-Gazette story about the new to Pennsylvania Monks' Ale.

St. Patrick's Day in Pittsburgh

There was a great deal of the wearin' of the green on March 17 this year. Along with Vice President Biden and about a gazillion Secret Service agents, hundreds of thousands of people marched in and watched Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Though the VEEP stalled the start of the parade by about 75 minutes (and snarled traffic by closing one of our main arteries (I-376) as he came in from the airport. I marched in the parade myself with Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 32 (Carnegie), of which I am a member. The following shots give the view from the middle of the marchers.

Our Grand Hall Hosts the Austrian Ball

We were honored to have hosted the Austrian Ball on March 31. This is an unbelievably elegant formal event, sponsored by the Austrian American Cultural Society of Pittsburgh, which celebrates Austrian culture and heritage. The highlight of the ball is the presentation of eight debutantes, young ladies of high school age who work extremely hard to learn traditional Austrian dances for the event. I don't think there is a better blending of event and venue (with our Grand Hall's Germanic heritage especially).

Here are links to coverage in the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review of the event.

In the spirit of full disclosure, my daughter Laura was one of the young ladies making her debut. That's her pictured above, second from the left. And yes, I am a very proud father!

March Madness Post Mortem

I was fortunate enough to attend all six games of the second and third round of the NCAA Tournament here in Pittsburgh a little less than a couple of weeks ago. The hosting of the tourney seemed to be a hue success for Duquesne University (the host school), the Consol Energy Center (venue) and the city. The city itself well supported the schools and fans who had attended, and folks from out of town really seemed to enjoy the city. Downtown, especially on Thursday (the second round), was packed with people and was very lively. Here are a couple of shots from my vantage point in the mid-court section of the upper level: Syracuse vs. North Carolina-Ashville, a close game that promised, almost to the end, the first ever 16 seed to beat a 1 seed. The word is that, with the new Consol Center, the city is in line to host future NCAA basketball events, so here's hoping that it happens.

Special Rates for Opening Day!

We're pleased to offer some special rates for the first two nights of the Pirates-Phillies series at nearby PNC Park. For Thursday April 5 and Friday April 6 we are offering a special rate of $120 for Standard Queen room and $140 for a King room (rates are exclusive of sales and occupancy taxes). We'll be offering transportation to and from the game on Thursday (Thursday is a day game, starting at 1:35 p.m.). There is no game on Friday.

We can't get you tickets, but we can make your trip to Pittsburgh for this series easy and comfortable! We hope to see you! Phillies fans are most welcome.

Visit our Priory Hotel website (www.thepriory.com) to book a reservation, or call us at (866) 3PRIORY to lock in these great rates.