5 Reasons To Forget Construction and Go To Brookline Boulevard

As anyone who's braved Brookline Boulevard lately can tell you, construction in the neighborhood is a bit of a headache.

It's dusty. It's loud. Parking is a pain.

But as many have also pointed out, Brookline is a gem of South Pittsburgh, and the construction project is only going to make it better. Here are five reasons to forget the construction, and head to Brookline Boulevard anyway:

The food: What else can you say? Brookline is a melting pot and there's food from all over the world. Check out Las Palmas for tacos, Isis Cafe for Egyptian cuisine, Mateo's for Italian, and Pitaland for Mediterranean favorites (they have a cafe now!). That's a short, short list. There's more listed in the Dormont-Brookline Patch Business Directory.

The music: Not always obvious, but not hard too hard to find. Cannon Coffee holds open mic night every Wednesday at 7 p.m. On the first Wednesday of each month, open mic night is outdoors at Brookline Park. Check out Brookline Pub and Isis Cafe for local music, too.

The new businesses: Construction hasn't stopped several new businesses from moving onto the Boulevard over the past few months. Daree-Salam African Market opened in February, Beach Treats Gifts followed in April, and Kelly's Kollections just opened a few days ago.

The people: Brookliners care deeply about their community, and it shows. This is a neighborhood with four local community groups that meet regularly to keep residents in-the-know. Right now, there's a big group working to re-imagine Brookline's future. Want to see what they're up to? Click here. They're meeting on July 25.

The Brookline Breeze: This annual 5K has been "running" for decades. Because of construction this year, the 5K run and the accompanying festival are on two different days. Details here.

What makes you forget about construction and head to the Boulevard? Share in the comments, or on the Patch Boards.