January 19, 2026

For our first 90 Cones trip of 2026 we headed to Squirrel Hill South for a drive around the neighborhood. Despite chilly temperatures in the 20s we braved the weather to grab some ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. Squirrel Hill South is in some ways the birth place of 90 Cones as it was at our orthodontist (Pechersky Orthodontics) that we started thinking about exploring Pittsburgh through ice cream.

Coldstone Creamery, while certainly not the only spot for a frozen treat in the neighborhood, holds a place in our heart as the place we would go after braces appointments. For today’s visit Pippa had raspberry sorbet with Oreos, Edmund had Peanut Butter Cup Perfection, and Liddy had Frosted Gingerbread with chocolate chips.

Squirrel Hill South is a historic neighborhood and very large geographically. It has a very high Jewish population with many synagogues and is home to the JCC. It also has a significant Asian population. It’s home to many restaurants representative of its diverse population. Squirrel Hill South is also home to many schools including Minadeo, Allderdice, Colfax, and Community Day School. For the Barlows its also full of memories as we used to live here! Landmarks for us include our old house and Blue Slide Park which is a part of Frick Park.

Fun Fact:
Squirrel Hill South is home to the city of Pittsburgh’s only golf course, named after Bob O’Connor, the city’s former mayor and the father of our current one. Edmund currently takes lessons there and will be starting in the PGA Jr. League this summer.