Bayernhof Museum Tours; Alexions Bar & Grill Serving Carnegie Since ’53 (Wed., 2/12/19)

1) Charles “Make-a-Buck Chuck” Brown, was a humble, but eccentric bachelor-millionaire who made his fortune in gas light manufacturing. He died in 1999, but he left behind one of the world’s most peculiar museums.  And it’s right here in O’Hara Township, on a ridge, overlooking the Allegheny River. The Bayernhof Museum was Brown’s residence, but it’s a many-level estate that features secret passageways, a cave, an observatory, a corporate boardroom (with no apparent exit), and an indoor grotto and swimming pool. If the rambling architecture alone doesn’t impress, more than 30 nearly-unique automated musical machines will.  Brown was a passionate collector of all things audio-mechanical. From tiny “birdsong” music boxes to grand Wurlitzer “Nickelodeons,” visitors can watch and listen to 100 year-old machines that play drums, keyboards, trumpets, and banjos. One even plays a violin. Admission is just $10, but call ahead for tour schedules. (EC, RH)

2) Tucked into the eastern corner of Carnegie, right on the Green Tree border, is Alexions Bar & Grill, which has proudly served patrons since 1953. Happy Hour, when all drinks are a dollar off, is 5 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Every day features different food and drink specials, such as 40-cent wings Thursday after 5 p.m. and dollar-off craft drafts Wednesday. Speaking of drafts, the list includes macros and micros, IPAs and stouts, and just about everything in between. The food menu boasts pizza, calzones, wedgies, specialty sandwiches, gourmet burgers, and salads. Or take control by creating your own sandwich instead. Be sure to try the pepperoni roll—homemade and available after 2 p.m. weekdays and all day weekends. Don’t forget, too, the jukebox is free Wednesday. The interior is cozy; the outdoor patio, smoker-friendly. 141 Hawthorne St., Carnegie. (CM)

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