Dining on a dime, bar hopping like a Pittsburgh native and a brief rundown of the city's sport celebrities all can be found in the new guide "Moon Pittsburgh." Written by Pittsburgher Dan Eldridge, "Moon Pittsburgh" is intended to be "kind of a quirky guide" to the city, he said.

"Pittsburgh is really a great place for what it is," Mr. Eldridge said. "[It] offers a lot, but definitely in a different way than other cities do."

Fashioned after the popular "Lonely Planet" series, "Moon Pittsburgh" ($17.95, Avalon Travel) is the latest in the Moon Handbooks travel guide series, which launched at the end of May.

This one combines the typical "whats" and "wheres" of the city with a taste of Pittsburgh's history and culture. It includes fun sidebars such as "Pittsburgh's Holiest Houses of Sin," which highlights several places of worship that have been transformed into clubs, restaurants and bars. It also is very up-to-date: A sidebar about the smoking ban dispute warns visitors about the controversy.

The main features of the book are color-coded maps found in the back. Each of the seven maps designates a specific part of town, from Shadyside, Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill to the North Side. It mainly focuses on Downtown and the East End. Every restaurant, venue and exhibit is referenced to its respective map, making it quick and easy to find destinations throughout the city. Also included is a handy map of city bus routes.

Mr. Eldridge created the guide with the mindset that Pittsburgh is somewhere to "reinvent yourself or start a new career," adding that he finds the city ideal because it's a "small town with a big-city feel." He said he wrote it for new and temporary residents, but he also searched for unusual spots even natives would find interesting. It's written in a casual manner and with a "young person's attitude about it."

"Moon Pittsburgh" can be purchased at most major bookstores and online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.