Adult Pokémon nerds, Pittsburgh chooses yooooooou

When it comes to grown and sexy bars, The Bohemian has a lot going for it. The intimate North Side destination recalls the disco era, its name in a groovy, bubbly font, its decor awash in burnt orange and rich brown, accented with shapely lamps and leather furniture. Peppering the walls, like dirty little Easter eggs, are vintage girly mag images, a winking tribute to the space’s tawdry former identity as a porno theater . Once a month, though, the curated sleaziness clashes with a crowd there to coo over Clefairy plushies and compare binders full of trading cards. On these nights, the bar transforms into Pokémian, a 21-and-over-only Tuesday meetup for adult Pokémon fans to enjoy their favorite childhood pastime — albeit without children. Event organizer Chauncey Johnston says the lack of kids is by design. A longtime Pokémon fan, she noticed how much the game still appealed to mature audiences and wanted to create a place for other 21-and-over fans to socialize over this shared interest. She proposed the idea to The Bohemian owner, Peter Kurzweg , who agreed to host it. “It turns out a lot of our staff was also into this,” he tells City Paper . Kurzweg, co-owner of Independent Hospitality Group, which oversees a portfolio of several local bars, says Johnston brought him the idea over the summer. The first Pokémian took place on Aug. 25 and, in Kurzweg’s words, was a “huge success.” “I like to have a culture of ‘yes, and,’” Kurzweg says. He adds that they even reached out to local artist Paul Haggerty to design a Pokémian poster. Pokémian poster Credit: Paul Haggerty The next Pokémian happens Tue., Oct. 27, from 6-9 p.m., with a Halloween costume party featuring prizes and giveaways. When Pokémian first launched, Johnston wasn’t sure how open attendees would be with their fandom. After the first meet-up, however, she noticed people felt free to “nerd out” and were soon bringing their Pokémon memorabilia to show o