Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh’

Someday, I will own this house.  In fact, this picture (courtesy of Google Maps) doesn’t do this home justice.  It has been completely restored and is probably worth its weight in gold.  Add the amazing view, and you have my dream home.  A fully rehabilitated Victorian home atop Mount Washington.  I would run everyday at the dawn of the morning and in the summers, I would sit on my second-floor deck drinking coffee everyday.  Yes.  That will be my life after I go back to school to become a doctor and practice some obscure type of medicine that I get paid $5,000/hour for after I win the lottery.

 

Mt. Washington is hilly along Grandview, but I tackled it and even ran down and up PJ McArdle Roadway.  Of course, running down PJ McArdle is pretty easy (7:00/mi) but you turn around and realize you have a nice steep slope to ascend.  I ran up it at a 10:00/mile pace stopping for a few seconds here and there because, well, it’s tough.  I was done with 4.5 miles by 7:00 AM and was not happier.

 

Running Mt. Washington.  My new favorite running spot.  (shhh!)  In fact, I passed no other runners (bizzare) but a few early morning tourists snapping pictures. 

Thursday night was a late night for Jared and I.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was up until midnight on a work night!  It was all in good fun, though. 

 

Our night started out by attempting to make reservations at Nine on Nine but quickly found out that waiting until 5:00 the night of a show was not a good idea.  I did not have any time at work that day to stop for a reservation (trust me!) until I had picked Jared up from work and we were heading home to change.

 

Our next option, then was Six Penn Kitchen which is apparently owned by the Eat N Park Hospitality Group.  Yes, we went to an upscale EnP.  That was the only other place I could think of quickly so I decided to just go with it.

 

We enjoyed the “Mussels of the day” as an appetizer.  They were alright.  They put chicken in with the mussels which felt a little strange.  They also had peaches in as well.  If you ate a mussel, peach, and bite of chicken together, it was an interesting combo.  The peaches alone were good.  The mussels were as fresh as frozen.  The bread, which came late, was terrible.  Frozen.  We didn’t bother soaking up the sauce with the bread. 

 

Jared ordered the beef short rib and enjoyed it.  I tasted some of his spicy rice and it was excellent. 

I ordered the lobster mac and cheese.  I was really teetering between that (which is supposed to be a special) and the fafalel.  The lobster was good.  It was two whole lobster claws atop a very rich macaroni and cheese.  The macaroni was not very good if overcooked and mushy.  The cheese blend was good, but due to how heavy the sauce was, it continued dominate the over-cooked pasta.  I would have liked a good al-dente pasta to stand up to the sauce. 

I was unable to take more than five bites of the mac & cheese before giving up.  It was too heavy as a full meal. Combine with how it was cooked.   I finished one part of the lobster and gave the rest to Jared. 

I enjoyed two glasses of wine though!  Jared also had two beers.  When it came time for dessert, Jared and I were discussing what we wanted.  Having had two glasses of wine in me I was telling him how I wanted a “fruit tart”.  We were pressed on time but when our waiter returned, and described the first desert as a fruit tart, Jared belted out “I’ll take it!” without consulting me.  First rule of women is that even if they describe wanting something, that doesn’t mean they actually want it.  We attempted to cancel the dessert but it showed up anyway.  Good thing, because the tart was really a puff pastry tower and now what I had in my mind.  Jared ate some of it anyways and we didn’t get charged for it.

 

The bill ended up being about $100 which makes sense.  $12/round of drinks (two rounds), $15 for the appetizer, $25 for our meals (each) which makes some sense.  I actually think Jared’s rib was more like $30. 

 

The waiter was good, except they did get pretty busy and he’d left us for some time which made Jared anxious for the show…

 

 

We got to the show right in time.  I was amazed at how close the seats were.  We were in row AA seats 108 & 109.  It was amazing!  Yes, we could look over and see the orchestra. Amazing.  The actors chests were puffing in and out for air and we could see it all.  The play itself was great.  Jared was eating Starbursts during it which was funny.  The seats were comfy and the music was amazing.  Our high school band did a song from Miss Saigon and let me just say, it was no where near what this Orchestra sounded like . 

I could not stop staring the whole time.  We saw nothing in front of us with the exception of the conductors wand from time to time. 

We got home around 11:40 after a walk to the car.  Jared kept talking to me in musical voice the rest of the night…  “We are walking to the caaaaaaaaar noooow” and of course I said “Oh but where is the caaaaar paaaaarked?”

 

I’m not certain other Pittsburghers outside of the South Pittsburgh area will be familiar with Page Dairy Mart.  I don’t know if it holds that “regional” name outside of South Pittsburgh.  It is South Pittsburgh’s historical ice cream place.  Long lines in the summer that span along Carson Street.  In fact, it is so removed from Carson Street that I think it’s almost a hidden gem.

 

I like Page’s.  I think it’s okay.  I don’t love Page’s or think to myself “Hmm, ice cream is in order, let’s go to Page’s.”  I think it is what it is.  Jared and I stopped last night on our way home from the Waterfront.  I was just going to get an Italian ice when I saw that they now offer yogurt!  Uh-oh.  I am jumping on the Fro-Yo bandwagon…

Which brings me to the point of this post…

Pittsburgh now has frozen yogurt boutiques.  As if the cupcake boutique craze weren’t enough, you can now pay $5 for yogurt and fruit toppings.  As if $5 for a cupcake weren’t bad enough, you can go to a yogurt place and load up what should be a healthy treat into a sugar coma.

I did have the froyo last night at Page’s.  It was not tart plain yogurt, it was vanilla yogurt.  It was good at Page’s, but I am afraid if I move into the  good karma world I may not be able to go back.  Then I will have to drive all the way out to Oakland, Shadyside, or Squirrel Hill when I want yogurt because my good old hometown creamery will become subpar in my newly found yogurt-elitist mind.  I should also note that I love Costco’s frozen yogurt.  Seriously, so good.  And $1.  I mean, really.

 

What do you think about this Yogurt Craze?  Are they going to be forced out of business or into another “specialty” once the trend is gone?

Last year, Jared and I enjoyed picking blueberries at Trax Farms as a fun way to enjoy a summer day.  Well, I am pleased to report that just by nature of looking into “what to do” this weekend, Trax now has pick-your-own strawberries available!  As much as we love Janoski’s, we have the option of picking our own which is fun. 

Since I dropped the ball on a CSA this summer, this seems like a fun alternative. 

Hope we make it!

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Marathon Training

Training has been moving along slowly but surely.  I’ve needed to get through my Harrisburg Trip and wedding activities to be able to fully focus on the big picture.  Nothing else “huge” is planned for the summer so refocusing myself should be no problem =)

I can say, however, that if I work from 7a-9p and not feeling pressured to return to work at 7a the next day is amazing.  I rarely take advantage of “flex” time now because Council isn’t receptive to it.  “We [Council] do it, so you should, too” is their belief.  I agree, to some extent, but I did take advantage of my own flex time yesterday, I managed 40 hours in 3 days, so I took my time to get to work on Friday morning and boy, did I feel refreshed.  I need to do that more.  Or at least have a conversation that suggests workers perform better when they can balance work and life.

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Personal Bizness

I will know this next week if I get called back for round two!  In the meantime, the lovely Miss Andrea has suggested some Philly bloggers I talk to regarding neighborhoods.  I will say, the idea of moving to Philly is really exciting!  I want public transit (via train) and flat running, please!

Though I realize the Livestrong movement is a tend that seems to be here to stay, I love this Livestrong 540 Fly Fav Women’s Running Hoodie ($70).  Its a rather pricey investment, but will keep you warm while tailgating at Steelers or Penguins games.

 

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Where else but the Natrona Bottling Company can you get Mint Julep, Pennsylvania Punch, and Red Ribbon Soda?  Nuff said.

 

A Pittsburgh “landmark”, Perogies Plus is famous for the little potato-y pillows.  Yum, indeed.

 

Every Pittsburgher, past or present, understands the beauty of the built environment, especially Grandview Avenue at night.  Show case it with this illuminated print from Etsy.

 

I am really excited for this event since I totally slept on the last Handmade Arcade!

 

Finally….