It's Tuesday - the weekend absolutely flew by! Why do three day weekends always pass so quickly? I have to believe that time moves differently when you have a three day weekend and that was certainly the case for this last weekend.
I got off work on Friday at 3:00 and we were pretty much immediately Pittsburgh bound for the long weekend. Pennsylvania is such a gorgeous state with tons of rolling hills, verdant valleys and absolutely beautiful views... and I say all that but don't have any pictures of that for this post, ha-ha! We stopped in Somerset, PA for dinner at the Pine Grill - which seemed very much like a little home town spot that was rustic and sort of like a hole in the wall - but the food was good y'all. So good.
I had a divine grilled cheese that tasted like something from my childhood - so yummy! We also saw a truly disturbing taxidermist truck parked outside the restaurant filled with a wee stuffed fox (thought it was a puppy at first) and the heads of a goat and a boar - what even?!? I didn't include the picture here because no thank you... ha-ha! When we arrived in Pittsburgh we checked into our hotel and made our way into downtown (we were already in downtown - but in the Strip District) to the Milkshake Factory.
Milk Shake Factory is a must stop for me - I can't recommend it enough. The milkshakes are made from fresh ice cream using milk from Pennsylvania dairy farms and there are a variety of flavors - I chose the Cake Shake, my Dad got the Bananas Foster and my Mom grabbed the Chocolatier and every single one was delicious! The Milk Shake Factory also has chocolates and those are just as delightful! It was lovely to sit on the curb outside the Milk Shake Factory on Friday night, sipping my shake and taking in the sights and sounds of the city.
Saturday morning started with a walk through the Strip District to Pamela's Diner for breakfast - and the line stretching out the door is a clear sign that it's a winner! A friend recommended this spot to us and I'm so glad she did because the food was great! Pamela's is known for their hotcakes that are made in the style of crepes; I got the blueberry hotcakes and they were extremely delicious - I'd happily go back and get some more! President Obama ate here during his Presidency and loved the food so much that he invited them to the White House to cook for a Memorial Day event - so it's Presidentially (apparently that's not a word) approved!
After our yummy breakfast we perused some of the Strip District again and I led us out across the Veterans Bridge to snap some pictures because... well there are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh and I figured I should venture on to as many as I could, right? After grabbing some things for the day ahead we set out for Point State Park... which is probably the most central point in Pittsburgh (hence the name) and is where the three rivers in Pittsburgh meet up: the Monongahela River and the Allegheny River meet up and form the Ohio River - so that's cool!
Point State Park has a gorgeous fountain and views of the city all around and it's a perfect spot to spend a sunny day - there were families out of the rivers, spread out on blankets in the grassy park areas and all along the river walk areas. We poked our heads into the Fort Pitt Block House (the oldest building in Pittsburgh) and then set out across the Fort Duquesne Bridge to take a peek at PNC Park - because y'all know I've got to see the baseball related things in each and every city!
We couldn't see too much of PNC Park (sigh - thanks COVID) but I did get to snap some pictures of the Roberto Clemente statue(s) outside the park and once we set out back across the Allegheny River on the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the view of the Park was much better. All the sights and sounds along the river(s) were a delight to take in and I thoroughly enjoyed making my way all along the riversides in downtown Pittsburgh.
You may ask at what point we had lunch - but I must tell you that we didn't actually have lunch...per say. We did pop into the Hard Rock Cafe and have some snacks but then it was back to the exploring! We drove up Mount Washington to snap some pictures from the view points (check out that face mask being worn as a wristlet - it's a new style) and then made our way into the Mexican War Streets District of the city in search of the Poem House...
The Poem House is part of City of Asylum - a place in Pittsburgh where exiled writers can live at low/no cost and work on their writing(s). The Poem House was lived in by Huang Xiang; the first writer to live in City of Asylum. His writings were banned in his home of China and so when he moved to Pittsburgh, he celebrated the freedom to write by creating a poem that wrapped around the house he was given to live in. The City of Asylum currently houses several writers that have been exiled from their home countries because of writings they have produced... so interesting, right?
While searching for the Poem House, we stumbled onto Randyland - which is one of the most unique, random and colorful places I've ever experienced. Randyland is the home of folk artist Randy Gilson and is one of the largest public art exhibits in the world. It's colorful and whimsical and a little bit wild - normally the artist is available to talk to and shows guests around but... say it with me now... COVID kind of killed that vibe. Randyland is also one of the most photographed spots in the world and honestly - it's just a happy little spot of sunshine!
We took a Clipper River Cruise - which I'd also recommend because it's a great way to see the city and learn a little more about it, all while cruising along the river(s) with a good breeze and a drink to sip on. However - don't try to buy a cocktail for your cruise because in Allegheny County, PA you have to have one food item for every alcoholic beverage and you know what I didn't want for my cruise down the river? A hot dog wrapped in aluminum foil. No thanks.
After disembarking from our cruise, we went right down the road to the Duquesne Incline (that is pronounced Du-cane) and rode it right up the side of Mount Washington for the low price of $5.00 round trip! The Duquesne Incline is one of what were originally twelve funiculars that were used to ferry coal workers up the side of Mount Washington to work - there are now two of them left and they're part of the Pittsburgh Transportation Authority... and people still use them to get to and from work! Although not mining coal!
The views from Mount Washington are pretty spectacular - there is no other way to say it! The whole city is spread out in front of you with the rivers running through it all and well... I'm sure it helped that it was a pretty perfect day on Saturday! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the blue just stretched on for miles - and that made the views even more stunning!
There is a statue on the top of Mount Washington called Point of View Park that highlights a meeting between George Washington and the Seneca leader Guyasuta that took place in 1770 when Washington was in the area surveying the land for a potential future settlement along the Ohio River. As the sun set, we headed to Market Square and joined a line to have dinner at Primanti Bros. - a Pittsburgh staple that offers gigantic sandwiches that have french fries right on the sandwich! A completely new concept but I have to say - I enjoyed my turkey, cheese and french fries, ha-ha!
The first full day in Pittsburgh was a delight - we ended up walking a little over ten miles, so I think we managed to fit quite a bit into our first day! My first impression of Pittsburgh was a great one; I absolutely enjoyed exploring it all day on Saturday and went to sleep on Saturday evening filled with a french fry sandwich and expectations for day two!
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