In mid-May, a week after our trip to the farm in North East, Maryland, we decided that we needed a roadtrip to another city. Because neither of us had been to Pittsburgh in some time, my good friends live there and I have not seen them in ages, and it's only four hours away, Pittsburgh was an easy decision.
Although we planned to leave at 6 am on Saturday to get the most of our weekend, we were delayed by about 6 hours due to a work emergency. By noon, however, we were on our way. The roadtrip was very smooth and we arrived in Pittsburgh in no time.
I wish we knew that the city was a bit more locked down than Maryland and everywhere required reservations. We did not plan very well. After being turned down from every restaurant we tried, we ended up at The Commoner inside the Kimpton Hotel. (If you actually plan ahead, there is also a biergarden on the rooftop of the Kimpton that looked like a lot of fun.)
We had a few hours to kill before we were going to head to my friend's house for dinner, so we ordered a few fun cocktails and a very delicious appetizer of the Focaccia with pate and butter. Perfect little snack to hold us over before dinner.
After leaving The Commoner, we headed to spend the evening with my friend, her awesome husband, and her adorable kids. Their neighborhood is a gem and we had a blast grilling up burgers.
The next day, we woke up super early to explore since we had done about zero exploring at that point. We grabbed coffee at Rock 'n' Joe (highly recommend their coffee), and then walked over to the Point State Park.
The park is 36 acres right in downtown and has great views of the famous yellow bridges around the city.
After the park, we drove to the Duquesne Incline and took the 140-year-old incline car up to get the panoramic views of the city and the three rivers. Bring cash; they do not take credit cards. This is a must-do when you visit.
Twenty pictures later, we headed to brunch at fl.2 inside the Fairmont. I opted for a benedict and Justin got a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon and potatoes. The food was done very well.
After brunch, we decided to be cultural and headed to the Andy Warhol Museum to see some of his famous pop art. Luckily, it was also right by the Pirates Stadium, so we had the opportunity to take photos with people dressed as pirates for the game.
Knowing that we only had a few more hours of adventure left, we headed to the Strip District, which is a mix of old-school grocers and gourmet restaurants. Based on a recommendation from a friend, we tried the pierogies at the S&D Polish Deli. Although the selection was small by the time we arrived, the mix of the pierogies we got hit the spot.
After the pierogies, we explored the various shops and the terminal around the District.
We then grabbed some teas at Alleghany Coffee & Tea Exchange, stocked up on jerky from a huge jerky shop, and of course, tried one of the famous sandwiches from Primanti Brothers.
We had time for just one dinner before we left Pittsburgh. A local recommended the Warren Bar & Burrow. It was absolutely perfect. We shared the beautiful charcuterie board, the Crab Rangoon Dip, and the Buffalo Cauliflower. What a great end to our time in Pittsburgh.
As always, don't forget to see the world, and eat the food.
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