2017 – Charleston, SC
2018 – Au Pair Extravaganza at home
2019 – Philadelphia, PA
2020 – Deep Creek Lake, MD
2021 – Deep Creek Lake, MD
2022 – Deep Creek Lake, MD
2023 – Pittsburg, PA
Last year at Deep Creek Lake, Justin and I decided we would go back to the surprise “Pack Your Bags, We Are Leaving Tomorrow” Christmas Gift to the girls. The primary parameter is that the location has to be in driving distance. Pretty quickly, Pittsburgh came to my mind…none of us had ever been, it was only four hours away, and it was packed with restaurants and things to do.
Our surprise gift was met with significant disappointment from Emerson who wanted nothing more than to veg at home during vacation. Harper was excited about the adventure, as was Avery, though Avery was very a little more cautiously inquisitive about it.
We spent three full days eating our way through the city, walking, and touring museums and shops. We also got to visit with my friend Stephanie from college, who lives in Pittsburg. She was headed to her family in Virginia our first full day; so we were excited that we were able to meet up for dinner the night we arrived. Her daughter Piper, age 6, joined her too.
FOOD
Church Brew Works:
We ate here with Stephanie. It was an old cathedral turned brewery. The beer was somewhat lacking in terms of drafts especially with IPA’s, which surprised me based on the reviews. Justin and I both got the one IPA on draft…it was not hazy and just ok. The food was pretty good for bar food. Stephanie and Piper stopped by to check out our place; while I don’t talk to or see Stephanie often, when I do, it’s always like no time has passed and we pick back up right where we left off.
Condado Tacos:
We stopped at the location in the Strip for a quick lunch on a rainy day after the Heinz Museum. Food was served quickly and overall everyone enjoyed their tacos and/or bowl; though Harper’s rice and beans bowl was definitely lacking with the beans.
Driftwood Oven:
After debating between a few places where to order in pizza our second night in town, we settled on Driftwood Oven, pizza made from sourdough. We got three pizzas: a white, pesto, and half cheese/pep, and a mixed greens salad with pickled vegetables. It was delicious and I was glad we ordered enough for leftovers the next day. They also let Emerson pick out some cookies since the pizza wasn’t ready when she and Justin went to pick it up. The chocolate chunk cookie was fantastic. We ended up ordering pizza again from here our last night since it was so yummy and we felt like staying in.
Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea:
We stopped here while shopping on the Strip on our second day, a gorgeous mild sunny day. Emerson and Harper enjoyed a strawberry banana smoothie, Justin a large coffee, and myself a large latte all for only $14; we would have paid double for the same order at home. The place was packed. The girls and I enjoyed our drinks; Justin was not a fan of his coffee…something that doesn’t happen with him often.
Peace, Love, and Little Donuts:
After seeing this place our first day, we popped in the second day. They gave us four mini cinnamon sugar donuts just for coming in. We tasted them and were wowed. We ordered six more with toppings and devoured them. I don’t even like donuts, but these were incredible…so incredible that we stopped by for a few more the next day while we were waiting for our table at Pamela’s Diner on The Strip. Seriously, these were the best donuts I have ever had. They gave us free ones again the second time we were in!
Cinderlands:
A microbrewery along the strip that we stopped at on our way walking home one day. I tasted two hazy IPAS and Justin one. Beer was pretty hazy. We also ordered a pretzel and kale salad to share…kale salad was fresh, tasty, and had a kick to it somehow.
Gaucho Parilla Argentina:
This was an excellent Argentina restaurant where everything is cooked on a wood grill; meats, vegetables, and bread included. It was delicious though this is the type of restaurant that would have been more enjoyable with the Goldman, who are more willing than our kids to try a variety of foods that we could share!
Pamela’s Diner:
I heard great thing about this breakfast spot so after a slow Friday morning, we walked to the Strip for breakfast. There was a long wait, but they turned tables quickly and we only had to wait about 25 minutes. Emerson and Harper had sweet crepes as part of their meals that were massive and looked amazing. I took a bite…it was yummy, but personally I am not a crepe person. Since they specialize in crepes, they didn’t have regular pancakes to Avery’s disappointment. She settled on the French toast made from Italian bread, and her and I agreed that mine was better….it was a little too “eggy” and not enough cinnamon. My omelet was good, but I think the Virginian’s was better. It was a cool spot though and I’m glad we went.
STAY
We stayed at 183 35th Street in Lawrenceville area. We were originally supposed to stay in Downtown area, but a few days before our trip, I realized that the location wasn’t great since we weren’t attending a baseball or football game. Airbnb had a cool house in Lawrenceville area with great reviews and priced the same was available. Since we had no cancellation fee on the other house, we booked it. The host Jeremey is a local artist and the house is filled with his artwork. The house had 3 bedrooms, two kitchens, was spacious, and a great spot for our family.
SIGHTS
Heinz Museum:
The first full day was rainy, especially in the morning, so we decided to go the Heinz Museum first. I thought it was a fantastic museum full of history and cool things. I honestly hadn’t realized the historical significance of Pittsburg or John Heinz and as I get older, I really enjoy learning about history more.
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens:
We visited the afternoon of our first full day here. It stopped raining in the afternoon, though the majority of the experience was in covered atriums. It was decorated for the holidays and we were able to catch the outside lights just as it was getting dark. We were able to see the Oakland area, University of Pittsburg (some of it) and The Cathedral of Learning on our drive there.
The Strip District:
We were able to walk to the Strip District from our Airbnb. Our house was on 35th Street and the Strip District is two streets between 33rd and 11 with the majority of them being between 25th and 16th. It was a beautiful day and we weaved in and out of shops, meat markets, spice shops, kitchen shops, pasta and cheese shops, and candy shops. We purchased a few things to make the trip linger.
Duquesne Incline:
We took the incline both ways to the top of Mt. Washington. We would have walked down; however, we were later getting to the incline than I wanted and time wasn’t on our side for walking down. Fear filled Avery and Emerson especially as we waited on the overpass to purchase tickets and ride the incline up the mountain. I don’t think either of them thought it was as scary as they thought it would be. Along the way we were able to see PNC Park, where the Pirates play, and see the stadium where the Steelers play.
Andy Warhol Museum:
Justin is a huge fan of Andy Warhol so we visited the museum. The girls enjoyed some aspects of it. While I am not a huge fan of modern art, I have come to appreciate the historical and societal significance of it.
Similar to other trips of ours, we ate and walked our way through the city making the most of our few days. What will the winter of 2024 bring?
