Pittsburgh with a Toddler

In June, we flew to Pittsburgh for an extended weekend (sort of between a long weekend and a week!) to visit with Dan's family and friends.  It was Kenny's first trip to Pittsburgh, and honestly he was at the perfect age to visit the city!  We flew on a direct Southwest flight, like we've done with Kenny before, and he was pretty good.  We are definitely at the age now where even though he can fly for free, it's getting difficult/uncomfortable if he doesn't have his own seat.  So I'm seeing more road trips (or buying him a seat) in our future, especially now that I'm the proud owner of a minivan!

We rented a car upon arrival, because it was the most convenient way for us to get around, especially now that our extended family has grown and requires more carseats.  That meant we had some flexibility to take Kenny to the Children's Museum in Pittsburgh.  As an added bonus, the museum was offering free admission for Veterans, and with Kenny being under 2, he was also free admission.

Kenny absolutely loved the museum!  They had exhibits with Curious George and Eric Carle (he loves The Hungry Caterpillar) that he really enjoyed exploring.  It was fun to see him get hands-on in an environment designed for little ones.

On the top floor, there is a water play area.  Hindsight, I'd have packed Kenny swimming clothes or strips him down to shorts, because he got DRENCHED.  But he was enjoying it to the max, and I was glad we did that activity last, because he was not happy we had to leave.

We also got to visit the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, a place Dan loved as a kid!  We were lucky again because the zoo had free admission for veterans for the summer, so it was another free excursion for us, along with a big group of family and friends.

Kenny loved the warthogs!

Sidenote:  I was saddened to learn that the zoo was no longer AZA accredited, as we make an effort to support those zoos and aquariums that are.  But this was a fairly recent change due to disputes over elephant handling.  They do have ZAA accreditation (a much newer and smaller organization), and I believe Pittsburgh's a high quality facility, but I know that means it cannot participate in some of the species survival programs and grants that AZA zoos have.

The Pittsburgh Zoo is hilly, but it has plenty of shaded areas and an air-conditioned aquarium to give you relief from the heat.  I didn't love the parking situation, as it's a gravelly hike to the gates, and you have to take an elevator (with stroller) or escalator to get to the exhibits.  But overall, there are tons of animals and lots to see, so much you might not get to all of it in one visit if you have little ones.  I liked the elephants and lions the best, I think.  There were also newborn leopard cubs to see!

I'd love to take Kenny to the Carnegie Museums on a future visit, as I haven't been since Dan and I were dating.  We also didn't get to visit the most kid-friendly area of the zoo, so maybe on another trip we could head to that first.  It was a hot day, and all of the kids (and adults) were just worn out from the hills and heat.  I've also heard Idlewild has a Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood area of the amusement park.

Overall, it was my favorite trip to Pittsburgh yet.  We had a lot of time to relax and let Kenny enjoy being around his cousins, uncles, aunt, and Nana, friends, dogs, etc.   And we also were able to show him some pretty cool places to go too.

Pittsburgh has a ton to do for families of toddlers!

We're lucky to always have an excuse to go back.

Kenny's cousin-dog, Taco

Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh

Hungry for a late-night bite to eat after visiting friends and their brand new baby, we headed to Church Brew Works.  It came recommended to me by Marissa at The Modern Austen, and Dan remembered that it was a pretty cool place with good pizza.

I'm a little obsessed with old historic buildings repurposed for new causes.  While it probably started with the old firehouse converted into mansion circa The Real World: Boston, I've always liked the idea of living or working in a historic place.  Church Brew Works, as its name implies, is a brewpub in an old church.  You're definitely struck by the unique setting when you walk in.

While the beer is great, they're also noted for good food.  We were starving, so we started with the Bison Corn Dogs, served with honey mustard, pickled veggies, and a chipotle ketchup.  They felt like saltier, meatier versions of state fair corn dogs, and I liked the subtle kick from the ketchup.

My absolute favorite part of the visit was the brick-oven pizza.  We chose the Garden Plum Tomato Pizza, which had garden plum tomato sauce, basil, garlic, olive oil, and some really fresh mozzarella.  The whole pizza tasted super fresh, and the ratio of cheese and sauce was spot on.  My favorite part was the crust.  They are used some beautiful dough here, because it was pretty much my ideal consistency for pizza... chewy, with a fluffy crust!

Pittsburgh

Primanti Bros.

My boyfriend Duke is from Pittsburgh...  and I recently visited there for the first time!  Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy due to Hurricane Sandy, but it was a great trip.  I finally got to meet a bunch of his family and friends.

We ate delicious stacked sandwiches at Primanti Bros., checked out the dinosaurs and artwork at Carnegie Museum, saw a couple of movies (Argo=good, Silent Hill=horrible), and spent time with different folks.  I even had my first metal band experience at a local bar!

I had a lot of fun, but it was also nice to relax a bit.  I travel so much for work, it was nice to take some real time off.  :)