Rainy downtown Pittsburgh.
MY GOOGLE MAP FOR PITTSBURGH
Ben needed to travel to Erie, PA, for work, so we decided to make an anniversary trip out of it. Our good friends own a condo in Pittsburgh that they rent out on Airbnb, so we stayed there for a few days before Ben’s meeting in Erie. Then we stopped in Niagara for 24 hours before flying out of Buffalo.
On our way to Pittsburgh, we had a layover in MSP, so my mom and brother met us outside security with lunch. One thing I love about MSP is that there are pianos throughout the airport, so we had some lovely background music while we ate, too.
Layover lunch in MSP with brother and mom.
PITTSBURGH
Our first night, we got dinner down the street from our condo at Pizza Taglio.
Always, always get at least one Margherita.
Then crashed at our cute condo:
The next morning, we spent some time working and starting a few maintenance projects for the condo. Then, we walked across the street to our friends’ favorite restaurant, Noodlehead. Truly THE BEST Thai food I have ever had.
Ben got Street Noodle 1, and I think I got Chiang Mai Curry. Both were amazzzzing.
We walked/drove around some other neighborhoods, hitting up a few of the shops I had pinned. We got some more decor for the condo, got pizza (again), and walked around Carnegie-Mellon University.
Nifty portable wood-fired oven.
CARNEGIE-MELLON
Ben LOVES walking around with me.
The next day, I went and took a class at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and then we explored The Strip District.
Got some yummy cured meats at Parma.
We decided to brave the line to get into Gaucho Parilla, an Argentine restaurant, and even though we waited close to 1.5 hours, I can say it truly was worth it.
Probably my favorite meal after Noodlehead.
Next was the Andy Warhol Museum (sadly, the Mattress Factory wasn’t open during our stay, so we missed out on that museum). Andy was from Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh does not let you forget that. Also, Andy Warhol was craaazy.
Then we crossed the Andy Warhol Bridge (they luv this guy) and walked around downtown for a bit.
Fake flowerz!
There are a lot of sports teams in Pittsburgh.
We got some shakes at The Milkshake Factory, skipped the Duquesne Incline ride and instead drove to the top station/overlook ourselves to get some skyline views (while braving some rain):
Believe me when I say that this was the best picture we got of us here. Also, I’m not wearing a toga or a swimsuit; just shorts from ballet class that morning.
On Sunday, we went to church, went back to Noodlehead (and ordered the exact same things), and did some more work/cleaning/projects at the condo. The next morning, we drove the 2+ hours to Erie and met the “rope guy” for lunch at the Sheraton’s waterfront restaurant (actually pretty great food).
Lake Erie. This is one of maybe four pictures I took in Erie.
I stayed at the Sheraton for a bit and did some work, then walked around while Ben spent a few hours in the guy’s workshop a ways out of town. Then he came back, and we drove to Canada!
NIAGARA FALLS
We stayed at the Four Points Sheraton on the Canada side, which I probably won’t do in the future because you have to pay an entrance fee every time you come back into Canada (I guess tax would be a better word). We went and did a lot of activities on the American side, so it cost a fair amount in the end.
I do love me a good Sheraton, and we actually had a pretty good view of the falls.
One thing we did not realize is how very gross and touristy both sides of Niagara Falls are:
Just a small sampling of Niagara’s beautiful design.
Another thing I didn’t realize is that there are three separate waterfalls: The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the US side and Horseshoe Falls on the Canada side.
If I were to go again, I’d stay on the American side, do all my sightseeing/activities there, and then walk across Rainbow Bridge to Canada’s Queen Victoria Park for all of these views:
American Falls.
Horseshoe Falls.
Adding this not-so-great pic only because there are so few of us together.
SO many tourists.
ACTIVITIES
Our first evening there, we drove to the US and did Cave of the Winds. We were sprinting like mad to the box office and begged the guy to let us buy tickets. He made it seem like we wouldn’t make the last elevator down, but we waited like 15 minutes before anyone came and got us, anyway. We rode the elevator down 175 feet, walked down this spooky tunnel,
put on our cute ponchos and sandals, and headed out to Hurricane Deck.
Ben + Bridal Veil.
So many seagulls.
Bridal Veil/Cave of the Winds on the lower right.
The next day, we did Maid of the Mist—possibly my favorite part of this entire trip. Even though you’re packed onto a boat with one million other tourists, it is so magical. I loved being on that big, swaying boat, right in the heart of Horseshoe Falls. Also, we’re big fans of The Office, so thinking of Jim and Pam’s wedding made it even better.
Waiting in line to take the elevator down.
‘Murica.
When you get off the boat, you have the option to do another Cave-of-the-Winds type of experience near the American Falls, so I made Ben do it with me.
Double rainbow all the way!!
Then we got in our car and drove to Buffalo, got some Chipotle, went to the airport, volunteered our seats to be on a later flight, flew through MSP again and missed our connection (which was the last flight to SLC), stayed the night at my house, and got the first flight out the next morning. It was fun to have a little overnight at home, and we got some awesome Delta vouchers out of it. In fact, we used part of them in November to buy cheap flights to Dublin in May! So, stay tuned for that post.
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