I went to Pittsburgh!

I was trying to sort out a weekend getaway, when my friend Katie suggested Pittsburgh. Turns out it’s just a breezy 4-ish hours from Detroit so it’s kinda the perfect spot to venture for a quick trip. Having never been there is reason enough to go, right?

P.S. Katie and her husband Mark started a travel blog. Check it out!

The first night consisted of walking to get pre-dinner beers in lobster glasses. A big glass of water might’ve also spilled on me proceeding to shatter on the floor. I like to make an entrance as a spill magnet.

We went to Eleven for dinner where the mood-lighting made it a hang out more about quiet chit-chat than photography. I got the lobster roll because I can’t resist one when it’s on a menu, and my main hang got the burger. I totally should’ve gotten the burger though! The aged white cheddar they top it with makes pretty damn magical. I was crazy about the warm dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate crunch and caramel-chocolate ice cream. Sometimes I just need chocolate on top of chocolate.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early for brunch! When I saw the sign for Peace, Love, & Little Donuts I knew I needed a brunch-etizer. I love that they make the same base donut for every kind and then top them all differently. Such a good idea! I need to go back sometime for the cookie dough donut.

For brunch we popped into Bar Marco where the cocktails are hotties and the staff is hip. I ordered the Croque Madame and loved every bite! The french toast was SUPER good also. I meant to ask them what kind of bread they used since it was the perfect ratio of crumble to softness. And who wouldn’t want ice cream as a part of their meal? That’s why brunch is best!

I love the glasses they serve their cocktails in, too! So dainty. Both drinks were super refreshing and dreamy. I need to get some grapefruits for fancy drinks at home soon, that’s for sure. I want to brunch there again!

After brunch we rented bikes from Golden Triangle Bike Rental. The people working were super nice and gave us tips on the best routes for biking. Pittsburgh has such good bike paths that go right along the water. We rode up to Washington’s Landing for drinks sitting on a deck by the marina at Redfin Blues.

And this is the part of the day where we eat way too much lunch to be comfortable riding bikes for a few more hours. I was hoping to go to Meat & Potatoes for lunch, it turns out they close at 2pm until dinner. (Shucks! Next time.) But luckily, we were nearby Market Square where the restaurants flow like wine!

After perusing our options, we opted for Il Pizzaiolo for my first taste of burrata and way too many carbs. The meal was super delicious though, and sitting on the patio for pizza was just perfect! I’m so glad spring has finally arrived!

We split the Manganaro Panini and the Salsicce pizza. Honestly, we should’ve just gotten one or the other, but I always seem to think that double the amount of food is the right amount. They were both tasty, but the burrata was my favorite!

It’s a good thing that there are plenty of parks to lounge in to take bike breaks. Especially when you have a giant late lunch like we did. At this park two dogs were running free and having so much fun. They even came over to let me meet them and then they hopped up to the fountain to get a drink!

Later on that night we drove over to Shady Side to go to Spoon for dinner. Can I just say that their short rib appetizer was so good! It was like a short rib/french onion soup remix. It was perched on a crouton in onion broth with gruyere on top. I also loved their asparagus two ways with a poached egg. It was the perfect spring appetizer, I think!

We followed up dinner with Oh Yeah! for ice cream and it was tasty and cute! You can pick out your base ice cream and get  mix-ins galore. They even have turkey jerky, hopes, dreams, and love as options. It was fun even though a little kid gave me a mean face because he thought I cut in line. I swear I didn’t!

I need more weekend vacations in my life! Sometimes you just need to ride a bike in another town, ya know?

P.S. Thanks to Jessica at How Sweet It Is for restaurant recommendations!

P.P.S. Click HERE for the road trip playlist!