Every year, my mom and I skip town and explore a new city on our own. We’ve deemed the vacation “Mother Daughter Weekend” (MDW), and have calculated that this is our eighth or ninth time away. Past trips include Philadelphia, Montreal, Halifax, Portsmouth, Salt Lake City/ Park City, Hudson Valley, New Jersey/Pennsylvania, and now… Pittsburgh!
Our hotel- the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel- was in kind of an insane location downtown. It was on the very edge of the water, a stone’s throw away from the Pirates stadium.
My family is, erm, not exactly “up” on sports news, so when we asked our cab driver if the Pirates were having a good season, he turned around and looked at us, incredulously, saying, “They’re number 1!” Still, despite not being sports fanatics, it was really cool to be so close to the stadium.
There were games every day we were there, and they won that first Friday night! There was so much energy, and a steady stream of black-and-gold clad fans milling around the hotel.
So… why Pittsburgh, you ask? It’s a city my mom and I have both always been curious about, partly because it’s kind of secluded and separated from other metropolitan areas. It’s also the site of one of my all-time favorite TV shows (Queer As Folk), and, more importantly, is where my paternal grandfather grew up in the 1920s and 30s! It’s no doubt changed since then, but it was fun to go to the neighborhood where he grew up (Shadyside) and speculate about what he may have done as a kid.
Our weekend was a good mix of experiencing culture, seeing friends, relaxing, and, of course, eating good food.
We spent a couple hours exploring the Phipps Conservatory, which had so many exotic exhibits! There was a calm and beautiful Japanese garden, and a room full of orchids.
The conservatory is also home to a corpse flower, which I’d only seen once before! It can grow to be 10 feet tall, and smells really bad. It looks like this when it’s opened. (Phipps’ flower is actually set to bloom this coming Thursday, and there’ll be a party with drinks and a DJ! So if you live in the Pittsburgh area, definitely check it out.)
While we were in town, we had the pleasure of meeting two friends! On Saturday, my mom and I met Rose for breakfast. Rose and I had met, oh, four years ago (during the chaos that was the first Healthy Living Summit). It was lovely to sit down with her again… we could have talked for hours!
On our last morning, we breakfasted with Melissa and her husband Nate at a cute little spot called Eden. I think Melissa and I may be style twins….
(Note to self: scramble eggs with curry powder and goat cheese at home.)
We had two really good-and different!- dinners in Pittsburgh. Our first was at Legume, a cozy, warmly lit, locally-sourced restaurant. Because their menu is seasonal, they actually didn’t have a whole lot of options (one vegetarian pasta, or one fish with bacon), but what I did get (tilefish sans bacon) was delicious! We also devoured the corn soup (with fritters on the side for my mom) and chanterelles. And the best part? The wine list! Reasonably priced, and absolutely delicious.
On our last night in the city, we took a bus- and then the “incline” (a funicular) up to Mount Washington.
The view was incredible! We really got a sense of the sprawl of the city. (So many bridges!)
We ate at Monterey Bay, a high-end seafood restaurant. My mom timed our reservation perfectly: it was daylight when we reached the top of the incline, and as we ate, we watched the sun set outside of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was quite an experience.
We feasted on oysters, scallops, and trout amandine. The restaurant, like most of the places we tried in Pittsburgh, was very accommodating of gluten-free diners. They even brought out warm, tapioca-based rolls!
And, of course, no MDW is complete without ice cream; we loved both Dream Cream and Dave & Andy’s.
It was a weekend for the books. As I’ve grown older, my mom and I have gotten a lot closer, and I’m so grateful for these weekends together. I love you, Mom!
