It's been 2 months since we eased back into the Pittsburgh routine. I've got my yinzer speak down pat again. A few blog-worthy events have transpired since then, but every time I get around to writing about it, all of a sudden it feels like much ado about nothing. But what's a log for, anyway? Here are the past few weeks in brief:
* Been hanging out at cafes regularly in the evenings, particularly this one. I love it. It's got everything a cafe should have: free wi-fi, an impressive tea menu and unpretentious (good) coffee, alternative music, an appropriately indie crowd.
* Hubs finally built the media center; he fixed up my brother's old laptop and installed MythTV on it. It's like a TiVO but cooler (heh, I'm shameless). We have movies, music, photo galleries, and soon, video games, all on a portable 320GB external hard drive... little magic box. I'm surprised that my software guy did such a great job on this hardware project. Go honey!
* Got older. Celebrated my birthday at Soba Lounge (best martinis!) with an Asian-French prix fixe dinner - not quite the same as what I used to get in Boston, but still good.
* On the other end of the food spectrum, I went to Hooters for the first time with the IT guys from work. I finally saw real Hooters girls, in person! They were really stacked. I was the only female patron in the whole place, and I got the manliest salad ever - a giant plate of croutons and fried chicken pieces piled on a skimpy bed of lettuce. The most ironic thing about lunch was that the guys talked about strippers, football, and home improvement projects. (Could it get more cliche than this?) Very educational glimpse into the male psyche, though.
* At a friend's indoor BBQ, we took turns jamming on the guitar - Kevin played this. OMG! He did it! I didn't know if I was going to faint or ask him to marry me. :) (Check out more of Andy McKee's awesome music here: www.candyrat.com)
Took a road trip to Amish country over Labor Day weekend. We stayed at Cameron Estate Inn, and our room was on the third floor of the mansion. It was our third bed & breakfast experience, and I'm still skeptical of old and dingy inns, but this was definitely different. Gilchrist & Soames bath products, Ralph Lauren linens, complimentary sherry for a nightcap... It had lavish Victorian furniture and fine china, but also free wi-fi. Breakfast in the mornings were in the sun room, where we could glance out into the lush green estate and trout stream.
The inn is not only a B&B, but also a restaurant; we had dinner there our second night. I had a chocolate-themed dinner (when in Rome):
Foie gras au chocolat
Salad
Cabernet and basil sorbet
Cocoa rubbed lamb loin chops
Tiramisu
Hubs had the duckling with raspberry sauce, and homemade bread pudding for dessert. When we couldn't finish our desserts, we were invited to bring our plates up to our room, then come back down to nurse a hot cup of mint tea.
For the 3 days we were there, we did something different each day.
Day 1: Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire (Pirates and wenches and gypsies, oh my!)
Virgin faire-goers we were, it was overwhelming. So much to see and do! People really got into it - they dressed in period and talked like Shakespeare. The entrance to the fairground had a huge sign: "God Save the Queen". We drank wassail and ale, watched jousting matches, shopped for trinkets/corsets/swords, and took pictures.
16th century street in the 21st century
Glassblowing demo
Dancing around a Maypole!
The Queen and her entourage
A duel in the Human Chess match to determine the next chess move, and a knight raises his lance at the jousting tournament
Hubs dives into a turkey leg, viking style
With Cap'n Jack Sparrow, on our way to the pirate ship
The 16th century wonderland still had 21st century conveniences; for one thing, many vendors took credit cards. Mastercard and Lady Visa! (Bwahaha!) We brought home a few bottles of mead and blackberry wine from the Faire.
Day 2: Hershey (Death by chocolate in the Sweetest Place on Earth)
Hershey, PA is like one big ad for chocolate. The streetlights were in the shape of Hershey kisses; we drove down Cocoa Ave and turned on Chocolate Ave toward the chocolate factory. Along the way, we passed Hershey Park, a popular amusement park with incredible rides like this:
Taken from inside the car as we drove past
At Hershey's Chocolate World, we took the tour with hordes of other tourists. The ride took us past singing cows and through the manufacturing process, with a quick 101 on the different Hershey brands. (You can tell their Marketing department had fun with this.) To exit the tour, we had to walk through the gift shop, a massive warehouse of Hershey gifts and products. After the 20-minute brainwashing session, how could we resist? We grabbed cacao nibs, organic dark choc, spicy Aztec hot cocoa mix, cherry cordials, Reese's minis... Hubs, my little sweet tooth, was in heaven.
After stashing away our loot, we went to Hershey Gardens for a look. Beautiful place!
Taken in the Butterfly House with the telephoto lens
The roses were my favorite. Over 7,000 roses in 270+ varieties, says the website - it was surreal standing amongst the many rows of beautiful blooms.
Parched and hungry, we then made a beeline for the Fountain Cafe at Hotel Hershey. We had a slice of strawberries and polenta cake with a balsamic reduction and mascarpone, and a tall Grasshopper with vanilla ice-cream. After the afternoon snack, we drove around Hershey taking pictures of over-the-top chocolate-themed street signs before returning to the B&B.
Day 3: Amish country (Virginia may be for lovers, but in Pennsylvania we have Intercourse - Seen in a souvenir shop)
From Intercourse to Bird-In-Hand, the highway we drove on took us through a touristy stretch featuring all things Amish - farmer's markets, pretzels, crafts, pottery, and quilts. Over the years, sights like these have dulled my city girl sensibilities and diminished my agoraphobia.
Acres upon acres of corn fields. So much corn! It's a wonder that the locals eat anything other than corn.
Fresh beef on the sides of the highway
Stealth shot of an Amish farmer - the Amish don't like having their pictures taken
It took us a while to find out the difference between the Amish and Mennonites, and it still is a little confusing to me. Despite the austerity of their lifestyles, the quilts can fetch a pretty penny - up to thousands of dollars for larger fancier stitchwork. From quilts to furniture to pies, they're done the good ole'-fashioned way. Even root beer! E saw a sign for homemade cold root beer on the highway and decided to give it a try. We turned into a narrow path and drove into a little housing community; there was a small wooden shack at the front, almost like a lemonade stand, selling different-sized jugs of cold homemade sasparilla. It was actually very good!
Hubs quenching his curiosity (geddit? aha!)
While we couldn't afford a quilt, we bought plenty of jams, relish, honey, fresh apples and peaches. Hurray for farmer's markets!
Overall a great trip - it wasn't the typical vacation destination but it was a convenient and fun getaway. I've resisted this concept for years, but now I'm slowly willing to admit that Pennsylvania's pretty cool afterall. (Suck it, Ohio!)
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At this moment, on the other side of the world, my best friend of 13 years is getting hitched. Congratulations, and I'm really sorry I can't be there. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness, and many cute chubby baby Lee's! Welcome to the married fogies club!
