Exploring tidbits of Steel City this weekend while visiting my good friend from undergrad, Louise, made for a lovely time! My last trip to PGH was a few years back and rather short lived. Having the ability to share a memorable and special weekend provided a refreshing break for us both. I have a passion for adventuring through different cities and seeing what they offer, and these 36 hours allowed me to get a feel for the unique components of the area.

The one hour flight can be ranked the easiest plane ride of my life. Fathers Day weekend accounted for chaotic lines and slight feelings of agoraphobia; yet, the anticipation of being reunited with my friend made me put the mayhem aside. After joyfully meeting my friend we spent time with the cats and ate at an Italian restaurant titled “Pino’s” for dinner.

We have little Italian pop-up places here and there in suburban Philadelphia, but they are mostly only delivery or pick-up spots as a result of Covid. Pino’s had a busy and warm atmosphere and had a cute little bar that highlighted their summer drink menu. Our bartender, Rachel, was a fellow Philly native and so pleasant to talk to! I’ve never met a person so incredibly knowledgeable about wine. I was perplexed about 90% of her vocabulary, but I admired the passion she carried for the practice of wine making and tasting. Louise and I ordered the “Pixie dust” cocktail, which consisted of butterfly pea, lemon vodka, and the star of the show: edible glitter! The two of us deem that we were fairies in our past lives (jokingly) and this drink just may have proved our theory.

Going out to eat is not an endeavor I do too often, therefore I’m not really hard to please. However, having a grandmother that is 100% Italian insinuates that these types of restaurants have some big shoes to fill. I ordered tomato basil pasta and it reminded me of her cooking, it was like a little piece of home 🙂

Time never slacks when the two of us are together. I think we accomplished quite a lot in a weekend. Some other highlights were taking a nice stroll around Mellon park (not like the fruit, contrary to popular belief), checking out a small local bookstore called “Bottom Feeder Books,” visiting “Ceremonial,” this quaint retail store that sells vintage clothing, books, and crystals.

Our favorite aspect of the park adventure was exploring a vibrant garden decorated with plants and items inspired by Shakespearean literature. We both wore dresses from Ceremonial and lived our best fairy lives. The two of us giddily danced throughout the garden as the sunshine gently rested on our skin; it was a little, but very special moment in my heart.

Bottom Feeder Books held an exhibition of Sophia Marie Pappas work, HOWLIN. After flipping through film photo booklets, we spent a good chunk of time observing her work. One of the walls containing various pieces resided notebook paper with anecdotes written throughout the contents. Out of the selection, one in particular caught my eye. The author illustrated an image of a woman’s side profile with a distinct jawline and curly hair. She wrote a little excerpt describing how she saw this woman sitting while waiting in the Newark airport, wondering what this person is like and why she stood out to her.

Pappas expresses the propensity of forgetting familiar, but questions the evident distinctiveness of the stranger’s features. Louise and I both ruminated on this piece later. Congruently, we pondered if anyone ever thought that about us. None of us can truly deduce how others perceive us, and it is a simultaneously beautiful and unfortunate thought. Maybe I wouldn’t want to know LOL, but it reminded me of the iconic James Blunt song, “You’re Beautiful.” Areas of transportation are enigmatic. Full of strangers, yet going to a place within reach. Focusing on the next location, reality almost feels altered.

To end the day, the two of us conferred the most prominent part of girlhood: getting ready to go out. Honestly, I’d argue that the process of getting ready embraces the occasion more than the actual outing. I love doing other peoples makeup. I’m allowed to express myself artistically and allow others to see a different part of themselves.

Cavo and Tilden were the two nightclubs we ended up going to. Each was recommended to us by a friend, therefore had to give it a go! Both locations were a lot of fun. It’s always fun making new friends and enjoying this time of our lives. Cavo was conspicuously the most “night clubby” looking place I’ve ever seen. The strobe lights were so fun! I’m not super partial to drinks, but they weren’t bad and were similarly priced to Philly. (Orlando and D.C charge you an arm and a leg) They played a mixture of pop and Latin music, whereas Tilden had primarily techno. If you’re looking for something more low-key, Tilden is probably more on your radar. Cavo was vivacious and lively, but it also was packed. I liked that they have a dress code as well. I, for once, did not feel overdressed LOL.

I didn’t realize Tilden was exclusively “after hours,” which was quite nice considering most places are only open until 2. One component I found a little strange was the requirement of a membership to enter. From a business standpoint, it’s plausible that they’d need to charge that much in order to keep the place running, as they are only open from 1-3:30 on the weekends. Louise and I have always been night owls and wanted to leverage the time we had together. Therefore it was totally worth it and I know I’ll be back to utilize the membership. Chatting with strangers while waiting for the Uber back is always an interesting experience; I love hearing their stories and wonder what led us to being in that time and place. All of us live our busy days, yet cosmic alchemy decided to bring us to share a short moment together. These little fragments of time are still pieces in the mosaic of all the places we’ve been, people we’ve met, and experiences we’ve had 🙂 Maybe it sounds corny, but it makes me happy that we are all here together experiencing what it means to be human.

A poignant feeling filled my emotions before leaving, but I soaked in those last precious moments while drinking morning coffee in speckled Juniata-branded mugs on the kitchen island. I’ve never seen marble that teal before, it looked like we were resting our hands on a beach in the Caribbean. Chatting about how far we’ve come and all that we’ve done together made for a wholesome moment. I never doubted the maintenance of my friendships curated in undergrad, but having a novel of stories to look back on makes me feel incredibly grateful. We’ve learned to appreciate those small slivers of time that life permits our schedules to work out. I’m very lucky to have such amazing friends!

Pittsburgh welcomed me back with a warm embrace and I’ll certainly be back soon! I’m immensely grateful for these little moments. Afterall, they are what make life big! There is still much to be experienced, but I loved getting to see a bit of Point Breeze and the Strip District.