Scott and I take pop culture very seriously, as you can see from this Cleveland Beer Week photo.

A few weekends ago I went to a magical place.

No, not Tahiti. Pittsburgh.

As someone who grew up in South Jersey, rooting for the Philadelphia teams, I had a similar upbringing to Amanda’s – programmed to dislike Pittsburgh from a young age.

But the most I really knew about PGH was that the Penguin’s Zamboni killed Carla Tortelli’s husband.

So, as I’ve recently learned, all I knew about the city was a lot of fiction.

Fortunately I love fiction, pop culture to be specific, and our exploration of Pittsburgh proved how much of it can be found in the city.

Our first big discovery was Eide’s Entertainment. When we first walked by it, early in the morning on our way to the Strip District, it was closed and I actually assumed it was just a convenience store which had some comics in the front window. On the way back from breakfast it was only on a whim that I even requested we step inside.

The epicness that is Eide’s…awning.

Let me say this now: I think every one of the places I’m going to talk about were designed by Willy Wonka. No, there weren’t rivers of chocolate running past the walls of comic books and collectibles, but just as children are awed by how Wonka’s factory captured a world of candy, Amanda and I were completely floored by this place which was bright, clean, and dedicated to so many of our favorite things.

There are three floors of wonder in Eide’s. The first appears to be centered around newer pop paraphernalia, the lower one has every comic and entertainment magazine ever printed (my only slightly exaggerated claim, not theirs), and the third floor is dedicated to multimedia. At least I think the third floor is; each level is so massive and so beautifully laid out that when I finally got to the third floor I just turned around, knowing that I would not see any of Pittsburgh’s other wonders if I stepped too far inside.

In fact, for the sake of the rest of our good-humored Pittsburgh expedition party, Amanda and I had to tear ourselves away from Eide’s after a few minutes. We knew how we could easily get lost in the store, and we did not want to keep everyone. So we left and moved on to the cutest damn Duck ever placed on God’s green Earth.

Amazingly adorable. Amanda is not wrong to be concerned about me.

Later in the day, when the others decided to do silly things like eat and sleep, I went back to Eide’s – conveniently located only two blocks from our hotel. Knowing I had to keep some control over myself, I limited my exploration to the lower level, eagerly digging through their discount boxes and finding a slew of $1-or-less things I could not live without.

I also explored their robust collection of comics, divided by publisher and then organized alphabetically by title. Once I figured out the layout – helped by the friendly gentleman behind the counter – I could not find a series that Eide’s did not have a nearly complete collection of. Ever hear of D.P.7? No? Well, Eide’s has … in sequential order … in duplicates … priced by condition.

I left a happy man.

I expected that that would have been my one pop culture find during our trip. I should learn to not under-estimate things.

A pattern began to emerge when we discovered the downtown location of S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes.

The sign over S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes. Okay, in all honesty, the very first store we went into in PGH chastised us for taking pictures, saying that “many” stores in the area would not appreciate it. While we later learned this was a gross overstatement, it did effect my willingness to take inside pictures on Saturday.

Don’t let my more abbreviated description of this magical wonderland of discovery and whimsy give you the impression that I couldn’t go on for 400 words about it. So amazed was I by the boxes, books, Legos, trains, games, action figures, and collectibles spread between the first and second floors of S. W. Randall’s that I never even made it to the third floor, the land of bears and dolls.

Once more, we’d found someplace in Pittsburgh that my Inner Child wanted to live in, but my Outer Man knew I couldn’t stay at for long. We did buy some Nanoblocks which, while putting together the Flamingo back home, I did giggle quite a bit.

Lastly, on our final day in Pittsburgh, Amanda, Kimberly, and I drove out to Jerry’s Records. Our experience there started humbly enough, picking through the discounted records pulled out to the sidewalk from their bargain garage. We spent quite a bit of time going through those, because I honestly couldn’t imagine the store itself would have that much more stock of higher quality vinyl.

The unassuming entry to Jerry’s Records.

But I was wrong. So, so, wrong.

Once we got upstairs we turned left into what appeared to be a room of average size for any store. Four walls filled from floor to ceiling surrounded us, and Amanda immediately got to work looking for a few specific albums. I, however, had no such goal and decided to explore while looking for the “free boxes of records” I’d seen mentioned on the walk up. I took off towards the back of the store.

Oh…oh my…

And discovered that that was not the back of the store. I couldn’t even tell you if that was the middle of the store.

All I can say is that what I thought was a wall wasn’t a wall. It was just a shelving unit. A big shelving unit. One of many that crisscrossed a massive, warehouse-like floor.

These enormous cases of records would nearly meet in places, leaving only a few feet open to move past them and find another room filled with records, but again only sectioned off by more ceiling-high shelves with more space and records behind that.

As Kimberly and I began to push further and further into this “Labyrinth of Captured Sound,” we found a section of laser discs – but no sign of where Jerry’s actually ended.

Eventually we decided to turn back while our breadcrumbs were still visible, out of fear for getting lost and having to live on the tart sustenance of vinyl. On our return towards the safety of the cash register we stumbled across some records from Yugoslavia, and a few came back home with me. Despite the size of the store, Amanda was easily able to find the Roy Orbison and Bobby Darin records she was looking for.

With those we also brought back a sealed mystery box of free records (tip: you can pick those up by going to the room on the right, at the top of the steps). When we got home, we discovered they were stuffed with such fun 78s as I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover, two complete Al Jolson albums, and a strange custom-printed record that appears to be a congratulatory audio press release.

As Amanda mentioned, there were other things such as the ToonSeum and Andy Warhol Museum that we were not able to see during this trip. And I’m sure many people may come back from a trip and think to themselves, I can’t wait to see all the things I didn’t get to!

But for me, I’ll be heading back to Pittsburgh to revisit these three worlds of wonder. Because now I know where they are. And that is super helpful, because I do have to add to this otherwise very positive post one complaint: put up more $#%&ing street signs, downtown Pittsburgh! Two out of the three places I mentioned we stumbled upon, and I am thankful for those happy accidents; there were many times as we walked/drove through the city that I almost had some unhappy accidents while trying to figure out what street we were at or on. It was very frustrating.

That won’t keep me from going back to Pittsburgh, but it would certainly help us locate other wonders I’m sure we’ve yet to find. Meanwhile I’ll just keep counting streets and memorizing the map, looking both ways, and watching out for that Zamboni…

Disclosure: That is not real blood in the above video – it was a hydraulic fluid leak. Also, I was invited to attend the LovePGH blogger tour because Amanda needed someone to drive her. Kidding. The invite included her and a guest. We were provided a hotel room and spending money for the weekend; however I didn’t have the spending money with me at Edie’s, so don’t tell Amanda how much I spent on Howard the Duck comics. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

The Church Brew Works, one of the stops on #LovePGH day two

When I left things off on Tuesday, we had just settled in for a very nice nap back at the hotel – we were exhausted after walking around downtown all morning.

As evening approached, our plan was to take in Pittsburgh from above with a trip on the Duquesne Incline. After dealing with the free Lower Station parking lot (tip: prepare to put your car-squeezing skills and patience to the test), we boarded the cable car and headed up the mountain.

When we got to the top and took in the beautiful view of Pittsburgh’s skyline, we all agreed that the parking stress and $5 fare were well worth it.

Duquesne Incline’s Upper Station, which also features an observation deck

Opened in 1877, the incline uses the original wooden cable cars, which are still beautiful. At the upper station, you can watch the hoisting machinery as it works and view old photos of Pittsburgh and inclines.

We decided to make the most of our time at the top of the incline, so we made dinner reservations at Bella Vista.

After making excellent time on our trip to the incline, we arrived early for our reservation. I’m glad we did, because we lucked out with a table along the window. The restaurant’s name is incredibly accurate: The city dazzled from our view around the dinner table.

Although Bella Vista is an Italian restaurant, boasting a menu of appetizing pasta and veal entrees (among other choices), many of us had our mind made for us when our waitress mentioned the evening’s special of beef wellington. 

Beef Wellington at Bella Vista

After enjoying the crabmeat-stuffed portabello on the appetizers menu, our entrees arrived. The wellington was very savory — my steak tender, and the pastry wrap delicate and flaky. It was paired with shrimp scampi and vegetables.

The glass of white wine I ordered was fine but not incredibly memorable. On the other hand, the Glennfiddich on the rocks that I had for dessert was incredible. I knew I was too full for any more food; however, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t try a couple bites of others’ choices.

When at Bella Vista, you’re paying for the stunning view and a comfortable but elegant evening with family and friends.

It’s not fast dining. We were the last ones in the restaurant by the time we finished everything. I loved not feeling rushed and being able to enjoy the company while eating our food.

Pittsburgh at night from top of the Duquesne Incline

After checking out of the hotel on Sunday morning, we had a couple hours left to squeeze in sightseeing.

Fitting for a Sunday afternoon, we started our day at the Church Brew Works. Housed in a former Roman Catholic Church, Church Brew Works features beautiful architecture – the Rose window and pipe organ in the balcony are my favorite.

Inside the Church Brew Works

The beers they brew and menu selection do the building justice.

I was grateful I ordered their beer sampler because after tasting the 8 brews, I would have had a very difficult time ordering just one kind. Although this stout lover didn’t like that day’s rotating stout (an inside-out stout), their ThunderHop IPA, Hoptoberfest, and the very smooth Dirty Blond Quinoa Ale were definitely enjoyed.

My 8-beer sampler at Church Brew Works did not go untouched for long

Knowing that that much beer would fill me up, I kept my food choices on the lighter side. I enjoyed their seven onion soup made with their Pious Monk Dunkel and ordered that day’s mussels special.

Any restaurant that offers beer-steamed mussels with a daily flavor is my kind of place. Especially when that day’s broth is infused with pumpkin. I’m glad it came with four pieces of bread to sop it up. Next time we return, I’ll have to try their daily ‘untraditional pierogies’ special.

Mussels with pumpkin-infused broth at Church Brew Works

We then took a short drive to the Oakland neighborhood to visit the Carnegie Museum of Art.

During our trip, we discovered a lot of excellent opportunities to enjoy art in Pittsburgh and unfortunately had to save the Andy Warhol museum for our next visit. With our weekend coming to a close, we decided to visit the Carnegie because of their current Carnegie International collection. 

Every few years, the museum conducts a survey of international contemporary art in North America and curates an exhibition around it. The 2013 Carnegie International had just opened the week before (it runs until mid-March) so we knew we had to stop by.

The Playground Project, part of the Carnegie International

There are four components to the exhibition that focus on new international art, playgrounds, the museum’s collection, and an engagement with the city of Pittsburgh. You can read more about it and the artists at ci13.cmoa.org/about.

The highlights for me were:

Jestem by Lara Favaretto: The four colorful cubes she constructed from confetti will fall apart over the course of the Carnegie International, until they are a pile of disorganized confetti on the floor. I really enjoyed the concept of seeing something so beautiful and orderly naturally deconstructed.

Disarm by Pedro Reyes: In the Carnegie Museum’s Hall of Sculpture, you’ll find an arrangement of musical instruments constructed from confiscated guns. I didn’t immediately realize what they were made of as I listened to the rhythms and melodies coming from them; however, once I looked more closely it stopped me in my tracks.

The Playground Project: This interactive collection spotlights playgrounds from Europe, the U.S. and Japan from the last half of the 20th century. Along the way, it compares these public spaces to today’s more standardized and sanitized versions and poses questions about how we approach childhood, taking risks, public spaces, and education.  There’s a lot of great stuff in the Heinz Architectural Center, but be sure to find the balloon oasis backlit by video of children playing. The maze of floor-to-ceiling screening you walk through to get there disconnects you from everything else. It’s strangely relaxing.

Disarm by Pedro Reyes at Carnegie International

After the Carnegie, we had one final place to visit before heading home — Jerry’s Records. However, to read about that, you’ll have to come back tomorrow for Scott’s take on Pittsburgh. I figured I’d save some of the city’s fun shops for him.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the LovePGH blogger tour with a guest. We were provided a hotel room and spending money for the weekend. I was asked to tweet and Instagram our travels, but not required to blog about it. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Welcomed to Pennsylvania with a rainbow

Living in Cleveland with family and friends on the east coast has led to countless trips along the Pennsylvania turnpike. To keep from going crazy on our frequent 8+ hour roadtrips, Scott and I often stop to take in the sights and tastes of Central and Western Pennsylvania.

For all of our journeys, though, we have never stopped in Pittsburgh.

I don’t really have a legitimate excuse. On the one hand, I’ve witnessed my fair share of arguments about the Pittsburgh/Cleveland rivalry, and even before that, I had a dislike of the Penguins ingrained in me as a young Philadelphia Flyers fan.  However, I also know a lot of people from college and Cleveland who loved living in Pittsburgh.

It was time to put aside any sports-inspired feelings I had about Pittsburgh and explore it

A blogger exchange between Visit Pittsburgh, Positively Cleveland and other area tourism bureaus recently forced me to put aside these mixed feelings. Invited to come visit, Scott and I put out a call on Twitter and Facebook for suggestions of what to see and where to eat. The response floored me, resulting in a two-page to-do list for our weekend trip.

With our suggestions and an overnight bag packed, Scott and I made the two-hour drive after work on Friday night.

Our first stop after arriving in Pittsburgh was the Wood Street Galleries for a welcome reception. Located above a light rail station, Wood Street Galleries is part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s decades-long commitment to transforming downtown Pittsburgh into an arts district.  Admission is free and the gallery houses new media installations. I really liked the unusual use of this building.

Wood Street Galleries

Scott and I were happy to grab a bite to eat at the reception, where we met the team behind Visit Pittsburgh and then were let loose on the city.

We walked a few blocks back to where we were staying, the downtown Courtyard Marriott. My first impression of the hotel was how conveniently located it was — a block away from the Pittsburgh Convention Center, as well as a short walk from many different areas of downtown. Best of all, it had a California wine bar and restaurant attached to it and at least 4 other restaurants across the street.

After our dinner at Wood Street, we only had enough energy to grab a drink before bed. Fortunately, one of the restaurants across the street was Sharp Edge’s Bistro on Penn. Featuring over 20 Belgium beers on tap and more in bottles, it reminded me of Bier Markt’s selection. A Rochefort 10 left me warm and fuzzy, while their Oktoberfest menu had me wishing I saved room for a small snack.

At the Sharp Edge in downtown Pittsburgh

After a night of struedel-filled dreams, I dragged Scott, Kimberly, Jen and Matthew out of bed on Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 7.

Why? Two words: Pamela’s Diner. After being regaled with tales of their breakfasts, Pamela’s was one of my required stops. With a heads up that they can get crowded on Saturdays, we began our early trek from downtown to the Strip District. I love morning walks like this – watching a city wake up and the vendors start to set up for Saturday morning’s market.

Up early for Pamela’s Diner

When we arrived at Pamela’s, it was starting to get crowded but there was an open table by the window. It was a great spot to take in Pamela’s classic soda hop style, as well as the architecture of the Strip district outside our window.

But let’s be honest, we were there for the food. I ordered their crepe style hotcakes, which come plain or stuffed with various flavors. Once I saw they had banana walnut stuffed hotcakes, I was sold.

Madison’s review (left) is spot-on – go to Pamela’s and order the hotcakes.

I do not like fluffy, dense hotcakes. My mom always made them super-thin and a little crispy around the edges, and this is the style that Pamela’s has perfected. The bananas, walnuts and whipped cream were the proverbial icing on the (hot)cake.

As we rolled ourselves out of Pamela’s, we realized we had arrived just in time as a large crowd was forming at the door.

We walked off our breakfast with a stroll through the Strip. We stopped in Allegheny Coffee & Tea for a lovely sweet lavender tea, the impressive Eide’s Entertainment for comics, and the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company.  

Once you pick up fresh beans at Allegheny (left), head across the street for everything Italian – and more – at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (right)

Italian food fans (well, really food fans of all stripes) should make a stop at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company which features over 5000 specialty food items. Spices, meats, a room stocked full of fresh cheese, and pastries were just some of the mouthwatering choices we found.

I practiced a lot of self-restraint, but finally broke down when I saw the maple walnut pizzelles.

We could have spent most of our day in the Strip District; however, we had more of the city to see. On our next trip, we’ll have to dedicate more time to the neighborhood — and bring a cooler for the delicious food.

After dropping a few things off at the hotel, we took the Convention Center’s waterfall walkway to the river path. We passed a crew team getting in a Saturday morning row, families walking their dogs and children, and bikers out for a ride.

The view while walking along the river in downtown Pittsburgh

Our ultimate destination was the giant rubber duck on the Allegheny River. The four-story duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman was brought to Pittsburgh by the Cultural Trust. As we stood under the looming duck, we instantly understood why hoards of people flocked there. Simply put, it was unbelievably cute.

The Giant Rubber Duck, hanging with ducks

So cute that Scott was obsessed with it all weekend (if I had to be honest, he still is). It led to this exchange tweeted by Kimberly at dinner:

OH: I still love you. But there’s also the duck. cc: @Husbanonymous @ADHicken #rubberduckproject #LovePGH

— smitten in cleveland (@smittenincle) October 13, 2013

I’ve been replaced.  Could you blame Scott, though?

“Every breath you take, every move you make, Giant Duck is watching you.”

Continuing our loop through downtown, we visited the Fort Pitt Blockhouse, the oldest existing structure in Western Pennsylvania. Celebrating its 250th anniversary next year, the Blockhouse was a defense structure during the French and Indian War and the remaining piece of Fort Pitt after the rest was demolished in the 1700s.

History! at the Fort Pitt Blockhouse

After taking in a little bit of Pittsburgh history, we happened upon the cobblestoned Market Square. An oasis amid the city’s skyscrapers, it’s filled with restaurants like the 1800s’ Oyster House and the Pittsburgh classic Primanti’s Bros.

Still full from Pamela’s, we stopped by the Creole-inspired NOLA for patio cocktails. I ordered A Sidecar Named Desire, their sweet, bourbon-y twist on a sidecar, while Scott enjoyed their veal-brothed French Onion Soup.

Perfect weather for patio dining on Market Square

It was a lot of fun to soak in the sun while we watched everyone doing their Saturday shopping and playing chess in the park.

I loved how walkable downtown Pittsburgh is. We didn’t have a set destination for our morning adventure, which allowed us to stumble upon things like the Toonseum and S.W. Randall toystore as we made our way back to the hotel.

However, after the early wakeup and long stroll, we were all exhausted and in the mood for an afternoon nap. Besides being conveniently located, the Courtyard’s rooms were very conducive to relaxation.

Spacious, comfortable accommodations at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Pittsburgh

A sprawling bedroom and living room suite gave Scott and I more than enough room to spread out and snooze. And the Courtyard was the first to surpass the comfort level of my bed at home.

It was the much-needed refresher we needed to enjoy our evening and next day in Pittsburgh.

I’ll be back later this week with the rest of my #LovePGH recap, as well as Scott’s take on the city.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the LovePGH blogger tour with a guest. We were provided a hotel room and spending money for the weekend. I was asked to tweet and Instagram our travels, but not required to blog about it. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.