Hi everyone – hope you had a nice weekend! :)
After spending Thursday at my sweet Grandma’s house, we got up bright and early Friday morning, piled back in the car, and headed off to the next destination on our whirlwind trip visiting relatives in and around Ohio.
Pittsburgh, PA! (Ben and Grandma bonded during our stay over their mutual love for staying up late. ;) )
My Dad’s side of the family is from Steubenville, OH, which is where we spent Friday and Saturday, but since Pittsburgh is only 45 minutes away, and one of my Dad’s favorite cities, we took a side trip to The Steel City to see what we could see.
I have never been before, and had no idea what to expect, but WOW, Pittsburgh is extremely gorgeous, and packed with young professionals, shopping, restaurants and nightlife. I was so impressed!
We arrived around lunchtime so we headed to this super cute “town square” type area right in downtown to grab some grub and a beer from a restaurant near and dear to my Dad’s heart.
The Oyster House. He started going to Pittsburgh when he was 13 (cough, hitchhiking to Pirates games, cough) and always stopped here for a fish sandwich and coke before walking to the baseball park nearby.
Fish sandwich? Eh, when in Rome! ;)
We settled into a table on their outdoor patio in the sunshine, and ordered up breaded fish sandwiches, battered fries and The Oyster House’s famous spiral taters to share.
Whee!
I am not a fish sandwich kind of girl, but this was outstanding. Crunchy, tender, and light. Washed down with a cold IC Light – this was the perfect way to spend our Friday afternoon.
My Dad could not have been happier to visit his old hangout either, and was giggling like a school boy the entire time. HIGH-larious.
After lunch we stopped by the Primanti Brothers Bar & Grill which was right across the square from us – I couldn’t believe it! Primanti Brothers is famous for their sandwiches piled high with fries, and I’ve seen them featured on The Food Network a million times, but never realized it was right in downtown Pittsburgh. Cool!
I’d love to come back here someday to explore!
Alas, we had other plans for the afternoon, including a pit stop at Pittsburgh’s own Beer World on our way out of town. :)
Right. A warehouse of beer. The men were thrilled. ;)
After loading our already packed trunk with a million cases of brewed delicacies not found in the Midwest – Yuengling, anyone? – we got back on the road.
There was one more stop to make before heading to see my Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Steubenville.
Oglebay in nearby Wheeling, WV!
I told you a bit about Oglebay in Friday’s post – it’s a family resort type place (resort sounds stuffy – this place is not stuffy!) in Wheeling, WV, centered around a massive wooden lodge and a quaint lake, where we’d spend a week each summer growing up with our extended family. We used to fish for bluegill here for hours!
The family hasn’t gone in 15 years or so, and it was such a treat to wander around again. Everything seemed a little bit smaller seeing it through the eyes of a 28 year old vs 8 year old, but really, nothing’s changed much!
My Mom and I rented a paddle boat to cruise around the lake.
While the boys took it easy in the shade, my Dad, no doubt, filling Ben in on the countless summers spent here in the past. ;)
After playing at the lake we drove through the 30+ wooden and log cabins you can rent for the week.
Each cabin has a special name – Willow, Ivy, Azalea and the like – and it was fun driving past them all, remembering which ones we’ve stayed at.
We’re hoping to rent a couple of the cabins and get a big family reunion scheduled sometime in the next couple of years. As you know, the older you get, the harder it is to wrangle everybody up!
On the way out we spent some time overlooking Oglebay’s big outdoor swimming pool – the diving boards where my brother nearly knocked himself out one summer, long since removed.
Then wrapped up the blast from the past by visiting the driving range, which overlooks Oglebay’s grounds. This part of the country is beautiful, people! :)
Our final stop of the trip was Steubenville, OH, my Dad’s hometown (sheesh – I feel like we packed 10 days worth of stuff into 3!)
Friday and Saturday were spent catching up with my Aunt, Uncle, cousin Kelly, and her 2 year old daughter Shya, whom I just met for the first time this trip.
Shya is thesweetest little girl, and took an immediate liking to Ben (as most children do – he is seriously the baby whisperer!) They were semi inseparable the entire time we were there. ;)
In between tea parties and playing dress up, we dined on DiCarlo’s Pizza – a Steubenville STAPLE!
This place has looked the same since my Dad started coming when he was a kid and, honest to God, has the best pizza in the country. We look forward to stuffing our faces with it every time we come to town.
The crust is thin and crispy, and the cheese and pepperoni on top are added after it’s been cooked so it’s warm and just barely melted.
Ugh – that sauce too. Just, freaking ridiculously delicious.
Worth the 12 hour drive alone!
On our last night in town we all attended the town’s Dean Martin festival together.
Dean was born & raised in Steubenville, so 14 years ago they started this 2-day festival with Dean Martin and other members of the rat pack impersonators. It is a HOOT!
Literally I think the entire town of Steubenville crams themselves into the Spot Bar, where it’s held.
We ate, drank, and became very merry, while listening to the costumed impersonators sing song after song from the era, into the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday was my parent’s 33rd wedding anniversary, and I really don’t think they would have wanted to spend it anywhere else.
Us either! We all had a ball and, more than anything, were just happy to be with family. :)
The warm fuzzies came to a screeching halt when the alarm went off at 5:45 this morning, but, you know, this is the price you pay to hear “Neil Diamond” sing Sweet Caroline until 2am. HA! ;)
After 5 days on the road, we are nearly home (currently blogging from my mobile office!) and I can’t wait to not spend an extended amount of time in a car for a the next few days. :) Thanks for “coming along” on my Ohio vacation, and I’ll be back with regularly scheduled programming starting tomorrow! Have a great night!
Jess S 06.17.2012
I was in Pittsburgh last summer for a conference and we were pleasantly surprised at what a wonderful city it is! (probably what lots of people say about Des Moines!) :-) Unlike the previous commenter we luckily had a great meal at Primanti Bros but an even better one at Fat Head’s Saloon, a must-stop if you go back.
Pat 06.17.2012
We live in Iowa now but used to live in Philly and Yuengling beer is the best. Enjoy it.
Afton 06.17.2012
Long post, loved all the pics, almost felt like we were vacationing with you! That picture in Pittsburgh of the building with the black windows reminds me of Princpal’s Corporate 2 building downtown. Can you see it? And Yuengling! I was introduced to Yuengling during my semester in Maryland. Love it! Why can’t it come here to Iowa???
J+H @ Beyond The Stoop 06.17.2012
omg… i remember going to THAT pool!! and those cabins!?!?!? except when we went to band camp there our cabins were the more rustic (aka old) ones. no curtains. just concrete floors with bathroom stalls and shower stalls. and a mess hall. ahhhh the good ole days!
glad to see you had fun in MY old stomping grounds!!
cheers.
brooke 06.17.2012
Yay for Yuengling! Oh- and the rest of the trip looked great too! ;)
Kate Bentley 06.17.2012
Thanks so much for sharing! I love getting my Iowa girl post everyday! I’ve made lots of your recipes and they are delicious! Your blog really does a great job of showing the fun things you do without sounding corny like other blogs! Thanks for sharing!
Jen 06.17.2012
Thanks for sharing, what great memories to cherish!
Amy 06.17.2012
What a fun trip……………thanks for sharing!!!
J'nee Reade 06.17.2012
Kristen…I just noticed on your husband’s wrist in the last photo of him sleeping is a bracelet that I believe says, “Just Try and Ruin My Day.” Is this what it reads? If so, I am curious as to how you know the man behind the bracelet, Brian Pritchard? Brian and I grew up together and graduated high school together in 2003. Small world!
Iowa Girl Eats 06.18.2012
It does! :) Brian and my husband Ben worked together before Brian passed away. He hasn’t taken the bracelet off since.
Megan 06.17.2012
Looks like you had a great time! Your family is so cute! I love the orange top you have on in the last picture. Adorable! Where did you get it?
Iowa Girl Eats 06.18.2012
Thanks! It’s from Forever 21.
Lori 06.17.2012
It looks like you struck some good chords with your post today! It’s exciting to see you post about PIttsburgh since I will be going there for the first time this Wednesday to watch the Twins play the PIrates! I’ve heard Pittsburgh is a cool city and I am so excited to see PNC Park. It sounds like we will need to check out the Strip District given the advice of your readers :)
Lisa 06.17.2012
Loved this! My old stomping grounds… I went to school at Bethany College, about 15 minutes from Oglebay if you continue to wind down Route 88 a little further into the boonies. It’s so beautiful and simple – always great to see positive notes about WV out there!
Jessie 06.17.2012
I can’t believe you were in Steubenville! I go to Franciscan University and follow your blog religiously! :)
Jen A 06.17.2012
Pittsburgh is awesome! And if you go back, you should definitely check out the Primanti’s location in the Strip District!
Mindy 06.17.2012
Looks like a FUN (and fast!) trip. Thanks for sharing! I’d love to know 2 things when you get home and things settle down. How did you set up your phone to make your “mobile office”? That sounds like an awesome trick. We just drove back 12+ hours to DM from Colorado the other day. I spent many of those hours staring at my iphone (which is wonderful, but tiny) so being able to be on my laptop would have been AMAZING! Secondly, what kind of camera do you have? You always take beautiful pictures that are so clear and full of color. It’s about time for a new camera for me, so I’m taking all of the recommendations that I can get.
Love your blog – it’s the first one I look at. Thanks for sharing your time and talent.
Iowa Girl Eats 06.18.2012
I use an app called Tether on my iPhone. I’m not sure it’s being sold anymore, but it’s definitely worth a try! The pictures in the post were a mix of my Mom’s Canon Digital Elph, my iPhone, and my Nikon D3000, which is what I primarily use for the blog! :)
Caitlin 06.17.2012
I can’t believe you were in Pittsburgh this weekend! I live there (here?) and think it’s one of the best cities around :) Next time you come, you should definitely check out the Strip District, right next to Downtown/Market Square, where you were this time. Foodie and specialty shop heaven!
Suz 06.17.2012
LOVE that white top you’re wearing in the first few pics! Where do they get it from? They’d better ship to New Zealand!
Iowa Girl Eats 06.18.2012
Thanks – it’s from Target! :)
Ktlovespie 06.17.2012
Looks like you guys had a lot of fun! I squee-d a bit when I saw you were in Pittsburgh since I’m from PA (though not so close to Pittsburgh)
I’ve been to that exact Primanti Bros you pictured and sadly, it didn’t live up to the hype.
Terrible service- there were only 2 servers for the entire place
Dirty tables- one table had garbage and trays on it for almost our whole meal there plus the place just felt grimy and sticky
Dirty bathrooms- my mother didn’t want to touch anything in there
and the food was meh- fries were greasy and it was just kind of bland. I actually saw one of the cooks go over to the register, handle money (you know how dirty that stuff is?!) and then go back to cooking, without changing his gloves.
Maybe the other locations are better but this one was a dissappointment. I will definitely have to try the Oyster House though!
Blog is the New Black 06.17.2012
LOVE your top in the first pic! What a fun lil road trip!
Brittney @ Brittney Breathing 06.17.2012
Wow! You guys did pack in a lot in such a short amount of time. Looks like a ton of fun!