#21: Quiet Storm - Hippie Heaven

Best Place to Take a Vegan to Lunch

Because they didn't have a vegan on hand, both Michelle and Emily decided to indulge themselves in what Quiet Storm had to offer. They caught the 71A in front of the William Pitt Union and began their journey to veganism. Michelle and Emily got off on the Negley and Penn Ave stop and walked for what seemed likes miles (ok, maybe 7 minutes). They arrived at Quiet Storm, a quiet little corner restaurant with large windows. Michelle and Emily grabbed a table in the back of the restaurant where the peace lovin', tree huggin', and hand holdin' literature was kept. Emily ordered the gyro,  as suggested by LivingSocial and Michelle ordered the apple panini with chips and salsa. After recently attending the Greek Festival, Emily wasn't overly impressed with her meal. On the other hand, the apple panini was like heaven on a plate with cheese oozing through the cracks of the bread. It was like having dessert as a meal. No adult could object. The best reason to go back to Quiet Storm?? It would only be for the apple panini (it was freakin' awesome!!).

15 down, 350 to go.

#4, #175: Tazza D'Oro - Cup of Nasty

The Best Coffee Shop AND The Best Place for a Serious Shot of Espresso

Neither Michelle nor Emily are coffee drinkers yet somehow Michelle got suckered into having a shot of the Hondura Ocotepeque Cocafelol. Michelle went to the counter, Post-It note in hand with the name of the espresso shot written on it, and only semi-confidently said, "I want that." She received a saucer and a tiny cup of brown hell. Michelle asked the barista how to drink the espresso to which he replied, "Just blow on it to cool it and then take it back." Emily laughed as Michelle played with her espresso, stirring it every few seconds, hoping the napkin would absorb some of her fate. Michelle eventually told Emily that she was going for it. With a deep breath and a grin, Michelle downed the espresso. Luckily, Emily had a bottle of water on hand which Michelle used as a chaser. "Why do people do this to themselves?!" Michelle exclaimed. "Never again."

On a more positive note, Tazza D'Oro really is a great coffee shop. In the two hours we spent sitting and blogging, we saw dozens of patrons from different backgrounds come in and out. There was the video gamer, the college student studying for finals, the girl Skype-ing with her friend, business deals, zoo keepers, families... the list goes on. The walls are brightly decorated with various paintings and art. The free wireless internet is always a great deal. Parking and seating (both indoor and outdoor) were both easy to find. We could definitely see ourselves coming back here, although next time will be for the pastries, not the coffee.


13 and 14 down, 351 to go.

#199: Race for the Cure - Love Your Mother

The Best Way to Show Mom You Care on Mother's Day

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the world's largest fundraising event for breast cancer research. This year's Pittsburgh event took place on Mother's Day in Schenley Park. LivingSocial suggests this is the best way to honor our mothers, and Michelle and Emily agree. Emily participated in the 5k walk with thousands of other men, women, and children. Spirits were high as the sun was out and music was playing ensuring all involved had a good time.

Happy Mother's Day to our Moms!

12 down, 353 to go.

#88: WYEP 93.1 FM - Smooth Sounds of Rhythm & Blues

The Best Radio for the Evening Commute

Because we do not commute to or from work, we had to "make do" for Thing #88. We chose to listen to WYEP on the way home from an afternoon of shopping in Robinson Towne Center. The Saturday afternoon lineup featured Mike Canton and the Soul Show which journeys the landscape of classic and modern R&B, with generous jaunts into funk, jazz, and fusion. Much like when we listened to 90.5 FM, this was torture for Michelle. Emily thought it was just okay, but you can bet that neither of these lovely ladies will be tuning in again anytime soon.

11 down, 354 to go.

#130: IKEA - Home Decor Superstore

The Best Place to Get Home Decor Ideas

Going to IKEA isn't fun. It reminds us that we are both twenty-somethings living in residence halls with no apartments of our own. We can't buy anything because we have no where to put it and thus long for the day when we will finally grow up and get our own apartments. IKEA is very easy to navigate - follow the arrows through each of the departments' ideas and inspiration rooms. Be sure to take a break in the lounge chairs to people watch.

LivingSocial recommended that we try the swedish meatballs from the restaurant. For $3.99, we received a healthy serving of meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lingonberries. Michelle was quite apprehensive about trying to meatballs as it looked as it had been sitting out all day, but Emily just dived right in. Overall, we both enjoyed our meal.

10 down, 355 to go.

#161: WDUQ 90.5FM - Radio Rerun

The Best Place to Get Your News on the Go

On our way to IKEA, we decided to listen to WDUQ 90.5. On the station was a rerun of the game show "Whad'Ya Know" that aired Easter weekend. A woman who was a school teacher took on the challenge of answering open ended and multiple choice questions. One of the questions was "What existed before the big bang?" The answer: something small and quiet. For Michelle this was torture. Emily enjoyed Michelle's pain and frustration. Michelle will stick to her itouch and Emily will continue to enjoy 96.1.

9 down, 356 to go.

#71: Pamela's - For Old Time's Sake

The Best Crepes for Breakfast

On Friday morning, Michelle, Emily and several of their coworkers went to Pamela's in Oakland for breakfast. With students being gone, there was no wait and we were seated immediately. Emily had already eaten breakfast (Lucky Charms, of course), so it was left to Michelle to complete the task of eating crepes. It didn't take much convincing... Michelle ordered The Morning After aka "The Breakfast Special" (eggs scrambled with cheese and bacon) with banana walnut hotcakes.

The restaurant decor included a plethora of older games on the walls which led to a discussion of what games we played as children. A carrom board was the most popular game amongst the group. The low-key family atmosphere makes this a great place for anyone to eat. Don't forget to bring cash, as cards are not accepted.

8 down, 357 to go.

#9, #198: Mad Mex - A Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

The Best Happy Hour for Margaritas AND The Best Way to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

LivingSocial has recently demonstrated an ability to throw a wrench into our plans. We woke up Thursday morning to find that we had no choice but to go to Mad Mex for a Big Azz margarita on Cinco de Mayo. And, because we already had Mad Mex's happy hour on our list of things to do, we decided to go big.

We arrived at the Oakland restaurant around 4:40pm and the place was packed. We were told that tables were only for people who would be ordering food (appetizers didn't count). After a brief attempt to find a seat at the bar, we decided we were getting a table no matter what the rules were. Michelle found us two seats nestled in with a group of four women and we were good to go.

We ordered a Big Azz frozen mango margarita and the Pickadippa with cheese dip, guac, and pineapple-habanero salsa all to share. Because of the simplicity, the food and drink both came quickly. Together, we voted the cheese dip to be sub-par, guac to be average, and the pineapple-habanero salsa to be good. Considering Michelle doesn't like mango flavored anything, we thought the margarita was delightful however, we agree that the presentation could have been better - it was Cinco de Mayo!

Mad Mex itself is a small, dark space. At night, this is no issue but during the day it felt as if we were Alice (in Wonderland) falling through a deep hole. As we left, we both felt we were in need of sunglasses to help adjust to the natural light.

6 and 7 down, 358 to go.