#234: Citiparks Outdoor Pools - Not So Great for Your Cell Phone

The Best Place to Spend Your Day Poolside

The city of Pittsburgh offers its residents 19 olympic-sized outdoor neighborhood pools open from Memorial Day to Labor Day each summer for a nominal fee. Our nearest pool happens to be in Schenley Park.

On a hot Sunday afternoon, Michelle and I packed snacks, towels, and sunscreen and headed poolside. We arrived to find a crowd of all ages, shapes, and sizes enjoying the warm sunshine and water. We found a spot in the shade to set our stuff (I didn't want my chocolate stash to melt in the heat) before jumping in to cool off. It was refreshing and wonderful. I am so grateful to have a pool so close.

A piece of advice from those who make mistakes. Cell phones and water aren't friends. I suggest placing them in your towel away from the pool. Better yet - leave it at home and enjoy a day away from everything. Trust me. It's better this way.

- Emily

76 down, 289 to go.

#236: Penn Ave Fish Co. - TACOS!! Part 2

The Best Place to Find Yourself Up to Your Gills in Great Fish Tacos

As I mentioned in a previous post, until this past weekend, I thought Kaya had the best fish tacos. WRONG. I have never had a better fish taco than the ones I so thoroughly enjoyed at the Penn Ave. Fish Co. This is one of the gems of the Strip District. Do yourself a favor and go there. Right now. When you realize how good the tacos are, go back on a Tuesday for lunch. They are all you can eat for $8.99.

- Emily

75 down, 290 to go.

#33: Just Ducky Tours - Quack! Quack! Quack!

The Best Excuse to Quack Like a Duck

Last Saturday, two of my friends from graduate school, Katie and Robbie, were visiting Pittsburgh. For both of them, this was the first trip to the city in which they spent any significant amount of time. They joined Michelle and I for a tour of the city from the vantage point of a Just Ducky tour boat bus. The hour long tour was filled with corny jokes about ducks, bills, lame ducks, fowls... the list goes on. Even after living in Pittsburgh for more than I year, I had a great time and a few good laughs and learned a lot about the city. For example, it turns out that the reason Pittsburgh, and especially downtown, is so difficult to navigate is that it was designed by three different men. One worked from the Mon north, another from the Allegheny east. When the two started to converge, a third man was brought in to tie them together. This serves as further evidence that men are the intellectually inferior sex. A woman would never have let all this confusion happen.

The other fun part of the tour is when you actually enter the water. The captain gives the passengers a chance to drive the boat. He shared with us the history of these types of vehicles and how they were used during WWII. A piece of advice - get on a boat with the fewest number of children. They tend to want to drive right into the walls and bridges.

- Emily

74 down, 291 to go.

#96: Bossa Nova - A Great Place for a Date

The Best Place for Some Ambiance to Go With Your Tapas

We stopped at this trendy bar on our way to PNC Park for a pre-game beverage. My initial reaction was how cool this bar looked. Huge windows that open to 7th Street, a view of the Allegheny and the Andy Warhol Bridge, and high ceilings all made it seem like an open space. Inside, the decor was just as interesting. There was hand-drawn art on the bar with larger pieces throughout. The Happy Hour special was $1 off all martinis so we each ordered one. We agreed that this could be a great place for a first or second date. The openness of the main room and the quiet music would allow for conversation to take place without yelling and, if good, the conversation would distract from the slow service. Michelle has plans to go back soon to check out the Thursday night Salsa dancing. We'll keep you updated.


- Emily

73 down, 292 to go.

#229: Spice Island Tea House - Nicer on the Inside

The Best Place for Delectable Hole-in-the-Wall Dining

Most days, I'd like to believe I've tried almost every restaurant in Oakland. But every once in a while, I come across something new. In this case, it was the Spice Island Tea House on Atwood Street. While the outside certainly seems your average hole-in-the-wall Asian food place, Michelle and I agree that once inside, it's just a normal restaurant. Michelle ordered the Java Fried Rice, a plate with shrimp, chicken, bell peppers, chili peppers, green onion, and egg-strips, while I enjoyed the Chiang Mai Noodles in a red curry sauce with chicken, hot peppers, carrots, mushrooms, onion, and cilantro. We both enjoyed our meals and had more than enough leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next day. Since then, I've had the Tea House come up in conversation at least twice and learned that they actually host karaoke during the week and feature killer Long Islands. I guess I'll have to go back.

- Emily

72 down, 293 to go.

#48, 163: Natural Stitches and #3: Knit One - Get Your Knit On

Natural Stitches

Best Place to Learn How to Stitch and Best Yarn Shop

Emily and I stopped by Natural Stitches during an afternoon knitting session. There is nothing more awkward than 15 knitters starring at you while they are frantically crocheting their Christmas gifts. We briefly browsed the shelves of yarn and were out.

Knit One

Best Place to Pick Up Supplies for Your Next Knitting Project

Knit One was a more welcoming knitting store than Natural Stitches. The space was more open with bright colored

walls and we were greeted by Wendy whom Emily and I chatted with about our jobs as RDs. Wendy talked about how relaxing knitting was and how a project could be taken anywhere such as the hospital when you are on call.

Knit One offers private lessons for only $25 an hour which I scheduled with Wendy. During my lesson, Wendy taught me how to crochet, how to fix common mistakes, how to add yarn, and how to cast off. I'm very satisfied with the progress that I've made on my scarf. What do you think?

-Michelle

70 and 71 down, 294
to go

#89: Riverview Park - Where'd All the Water Go?

The Best Place to Go for a Jog in the City

It's probably more than fair to say we didn't really give Riverview Park a chance. Michelle and I left Oakland around 8:30pm to attempt to jog through the park. By the time we actually found it, it was getting pretty dark and we felt a bit uncomfortable getting out to run. Instead, we drove around in search of a trail or two to attempt in the future. We observed a few deer and other wildlife, giving us the impression that we were no longer in an urban area. In some ways, it reminded me of a park I'd find at home in Rochester, NY. But the odd part was that despite the name, we never found a view of any river. Can anyone shed some light?

- Emily

69 down, 296 to go.

#205: Oh Yeah! Ice Cream and Coffee - Definitely a Treat for Two

The Best Place to Eat the Breakfast Your Mom Never Let You Have

On yet another warm summer evening in Pittsburgh, Michelle and I ventured to Shadyside to test the ice cream at Oh Yeah! Ice Cream and Coffee. To our surprise, the line to order a cool treat was out the door and down the front steps. When we made it inside the coffee/ice cream shop, we were entertained by the unique and creative decor. Old license plates, odd pieces of art, and many advertisements for local classes, shops, and concerts surrounded us. Michelle seemed excited to hear that the ice cream featured was actually from her favorite shop - Dave and Andy's. She ordered something to suite her tastes while I attempted to order LivingSocial's suggestion - a vegan cinnamon waffle with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. Unfortunately, they were out of vegan waffles so I opted for a buckwheat one. The best part was that the waffle was made fresh and was warm enough to melt the ice cream. My dessert, which also doubled as dinner, turned out to be huge and could certainly be big enough for two to share, though I'm not complaining.

- Emily

68 down, 297 to go.

#57, #137, #109, #42, #41, #78: A Saturday in the Strip

#57: Hot Haute Hot

Best Furniture Store

Hot Haute Hot was again another reminder of how I am 25 years old living in a residence hall. Though if I did have an opportunity to furnish an apartment or home, I would definitely shop here. Hot Haute Hot has a variety of trendy furniture and decor items from across the globe. In the store shoppers can find anything from recycled furniture to vintage and antique items to jewelry. Hot Haute Hot is a great place to shop or just visit during a morning or afternoon in the Strip. Be sure to check out the manikins while you're there.

-Michelle

#137: Enrico Biscotti Co.

Best Place for Biscotti

My tooth is salty not sweet but Livingsocial recommended the cranberry-pistachio biscotti drizzled in chocolate so I had to try it. It was too hot for tea or coffee dunking so I had to do without during my biscotti experience. The biscotti had a nice buttery crunch with hints of cranberry throughout. The chocolate would have been a great addition but overall the biscotti was a nice day in the Strip treat.

-Michelle

#109: Mon Aimee Chocolate

Best Place for Spicy Hot Chocolate

Mon Aimee Chocolate is like the chocolate factory of Pittsburgh. There was a variety of chocolates to meet every chocolate lovers' needs and desires. Livingsocial recommended trying the spicy hot chocolate but unfortunately the beverage maker was down and because it was summer, it was unknown of when it would be fixed. A Mon Aimee Chocolate employee recommended the Chile Burnt Caramel as an alternative but I will be back in the winter to try the spicy hot chocolate.

-Michelle

#42: Stamoolis Brothers

Best Place to Buy Greek Food

Unless you like olives, an olive bar is really not that exciting. But if you do, I would recommend Stamoolis Brothers for your olive purchases. If I were a little more knowledgeable about the different types of olives available, I would rave about the selection at Stamoolis Brothers. But since I don't, you will just have to check it out yourself.

-Michelle

#41: Mike Feinberg Company

The Best Place to But Steelers Stuff

(Not Even) The Biggest Pile of Steelers Crap

Occasionally, Michelle and I will find that we disagree with LivingSocial's "best" something or other, although typically we find that the restaurant, park, or store is at least average. When it comes to Steelers gear, however, we both wholeheartedly disagree that Mike Feinberg Company is the best. This party shop, located on Penn Ave in the Strip, has a just a random collection of cheap party supplies. The only different between this store and your standard Party City chain-type party supply store is that this one has Pittsburgh team gear. Yet even the gear is nothing to get excited about. It's cheap, tacky, and not attractive. Looking for a Pittsburgh Steelers toilet seat cover? Then this is your place. But if you want something you will actually be proud to display in your home or on your body, I think you'd be better off checking out any one of the other 100s of Steelers gear shops in and around the city. Save yourself the time and excitement. Skip Mike Feinberg Co.

- Emily

#78: Kaya

Best Restaurant to Dream of Warmer Weather

(Fish) TACOS!!

I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Kaya. Many people (including two of my supervisors) have reported the fish tacos to be the very best in the city. I became a seafood-eater in the more recent years of my life and consider fish tacos to be some of my very favorite fishy foods. Even taking my level of hunger into consideration, Kaya did not disappoint. I would have told you that they did, in fact, have the best fish tacos in the city. That is, until this past weekend. That's when I discovered the Penn Ave. Fish Co. fish tacos. Game over. PAFC wins.

- Emily

62, 63, 64, 65, 66, and 67 down, 298 to go.

#8: Piccolo Forno - A Cheesy Slice of Heaven

The Best BYOB and Pizza Combo

While in LoLA, Michelle and I debated between checking out Piccolo Forno and the Round Corner Cantina. Because Piccolo Forno is on "the list" and I really love pizza, we put Round Corner Cantina on hold. Don't worry though - it may not be on "the list" but it is on my list.

Without a spirit store nearby, we arrived without the B from the BYOB. We were quickly seated at an indoor table and, due to the extreme heat, the air conditioning and ice water could not have been more welcome. We decided to split the polpete toscane as an appetizer and the quattro formaggi pizze. I thoroughly enjoyed both. As a connoisseur of fine pizza crusts, I can honestly say this was the best I've had since I moved to Pittsburgh. For that alone, I would be willing to go back for more. But next time, I'll bring some wine.

- Emily

61 down, 304 to go.

#149: Sugar Boutique - Where Lady Gaga Shops

Best Place to Find the Next Up-And-Coming Designer

At Sugar Boutique, shoppers could find eclectic clothing from local independent designers. Emily and I had a variety of expressions for both the styles and the prices of the pieces. I'm not sure where and for what event anyone would wear these items, but when lady Gaga is in town, I am sure this is her first stop. I did find a cute romper that was on sale but with my work schedule, I wasn't sure if I would have another opportunity to wear it this summer so I decided not to buy it.

Unfortunately Sugar Boutique closed it's doors on July 24th. Yeah, I am extremely late with this post. Sue me.

-Michelle

60 down, 305 to go.

#13: Crystal Bead Bazaar - Where Beads Come True

Best Place to Buy Beads

If you enjoy beading, Crystal Bead Bazaar is a great place to shop for beads and supplies. They offer a large selection of beads in a variety of different colors ranging in prices. Though neither Emily nor I bead, we thought it would be a great program for our RAs to have. For only $2.95, a jewelry maker is able to get a bag of mixed beads from a large barrel.

Even if you don't bead, I would recommend for you to stop by the store anyway. Joanne the store owner is a delight and will offer you a glass of wine.

-Michelle

59 down, 306 to go.