#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.