You know that first spring day when the weather breaks and everything feels amazing after a long, hard, snowy winter? We spent one of those days exploring a new part of our new home – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Strip
In the words of our friends at Visit Pittsburgh, the Strip District:
is foodie heaven and as authentic as it is fun. Locals love it for its low, low prices and tremendous selections. The one-half square mile shopping district is chock full of ethnic grocers, produce stands, meat and fish markets and sidewalk vendors. Breathe deep because you won’t want to escape the splendid aromas of fresh-roasted coffee or just-baked bread. Bordering Downtown, this neighborhood is pure Pittsburgh.
Fresh-roasted coffee? Just-baked bread? Count us in!
We walked down the North Shore section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, crossed one of the many bridges over the Allegheny River, and found ourselves on the Strip (all told, it was about a mile walk).
It was a gorgeous day, so we had plenty of company as we made our way past vendors, stores and stalls selling all kinds of delightful stuff. Fresh vegetables, clothes, shoes, jewelry – it was all there for the perusing.
But we were on a mission. A mission of the best kind: a bread and coffee mission.
We popped into an Italian market for some fresh-baked ciabatta that was lucky to get home without being completely devoured. Next door at Stamooli’s we grabbed some cheese and olives.
With these essential items in hand, we were off to La Prima for some high-quality coffee. Zeke had a mocha latte, I went with the traditional macchiato; both were as fantastic as they look.
Fueled up with caffeine, we made our way back toward home, stopping to grab some fresh strawberries and cherry tomatoes from the vegetable stand and a vendor’s very last, perfectly warm pepperoni roll – which I taste-tested on the spot.
You can probably tell we had a great afternoon. We’ll be back to the Strip (on the Strip?) soon, for sure. It certainly lived up to Visit Pittsburgh’s summary:
Gritty and authentic. Bursting with local flavor. No pretense, no fluff. Just plain good.
nokidswilltravel 