More fun at the zoo

Tiger close up
Originally uploaded by carlyq80

I have tried a couple of times to upload photos directly into Blogger, because that's what I'm in the mood to do right now, and it won't have it.

So about 15 of my other zoo pictures are on my flickr feed ... please go and take a look... and OKAY INTERNET, I WILL GO OUTSIDE AND WALK IN THE SUNSHINE NOW..... if I must...

Living in the Pitt

So the objective of the trip to Pittsburgh was to find an apartment for my travel companions. They found one, but I had my eye on a few others.... not that I am running away from home any time soon of course!!!

This house is not even for sale but I loved it. I could just imagine my baby grand piano in the parlor and the art room up in the attic. (What? No, I don't have a baby grand... yet...)

This next photo was an apartment we actually looked at for TC's to consider. The kitchen was just insane for a one bedroom apartment - it had a wine fridge and full size appliances. You can't even see half of the cabinetry in the shot below. There's also a little area off to the right where a very small table could go for a breakfast area. Unfortunately, to get to this apartment you had to go through the lobby (with a scary spiral staircase open to the basement) and up a winding flight of stairs, or you could go up the back staircase outside the house, stand on the deck (it had a deck!!! I loved it) and then break into the bedroom. I mean, walk into the bedroom.

This one we called the Dino place. (See, the arrow? It's a dinosaur...I don't get it either... ) Do not adjust your monitor - the sheer awesomeness of perhaps living in a purple and yellow apartment building made us call. The owner or agent did not call us back.

Last, the schoolhouse... this has been converted to apartments. Not surprising... no vacancies. But it would be cool to live here. On a quiet day you can probably still hear little voices echoing.

I think I'm finally done talking about Pittsburgh... until I go again....

Bigger move

So while we were in Pittsburgh we went by the new Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh several times. Go figure ;-)

What I want you to think about is this: in a timeframe of ONE day, (this Saturday), they are going to move 150 patients from the OLD hospital to the NEW hospital. In one day. Mull over the planning and drills and trying to sleep nights if you are on the team....

Maybe some time in the Healing Garden will help everyone feel better afterward.

Sunday art, Pittsburgh style

It's been a while since I did a Sunday Art posting; I wanted to share some of the cool murals in Pittsburgh with my five readers ;-)

This was my best shot. So many of the murals were in places we drove by in heavy traffic, but I did get a clear shot here.

Then we have the bride,

(I got better angles, but those shots had cars and streetlight poles in the way. )

Next we have the funky mother earth mural

...which has text in the lower corner about Sprout Public Art, which seems to be the source of the funding, but I had trouble finding specifics online.

Here, we go Asian...

and lastly... sports. This is on the side of a tavern, (that's the name, in red) and has the arenas for the teams. Crazy sports fans here.... it was definitely fun watching a Pens game (we weren't at this bar though, for the game)

Enjoy your day everyone!

The meaner streets of Pittsburgh

Food. Everywhere. Big hearty fries, and beer and wings, and pierogies, and.... well, this:

Let's break this picture* down so that you get the FULL story:

• Coldstone Creamery. http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/ Ice cream with candy and cookies and small baby feet and whatever else they can find in that irresistable vein, mixed in. And apparently they make cakes now... that fine print under the cake says, "Layers of moist devil's food cake & chocolate ice cream wrapped in a rich fudge ganache." That's pretty much evil. Your cheeks will plump up just reading that description, my friends.
  
• Curves! http://www.curves.com/ (Official voice: A Curves 30 minute fitness center is a woman’s gym that provides a total body workout. With both aerobic exercise for weight loss and strength training for toned muscles...etc) Curves is a gym that is targeted toward gym-a-phobic women who just want to get in better shape without Steroid Fabulous Guy sweating all over the equipment before they use it. So they have to walk by the Coldstone Creamery to get to the gym to try to get skinny. It's just mean.
  
• Hmm, maybe they can walk around the block the other way. Nope. Because on the far right there? That little sign, "Dozen" ? THAT'S A CUPCAKE STORE. No lie. http://www.dozencupcakes.com/ Game over.

Okay - be honest - how many of you were tempted to click on the ice cream link, or the cuppy-cakes, and not the gym? Don't lie, sitemeter will tell me EVERYTHING.

(By the way Suzy, we're going to Dozen next time I come down there. Seriously. Orange chocolate, carrot cake AND red velvet please!)

*Pardonnez-moi, the picture is crappy because I took it from the car window. While laughing.

Pitt Recaps, continued: Primanti

So the Boyfriend would not let me buy any meals while we were in Pittsburgh. He treated us to a sandwich at Primanti's, which is apparently a Pittsburgh classic... like a bagel in Manhattan.

I think we were at Oakland, but I'd have to ask. So I guess you'll never know. Ha!

The menu offers various meat sandwiches, with this little beauty posted alongside:

That's right, fries. In the sandwich. Real fries. Not that skinny floppy stuff that McDonald's puts out with an overhyped Fillet-0-fish. This is REAL food.

Be ready for a moment of hushed awe when your sandwich arrives. It's BIG. (TWSS)

You must squish it like so... and then not put it down, once you pick it up. Yummy! You won't want to put it down. Inhale. Exhale. Eat. Enjoy.

HBQ's

Just a little setup info required here. Stay with me.

While I am in Pitt with Suzy and the Boyfriend, we are staying with his sister and her family. The three year old is endlessly energetic and hysterically funny. The baby is content to be held and snuggled and watch his sibling tear up the place.

The B's Sister leaves the half bath fan on to make white noise to help the baby sleep (right overhead). We are sleeping on couches and an air mattress in the living room.

This morning I saw Suzy get up, pick up a few things and leave the living room to wash her face.

Ten minutes later I opened one eye as the Boyfriend got up, walked into the half bath and shut the door. I immediately freaked thinking "ewww, they are Doing It in there. "

I spent five or ten minutes arranging myself to pretend that I was still asleep, or maybe even dead. Trying not to think of the contortional logistics of Half Bath Quickies and being really, really grateful for the white noise.

Boyfriend came out and went back to the couch. I "woke up", sat up, .... and then saw my sister coming DOWN from the upstairs bath.... she had been in the shower - not in the half bath with him.

Relief. And a really, really good laugh for all of us later. (The concept of Half Bath Quickies really gross nurses out, for the record. )


Carly(via Blackberry)

Bridges, get your bridges here

It's rainnnnning in Pittsburgh....

Carly(via Blackberry)