Northpark Lounge

In Pittsburgh, we have a restaurant chain called Northpark Lounge. They have really good bar food and big salads and soups. It’s a chain so there are five locations around Pittsburgh. 

This location near McKnight Road did something really neat when Covid started! They created a whole outdoor, socially distant dining experience!! So you know we had to go check it out!!!

Last week I met up with two girlfriends of mine. We used to do all kinds of volunteer work together for CysticFibrosis but alas, due to Covid, we haven’t had any fundraisers to volunteer at this year. We have a meeting about once a month for dinners just to keep in touch. Here is the view of the greenhouses from the parking lot. Sooo cute!

There is between 8 and 10 of these little green houses outside of the building. There’s a picnic table inside each greenhouse so your little group is socially distance from everyone else. They’re cleaned every time someone new moves into them. They also have a 90 minute time limit to keep people from sitting in them for excessive length of time and not allowing others a chance to dine there. Along with the houses, They have also set up a ton of other picnic tables and chairs outside of the restaurants there are many options to eat outside there.

I should have taken a picture of our food because it looked and tasted amazing!  We all got very different things but they were all delicious!

And here we are!!! As you can see my weight has skyrocketed during Covid but I am working on getting it under control ASAP. At least it is headed in the right direction now. Ugh-I think it is officially a lifelong battle! Ha! Ha!

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area you should definitely check this out. It’s a lot of fun and a great way stay safe while eating out!

So, I am trying to stay positive and also trying to stay busy and keep up with friends. I have a few interviews scheduled and I will definitely keep you guys up-to-date on what happens.

I’m so happy to be back with you all in blogging again! Hugs to each and everyone of you and stay safe out there!

Dinner Out with Friends

I am happy to report that I finally went out to dinner with friends for the very first time in months the other night!!! It has been so long since I had a night dinner out with friends. (Side note - restaurants here in Southwestern PA are again closed so it's good we got it in before they closed again - HA!)

I met up with two of my favorite people; Kathy and Carol.

We met up at the Walnut Grille in Fox Chapel. This required me to drive over the rivers in Pittsburgh and head to the "other side of the city" from The South Hills. If you live in Pittsburgh you know what I mean.

We rarely travel over the river to other areas - HA!

here we are in our outdoor seating on the patio. Now masks were required when you got to you table outdoors. We did however keep social distance and no hugging....sadly! I felt super safe though.

Carol brought Kathy and I a birthday cake! Mine was in May and Kathy in June. We had not been able to get together since February!!! WOW! She is sooo super thoughtful - it was delicious!

One more picture before parting ways. Dinner lasted for 4 hours - we had so much to catch up on!!  I love these ladies!!! We are planning a Top Golf ladies get together at the end of July if it is still open then - fingers crossed.

That day I got new masks from my company. They sent each employee two and they are super comfy - thanks Bayer!! I am going to be so sad when my time there is over - it's getting closer every day :-(

I hope everyone is happy and safe!!

Thanks for stopping by and HUGE HUGS TO EVERYONE!!

Have you eaten out in a restaurant yet? Have you met up with friends at all? Did you feel safe? Do you know anyone that has been infected with Covid 19? Are you safe and well? How are you feeling today?

Steelers vs Colts

Happy Wednesday ya'll!!!

Thank you all for weighing in on my latest dilemma...I swear it is ALWAYS something.

Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the Steelers game (we played the Colts) with my friend from work Kathy! I was such a great day for a game!!!! Chilly but no rain or snow in the forecast!!!

We met up with my sister for lunch near the stadium.  She came with her husband, my nephew Matthew and his girlfriend. We decided to try out  a new place for lunch called Southern Tier Brewery. We put or names on the wait list and they said 1/2 hour. We waited 45 minutes and then started getting a little angry.  After another 15 minutes we were finally seated.  The problem is that it is so close to the stadium that people eat and then sit and drink beer until the game start so it took forever. But...finally we were seated.  They have a very limited menu on game day - about 20 items total including food, salads and appetizers. The food was just okay so I don't think we will go here again. Not worth that long wait and they really need to estimate the waiting time better even if it is a game day!

Here we are walking up to our seats...I love that huge Steeler logo banner!

And, of course, the selfie in the seats! Kathy is a great friend and I have so much fun with her!!!

Here is what we do at Heinz Field every game. Before the coin toss they spread out a huge terrible towel as they announce the players!!! It is so cool to watch and you can put your name in a raffle to be selected to be one of the people holding the towel on the field - I have never won :-(

This is the BEST part of the hone games in my eyes!!!! When the defense needs charged up, once a game, they play renegade!!! Everyone sings along and waves their terrible towels!! It is so fun and such high energy!!! LOVE IT!!!

So, in the end, we won!!! It came down to the last few minutes and everyone around us was saying it was over but I kept saying "anything can happen" and it did!  Here is the last 6 minutes summary...

"Steelers settling for another field goal to make the score 26-24 with 6:36 left in regulation.

Both team exchanged punts before the Colts got the football back with 2:28 left in regulation trailing by two points and only one timeout remaining. On 3rd down Hoyer threw deep, and although it looked like the pass wasn’t catchable, defensive pass interference was the call giving Indianapolis the first down and great field position.

With a 43-yard field and 1:11 left in the game, the Colts missed the field goal to give the Steelers a 26-24 win.

The win moves the Steelers’ record to 4-4, and their third straight win."

All in all it was a great game!!! Thank you to Kathy for taking me along!!

Don't you love a good game? Who do you cheer for?

That Weekend When Summer Came Back

Happy Monday ya'll!! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did! I love Summer and apparently it came back in Pennsylvania!

I was planning to go up to my parents at the lake but left my swimsuit at home because I thought the lake water would be freezing and there would be no use for it.

Well.....that was NOT the case! I got there and the weather became gorgeous!!! It was in the high 70's all weekend and the lake water was SOOOO warm!!!!!

 

I arrived Friday night to help my parents with their "test" fish fry at their Parrish. The Parrish built a new recreation hall and the wanted to do a test fish fry to make sure all the equipment and everything works the way it is supposed to prior to the next REAL fish fry they will have there.

 

Here is the picture before hand...this is all the volunteer workers.

 

Here is the ToGo station all ready...

 

 

Here is the line when we opened the door. It was only for friends and family of the volunteer workers as it was a test run...

 

 

Little taste testing….

 

 

 

And a picture when it was over...we sang to my parents and two other volunteers that had birthdays in the month of September.  Such a fun and successful first run!!!! It went great!

 

My niece and nephew bought this game for my Mom for her birthday because they thought it is was funny!! It is called Pimple Popper!!! ICK!!! My sister and niece played it before dinner on Saturday.

 

On Saturday we decided we needed to have some fun in the water!

Walking down to the water, I was cracking up watching my parents cats Sami stalking his prey. he catches at least on little animal a day...it is soooo gross! He does not eat them; he just brings them to my parents feet dead and gross! UGH! But he thinks he is earning his keep as he really is a country cat! Here he is in action! He catches squirrels, chipmunk, moles and even a bird every now and then. It makes me sad but my parents say it is in his blood.

 

Here is the view of the lake this weekend...it was so still and pretty!!

So, Aly started tubing alone...

And my Mom drove and sister spotted...

And then I hopped on...it was a great day!!! We bit it sooo many times on the tube...it was really fun being the only boat on the lake!

I drove home Saturday night to go to the Steelers Home Opener on Sunday!!! YAY!  I sent my friend in San Diego, CA a Steelers cheerleader outfit for her adorable daughter Nena (Charlotte Magdalena) and she sent me this pic early Sunday morning!!! Sooo cute!!!

I was going with a friend on mine but we met up with my family before the game for a quick lunch!  From left to right....my older sister; my nephew Matt, then little guy is nephew Ryan, then brother in law Steve, then niece Jessica, then brother in law Dan! I love my family and I love that we make time to meet up whenever we can!!!!

And this is me and Kathy (the friend that invited me to the game). Thanks for the invite Kathy! I love hanging out with her - she is a blast!

Here is a picture of me and my sister. This one was when we were walking to the stadium, Heinz Field before the game.

And here is my sisters family in one...what a cute family, hugh? I may be partial...HA!

 

One of my favorite layers is JuJu and he has the cutest dog! This is his dog with his girlfriend that e sees at the dog park....too cute, right??!?!?

Sadly, my team lost on Sunday so that was a tad depressing but it is just a game, right? Better luck next week!!!

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as I did.

Have a fantastic week!!

Do you attend fish fry's in your area?Are you boycotting the NFL? Do you like to go to sporting events? Who is your favorite football team?  Are you sick of summer and ready for Fall?

A Visit to Phipps Conservancy and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh

Good morning and happy Monday to everyone!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mine consisted of hanging out at home and snuggling with my cats and then a few visits with friends!!!

There is nothing better than that!!!!

On Friday night I met up with of my very favorite friends to visit a Pittsburgh attraction!! In all the years I have lived here in Pittsburgh, there are a bunch of attractions that my friends or myself have never been to. We have made a plan to get to all of these places over the next few months and I am so excited!!! 

The first place on our list is Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens!  My friends have been there but I had not. We learned that it was the annual orchid display so we made a date for Friday night!

When I arrived, I parked in the middle island outside the venue (the parking is free there and very convenient).  This is Phipps from the outside. We met in the lobby and ate at the restaurant there in Phipps. It is all very delicious food. I had the salmon salad and it was amazing!

Then we walked through the venue! There were soooo many beautiful orchids!!!

We loved these little hanging globes!!! As we were discussing how we could recreate these; a woman that worked there came up to us and explained how to make our own (I am going to try it and use it as a future post). She also offered to walk with us as a "tour guide". It was great! She was soooo knowledgeable about every plant and orchid! She was lovely!!! 

A super cool plant that looks like a turtle - what?!?!

This photo is a photo of the oldest plant at Phipps!!! It was brought in 1893!!! It is a type of palm tree that was purchased at the World's Fair that year and was the first plant at Phipps!!! So cool!!!!

And this is that same plant looking upwards!!! Such amazing history!!!

This is a tiny replica (with a train running around it) of the original Phipps

I can not live with this tree in my life!!! Ahhhhhh...

Bananas!!!! I saw one of the in the wild in Hawaii!!! Our "tour guide" explained that it only takes 18 months for a shoot to turn into this size banana tree!!! If you live in warm climate- get yourself a banana tree - they grow fruit quickly!!!

I had to take a picture of this!!! I want a clipping from this tree and I want to try to grow it indoors at home! We ate these in Hawaii right off of a tree when we were ziplining and they are so yummy!!!  The "tour guide" sadi I should call and ask for one...I am going to give it a shot!!! PS - I keep saying "tour guide" because I unfortunately can not remember her name!!

This is jasmine...it smelled awesome!!!

More orchids...I loved these striped ones!!!

Such cute displays everywhere - even hanging above all over!!!

This is the main lobby after you enter the gardens...this is our little group (L to R...Me, Carol, our new friend and tour guide and Kathy) ...Please excuse this awful picture of me!! Goodness I need to lose this extra weight!! UGH!

Beautiful...

This gentleman donated and dedicated an entire room to his daughter that is there  all year round and they just happen the make the best chocolate in the world - Sarris Candies!!!!

 Nature is so cool...

 A cute little bonsai tree that grows oranges!!!

As we were leaving I got this shot of the building at night - cool, hugh?

It was a great night with such good friends!! I cannot wait for our next adventure!!!

Have a great day!

What is your favorite flower? How was your weekend? What is your favorite candy?