Pittsburgh or Bust

Earlier this week, Kimberlite and I returned home from our first vacation in several years. Our end destination was a wedding in Pittsburgh, and instead of flying in and out we decided to turn the excursion into a week-and-a-half road trip. Avoiding airport stress and having the time and freedom to go wherever we wanted? Sign me up.

This was an amazing choice that enabled us to explore the Midwest/Appalachia in greater depth. In total, we visited eight cities/towns in five states. If you find yourself in any of these locales, I hope this write-up gives you some good ideas for where to go. (If you don’t want to read my full list of adventures, scroll to the bottom for the highlights.)

Madison, WI

• Forage Kitchen – Our first lunch break of the drive, where we caught up with my friend who lives in Madison. I’m used to stopping at the closest McDonald’s on road trips, and this was a significant upgrade. Kimberlite is vegetarian, and Forage had plenty of options for both of us. I had a hearty chicken Caesar salad, and the croutons were homemade with sourdough bread. Such a good meal, and it was also good to see my friend.

Chicago, IL

• Ghareeb Nawaz, University of Illinois Chicago location – We met up here with friends on our first night in Chicago. I was very pleased with my chicken biryani and garlic naan. The portions are hearty, the food tasty, and the prices are extremely reasonable.
• KURIMU – Our after-dinner dessert destination. (Hooray, alliteration!) This place specializes in soft serve with unique flavors. Kimberlite loved the sesame ice cream, while I kept it safe with Oreo cream. The texture and taste were both amazing, and it was a perfect snack to eat while walking around the city.
• The Field Museum – We knew we wanted to visit one of the Museum Campus destinations during our time in Chicago. I’ve been to the Field and felt internal pressure to choose a place I hadn’t visited before, but we ended up revisiting this known favorite. There's so much to love at the Field, but Kimberlite and I spent a lot of time at the evolution of life exhibit that features the skeleton of Sue (one of the largest and most well-preserved T-rex skeletons). I learned so much in this wing of the museum, but my big takeaway is that trilobites are way more complex than I thought.
• Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings – When we started to get hungry, we caught the train to Chinatown for lunch. QXY was pricey, but so worth it! I ordered the steamed beef and onion dumplings and highly recommend them. Also consider ordering a pot of tea; Kimberlite and I split some Thai oolong tea and loved the flavor.
• Ichiban Candy and Snacks – After lunch, we wandered around Chinatown for a while. I wanted some treats to sneak into the movie theater we would visit later (shhhhh), so this was a must-visit. I scored some Pocky, my favorite snack of all time, and some Japanese candies I had never seen before. Every pick was a win; in particular, the Apollo chocolate was delightful.
• The Quandary Escape Rooms – We had a few minutes to kill between lunch and our movie, so Kimberlite and I were eager to participate in one of our favorite hobbies. I loved our time at The Quandary! Our experience was simple compared to rooms with multiple stages, as all the action took place in one small space. The room still contained a wide variety of puzzles that worked all the parts of my brain and were fun to complete. (And yes, we escaped with eight minutes to spare.)
• Music Box Theatre – After our glorious escape, we went to the Music Box Theatre to watch Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me on 35 mm film. I knew this would be an amazing experience when we arrived 20 minutes early to a long line full of people talking in David Lynch voices while dressed in Twin Peaks costumes. My expectations were surpassed when we entered the theater and noticed the detailed Twin Peaks decorations and cherry pie for sale (I was satisfied with my illicit Pocky and cannot say whether or not it was damn fine). I have no words to describe just how happy it made me to watch one of my favorite movies with a bunch of Lynch-heads in such a historic theater. I'm so grateful this fit into our schedule.
• Bodega Sur – We chose Bodega Sur for dinner due to its close proximity to the Music Box. I had the chicken caprese sandwich with fries – my sandwich was yummy; the fries were a little meh. (Kimberlite ordered sweet potato fries that tasted better.) We didn't stay long since it was late and we were tired, but I would eat here again.
• Insomnia Cookies – I know it’s not a staple of Chicago or anything, but I love Insomnia Cookies and we happened to be staying near one. My triple chocolate cookie was the perfect end to a very packed day.

Toledo, OH

• The Garden by Poco Piatti – Another solid lunch option! I built my own bowl that really hit the spot.

Pittsburgh, PA

• Badamo’s – Upon crashing in Pittsburgh after a very long drive from Chicago, I immediately began combing Reddit and Yelp for “best pizza + pittsburgh.” Badamo’s seemed like a nice option, so we ordered a cheese pizza and garlic knots. Everything was so good! I loved the pizza crust, and the garlic knots were top tier. This was true in spite of the food arriving cold; I would love to try it fresh. Guess I'll just have to eat it again the next time I'm in Pittsburgh...
• The Inclines – Once upon a time, many funiculars existed in Pittsburgh (quote Wikipedia, a funicular is “a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope”). Now only two are in operation, and we wanted to ride both. We began our day by riding the Monongahela Incline to the top of Mount Washington and walking along a trail boasting scenic views. Then we walked to the top of Duquesne Incline to ride it back down the mountain. Many websites will warn you not to do this because said walk is very hilly. These websites are correct! We did not have a good time! As for the inclines, I felt like I was riding to the top of a steep roller coaster with no drop at the end. Maybe that sounds boring, but I had a good time and was tempted to ride them up and down multiple times.
• Point State Park – This park marks the spot where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. We spent most of our time here at the on-site Fort Pitt Museum, dedicated to the role the site played in the French Indian War. We also watched the water at the confluence point and checked out the fountain that all the travel websites say to visit. (The fountain is fun to look at, but it didn't knock my socks off or anything like that.)
• Ritual House – Kimberlite and I try to eat one fancy dinner whenever we go on vacation, and this restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh was our pick. I had the wagyu ragu and a cocktail (tequila + many fruit juices + jalapeno garnish and rim of spicy salt). It was a tasty meal, but the portions were quite small. I wouldn’t consider this to be worth the expense.
• National Aviary – We started our second day in Pittsburgh with this incredible experience. There were so many interesting birds to see! Besides watching birds, we added animal encounters to our tickets and were able to pet a sloth and feed colorful lorikeets. I also enjoyed climbing through the observation tunnels that are almost certainly meant for children to get an up-close look at the penguins.
• Mattress Factory Contemporary Art Museum – My friend's wedding venue. A fantastic venue choice, and I appreciated the opportunity to explore the museum without crowds of people. My favorite part was an installation that is in near-total darkness. You walk up a ramp to sit in chairs overlooking… who knows! People report seeing all kinds of different things as their eyes adjust to the (lack of) lighting. The muffled soundtrack of a DJ blasting Justin Bieber two stories below made this a particularly unique experience.

Bear Run/Ohiopyle, PA

• Fallingwater – Fallingwater is a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and it’s an exquisite example of his work. The house sits over a waterfall and is constructed from local materials, exemplifying his philosophy of “organic architecture” that respects the relationship between a building and its place. Our tour of the grounds was extremely insightful, and I enjoyed imagining what it would be like to live there.
• Falls Market Restaurant – When the tour was done, we drove a couple miles to Ohiopyle for lunch. My burger was all right, while my fries were soggy. But, the meal did what it needed to do: fuel us for the next few hours while providing an unbeatable view of the Youghiogheny River as we ate.
• Ohiopyle State Park – After lunch, we left Falls Market and followed the Youghiogheny. This provided us some impressive waterfall views. We then drove to a different part of the park to look at more waterfalls. Reparking then gave us the opportunity to bear witness to the impeccable vibes of someone speeding down the road in a motorcycle while blasting “Zombie” by The Cranberries. I can only aspire to be that cool.

Oberlin, OH

• Oberlin College and Conservatory – I love wandering around a beautiful college campus, of which Oberlin is an exemplar. Unfortunately, my impression of the school was soured when some drunk kid body slammed me on the sidewalk as we walked back to our hotel. Assholes are everywhere, I suppose.
• The Feve – A popular bar just a couple blocks from the college. I was pleased with my caramelized mushroom and onion sandwich and tater tots. (I decided I was done with fries for the remainder of the trip after my two misses.)
• Kim’s Grocery and Carryout – An Asian market that is a great late night snack source. Yes, I picked up more Pocky.
• 1833 Restaurant – This restaurant is connected to the hotel we were staying at, so it was the natural choice for breakfast. I ordered my usual breakfast (eggs, sausage, toast) and was quite happy with the results.

South Bend, IN

• Jimmy John’s – The best vegetarian-friendly fast-ish meal option I could find in South Bend. What can I say, it was a Jimmy John's.
• Notre Dame University – We took our sandwiches to Notre Dame to eat on the lawn. It was a beautiful day to eat outside, and once we were done we poked around campus for a bit. We spent the most time at the Basilica, which was a very moving experience. The artwork and architecture left me awestruck. My favorite college campus I visited on the trip, mostly due to the Basilica and partly due to the fact that nobody body slammed me.

Milwaukee, WI

• Old Town Serbian Gourmet Restaurant – Kimberlite had been here before and told me all about the burek, so I was ready to try some. Burek is a large pastry of various fillings wrapped in layers of filo dough – think spanakopita on steroids. I ordered a cheese burek, but I wish I’d gotten spinach/cheese instead. The cheese-only was a little overpowering, almost eggy. Regardless, it was delicious and provided me with three meals during our time in Milwaukee.
• Burke Brise Soleil at Milwaukee Art Museum – Also known as “the wings,” this is a beautiful pair of screens that opens in the morning, flaps at noon, and closes for the night at 10 p.m. The wings closing is simple, but it's fun to watch. The light hitting the different slats of the screens made them look shimmery and organic, like a big jellyfish.
• Mitchell Park Domes Horticulture Conservatory – The name speaks for itself. This conservatory has three domed buildings organized around different ecosystems: tropical, desert, and floral. Lots of lovely plants, and lots of helpful signage explaining the plants’ habitats and uses. I learned a lot and took many great photos.
• Milwaukee Brat House – Since brats are decidedly not vegetarian, I had given up on my hope of eating a brat in Milwaukee. Happily, we found this restaurant that served Beyond brats for Kimberlite and I was able to make my dreams come true. I ordered – shocker – a brat paired with delicious crispy onion rings. However, my favorite part of the meal was my cocktail (beer + amaretto + orange juice).
• Milwaukee Public Museum – We ate lunch late so we had to speed run this museum before it closed. I wish I could have seen it more fully; I didn’t really process most of what I was looking at other than enjoying the live butterfly room. If you ever find yourself here, I recommend the planetarium show about the air. Whoever produced it clearly had a great time putting it together and it’s extremely cute.
• Kopp’s Frozen Custard – Southern Missouri folks are well aware of Andy’s Frozen Custard, one of the best desserts of all time (in my completely unbiased opinion). I couldn't help comparing Kopp's to my beloved Andy's, and the two are on par with each other. If you're not familiar with Andy's this review is meaningless; just know that Kopp's was delicious. I kept it simple once again with my Oreo sundae. Overall, a perfect snack to end the trip.

Highlights

• Best day – Our full day in Chicago. We packed so many of our favorite things into such a small amount of time. And we got to use a world-class public transportation system to get around to it all!
• Favorite moments – My friend’s wedding and getting to see them in person for the first time in a while, feeding the lorikeets at National Aviary, the Fallingwater tour, watching Fire Walk with Me at the Music Box.
• Worst moment – Definitely getting unexpectedly body slammed at Oberlin. This trip went quite smoothly and we made good selections for our activities, so most everything else was great. If I had to pick a runner-up, it would be the ill-advised walk between Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines.
• Best meal – I ate a lot of good food on this trip and there are many close contenders, but my cocktail and onion rings elevate my lunch at Milwaukee Brat House to the top.
• Best little treat – The Apollo chocolate I picked up at Chinatown in Chicago.
• Best souvenir – The gift shop at Mitchell Park Domes is amazing. One of their staff members is an artist who designed their T-shirts and posters, and I’m in love with my shirt depicting the flower dome as if it were a page in an old book. Unfortunately it's not available online, so you'll have to go to Milwaukee to check it out for yourself.
• Best random encounter – Human: the person blasting “Zombie” from their motorcycle at Ohiopyle. Animal: Vivien the sloth at National Aviary.
• Most inexplicable activity – Visiting four college/university campuses! We had plans to see Oberlin and Notre Dame, but we also ended up staying near University of Illinois Chicago and Community College of Allegheny County (in Chicago and Pittsburgh respectively) and saw a lot of those campuses. It ended up feeling a little uncanny.