TRIP - Pittsburgh & Shopping

We decided to visit Pittsburgh again, but with Wendy & Ella (first visit in 2009), and it was fun and lots of "collections"

Saturday

• Left home @ 11 am to run into 401 WB/EB closure due to accident, for hours 
• Lunch: A&W burger
• Crossing US border @ 1:30pm and waited till 3pm to leave
• Grove City 7-9 pm 

Sunday

• Carnegie Mellon University - commencement
• Cathedral of Learning
• Children Festival walk-around
• Lunch: Primanti Brothers $30
• Station Square
• Ducky Tours 4:30pm-6pm
• Back to hotel to rest
• Incline for night view

Monday

• Left for Ross Park @ 10:30 am
• Lunch: Cheesecake Factory $50
• Grove City 2:30-6pm
• Erie - Millcreek Mall 7-9pm
• Dinner: TGIF $50
• Left Erie Country Inn @ 11pm
• Crossed Canadian border ~12am
• Checked in Radisson Niagara & left ~1 am
• Got home 2:30 am

Expenses
Shopping ~$900 ($300 in Shoes, $200 sunglass, $300 in clothes)
Dining $152
Gas $140
Hotel $411
Total:  ~$1600 CAD (+ Tiffany $550)

Pittsburgh

Victorida Day long weekend was coming so I decided to plan a road trip to somewhere in the US (because it is not long weekend in US). Started with Washington DC with 2, then 4, then 6, and then back to 2. As the 10 hour overnight drive will be harsh for 2 drivers, I ended up picking the closer 5.5 hours Pittsburgh for the destination.

Now back from the trip, I fell in love with the city for many reasons

• It is a university town (4, especially CMU and UPittsburgh), filled with students and alive!
• It has beautiful, I mean really beatiful skyline, day and night
• 3 rivers cross at Pittsburgh, hence so many bridges, who wouldn't love the rivers
• The city is very safe, and friendly people all around
• Many museums courtesy of Carnegie family, and they were decent (except maybe Andy Warhol)

Itinerary

May 16, 2009 Day 1 Saturday

• Carnegie Mellon University - beautiful campus, and it was commencement weekend
• University of Pittsburgh (Cathedral of Learning) - astonishing Catheral building
• Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History $30 - decent, New York one is better
• Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art - so so, MOMA much better
• Pittsburgh Pirates vs Colorado Rockies baseball game @ PNC Park $20+$10 parking
• Travelzoo 50% off tickets still wasted after rain delay (left the game at 9 pm)
• PNC Park was very beautiful
• Pittsburgh Southside Works - 45 minutes wait for Cheesecake Factory, no thanks
• Lunch: Primanti Brothers $15 - BIG sandwich
• Dinner: Tusca Global Tapas $35 - SMALL tapas, they really meant small
• Hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport $50 - hotel in the middle of nowhere

May 17, 2009 Day 2 Sunday

• Duquesne Incline $6 - cool
• Station Square - shopping/dining district, lovely to walk around
• Andy Warhol Museum $30 - disappointment, 40% of museum is under renovation
• Downtown Pittsburgh walkaround - small downtown really, lovely skyscrapers
• Lunch: Joe's Crab Shack $50
• Dinner: Marriott concierge
• Hotel: Marriot Pittsburgh City Center $60
• Loved Priceline. $60 + Marriott Gold = top floor, great view facing the Mellon arena, concierage level with complimentary food and breakfast

May 18, 2009 Day 3 Monday

• Fallingwater - Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, “Fallingwater”, house built on the fall $40
• Prime Outlet Grove City shopping $350 - Coach Coach
• Dinner: Cheesecake Factory at Buffalo Walden Galleria mall $35 - my love for CF continues

Final cost is about $1000 CAD, scary for 2 because there is no one to split with :)
Breakdown:

• Tickets ~$200
• Dining ~$150
• Hotel ~$200
• Shopping $400 ($350 Coach)
• Parking & etc $50