Beautiful Pittsburgh Weekend!

Hey guys! Hopefully you all have had an amazing weekend, whether it was in Pittsburgh enjoying the finally tolerable weather,  at home visiting family, in some other chic city, or if you are like some of my amazing friends, overseas!

Speaking of other countries, surprisingly one of my favorite meals in Paris was not a French dish from a chic bistro, but was cooked up by my yaya Megan for a picnic we had in Trocodero, overlooking the Eiffle Tower and the beautiful Seine (hard life, right?). The company and views would have been enough to have the most memorable night, but the sandwiches Megan made (and transported on the dirty metro on one of Madam's fancy plates) really tied it all together! Since the big WYEP Summer Music Festival was Friday night, I thought this would be the perfect occasion to try my hand at the sandwiches myself. They are called Caponata Picnic Sandwiches and may very well be the best vegetarian sandwich EVER! The ingredients were super simple, mostly found in my cabinets or fridge, or pretty cheap at Trader Joe's (except raisins, which were quite expensive and in bulk, so I traded them in for some Puffins, which if you haven't tried will surely change your life). By the time my brother and mom showed up at my apartment, the vegetables were all cooked, and ready to go! With my brother's help doing an AMAZINGG job toasting the bread (my broiler reminds me of a modern depiction of hell, so I stay clear when I can) while taking the pictures below, we hobbled down with picnic baskets and coolers in hand and spent a beautiful night in Shenley Plaza enjoying the good weather and free music.My dad mentioned how, if I was still going to medical school in Philadelphia, this would have been one of my last summer nights in Oakland, and looking around after I was SO glad that wasn't the case! Despite living here my whole life, Pittsburgh continues to entertain and surprise me.

Nothing beats fresh vegetables, garlic bread, and mozzarella cheese.

Maybe I should have given him my other camera sooner!

Like today! Although I am sure in larger cities there are constantly things to do, I am definitely impressed with all the free things little ol' Pittsburgh was offering on a Sunday! This morning I cruised some hot yoga at Moonglow Studio in the Strip District, which holds free, but still challenging, classes on Sundays this summer! Not only was it a legit session in a beautiful studio, but the instructor also mentioned how there was a festival happening on the streets below. The Strip is definitely an area of Pittsburgh I want to use more of!

After showering off at home, I met up with my mom and went to the Yart Sale at Mellon Park, where artists, schools, and vendors gather and sell ceramics, paintings, and all sorts of creations SUPER CHEAP! Usually my mom and I hit up the CCAC tent, but this time lucked out at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts tent where we got free buttons, lemonaide, and 3 for 5$ deal on all sorts of ceramics that people made and never came back to retrieve! We rescued many orphan bowls, one of which livens up my kitchen table and the other will hopefully brighten a friend's day :)

You'd think two free things in one day would be enough (cantstopwontstop), but after energizing up on some vegetable stir fry, I am about to head out to one of the free movies on Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park. Tonight's Puss in Boots, so we will likely be surrounded by little kids up past their bedtimes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited :)