Weekend in Pittsburgh-draft

The beginning of summer has been a complete and total whirlwind. Can you believe it’s already July? Once upon a time I was excited for what the season held in the way of birthdays, beaches and barbecues. As temperatures rise, I find I’m no longer a fan of heat and look forward to brief trips to reset my focus and well-being.
Last weekend was a 48-hour getaway to Pittsburgh in order to spend time with family and enjoy local food.  

A few pieces of art from The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. The gallery holds an extensive permanent collection of Warhol’s art and the archives are every artist dream. I completely enjoyed perusing the library [from a distance] that contained newspapers, magazines, catalogs from shows and the artwork from others.

There’s nothing like a popping into to the Oakmont Bakery for a loaves of “cranberry raisin bread,” and “chocolate cherry bread,” chocolate coconut cookies or a coffee cake for breakfast. It’s the perfect place to get ideas for parties, tea’s or for those private moments when you want a treat.

Lunch was on the Strip at Luke Wholey’s Wild Alaskan Grille for the most marvelous seafood and their Standard Bloody Mary. This drink was comprised of Skyy Vodka, a large Old Bay steamed shrimp, a thick slice of brown sugar candied thick bacon and are you ready for the pièce de resistance …… a softshell crab next to the pickle, olives and celery. It was a complete meal.

The Strip District is a vibrant mix of old-style grocers and gourmet food shops, street stands, classic Italian style eateries and Asian cuisine. This half mile area is between the Allegheny River and the hill of a mountain, creating a narrow strip of land for shopping and dining.

Travel stylishly,
Kathleen

City of Lights

The spacious rooms at the Hôtel Du Louvre are a true haven after day of serious walking and sight-seeing. The hôtel is an inviting place to return to so one may relax and contemplate in the very heart of the City of Lights. Our room overlooked the l ’Opera, which is lit up each evening as if by the magic of nightfall. Hôtel Du Louvre Place André Malraux, 75001 Paris, France +33 1 73 11 12 34

The Brasserie du Louvre is typically Parisian in atmosphere and the décor is faithful to vintage French bistros: red seats, black and white checkered floor, and white tablecloths. After a half of day of traveling, then trekking an hour from the airport it was an absolute treat to have this establishment in our hôtel.

The relaxed setting with extremely long menus made it hard to decide what to eat for dinner. But no matter where I am in this city I always enjoy a fragrant bowl of French onion soup with sherry, Gruyère cheese, and fresh thyme.

Our waiter Benoit de-boned our Sole Meunière at the table, which is sole fillets dredged in a bit of flour, pan fried in butter and served with lemon!!!

Doors from a display in the Louvre, can you imagine these lovely items in your home…possibly to partition off a living area?


Walking from the La Porte de l’Enfer or Gates of Hell, that depicts a scene from Dante’s Infereno at the Musée Rodin.

The Musée Rodin
77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France

Enjoying a glass of wine after a day at the Musée Rodin and the Louvre.

Kathleen