Blog Days of Summer Picnic in Pittsburgh

The drive from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh was supposed to take a little under 5 hours, but it took us 6 hours due to one of the tunnels being half closed for construction. And man, does Pennsylvania have a lot of tunnels. The drive across the state was torturous at times. It was a lot of long stretches of highway in the middle of nowhere with exits that are miles apart. Living in New England has given me a case of the small state syndrome where I'm used to exits going quickly by and being in a new state within an hour of driving in pretty much any direction. So for me, driving through Pennsylvania felt like an eternity sometimes! Nadia and I eventually reached our destination (the hotel) at around 11 at night. We went to bed that night excited for the festivities of the meet up the next day!

The first stop for the meet up was Grandview Park for a picnic where everyone brought something yummy to share! I ended up bringing PB&J fixin's while the other girls brought pasta salad and potato salad, cookies, Chex mix and apples. Katherine (Of Corgis & Cocktails) was the first person there, with Nadia and I getting there next. The park had such a beautiful view of Pittsburgh! Also, the weather was amazing, although I ended up getting some sunburn. It's probably because the park was in such a high place. There were so many hills we had to go up to get to it!

[Katherine and I!]

Jackie (Jade & Oak) showed up for a little while to say hello before she had another event to go to. The four of us chatted for a while and took in the views. Katherine took a lot of my outfit pictures for me and Nadia took the rest! :) Katie (Beautifully Pure, which is now Wildwood Flower), Hannah (SheddingGlitter), and Laura (Thrifting Through Life) got lost due to construction, traffic, and whatnot, but they finally arrived soon enough and the picnic was in full swing!

[Me, Katie, and Katherine!]

[Katie, Laura, Hannah, Katherine, and I!]

[Katie and I!]

It was so cool and exciting to meet everyone in person. It's funny because you think it might be awkward since you've never actually met these people in real life, but then you meet them and it's like you're just old friends that haven't seen each other in a long time. Since we follow each others blogs and talk online/text a lot, everything just felt natural. It was great! We talked, laughed, took outfit photos, took silly photos, and stuffed our faces full of all the delicious stuff everyone brought. Everyone was so nice and awesome!

[c/o Katherine]

[c/o Katherine]

Because Nadia and I are huge fans of the jumping shot, we suggested that we do a group one. It took a lot of tries, but we finally got one where everyone was in the air, thanks to Katherine's tripod/camera setup and skills! :)

[c/o Katherine]

We spent a good four hours at the park just hanging out and chatting it up. Afterwards we headed downtown to do some shopping on Walnut Street, which is the cute little strip of shops, restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, there was a parking issue since the street was being closed so that they could have live bands and vendors set up for some sort of event they have. Actually, parking seemed to be the major issue when it came to Pittsburgh in general. It was really busy wherever we went and it was hard to find parking! We managed, though. The meter system there is weird to me. They have these kiosks where you just punch in your license plate number and then put in your money. I'm so used to the meter being by the spot and just putting your change in!

[Check out my supah veins]

Dress w/ belt: Freeway via Unique Vintage//Shoes: Clarks//Sunglasses: H&M

After going in a few of the shops, it was time to head to Verde where we had reservations for dinner. When we got there, I instantly loved the place. It had a very open feel to it with a giant garage door open that led to a little outdoor patio seating area. Julie from Orchid Grey couldn't come to the picnic, but she met up with us at the restaurant and it was really great to meet her! She was super nice, and she was really helpful when it came to places in the area since she lives in Pittsburgh.

I got chicken enchiladas for dinner, and they were amazing. It was probably one of the best mexican dishes I've ever tasted. And the portions were perfect, too. Usually when I go out for mexican food they give you huge portions that make you feel like you're going to die afterwards, but this was just the right amount of food. Between the amazing food and the great conversations, I left the restaurant very satisfied.

Afterwards, Nadia, Katherine and I decided to try out a local bar called 1947 Tavern. Katherine ended up getting lost because she couldn't find parking, so Nadia and I weren't sure if we wanted to stay or not. We ended up sticking around mostly because we felt obligated and pressured to get something after sitting there for so long. The atmosphere was nice and the staff was also friendly, but it seemed like they were trying to sell us drinks rather than just taking our order. Nadia gave in and ended up ordering something, but I didn't really want anything. The bartender asked me if I wanted water, and I said no. He then proceeded to tell me that he'd get in trouble if I didn't have something in front of me and that he was going to bring me a water anyway. He told me I didn't have to drink it, though. So odd. It seemed like a very high-pressure place, but like I said, the atmosphere was pretty cool.

The first day of the meet up was a success, even though there were minor snags in the plans here and there. It's all part of the adventure, and the most important thing was that everyone was there together and we were all able to enjoy each others' company!