The incoming MSTP students, me, Josiah and Taylor down by the Polish Deli!

Peace, Love and Little Donuts!  Yeah, one is covered in bacon.

Yes, I admit... I don't get nearly enough utility out of the excellent shops and cheap stuff down in the Strip District.  Every time I go down there, I ask myself why it has been so long since the last trip down Liberty Ave.  Maybe it's because I'm rarely out and about on weekends, they are usually the few days that I take to catch up on life or head home to visit family!

This one is for you Lyssa...

My first trip down there was with the newly minted MSTP students!  We have six new students joining the program this year, and I think it's always very important to show them the Strip District early in their Pittsburgh days!  Hopefully they take more advantage of the gem more than I am able to!  It was fun to hang out with the new students and get to know one another!  We found some great shops and the weather was beautiful!

Paul and I out for our Sunday Date!

Inspired by the recent trip with the incoming students, I thought it would be great to drag Paul down to the Strip District to celebrate one of the few weekends we have together in Pittsburgh this summer.  We are both running around like crazy with weddings and other activities, that it was such a relief to be able to spend some quality time together.  We had ourselves a little "day date"!

We started off with mass and then got a few treats at the Bagel Factory for lunch.  It was real warm out so, we quickly got into the car to talk an afternoon stroll through the strip district in search of some cheap groceries!

aren't you adorable...?

The public market with local shops! I'll bite...

You can never go wrong with the oils and vinegars - so delicious!

I love the Strip District's character... beautiful.

We definitely found the jackpot and made some impulse purchases!  Paul bought a massive Salmon fillet for $8!  AWESOME.  To top off our seafood kick, we finished the purchase with some king crab legs and a lobster tail!  I thought it was only best to whip it up fresh and have it for dinner... Wow, I was definitely right about the fresh preparations, because the food was excellent!

Making our way back to the car after a haul of groceries!

Puru's house... Such a beautiful apartment complex!

Paul was cracking open the crab with a kitchen scissors in danger of cutting off his finger...  We decided that going back for seafood at Wholey Seafood is a must and a great way to introduce out of town guests to the gems of Pittsburgh and the fine eating that you can do it every corner of the city!  All in all, it was an excellent day date, and something worth repeating in the very near future!

Um, can you say YUM? Makes me wan to go on a cruise!