What a Day to Celebrate the Earth!

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Sarah S.

I’ve been celebrating Earth Day with a month of car free Fridays, but today I also made a point of taking my run outside (despite the heavy wind and dipping temps). I chose a stretch of the Three Rivers Heritage Trial located on the South Side. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the trails so clean! The crowds of volunteers picking up trash and debris from the river front was a happy sight.

I also had the privilege of running through eagle territory. Yes, there are real life eagles in the middle of my city. I’ve seen a pair of baby bald eagles on one of my runs last week, and now that the word has gotten out about our native eagle family, pedestrians and cyclists slow down to stare expectantly up into the wooded hillside along a now designated “eagle viewing area.”

And there was also that moment when the sun’s setting rays caught the bridges. Sometimes, I can catch that one second when the bridges glow golden with the filtered light. Unfortunately, my camera was too slow. You’ll just have to come to Pittsburgh to see the sight for yourself.

How did you celebrate Mother Earth today?

Cheers!

Sarah

One Does Not Simply (Run) Into Mordor

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Sarah S.

19 days and counting.

That’s a mere nineteen days until the Pittsburgh Marathon, when I will run (and admittedly, thanks to a persisting leg injury, walk) 26.2 miles. This will be my second full marathon, but the journey has been no less challenging and no less exhilarating. I completed a 20 mile run (!) this past weekend and will (THANK GOD) begin to taper starting this week. But don’t let that fool you, my taper includes a 16 mile run this weekend. 🙂

But what’s running for four hours straight anyway? To those who have never experienced it, I like to describe it as no different that doing any one thing for hours on end. At a certain point you just keep going and going. You stop thinking about the action.

To me, it’s not unlike trying to read the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy in one sitting. At some point, eating and going to the bathroom become second priorities to finding out what happens to your beloved characters. Usually, you enjoy the ride, but at some point the battle scenes start to feel too long and your eyes begin to glaze over the lyrics to another one of Tolkein’s songs. But you just keep reading.

After all, Frodo throwing the ring into the firry pit is obviously the objective, but becoming a spectator to the battle of Helm’s Deep or a sighing over a smoldering love affair between Arwen and Aragorn or witnessing Frodo and Sam hiding among the rocks in Mordor FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME was part of the journey. You can’t really get to Mordor without it.

Did I really just describe the marathon finish line as Mordor?!

Well, hell, it basically is. There’s just a lot more cheering and a lot less fire. But in the end, you sure do feel like you just saved the Shire.

Cheers!

Sarah

“It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing.”

Celebrating Earth Day: Car Free Fridays

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Sarah S.

Photo courtesy of madaboutbike.com

Last Friday I left work at the usual time, climbed into my car, and then waited through heavy Pittsburgh traffic for the next half hour. A half hour commute sounds pretty decent, right? But not when my apartment is only 2 miles from the office. On a good day, it takes me five minutes to get to work. Friday traffic is particularly awful, and couple that with beautiful spring weather and a desire to get home, open the windows, and let in some fresh air, and sitting in a car moving 4 miles an hour is that much worse.

So, I thought about it. I run about a 10 minute mile. That would mean I could run home in about 20 minutes. Not bad! And what about biking? It would surely take me less than 20 minutes. Either way, a car seemed like the least practical option for my Friday commute.

Since it also happens to be the month of Earth Day, and to be totally honest with you, I don’t really ever do enough for the the holiday, I’m going to commit to biking or running to and from work every Friday in April. In total, I will save nearly one week’s worth of gas, gain more than an hour of my time, and spare the Ozone a tiny bit of unneeded exhaust.

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

Cheers!

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Big Dog Coffee and the Kindest of Strangers

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Sarah S.

When I lived in Europe, it was not uncommon to share a table with strangers. That’s how I met an Australian woman who’s daughter had just ended a engagement with an Italian man. And the kindest pair of old Sicilian men who insisted my sister and I partake in their homemade Easter meal. And those Canadian students traveling around the world. Maybe it was because many of us were foreigners and travelers. Traveling makes one so adventurous. You’re willing to strike up a conversation with anyone who can point you in the right direction or offer up their recommendation for the perfect restaurant. But how often do we keep that adventurous spirit when we get home?

Not often. Which is why I swore to explore a new place in Pittsburgh every weekend; hence this “Adventures in Pittsburgh” series. My adventurous spirit comes out in a myriad of ways, from asking the bar tender to pour me his favorite draft, to venturing to a local brewery alone and meeting a group of young Midwesterners willing to share a counter and their choice beers, to what happened today at Big Dog Coffee: offering a couple to share a table with me because all other seats were taken. It seemed like the right thing to do. An Australian in an Italian cafe would do it. A couple of Canadian girls would do it at Dublin hostel breakfast table. So of course I would too.

What touched me was how unexpected the couple felt the gesture was. How pleasantly unexpected. And intriguing. And adventuresome! Pretty soon we were chatting about our jobs, our education, how we found ourselves settling in Pittsburgh. And as soon as the topic turned to sports (are you surprised?), we had the whole coffee shop chatting.

Surely it’s the small things in life that make each day feel new. And surely we can all create a little adventure and camaraderie, whether we’re are exploring cathedrals in Palermo, climbing bunks in dirty Parisian hostels, or kicking back with a great cup of coffee in our own town. I’m pretty sure everyone at Big Dog had a morning they won’t forget for a long time; a small reminder that we’re all living our own adventures in the same big, awesome world.

Oh, and the coffee here is excellent. I dare you to try it. And maybe you’ll ask to share a table with strangers while you’re at it.

Cheers!
Sarah

Adventures in Pittsburgh: The Strip District

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Sarah S.

To an outsider’s ear, the Strip District doesn’t exactly sound like a place you want to spend a lovely Sunday morning. Let alone a place you’d pick up a slew of produce at dirt cheap prices or stock up on bulk locally roasted coffee or admire beautiful art from local artists. But the Strip is just the place to go for that sort of adventure. For the first seven months of living in the city, I actively avoided going to the Strip. The traffic is awful. Parking is worse. And there are so. many. people.

But let me tell you, it’s worth every minute you spend stuck waiting for j-walking pedestrians or battling your fellow drivers for a just-barely-big-enough stretch of curb to park on.

Why exactly?

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Vegan Groceries, Coffe, and Art in the Strip District miaprimacasa.com

Firstly, because I bought a week’s worth of produce for $15. FIFTEEN DOLLARS! In the middle of the city! I even found daikon root. I still don’t really know what it is, but it was less than a dollar and tastes delicious in fried rice.

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Vegan Groceries, Coffe, and Art in the Strip District miaprimacasa.com

Secondly, because the Asian markets are numerous and well priced. I bought a jar of umeboshi plums for $6. The same sized jar costs about $9 at my local co-op. I did my shopping at the first place I found, which was a small Korean market with an extremely helpful owner who tolerated my request for lotus root. But I was told that Lotus is also a great Asian market (and presumably also has lotus root…).

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Vegan Groceries, Coffe, and Art in the Strip District miaprimacasa.com

Thirdly, because coffee. So much coffee! I even asked the guy behind the counter if I could buy one of their empty coffee sacks. Yes, yes I could. So I did. For $2, which means I now have the cheapest wall art ever.

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Vegan Groceries, Coffe, and Art in the Strip District miaprimacasa.com

And fourthly, because of the people. Ok, I know the vendors might be overly friendly because you have a wad of cash in your pocket, but trust me, I’ve seen vendors in northern Italy blatantly insult customers, so… I was satisfied. There was the bread guy who went into his (then closed) shop to find me olive oil. There was the Russian photographer who chatted with about being a Pittsburgh newcomer (“No matter what they say, you don’t have to be a Steelers fan.”), and whose beautiful photo of the city is now hanging in my living room.

With it’s fresh, affordable produce and Asian markets, the Strip District is a vegan’s dream. Toss in some quality coffee and some quality people, and you have a recipe for one of the best Sunday mornings you can find in this town.

Cheers!

Sarah

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Exploring Oakland

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Carnegie Museums

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Schenley Park

Adventures in Pittsburgh: The Cafe at the Frick

Visions of Monaco (in 6 Screens)

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Sarah S.

If you follow my Instagram, you might be surprised to learn that I actually do in fact do more than just cook vegan food, go clothes shopping, and take adorable pictures of my cat. Actually, one of my latest ventures has been a beginning screen printing class at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. My ultimate goal is (to probably no surprise) to screen print on t-shirts and home decor items (think: inexpensive throw pillows!). But for my first project, I wanted to keep it 2D, and instead decided to create a vintage-inspired Monaco Grand Prix poster for my dad (in exchange for some handmade metal screens, of course…). I pulled inspiration from posters, below, and overall I am very satisfied with the piece. It took six unique screens to print and a lot more time that I originally thought (I didn’t use photo emulsion but instead hand “painted” the design onto the screen), but it’s a great start to what could be a pretty awesome body of screen printed work.

Courtesy of grandprixposters.com

Courtesy of vpracing.com

Cheers!

Sarah

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Avalon Exchange

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Sarah S.

Avalon Exchange Pittsburgh, PA on miaprimacasa.com

Avalon Exchange is a very unassuming resale shop in heart of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. So unassuming that I never ventured inside until my hairdresser recommended it to me. Not only was the shop filled with racks and rack of quality used clothing and accessories, but it was also packed with people. Apparently I’ve been missing out on quite a neighborhood hot spot.

The shop had a sizable selection of menswear as well as a robust women’s selection. The shoes in particular were great quality at very reasonable prices. You won’t find a thrift shop steal here, but you might find a pair of Miu Miu heels for less than $100. Which is certainly a steal in my book!

For less than $50, I left with some of the best vintage finds I’ve had so far this year. Needless to say, this is far from my last trip to Avalon.

J.crew Rugy, $1 from Avalon Exchange in, Ambercrombie Flannel, $14 from Plato’s Closet, Dooney & Bourke leather boat shoes, $29 from Avalon Exchange, Vintage striped sweater, $13 from Avalon Exchange, and a sneak peak of my latest screenprinting project

Vintage finds from Avalon Exchange Pgh on miaprimacasa.com

Nothing But the Useful & Beautiful

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Sarah S.

Home Sweet Home miaprimacasa.com

As of this week, I’ve been in Pittsburgh six months. I’ve fallen in love with the bridges, the coffee shops, and the parks. I even own a Steelers hat. But most of all, I’m crazy about my apartment. At first, I thought I wanted a space that felt mature, like a real house, and not a collection of furniture that relatives gave me. But then I realized two things, 1) I don’t want to spend money on new furniture and

2) a youthful, eclectic look really suits me better anyway. What my apartment turned into was a cozy hodgepodge of my favorite furniture and art (I try to stick to the mantra, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”), which I think so beautifully compliments the cathedral ceiling, wrought iron details, and even the mint-colored 60s tile in the bathroom.

My favorite elements are: my bike (the most expensive piece of wall art I own), the ugliest orange chair you’ve ever seen, my record player complete with my dad’s record collection (Ella Fitzgerald is currently serenading me as I write this), my 1960s Singer sewing machine, a vintage lamp, a Native American blanket, my aunt’s 70s shag rug (thanks, Aunt Jeanine!), and my coffee nook.

What are the favorite elements of your home?

Apartment Inspiration on miaprimacasa.com

Pittsburgh Marathon, Here I Come!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Sarah S.

I’m ready to take on my second full (that’s 26.2 miles!) marathon…or at least I will be ready by May 4th. This time I’m sticking local (for my first marathon, I made the haul up to to Duluth, Minnesota) and running in the Pittsburgh Marathon. Probably the most exciting thing is that my little sister will be joining me as well as some awesome coworkers. Only one thing is better than running alone. And that’s running with friends. Here we go!

“Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something [s]he isn’t sure [s]he can accomplish.” -Scott Jurek in Eat & Run

NaNoWriMo? Check!

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Sarah S.

One month, and 50,000 words later, and I’ve completed my first National Novel Writing Month. My first novel (still can’t get over saying that!) is loosely based on the romantic heroines from three of my most favorite Jane Austen novels. Like I told my sister, I think the novel ended up becoming a weird hyperbole of my life as a working post-grad. Whether that’s good or bad, only a solid revision process and some honest feedback from friends can say….

Exploring Carnegie Library and leaving with 2,000 more words than I started with!

The best day of NaNoWriMo was when I made a stop at the local record store to buy some vintage Beatles and CCR records, then enjoyed a tea at a local coffee shop while the snow started to fall outside.

Three great reason to help get my up early on a Saturday and my new gps watch for added motivation! I got a lot less sleep in Novemeber than I would have liked, but I can’t deny that it was worth it.

Enough said. 🙂

So glad to say that most of my friends who joined me on this adventure finished successfully as well! Congrats to the ladies of ex-pat x and Hanger Hiatus. Check out their blogs for what inspired them during NaNoWriMo and what they’re up to now.

Ciao!

Sarah