On Tuesday morning, the Schallers travelled from Portland to Pittsburgh. I was excited to go home and see the cats!
On Thursday, Tom and I walked at North Park. It was humid, but sunny and green.
We met my friend Janell for dinner at Esquina Cantina in Lawrenceville.
Tom's parents arrived Thursday evening, so my family was excited to take them sightseeing. Since leaving home eight years ago, I've learned that Pittsburghers are very proud of our city, and love showing it off!
We drove into town on Friday morning and parked near the sports stadiums in the North Shore. From there, we walked across the Fort Duquesne Bridge to Point Sate Park.
Then we crossed the Fort Pitt Bridge to the Duquesne Incline for a classic view of the city skyline from Mt. Washington.
For lunch, we drove to Hofbräuhaus in the South Side. Prost! That evening was an Italian-style family dinner at the Schaller house.
On Saturday, we returned to town to visit The Andy Warhol Museum. Born in Pittsburgh, Warhol became an influential leader in the pop art movement.
Afterwards, we drove onto Pitt's campus in Oakland for lunch at Primanti Bros.
Then we walked to the Cathedral of Learning for a tour of the Nationality Rooms. My dad played a major role in raising funds to build the Swiss Room, and sponsored the Wallis Chair; Wallis is the canton where my grandpa was from.
My six years as a student at Pitt were challenging and filled with emotion; it was refreshing to be reminded of the unique qualities the campus has to offer.
For dinner, we went to the North Side's Teutonia Männerchor, a private club started by German immigrants in the early 1800s. Similar to my experience at Pitt, it's meaningful to visit a place from my childhood many years later.
Sunday was our second wedding reception! To minimize the amount of people travelling, Tom and I decided early-on to host two celebrations - one on the west coast with his family, and one on the east coast with mine. While the Portland reception was relatively traditional, the Pittsburgh one was combined with my mom's Italian family's annual reunion. My parents did a lot of work to organize this party.
It was a casual, picnic-style reunion with a bunch of loud Italians, too much food, and the obligatory Pittsburgh cookie table - a tradition that originated among European immigrants during the Great Depression when couples couldn't afford a wedding cake.
Tom's only other trip to Pittsburgh with me was during the pandemic, so he did not get to meet any extended family or friends; I really enjoyed showing him off this time! About 80 guests came to the picnic, including Tom's parents and some of my oldest friends.
By Monday, Tom and I were exhausted again. After a sad goodbye to our families, we set off for our honeymoon. Our coast-to-coast wedding celebration was a whirlwind (in the best way), but I was relieved to have it all behind us. We are so grateful to our friends and families for their love and support!
