Today Sydney and I got up early and were on the road by 7am. We drove from Dayton to Pittsburgh by noon. Good weather all the way! Then Sydney took off on roads in the city and surprised me with a visit to the Phipps Conservatory, where we saw, among other things, fig trees, orchids, ferns, amaryllis, banana and palm trees, and over two thousand poinsettias. It was clear that lots of families were getting some post-Christmas quality time in among the flowers, so it was fairly busy, but we were tall enough to see over all the kids and had a great time.
After wandering through the conservatory we headed over to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where we spent over two hours looking at rocks. Gems, crystals, and jewels, actually. Gorgeous! Throw in some time at the bird and insect exhibits (oh yes, and Sydney let me look at the dinosaurs), and we figured our heads were full for the day.
We wrapped things up with a fantastic meal at an Indian restaurant just down the street. Best Indian food either of us have ever had, actually. After two days of eating bread, cheese, and fruit, our stomachs were grateful for the bounty!
We’re now safely tucked in at a hotel outside Pittsburgh and will get ourselves ready for the last few hours to Philadelphia tomorrow morning.
Erin
Alan Schmierer