{Life Lately} Chilly

January has gone by so quickly.
The cold has gotten here, and I had my New In Town moment yesterday morning. We all knew it'd happen.
Husband typically drops me off at the door of my building in an enclosed overhang most mornings, and I swiftly leave the car door and one second later lay my hand on the building's door. Yesterday, this particular door was locked for some reason.  I shrugged at Husband through the car windshield, then walked around the corner to the other entrance, sliding glass doors. As I turned the corner, a blast of icy, sharp wind hit my whole body, and I let out a cry.
How can it be this cold!?
That morning it was 7 degrees.
I foresee a lot of this in the near future:

Packed snow on a trail.

I'm constantly using my {potentially illegal} space heater under my desk at work.  It has a remote, okay?  I'm legit.

Hash-tag SouthernerProblems?  I think so.

Pin of the Moment: Fall in the City

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via mara on Pinterest

It's that time of year! The leaves in Pittsburgh are just beginning to change; the smaller trees are alight with red and yellow. So lovely!

Rainy Tuesday

Here we are again, with it pouring buckets in Pittsburgh.  Although it's wet and icky to be out in, I did sleep like a dead rock.
I slopped into work wearing my rain boots from target {years old}, with my trousers tucked haphazardly inside. Classy stuff.

Today is our guests only day to putter around the city, which is unfortunate because of the weather. We were also planning going to the Pirates game this evening, but that's still up in the air.

Yesterday the trio {Husband, house guest and me} had drinks on the rooftop of Six Penn {thanks to Pittsburgh Happy Hour's suggestion}, trekked up to Mt. Washington via the Duquesne Incline, and had drinks and dinner at Meat and Potatoes {review forthcoming!}. She's seen a lot of PGH already, so a little rain hopefully won't end the fun.

How's your Tuesday going?

It's Friday, Friends!

Happy Friday, y’all! It’s finally the last day of the week, and I’m ready for it. My days have been jam-packed with school social functions, meetings, classes, trainings and even a fabulous happy hour.

Through the downpours we’ve been having here and there, we’ve been staying dry…miraculously. Our landlord still has not come to view the potential leak (that we know of). Fingers crossed.

This weekend we’ll be getting ready for our first house guest in many moons {or, just two moons actually}. My close friend and prior college roommate is coming to visit us in her last leg of a northeastern tour. She’s taking the train bus from Philadelphia, and staying with us during the first part of next week. Inside jokes will abound.

What are your plans for the weekend?  I hear there are a few food events happening: A Taste of Grow: Pittsburgh on Sunday, Ramen brunch at SALT {also Sunday}, and I definitely want to hit up this new wine bar in my ‘hood soon.

I, on the other hand, will be reading for school and tidying up the house. On another note…

I’ve done it. Given in. I’m finally on Instagram {Find me: ADashOfSpectacular}. I’m definitely treating it like my Twitter account, with random photos of food, Pittsburgh, travels and cats. By the way, are we friends on Facebook, too?

Have a good weekend, everyone!

A/C in PGH

Yes, indeed – Here we are at the weekend again, and I have to say, I’m looking forward to it. No, this is not ground-breaking, I know. I’m looking forward to this weekend because it affords me the chance to go out and buy an A/C unit. Yes, people, Husband and I have been living in the dark ages, sans air conditioning.
Before you start thinking I’m crazy, let me just tell you one detail. Our realtor, echoed by many others about town, informed us that we didn’t need A/C, and box fans would work out just fine. I see your eyebrows rising. Coming from Texas, this sounded like a dream come true. Extraordinary. The things dreams are made of. Almost too good to be true.

Incidentally, it is too good to be true. Guys, it’s 97 degrees, and RealFeel tells me it’s 102.

Am I back in the South?

It’s clear to me now that Pittsburgh’s weather is as temperamental as Texas’ is. I’d even go so far as to say it’s desert-like at times, significantly cooling after a very hot day.

Anyway, this weekend will hopefully put an end to the heat-suffering we’ve been dealing with. Here’s to looking forward to improved attitudes, better rising yeast doughs {regulated room temp!}, and guests coming over for dinner!

Checking In {Best Friend Weekend}

Hi Folks!  I'm taking a second to check in after a fabulous weekend with the best friend and Husband.  We missed having her husband here, but that's how the cards fell this time, unfortunately.  We had a relaxing weekend of food, drinks and taking photos as we walked along, seeing the sights of Pittsburgh.  We were lucky to have great weather {compared to the heatwave of a week ago}. I'll share a few photos from our weekend:

Just arrived!

Drinks & dinner at Round Corner Cantina.

Drinks at Bar Marco. 

Shopping on Butler; at Wildcard.

Lawrenceville Farmer's Market; opening weekend.

Picnic in Highland Park. 

Three Rivers Arts Festival

Monogahela Incline; Mt. Washington.

Love Lock in Oakland.

The Cathedral of Learning.

Diplomacy Rooms: Africa.

Bunny Friend at the Stephen Foster Memorial. 

We had such a fantastic time this weekend!  Next time can't come soon enough.

PGH Dining: Pho Van

 On a rainy night last week, Husband and I indulged in our favorite dark and stormy weather pastime - having a steamy bowl of pho. We decided to head to Pho Van, located in The Strip District, because of the look of the storefront {I know, we're superficial!}, the number of people inside {always a good indicator}, and the proximity to Lawrenceville. It WAS raining, after all!

While we usually start a meal with appetizers, this time we went straight for the main event. We shared two dishes: Pho Tai and vermicelli noodles with peanut chicken {Bun ga nuong} and a fresh summer/spring roll {instead of a fried one}.

Just what we wanted to foil the steamy goodness of beef pho.

The noodle dish was super fresh and light. The dipping sauce/dressing was sweet and not at all spicy like I was expecting. The roll mimicked the dish itself, having noodles, lettuce and herbs inside. The chicken was a decent portion for the price, and was grilled well.

The pho 'side plate' came with the usual suspects, all fresh and crunchy. 

Beef {Eye-of-Round} Pho

The pho came out looking just as we'd hoped: pinkish meat, fragrant broth and floating accoutrement.

As you swirl the meat in the piping hot broth, it finishes cooking. 

Despite the shiny surface, this bowl of pho was not too greasy at all. Husband said the pho was one of the best he's ever had. He appreciated the fact that it had plenty of beef, as so many phos can be packed with only noodles and broth.

Pho Van was priced well, with no surprises on our bill. {Total was less than $22.} It has definitely found a spot in our usual lineups, according to weather conditions. 

Do you have a favorite rainy weather restaurant?

What I Wore {to the Movies!}

I wanted to share a quick outfit post with y'all before continuing to apply for jobs. I've been having interviews and second interviews {!}, so I hope to have good news soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

Sunday evening Husband took me to the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill to see The Iron Lady, a movie about former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. I enjoyed the movie, although it wasn't a true biography, but was done as more of a flashback. Also, I had no idea Thatcher was in ill mental health. Shows you just how much this American knows about English public figures. She is an inspiration, nonetheless. {4 out of 5 stars.} As far as the theater goes, I love it! It had a great feel.

It was snowing on Sunday {it's melted now}, so you get to see a rare glimpse of what the Northeast {MIGHT} be like! It's supposed to snow tonight, so it may be back sooner rather than later.

I paired my grey, knee-length Espirit coat with this outfit, but took it off for the photos. {No, I'm not crazy!}

Tunic: Michael Kors | Jeggings: J Crew | Boots: Ralph Lauren

What are some of the movies on your short list? There are so many out {or coming out soon} that I want to see!

P.S. - Have you become an official follower of {A Dash of Spectacular}? There's a button on the left side of the page especially for that! Click on "Join this Site" as soon as you possibly can! Thanks, y'all!

Snow! Outside!

For this Texan, snow is a beautiful thing. I've lived through winters of yellow, dead grass or dirty icy snow storms for many years, so naturally, I smiled and ogled at the several inches of snow fall we just got here. 

Incredibly fluffy and gorgeous snow. 

Across the street neighbors. 

I open my door, and this is what I see!

And this!

I know these photos aren't much to speak of, but all around me are white birch trees, houses on hilltops, and mountains covered in this glorious white blanket. 

I keep having to remind myself I don't live at a ski resort. 

I'll try to take better photos as winter progresses.