Our plan was to go to the strip district in Pittsburgh, and check out a shop called Art of Steel. We ate lunch with the wife, where our son went potty dilligently. We drive the 20 miles to the area, and walk a block to the shop, and my son decided he needs to go potty again. Of course just about no shop in the city would allow anyone to use their facilities. I am left to wonder if it's because they believe others will make a mess or such, or if it's that they already have left the room a mess and are ashamed of how they live in their stores. At least at Art of Steel the woman was good enough to direct us to a place to use.
I must say i was very pleased that she directed me to this place, called The Leaf and Bean. This establishment has a bathroom available to the public, a rare thing these days. All they ask is that you leave a small donation of change in the "kitty" (a mailbox labeled as such) outside the door of the room. Fair enough, i made sure to put a buck in, after all they need to buy paper towels and soap, plus the water costs etc. What struck me as interesting about the place, is it's extreme eclectic style, reminicent of the beehive, but with a little more of a theme. It makes me think of the old days of the navy where small boats would dock and the sailors would party with natives and have fun at the beach, with some other unusual items. It's actually a tad more eclectic than the beehive, if that's possible. Sadly their coffee machines were down, so my son and i sat and had some bottled drinks and admired the decor while the man who was running things worked on a door. The place specializes in cigars and coffee, and the aroma of some good cigars wafted around from a few of the patrons. When i think of a cigar establishment, i'd usually think of a stuffy place full of smoke, but this place, they open the doors and have an outdoor seating area, leaving it with a fresh air feel, only the aromas to delight the senses, not to overwhelm them. The customers and the man running the place were quite friendly. I also noticed they are active in what they do, sending care packages to military people in iraq that frequent the place. Being someone who's seen a lot of places, i'd HIGHLY recommend stopping by and partaking of their various yummies and ambiance.
After hanging out for a while, we purchased a gift for the wife at a shop, then walked around the strip to see what else is interesting. Finally we found our way to Eide's Entertainment, another of the only found in pittsburgh places. I've been looking for the past 2 years for a CD by Amish Rake Fight everywhere i have traveled. And noone so far has carried it. I walk into eides, and the first person I ask not only knows of them, he knows exactly where it's located in the store, and knows everything about it. I have yet to go to an establishment in my travels that has even heard of Amish Rake Fight. Pittsburgh rox, as does Eide's. Years ago it's where i always looked for music i couldnt find anywhere else. Their basement has some toys and figures, but mostly is dominated by boxes and boxes and more boxes of comics. The first floor is music, some magazines, and a very small selection of video games (assumed they purchased them used). Second floor is books, vinyl, and movies. They have a strict no reading policy, and also require all bags be left at the front counter. Unlike many establishments, they were more than polite about things. After a few moments of browsing the books, my son decided again that he needs to go potty. I ask him if he can hold it till we find a place, and without even asking, a young man who works at the shop allowed us to use their staff bathroom. I am sure they dont normally allow just anyone to use it, so dont beg them claiming you know they let others, but it was a very kind gesture for an urban establishment. After buying a few cd's, one of which was recommended by the staff, it was back to the vehicle for the trip to the mall to get the gag gifts. Happy adventures, hope you check out these places should you end up in the strip.
