7.07.2017

A Weekend In The City | Pittsburgh Staycation

Thanks to the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh for our great stay in exchange for this post during our staycation! All opinions are 100% my own and as always I only promote things that we truly love.


Happy Friday friends! There's nothing better than a weekend staycation, and we've needed a little rest and relaxation, so we were so excited to partner with the Renaissance Hotel in Pittsburgh recently to do just that!

We had a full weekend of activities planned, and enjoyed every one of them, as well as just relaxing and taking it easy quite a bit... oh, and of course stuffing our faces with delicious foods!


We arrived at the Renaissance Hotel on 6th Street a little before noon on Sunday morning, and were taken on the best tour of the hotel (thanks Craig!) We learned so many really interesting facts about the hotel, it's origins and all of the present features and it's seriously the most awesome place! Originally built in 1906, it was actually called the "Fulton Building" and was designed by a Pittsburgh Architect and commissioned by another local Pittsburgh businessman, Henry Phipps (the same Henry Phipps that gifted Phipps Conservatory to the city of Pittsburgh), who wanted to pay tribute to Robert Fulton. Yep, the guy who designed the modern steamboat in New Orleans, since a lot of buildings in Pittsburgh were made using quarried stone (and the modern steamboat drastically changed the way that quarried rock was transported) it was the perfect way to show respect. Since the building first opened in the early 1900's, it has served a purpose of many different kinds, from an office building, to a WWII Veterans Hospital, to a nightclub, to currently, after a huge renovation in 2000 to 2001, a hotel!


Walking through the huge brass doors leading into the hotel is a little breathtaking, and when you see the glass light in the rotunda you'll be awestruck. Everyone was so courteous and helpful, they have the most hospitable employees for sure; they even let Bella choose a couple of toys from a wagon filled with toys, talk about making a kid's day (of course since she's bubble obsessed, she chose bubbles as both of her items).

After checking in to our beautiful room at the hotel, stroller in tow (or rather ahead) we headed down the street to Starbucks for a Berry hibiscus Refresher, y'all, it was so amazing and we already can't wait to get another one soon! From there we walked over the Clemente bridge (who doesn't love walking over that bridge) to PNC Park. The lines were quite long so we waited a few extra minutes for the lines to lessen and walked around for a bit, looking out at the river and listening to a percussionist nearby.

Once we got in the park, Frank and Bella both immediately put on their sweet matching Pirates baseball caps (it was a freebie day at the park, Dads and all kids were given baseball caps as they entered the stadium), it was the cutest thing seeing them match and Bella's face absolutely lit up being able to "twin" with her Daddy.

We watched some of the Pirates game, but mostly we walked around a lot, and ate, a lot. Haha. Neither Bella or I had ever had dippin' dots before, so it was such a treat to finally try them for the first time, and Bella, well, she had them at least 3 different times, she just kept asking for more (and we obliged, because hey, kids are only little once, and two, staycation) and was loving them so much. Soon after, we ended up grabbing some delicious "shroom (mushroom and swiss) burgers" and Parmesan topped fries from BRGR, sooooooo delicious! That was mostly it as far as food at the game, we walked around (the riverwalk in PNC park is pretty awesome) a lot, watched the game from the rotunda some, watched the game from some great seats (Thanks for the tickets Renaissance Hotel) and viewed the game from pretty much every standing place in the park. We ended up leaving around the bottom of the 8th inning since we wanted to get back before the rain started (it was forecast to rain shortly after) and we got back to the hotel just in time. We relaxed for about half an hour, showering and freshening up to go out to dinner and ahhhh, it was amazing. The shower was so spacious and perfect for cleaning up in, and the bathroom had great lighting for me to do my makeup as well!

After sprucing up, Frank and Bella went to explore the hotel and walk around a little, while I stayed back in our room and awwed over how pretty it was! I might have snapped juuuuuust a few photos (or try maybe like a lot haha), but I just couldn't get over how crisp and clean and relaxing it all felt. I had to stop for a minute and just take it all in, the cool and serene feel of the room, the softness of the beds, the natural light from the huge windows, the tall buildings outside, the sounds coming from the busy streets below, the rain gently tapping on the windows, and feeling such a happiness, knowing I'm the wife to my best friend and a mama to our sweetest little girl.


The beds are the softest beds I've ever laid on, almost cloud like (I'm pretty sure they were memory foam, and I'm already searching memory foam mattresses for our own home haha) and they're so comfortable whether you're sitting, or laying down. I loved the long shears and light blocking drapes in the room, available to pull all the way back when you want light or privacy, or close to keep out all the lights for a good nights sleep. One touch I especially loved in the room was the addition of actual glass cups (or would that make them glasses) to drink from, there was a great ice machine just a few steps from our door as well so that was really convenient, especially for our ice obsessed 3 year old.

A few other great features in the room... The robe in the closet, the hidden refrigerator, and there was even a little safe for storing valuables in. The headboards were quite stately if I do say so myself and honestly, there was absolutely nothing about this room or hotel that I didn't love.

After a bit, I took the elevator and joined Frank and Bella up in the VIP Lounge on the 14th floor (don't worry, there's no 13th floor lol), such a sweet little place. Just a gem that we accidentally discovered that was kind of tucked away. They had the yummiest treats which included bruschetta with pita bread, bowls of candy, cold drinks, a little bar and more delicious things! Perfect reading chairs, a bar to sit at and view the city from, dimmed lighting, it was the perfect atmosphere. Like the never-wanna-leave-I-could-chill-here-for-hours kind of vibe. We ended up heading down to check out the, dare I say AMAZING fitness center, like some gym aren't even this nice. If you work out daily, you'll definitely want to check this out when you stay at the Renaissance Hotel.


For dinner, we ended up trying a restaurant we'd never been to before, Meat & Potatoes, and it was simply the best! Instead of ordering a couple full entrees and a heavy meal, we instead opted for several appetizers and a salad, which was so fun, trying several different items and eating only until we were full and not overly full. We chose the Salty Pig Flatbread (which I'm already dreaming of having again, hopefully soon), a caeser salad (because Bella loves salad), and wild mushroom risotto (every taste of this was like a spoonful of heaven, my mouth is watering just thinking of it). We absolutely loved the slightly rustic and hipster feel of the restaurant and will definitely be back again soon.

Once dinner was over, we took a leisurely stroll back to the Renaissance Hotel and it was time for jammies! Well, another shower and then pajamas. We got all cozy and watched tv for a bit, chatted for awhile while looking through some photos from the day. Tucked Bella into bed and sang her to dreamland, as she fell asleep, she whispered "I love you mama, I love you daddy". Oh my heart, the sweetest little one I tell you.


One of my favorite parts of the evening was throwing open all of the curtains after she had fallen to sleep, to admire all of the beautiful city lights and the sky scrapers. Hubby and I spent about 2 hours just gazing out at the lights, the buildings and the river, having conversations with each other about everything and just enjoying each others presence. Then we slipped into the cool sheets, covered up with the warm duvet and drifted off to dreamland.


The next morning was checkout day. While all good things must eventually come to an end, I will admit, I wasn't ready to get out of that comfy bed just yet (I got the best night's sleep ever). Packing everything up, getting ready for the day, it was all made better by the beautiful foggy view from our 11th floor windows, and the promise of breakfast was with baited anticipation. We made our way down to Braddock's Restuarant for one of the best breakfasts of my life. Steak and eggs (oh yum), with the best tomato juice I've ever had. Frank had an omelet, Bella wanted pancakes of course (they're her favorite) and then Frank and I also shared some lemon ricotta pancakes. When you stay at the Renaissance Hotel you simply must stop in for steak and eggs at Braddock's, I promise you, you'll thank me afterwards.

Thanks again to Renaissance Hotel of Pittsburgh and their beyond awesome staff for providing us with the best service and making our stay amazing! We already can't wait to come back!

1 comment:

  1. What a great post! The pictures are beautiful and I love the family photo with the city in the background. That hotel looks so nice and the room is breath taking. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful trip !!

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