The Family Descends Upon PGH

Today the family descends upon Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving.  Elise was first to arrive and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I met her at the airport in a turkey hat (see below for a picture).  Fun fact: the hat is too to fit into my car and both police officers at the airport laughed when I got out to hug Elise.  Thankfully the little sis grabbed coffee so we headed back to the city and over to Randyland.  Basically if you have never been to Pittsburgh and are coming to visit me, you are pretty much guaranteed a trip to this folk art landmark.

The late morning sun was a killer for any and all photos, but Elise did get to see Randyland in all its glory.  I snagged a picture and thanks to some funky filters was able to prove she was there.  Now if I could only get rid of that stupid hat she wears everywhere.  

One of these things is not like the other.  See I told you the hat was tall.

We decided to grab lunch at Permanti Bros before heading across the street to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co to pick up a few last minute things for the week.  Our errands were timed perfectly because by the time we wrapped up, the parental units had descended the apartment with more bags than you would think possible.  My mom brought half of her fridge and several pots from home.

After a quick dinner, we headed back over to the North Side to check out Wednesday Banjo Night at the Elk Lodge.  According to their website "The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is an all-volunteer, group of 4-string banjo enthusiasts providing clap-along, sing-along, traditional and family friendly entertainment to Western Pennsylvania."  This has become quite the local event because when we entered the building someone asked if we had reserved a table.  I laughed to myself because I do not remember it being a happening thing, but sure enough there were no free seats left.