Another Erie Visit

This past weekend, J and I took another one hour and forty-five minute trip north on Interstate 79 to good ol' Erie, PA. His best friend and wife were celebrating their one year anniversary this weekend, and hosted an open house in their gorgeous new home just outside of 'downtown' Erie (read: Suburbia).

The more times that I visit Erie, the more I learn to appreciate the beauty of all of the natural features that Pittsburgh lacks. Its direct proximity to the lake means that this small town boasts a shoreline filled with gorgeous harbors and numerous sailboats. I love sailboats! The community surrounding Presque Isle State Park is not only very picturesque, but also possesses an innocent charm that seems to have remained unchanged for the past 50 years. If you know what's good for you, you'll stop at Sara's Diner every.single.time and pick up one of their to-die-for orange and vanilla twist ice cream cones. This is best enjoyed sitting on the diner's patio, watching the droves of families, locals and transplanted college students cruise Peninsula Drive with their windows down on yet another hot, sunny day. Additionally, having lived in Erie for two years during college, I heard from a number of locals that the view of the sunset from Presque Isle was given the award of second best sunset in the world (first place went to Japan).  How about that for a tiny, north eastern PA city?

source

Even with all of Erie's unique features- and cheap drink prices- I would still never want to give up everything that Pittsburgh has to offer. I can't even begin to explain how much I enjoy the convenience of living in a large suburb of a medium-sized city. I feel fortunate that Erie is such an accessible place for us Wexford-ites to visit.  Here are a few highlights from our recent trip:

J and I had not eaten a bite of food that day. Needless to say, when we got to Erie we were starving. J's best friend knows him well, and truly satisfied his hunger with a small, nice restaurant and bar smack-dab in the middle of the GHET-TO called "3 B Saloon."  What are the B's you ask?  Beer. Barbecue. BACON.  How could one go wrong? As soon as you order a drink, one piece of 1/8 thick, peppercorn crusted, freshly grilled bacon appears seemingly out of nowhere. We promptly ordered and consumed a meal that was to-die-for.  It satisfied a hunger for delicious, home-cooked barbecue that J and I searched all over Dallas for, and finally found in where else but Erie, PA. Pulled pork on Texas Toast. Baked mac-and-cheese loaded with jalapenos and bacon served in a tiny, hot iron skillet. The best cole slaw that I've ever had and a happy hour special of fresh jalapenos stuffed with hot sausage, wrapped in what else but... bacon. Take me back!  Below is a picture of J's souvenir t shirt.

Three B Saloon

The following day we all began preparations for the housewarming party.  This included cutting ridiculous amounts of fruit for a catering-sized fruit salad, boiling seven boxes of noodles, setting up tables and preparing their brand new home for 40+ guests throughout the day. How does one deal with this large list of tasks?  Mimosas, of course!

morning mimosas for the set-up staff 

giant bowl o' fruit salad

24 pack of limes for 1 case of Corona = everybody gets a lime.

The party ended up getting off to a late start because everyone seemed to have other daytime commitments. We were getting a little worried about the large amounts of food with only five of us in attendance (including the homeowners) for the first two hours.  Slowly but surely friends and family members began arriving, and everyone seemed to have a great time. The night came to an end with a giant, electronic blow-up version of the Pittsburgh Steelers mascot.

go Stillers.

Great times, as always, in Erie.  Happy housewarming and one year anniversary to our good friends, the C's!

Best buds and barbecue,