The last time I went to Pittsburgh, it was to take a tour of Heinz Field (my boyfriend is a die hard Steelers fan) on our way home from Cedar Point; a few hours in the city just did not do enough for me so of course I had my sights set on revisiting. Back in February I saw one of my favorite bands was playing a show here and decided to jump at the opportunity. There are so many different sections of Pittsburgh - downtown, the Cultural District, the Strip District, South Side, and North Side and I truly feel as if I got a good amount from every part within the last few days.

I am hands down the worlds biggest foodie so I strongly believe in avoiding all chain restaurants, especially on vacations. It's always tempting to walk into the nearest Chipotle in a new city but, why should I? Why should I go to a chain restaurant while I'm on vacation when I can have that exact food back at home? Anyway, our first night here we went to a Mexican place called Las Velas where I got these vegetarian fajitas. The spicier, the better for me and these were perfect. The location is sort of difficult to find considering it is on top of another restaurant and you can barely see the entrance door. Las Velas has an awesome view of Market Square, also!

This is Market Square - an awesome outdoor seating area with a bunch of different restaurants.

The next day, we had the entire day to explore the city. We visited the Monongahela Incline, Duquesne Incline, and Mount Washington - all adjacent to each other with fascinating views of Pittsburgh. The incline is only $2.75 but I thought it was strange that they required exact change (who carries exact change? I don't even carry cash).

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and after reading about this place a few times, I needed to check it out. We stopped here before visiting the inclines.

Funky Monkey Waffle - chocolate chip waffle with peanut butter chiffon, bananas, and even more chocolate syrup. I was definitely a fan.

Waffles Incaffeinated was on the South Side of Pittsburgh on this street. My boyfriend and I chose to walk everywhere.

Of course, pictures do no justice but these are a few that we captured at the top of the incline.

Stopped here for breakfast before heading home. Everything is made from scratch and uses ingredients from the local farms. Something else I found really neat about this place was that they only cook what is in season. I had steel cut oats with coconut milk and shaved almonds while Tim had fried eggs.

As I mentioned earlier, my boyfriend and I chose to walk everywhere. Throughout this three-day trip, I would guess we probably walked a total good fifteen or so miles. I would suggest the same to anyone (in any city, for that matter) because you find things you would normally miss out on driving.

I have a love/hate relationship with zoos, aquariums, anywhere all these magnificent animals are put on display. I have the softest spot in my heart for animals of all types and I love being able to be so close to them. However, my hatred comes from knowing that they obviously do not want to be there; they've been taken away from everything they know and shoved into these little quarters - I don't believe that's how they should live. Employees at any zoo or aquarium probably hate me because I spend a good amount of time asking how well these animals are taken care and so on (I'm an extremely curious person).

I've been to the Philadelphia Zoo several times and each time it has gotten a little more unmanageable. The first time I went a few years back, I remember the atmosphere being extremely relaxed and no one being in a hurry. Since then, it's been a little busier and little more hectic each and every time. In my opinion, people visit zoos to see animals they normally would not see stepping outside their home. With that being said, why is there an entire section of the zoo dedicated to pigeons? They have the usual giraffes and rhinos and whatnot, but I think they did the best job on their reptiles.

They had a few signs such as this one for any animals they have rescued. Comforting, yes, but with all the variety of animals and the very few that were actually rescued - unsettling for someone like me.

After seeing giraffes at many zoos, I've noticed that they seem to be the most social animal. Am I the only one who has caught on to that?

Tips:

- I suggest when going to the zoo to start at the back of it and work your way up. This visit, I started by the "Frog Parking Lot" which is the end corner of the zoo and took my time - making it that much more enjoyable. Also, if you don't mind walking - you can avoid the $20 parking by parking a block or two away from the zoo!

- This just so happens to be a pet peeve of mine that I thought would help everyone out: if you're someone that hogs the entire window when an animal is moving around - move. I noticed the same crowds standing in front of tigers or polar bears for minutes on end when there are plenty of other people that want to see as well. I saw what I wanted to see, I got my picture, then I let the next person have their fun. Do the same.

- Bring your own food. The food is nothing to rave about - not that it should be, we're all going for the animals.

(I plan on venturing to the Bronx Zoo in the upcoming weeks and hope to compare the two, stay tuned!)