So, after our 13,607-step Tuesday, we borrowed Kylene’s car for a half hour excursion to the pocket community of Sewickley for hair appointments and an early dinner, but first a stop at daughter-blessed Carnegie Coffee Company smack dab center in its namesake borough. Crafted within an historic post office, the spacious, yet always patron-packed eatery thoroughly confirmed Ky’s recommendation: delicious coffee, a savory multi-layered breakfast sandwich, and eclectic people-watching. We also strolled down Main Street to two more of her faves: the sister establishments Tiger Moth Mercantile (home décor and gifts for every special occasion) and Woolly Bear Books & Gifts (purveyors of . . . well, books and gifts). The cool purple-haired giant of a clerk at the first shop drolly explained to me the meaning and purpose of a “mercantile”, and the Woolly Bear is simply an awesome independent bookstore, with titles creatively curated and engagingly presented.

As for Sewickley - it’s okay to giggle at the name; not a person, but a Muscogee Creek compound word for "raccoon" (sawi) and "town" (ukli). So, if you ever get a chance, we highly recommend a side trip to Raccoon Town, and as you approach on I-65 take that first fork on to Beaver Street, a gorgeous tree-lined boulevard sidelined with mammoth late-19th century Queen Anne-style Victorian mansions. Such as this Edward O'Neil House, designed by the acclaimed Pittsburgh architectural firm Rutan & Russell.

We parked the car across the street from Nancy’s salon and strolled for an hour throughout the borough, checking out book and yarn shops (Penguin Books - another Kylene favorite, and soon to be fave Sewickley Yarns), furniture stores, perusing window-mounted cafe menus, and verbally encouraging the two dozen teenagers scampering around town with scavenger hunt lists, apparently a team-building activity for the local middle school volleyball team.

As Nancy saloned, I walked a block to The Coffee Village for a quick iced Chai latte, then next door for a haircut from Carlos Norman at his Cut N Edge Barbershop. We went for a midway cut somewhere between a crewcut and an Ivy League - Nancy likes it - and chatted about world travel and our homes in Mexico (me) and the Dominican Republic (he). Great guy! Muchas gracias, Carlos. 23 minutes after entering, I stepped out the door, now with 90 minutes to kill before rejoined by my newly-coiffed sweetheart, so why not pass the time at the El Fumador Cigars watching the exquisitely rewatchable final half-hour of My Cousin Vinny, enjoying a Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto and a cold mescalita from Rosa’s Cantina a couple of doors down. Longtime local artist Tatiana was filling in this week and treated me like a king. One of the best cigar lounges I’ve yet to experience. And the Hotel Restaurant and al fresco Rosa’s Cantina were equally accommodating. Longtime Pittsburgh area restaurateurs Robin and Ann Fernandez - decades long Sewickley residents - operate this and a few other local venues. I chatted for a bit with Robin and he hand-delivered my cocktail. Super friendly folks.

And then came our meal at Mediterra, another Kylene gotta-go-there-Dad hotspot. From the second we joined the line walking in, we knew we’d scored. Just look at those daily fresh baked breads on the wall!  Such a friendly, welcoming vibe. We were told that everything is so fresh they don’t even operate a freezer. We split the roasted beet, kale & fennel salad with quinoa, cabbage, and a creamy pistachio dressing; and a roasted chicken salad sandwich with pecans, grapes, lettuce, and tomato on ciabattini (small roll-sized ciabatta). And glasses of crisp sauvignon blanc. OMG. The spontaneous Mmm’s and Oh, wows were unavoidable. And there were another dozen choices on the menu that we have no doubt were equally gastrofabulous. (Here's the menu.) We also picked up a couple of pastries to go. They’ve got four locations and their own bakery and fromagerie. We’ll definitely return. (Maybe even to the Mt Lebanon location this weekend with the family.)

What a day! After dropping off the car and chatting with Kylene and Cory about our excursion, we lightrailed back to our AirBnB, and settled on the couch for catch-up episodes of Silo on AppleTV+.

We can hardly believe our two weeks in Pittsburgh are already two-thirds behind us. (Our redeye to Paris is next Tuesday!) We'll publish our final USA post mid-week and are finishing up a flashback post of our incredible week in Siena, Italy last September. We'll have that to you in the next few days. Thanks again for joining us in our journeys.

We'll be in touch.