Santa spotted ...

So we went awy for a little break from the daily routine.  We went to a place we like to visit near Pittsburgh.  We were in the local diner getting some breakfast and who do we see grabbing a bite in between his busy seasonal rush?



sneaking a cuppa joe ;o)

We love checking in to this diner in Sommerset- it has a cool, happy, retro feel to it.  The people are super friendly and the food & coffee are terrific!

 when we were finished we went cruising into a town on the east side of Pittsburgh called Braddock...look the place up if you get a chance.  It has a fascinating story of how it came to look as it does today.  There are many homes just left abandoned, businesses empty & boarded up yet still many who live there and a cool art & creative process starting to bring renewal to the town.  Here are just a couple of shots I could get, my camera is really not cooperating with me lately!


eerie, but cool at the same time




this is actually looking through where there should be a roof in this garage...



alot  of overgrowth, I can't wait to go back & see it in the summer...



can you believe this house seemed left & forgotton, there were so many like this...makes you wonder what they looked like in their prime!




Now here is the Carnegie library- you should really look this up- this was one of the first and it had a pool in the basement, bowling alley, basketball court- & we got a tour inside by the lovely librarian we met Ruthie- she showed us the 'music hall' was like an opera house- I will add a shot or two below...



What a fantasic opportunity to see a town repurposed- so excited to see where they go from here!