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The Mattress Factory is a Stellar Contemporary Art Museum

Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh

When it comes to contemporary art, you never know what you are going to get. This is part of the fun in visiting these museums because there never seems to be one particular style that is on display. Sometimes it is disappointing, other times thought provoking, but overall you never really know what will be around the next bend.

At Pittsburgh's contemporary art museum, Mattress Factory, we found each exhibit to be more interesting than the last and left wondering why it took us so long to visit this museum in the first place.

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Exploring the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning

Chinese Room at the Cathedral of Learning

Note: The Nationality Rooms are now requiring advanced registration for tours. Keep an eye on this one as things could change.

Pitt's Cathedral of Learning is one of the most beautiful university buildings in the country. 

Ignoring the fact that this college building is the only skyscraper in Oakland and its main lobby resembles a European cathedral mixed with Hogwarts, Pitt's flagship building houses one other treasure worth exploring during a visit: the Nationality Rooms.

Let's go to the last place you'd expect to visit in Pittsburgh– back to school!

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Bicycle Heaven Offers Bicycle Overload in Pittsburgh

Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's massive specialty stores have a way of embracing their size and end up turning into museums for all to enjoy. There is Artifacts, the import store for the rich and famous; Construction Junction, the re-use store for the rest of us; and in our latest exploration we visited Bicycle Heaven, the store for bike lovers.

Much like the other unusual stores we've visit in the city, when we say that Bicycle Heaven is large, we mean it. The store claims to be the largest bike shop in the USA, sells tens of thousands of items on eBay, and covers two floors with about a dozen rooms in its North Side warehouse.

Naturally, this sounds exactly like the kind of place we want to explore when enjoying our city.

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The Center for PostNatural History – A Most Unusual Museum

Transgenic Goat at the PostNatural Museum in Pittsburgh

The Specimen Vault at the PostNatural Museum Pittsburgh is a hub of unusual museums, and The Center for PostNatural History in Garfield is no exception.

For those who are not familiar with the term, PostNatural describes living organisms that have been modified by man through everything from selective breeding all the way to genetic engineering by accredited scientists, mad scientists, and everything in between.

As an engineer this museum sounded perfect to me, and I was incredibly excited about visiting during their limited Friday and Sunday opening hours to check out the exhibits.

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Gaucho Pittsburgh Review – Delicious Argentinian Meat

When it comes to barbecued meat, the country of Argentina could really teach the world a thing or two.

During our travels in Argentina we devoured the country's famous barbecue and were so enamored with it that we frequently highlight the dish of Patagonian lamb as one of the best things we've ever eaten. (…and if you read our full travel destination list, you'll understand that this is truly saying something).

That being said, crafting an authentic Argentinian barbecue is not easy, and we can attest to being disappointed in most Argentinian restaurants that try to produce this country's iconic food outside of South America. As you can imagine, we had mixed emotions going into our visit to Gaucho Parrilla Argentina.

On one hand the reviews we've seen were all fantastic, but on the other hand we have a long history of being disappointed by restaurants in other parts of the country that simply do not stack up to the real thing.

Luckily for Gaucho Parrilla, they are absolutely spot on and routinely deliver what could be our favorite meals in all of Pittsburgh.

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Artifacts Pittsburgh – Fantasy Shopping in the West End

Artifacts Pittsburgh

If you have an itch to do some fantasy shopping for one-of-a-kind items in Pittsburgh, look no further than Artifacts in the West End. Touted as a “museum with a price tag,” Artifacts is home to over 20,000 items ranging from Turkish rugs, European artwork, hand crafted tables, to stuffed lions and giraffe busts, human-sized griffon statues, and everything in between.

We couldn't make this up even if we tried.

We first learned about Artifacts during a quest to find a seating area that would compliment a Turkish rug and lamp that we bought while traveling in Istanbul. Naturally, stories of Artifacts' massive showroom of Turkish rugs and other unique items inspired us to visit in hopes of finding our dream accompaniment.

We didn't, and that is fine by us.

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Randyland is a Colorful Must See Attraction in Pittsburgh

Randyland - The Most Colorful Place in Pittsburgh

Unlike other attractions in the city, you'll have no problem spotting Randyland from a distance.

This outdoor art studio, if you can call it that, is quite possibly the most colorful spot in all of Pittsburgh– and that is only the first impression from looking at it on the outside.

Once you enter, a world of incredible art and whimsy is yours to explore.

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Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a Must Visit

Phipps Conservatory in Oakland is one of the shining gems of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is true not only for the gorgeous plants and foliage that they show off in their massive botanical gardens, but also for their efforts in sustainability- Phipps Conservatory is one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world.

With dozens of themed rooms, an assortment of flowers and artwork that cycles quarterly in their seasonal flower shows, and improvements made every year, Phipps is an attraction that will keep you returning time and time again.

When we decided to write a review of this stellar attraction, we were debating on whether or not to feature one flower show, or go broad and share images from several. In the end we decided for the latter, purely because we don't want to give it all away. We want you to see it for yourself.

So come inside and let us give you a brief glimpse at why we love this attraction!

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