Ten months ago, I quit smoking. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. You wouldn’t think so, because quitting something is all about not doing something, and procrastinators like me find it extraordinarily easy to not do things.

But those Cholinergic receptors that form ligand-gated ion channels in cells’ plasma membranes are powerful little buggers. They make you do funny things, like strangle a hobo with his own pants for a puff of his savory dog-end*.

I didn’t actually do that, but I did develop a strong dislike of the smell of cigarette smoke, a dislike that began as a dislike for the smell specifically while I was eating.

And although the state legislature has passed an inherently anti-freedom, anti-smoking law, it won’t start forcing business owners to stop people from smoking for a few weeks yet, you should still know your options. If you’re like me, and you’d rather eat a meal without people smoking around you, you can do things the old fashioned way and vote with your wallet.

Despite its misleading name, SmokeFree Pennsylvania is not in the business of distributing gratis tobacco products. They’re much more concerned with giving customers the ability to find those restaurants that are capable of making the to-smoke-or-not-to-smoke decision on their own without government influence - and they’ve given you a handy guide to it. I give you a direct link to their restaurant and bar listings, but only so you don’t have to suffer through their pro-ban boostering on the front page, since it’s perfectly possible to be against a behavior and still support another person’s right to do it.

* that’s a British term for a cigarette

I’m posting from Farmington, on assignment for the summer, so posts will be fewer and further between for me (internet access is sometimes hard to come by).  And on a quick side note, I do have another Village Voice in the works for New Stanton, I’m still working on getting the picture I need for it though, hopefully it’s a feature I can keep going.

Anyway, on my way here for the summer, I stopped at a Subway on 119 for dinner near Connellsville.  While enjoying my tuna sub, I overheard a strange conversation, and of course realized, that I’ve probably had conversations just as strange, and things really don’t change as much as I think as I get further away from home, they just pull things into perspective.

So I was sitting there, and I overheard the statement: “ men are like pizzas, you can put cheese and pepperoni on them.”  Now I really don’t understand that statement, nor do I think (or hope) that it is supporting a cannibalistic lifestyle.  However, I was at a loss, so I quickly finished my sub and headed down the road, through construction of course, letting the statement replay in my head.

Driving into work this morning I heard a commercial from Ohio’s tourism department touting different things to do in Ohio, such as the Rock ‘n Roll hall of fame, art museums, zoos and the like.  One caught my ear however: going to the birthplace of the banana split.

Maybe I’ve been lied to for the last six years, maybe the Food Network is wrong…but I was under the impression that the banana split was invented in Latrobe at Valley Dairy.  Guess I’ll have to do some more digging and see what I can come up with, and until then, my shattered dreams will just have to be comforted by some other ice cream…maybe a Blizzard of some sort…

I believe other Metblog cities have done it, so I’m taking a cue from them and introducing you to the village of Farmington.  The idea struck me when I was on the road this weekend (camping and running events for work) and I thought it would be a fun idea.  I tend to travel to Farmington quite a bit (and live there over the summer), so if nothing else, it may provide some inspiration for you to come visit.

 For me, the quickest way to Farmington is to hop on the Turnpike to New Stanton and then take 119, which turns into 40.  But it is also accessible via 381, which also makes for a nice trip through Ohiopyle and the opportunity to stop at Falling Water, or even 281, which will put you through Confluence.

 Farmington is south of Uniontown, up on the mountain, and home to Nemacolin Woodlands.  Other points of interest (which are at least near, and I believe in the same township of Wharton) are Jumonville, The Summit Inn, the Stone House, Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Laurel Caverns.  Summertime also brings a giant flea market worth checking out.  I want to say it’s the first weekend of each month, but I’m not positive on that.

 Driving up 40 will take you up a winding mountain highway.  On the way up there are two pull-offs, one for Lick Hollow picnic area (which is rarely, if ever open, a sign eternally proclaiming “closed for season”) and one which provides a scenic overlook of Uniontown.  The scenic overlook, as well as a pull-off on the way down with a spring are both home to geocaches.  And even though I generally try not to encourage the park-and-grab variety, these two are worth it, both providing very interesting locations to visit and beautiful and unique scenery.

More after the jump, including eateries and entertainment!

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I know it is a little chilly today. But free ice cream is a good thing. April 29 is Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s. Pittsburgh only has 1 Ben and Jerry’s Location in Sq. Hill - 5885 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Thanks to Tom at the DC Metblog for the reminder.

If cupcakes are your thing - check out $1 cupcakes at Dozen tommorow.

Borrowing a tradition from CMU’s campus newspaper, a compliment and a complaint for two Pittsburgh institutions, one new, one old. First off, as a follow-up to my last post about good places to grab a quick pre/post show bite in the Cultural District, I’ll add Palate, a new-ish French bistro on 6th between Liberty and Penn. The food’s good, and it won’t break your bank — they have a very nice little “bar menu” with various medium-sized plates, all for $7, and three of those will very nicely feed two people. Beyond that, I have to give a major shout out to the staff. We strolled (well, hopped, given my crutches) in at about 9:15 last night, cold, hungry, and fresh from a major annoyance, only to find that they’d just closed down the kitchen. They immediately re-opened it, sat us down, fed us well, and didn’t rush us back out the door, despite us being the only customers in the place. You don’t always see that kind of extra-mile behavior in mid-to-high-end restaurants, and they deserve credit for it. We’ll be going back, assuming they survive and stay open.

The complaint, meanwhile, goes to the people who were responsible for the aforesaid major annoyance, namely our state and city government. I injured my knee over a month ago, and have been unable to walk since then. So, I sent off to PennDOT for one of those temporary handicapped parking tags. The first application, they lost entirely. The second one (sent by FedEx and scrupulously tracked) they *also* lost, although yesterday one person claims to have found it. In the meantime, the friendly City of Pittsburgh Police have been so helpful as to issue me a nice large parking ticket for unauthorized use of a handicapped space. I know, it’s the way the system works, but it’s silly. What’s the point of having temporary permits if you can’t get or use them while you’re actually disabled?
(OK, I know, it’s not purely Pittsburgh-related, and I should be grateful that I was able to get surgery and get repaired, not whining about having to go to court and fight the ticket. But hey, having a blog means you get to complain to the Interweb once in a while.)

What would you do if you used to be a chef on Aristotle and Jackie Onassis’ yacht, but had decided to try your luck in America?

Well, if you’re Christos Melacrinos, you jump ship, make your way to Pittsburgh through a series of adventures, and end up buying a restaurant in the Cultural District. And then, if that weren’t enough to tell your grandkids, you also get your 15 minutes of fame for taking a bum from your alleyway and helping him turn his life around.

We happened to be killing about an hour last night while waiting for Avenue Q, and in search of coffee and dessert, we stumbled across Christos’. What drew us there was how packed-full it was; our feeling is that anyplace crowded has to have something going for it. What’ll take us back for dinner sometime is the story and the atmosphere. It’s a hole in the wall, and the coffee/dessert are tasty, although not the best I’ve ever had. But the pictures on the walls and trinkets in the display case, and the stories embodied in those and the menu, are better seasoning than anything any chef has in his or her spice rack.

Yet another little gem that nobody’s ever heard of hiding in Pittsburgh, and worth checking out next time you’re catching a show Downtown.

More cool stuff learned from the Metroblogging network. Thanks to Sean in Los Angeles for sharing this one. Someone stole a base in the world series and as a result Taco Bell is giving away free tacos to the whole country. Cool, because I still haven’t had lunch today.

Tuesday, October 30, 2-5pm
1 free crunchy beef taco
More Info Here

Thanks to Pittsblog, I now can see how excited people in San Francisco are about having french fries in their sandwiches. I really can’t quote too many of the reactions since a lot of these seem to have reached porn levels of exitement. I sort of can’t get my mouth open wide enough to tell you what I think of them.

and go to Mexico to get tasty ideas. The Big Burrito newsletter is probably one of the best email newsletters I have ever seen. They July newsletter arrived in my email yesterday with an interesting topic. Bill Fuller, the Big Burrito chef, writes about his trip to Mexico with the head Mad Mex chef shares some recipes. Bill also writes that he reads blogs to learn about new things. Obviously I like blogs, and it is nice to learn that other cool people use them too.
If you don’t know about Mad Mex, you should - it is one of my most favorite places to eat ever - partly because the chefs buy local and use good food to make a tasty meal. While I have been lobbying Bill (and every server that has crossed my path) to bring back the chick pea pizza that has been off the Mad Mex menu for years, I am looking forward to seeing what new items arrive on the menu.