We met Paul Floreancig and his family for dinner in Pittsburgh at The Church Brew Works, a fascinating brewpub located in the decommissioned St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic church. The original pews were cut to form the benches for the dining tables, a wood burning pizza oven was installed, and the alter area was reconfigured as the brewery. As a special touch, storage for the hard liquor is in the confessionals. Although they didn't have "all the beers," the beer that they did have was excellent and the food was a cut above typical microbrewery fare. They even had a Kolsch on tap (don't forget the umlaut). I enjoyed the beer sampler and then ordered a pint of the "Pious Monk Dunkel." Awesome! Fortunately, Rachelle had agreed to be the designated RV driver.
Paul and I were graduate students together in Paul Wender's Lab at Stanford. He's now a Professor of Chemistry at The University of Pittsburgh. Paul took me to "The Church" when he invited me to give a talk at the Pitt back in 2006 and I've been talking about the place ever since. I was super excited to get the chance visit again. Paul and his wife, Debbie, and their 8-year old daughter, Natalie, met up with us at our Kailua, HI (rental) beach house during the Pacifichem conference in December of 2005. At that time, Keiko and Amaya were only 3 1/2, but somehow Natalie remembered them and vice versa. I guess memories made on the beach in Hawaii are imprinted pretty strongly!
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| Forgive me Father |
Paul and I were graduate students together in Paul Wender's Lab at Stanford. He's now a Professor of Chemistry at The University of Pittsburgh. Paul took me to "The Church" when he invited me to give a talk at the Pitt back in 2006 and I've been talking about the place ever since. I was super excited to get the chance visit again. Paul and his wife, Debbie, and their 8-year old daughter, Natalie, met up with us at our Kailua, HI (rental) beach house during the Pacifichem conference in December of 2005. At that time, Keiko and Amaya were only 3 1/2, but somehow Natalie remembered them and vice versa. I guess memories made on the beach in Hawaii are imprinted pretty strongly!
Keiko and Amaya were thrilled when Natalie invited them to sleep over at her house. Tom and Rachelle were pretty excited to sleep in a real bed too... We weren't expecting a sleepover during our RV trip, but the girls were had a fantastic time. I think they may even have slept for a few hours. Paul made us pancakes for breakfast and we pried the girls apart in order to get back on the road. A great time in Pittsburgh. Somehow, I sense that a pilgrimage back to The Church is in my future.
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| Amaya, Natalie Floreancig, and Keiko sleepover |
I'm glad to hear this place is still there - and still as good. Wow, it's been about 10 years since I was last there. Pittsburgh has come a long way from the steel city I was born in.
ReplyDeleteIt's been great fun following your trip! Let me know when you venture West.