Powder Witch & Company

I had a chance to run downtown again (for the first time in nearly a month!), and decided to try and catch the bus in front of my house. Hopefully this time I'll learn my lesson and check the schedule before I hop on a bus back.

The ride down was pretty smooth, there was some road construction happening on Pine Hollow on the way out that didn't slow things down. And it was gone by the time I headed home, so whatever was happening was likely minor work.

I wanted to run up to the north shore and check out lake Elizabeth in the park, and figured this would be a great chance to also try out the subway a bit more. I'd been up to the park before, I joined in with the crowd that marched up there during pride. But I didn't get close enough to see the lake through the crowd, I crashed out on the edge of the park from heat exhaustion so I didn't get to watch Billie Porter speak (although I did hear him).

The train was pretty packed when I got on, something I wasn't expecting at 11:15 on a Thursday. It turned out there was a baseball game happening, Pirates and Dodgers if I was reading the crowd right. But this meant the streets were packed when I got off the train.

The north side station is between two stadiums, attached to a parking garage, and surrounded on all sides be parking lots. The streets were packed with people attempting to squeeze into the garage or looping around to the nearby lots (all of which charge over 12 dollars for parking). There's also a public bathroom in the garage, which was not as packed as game day might imply (probably because it was early).

Thankfully for me, the congestion made it easy enough to get between cars and escape the endless lots. It's a bit of a hike from there to the park, but very enjoyable once you reach the 'tenant only' lots.

There's a train on the tracks that run through the park as I write this. It probably sounds silly to be excited over a cargo train, but I am.

Ok, the train's moved on and I moved somewhere with a bit more sun. It's nice out today, but a little chilly in the shade.

I can't describe how I feel, sitting by the lake. I guess it's just been a while since i got to hear running water that wasn't from a tap. That might sound crazy in a city wreathed by rivers, but it only just got warm enough to get close and listen.

I missed the flowering trees, but there are plenty of wild violets, nettle, and dandelions around. And theres geese and ducks swimming around nearby! I think I've been cooped up to long. I got a day job to help cover bills, but my schedule is too inconsistent to make plans. Hopefully I'll have more chances to come down again soon.

I'd had vague plans of visiting the aviary next to the lake while I was out, but they were closed today. Probably getting ready for tourist season. So instead, I walked a lap of the park and headed back downtown for lunch.

The train back from the north shore was much quieter, maybe half the people as earlier. It was pretty relaxing.

The Speckled Egg was recommended to me by a friend at work, and I was immediately interested. However, their schedule is a little difficult to plan for when my own is inconsistent. And I actually forgot to check their hours before I left home.

They were open when I arrived, thankfully. They operate out of the union trust building, an incredibly pretty building that surprisingly wasn't built to just be offices. You can just walk in and there they are in the middle.

Its classy in here, all silver and black with bits of gold scattered around. I feel under dressed in my battered oblivion hoodie, but not unwelcome. Ok, it's classy until the music hit me, and I recognized it as the alt rock I used to listen to in highschool. Not saying it's bad, just that I had a moment when The Offspring started playing and then got followed by MCR.

I had an iced green tea and a fried chicken biscuit. The tea was really good, just lightly sweetened and not so strong that the matcha punches you in the face. The chicken biscuit looks small at first glance, but it's very filling and tasty.

The sandwich was piled high with chicken, bacon (an extra I couldn't pass up), a spicy sauce laced with cheese, and pickles. The biscuit was just on the side of dry and a little crumbly, but this just helped it absorb the sauce. And all together was probably the perfect combination of spicy and acidic to go with the meat. The chicken was well fried and crispy, and the bacon was rich. It comes with a wedge of pickle on the side too, but I don't have the room for it.

I hit up Nicholas coffee and tea before I headed home. This time they had an Indian blend. It was more bitter than the last I tried, but that could be because it was stronger. Still good, but next time I might pass on that for one of their flavored coffees.

I timed my return well and the next bus was the one I needed, so I got home with very little trouble. And for once, I didn't need to drive anywhere or call anyone for a pickup. Just public transit the whole way!