Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is my hometown. What would one's blog be without tips for what to do, see, and eat in their own stomping grounds?

Pittsburgh is in the Southwest corner of PA. It's not far from the West Virginia and Ohio borders. Known as the Steel City and the City of Bridges, Pittsburgh's life blood lies is the three rivers which meet at the city's center. Regardless of which direction you're flying in from you're sure to spot a river.

It's important to mention that Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's two large cities, are nearly 300 miles apart from one another. While within the same state, the cities are seemingly worlds apart. Each has it's own sports teams, vernacular, and favorite sandwiches: Philly's Cheesesteaks vs Pittsburgh's Primanti's Brothers Sandwiches which include French fries and Cole slaw inside the slices of bread. 

Last summer my husband and I decided to plant a garden. We cleared our side yard, built the raised garden beds, and shopped for the plants all in one day. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. Split those duties up amongst two or three days. That being said we were overtired and hungry while selecting plants and we had an odd assortment in our year 1 garden: green beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kale, peppers, mint, and basil. While we ate a small portion of the offering from our garden, most of it went to waste. This year we vowed to do a better job by first selecting more veggies that can be eaten both raw and cooked and second by actually preserving some of our bounty.

In early June we planted our second summer garden. We bought the plants from our local Swanson's Nursery and painlessly plopped them into the raised garden beds.

Pittsburgh here we come! Tonight my husband and I will take two flights to get us across the country to my hometown for a week long visit. It's been almost a year and a half since I've been back home and this summertime trip is long overdue.

Bagheera, our cat, is less than thrilled to be left behind in Seattle but is always excited to see a bag to jump into. Hopefully I can continue my ongoing trend of carry on bags only later today!

Poke (pronounced POH-kay) is a popular meal in Hawaii. Freshly caught ahi tuna is cut into cubes, seasoned with shoyu (soy sauce), garlic, onions, and maybe another ingredient or two at most, then served over sticky white rice. That's right, raw fish and rice. It sounds very simple and it is, simplicity at its most delicious.

Of course, you can have other types of poke: octopus, tofu, and shrimp, just to name a few. Do you like things spicy? You got it! Poke is lunchtime perfection and makes a great beach snack. Swing by your local Foodland and don't forget the chop sticks, you're ready to go beach! 

Poke used to be unheard of in Seattle, but it is now rapidly taking over Seattle and other parts of the mainland. There are poke restaurants opening here almost every month and we've even got a poke food truck, thanks to Sam Choy! Shoooots. 

Last Saturday I was perusing Instagram when I discovered Go Poke in Seattle's International District. Not only did they serve poke, they also have Dole Whip! I had to go. My girl, Lilah, is from the Big Island and we went to Go Poke dinner on that very same day.  

Let's talk about figs. Clearly I love the adorable and delicious fruits and have named this very blog after them. My Pap (Grandfather) had a fig tree in his yard in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when I was growing up. I would beg and plead with him to please, puh-lease give me some figs! He'd laugh and remind me that they weren't ripe until "it was time to go back to school" in the fall.

Now I have my own yard and fig tree, although on the opposite side of the country in Seattle, Washington. In PA you're supposed to dig up the entire tree and bury it underground for the winter. Lucky for me, we don't have to do that here since temperatures rarely drop below freezing.

That all being said, the important consistency with fig trees on both sides of this country is that they give us figs to eat, right? Makes sense to me...

According to the internet and social media, where everything you see is true, Fiddle Leaf Fig trees are all the rage. Every sparkling clean and all white Instagram living room is dotted only with this green leafy tree. The photo below is a perfect example of this trend from Apartment Therapy.