the bop's replacement

one concern that elizabeth and i had moving to pittsburgh was where we were going to get a delicious frozen treat. we had been avid bop's customers in starkville - to the point that the employees knew our names and what we wanted! we didn't think that anything would compare to the exquisite tastes that bop's conjured. to our excitement, we discovered that a homemade ice cream shop called dave and andy's was directly across the street from elizabeth's building at pitt. moreover, there were fragrant scents of freshly made waffle cones coming from this establishment. i remember the first time we visited dave and andy's. they make their own ice cream right there in the store, so there were flavors that i had only dreamed of. i settled on a flavor that had a cookies and cream base with marshmallows and caramel mixed in. of course, i got it in a waffle cone. it tasted like a party in my mouth - a perfect combination of sweet and creamy and a little chewy. at the bottom of the cone, i discovered a little surprise. elizabeth had the same surprise in the bottom of her cone, as well (i won't tell what it is in case some of you have the great honor of ever getting to experience it). elizabeth and i began visiting dave and andy's about once a week to enjoy a different flavor of freshly made ice cream (they rarely have the same flavors). by the second or third time, one of the employees recognized us as "regulars." hooray! i never thought a big city shop, which sees thousands of customers a day, would even notice that we were patronizing their store often. this employee talks to us every time we go in now. so, i have to say that our fears have been relieved. bop's, you still hold a special place in our hearts, though. we look forward to enjoying you when we are back in da ville.


elizabeth and i in front of dave and andy's!


stirling, who is here at pts doing the summer youth institute, was lucky enough to get to enjoy a little dave and andy's. he almost didn't get to experience this pittsburgh pleasure, as we went the first night he was here but couldn't get in due to the block long line coming from the shop. when we went back an hour later, they had just closed. we were determined to get some, though. the next day, while still full from lunch, we went down to find a more available dave and andy's. score!

cheers,
jw