Pittsburgh-Views and Smiles Oberservable in Every Direction
 

Pittsburgh was a total upbeat experience, from beginning to end. Thank you for all the advice given before- as so much of it was thoroughly used.

5 days of total fun and activity time! Mostly outside under the sky and all of it positive.

We could have brought out our brooms, but the folks at PNC were so nice and such fun- PURE fun- that we asked them to remove their paperbag heads with frowns- and were actually rooting for the Pirates during a 9th inning rally ONCE. Believe me, I never thought that would have been a possibility.

This will be a trip report. I could make it long, because we had such numerous adventures on all sides of the rivers- but I'll try to just hit the highlights.

It was HOT. It was occasionally stormy. But we had something GOING- because everytime we had a game or some out in the open stretch- it seemed to hold off. One time actually, the downpour came within minutes of my accepting a huge shared plate of crab- 3 ways and 3 tyypes accompanied by a Blue Moon. Nice to watch it while eating a feast- rather than getting soaked within the previous multi mile walk.

5 days- Midway/Chicago to Pittsburgh Int. and back. Perfect and easy flights. Coming back it was with 10 teachers going to China, and 28 family members going to a reunion cruise out of Seattle. Party atmosphere reigned. The cockatiel did great at the bird hotel- we picked him up on the way home from the airport.

Sheraton Station Square was a no identity first type bid on a Hotwire. I won't tell you what I paid because it is just unbelieveable. It was less than a 1/3rd of the $216 o $269 rack rate. FABULOUS service during our entire stay at every level we used in this place. The Gateway Clipper water taxi to PNC was beyond heaven and a mere block from the hotel's back door-down a ramp.. Pittsburgh crowds are not like our definition of crowds, btw. Not in numbers, nor within the usual line behaviors etc. MANNERS AND CLEANLINESS! It was an alterative world, compared to the city I'm accustomed to experiencing.

My SO was repeatedly flummoxed by the use of streets or restaurant outside areas for formal parties (wedding, business meeting etc.) without restricting "outside" crowd access etc. NEVER< NEVER<NEVER would work at home. "On your honor" drink bars etc.
We thought we were in Never-Never land. I was never given so much free stuff for showing up somewhere. Stuff I didn't even want, and gave away. LOL!

My Dad is now the proud owner of Pirates and Rivers T-shirts, for example.

The Sheraton Station Square hotel also provided free shuttles to the Strip area of Pittsburgh and to the new Rivers Casino area. So between that and the bus system we went to all the places we had planned and more with the least cost and effort that I have ever experienced during a city baseball trip. And the rides home, the pick-ups- were always fast and just plain pleasant. NO hassles.

We got the 14th floor (only 15 in the building) with a FABULOUS view of 2 rivers, the point, Heinz Field, downtown Pittsburgh (I am in love with the shape of that "castle topped" scrapper- PPG or PGG???)and also of Mt. Washington/incline/ churches on top etc. That was the true surprise. Never even asked for it.

We saw the National Aviary and SO got to feed the Lorikeets with Nectar placed on his arms- covered with birds. LOL! Went to the Andy Warhol -and got him some culture under duress.

More about the food and the PNC experience when I return. And also the big news on tv when we were there, as well. Did you hear? One of the Pierogi's from the Pierogi Race got fired!

Lovely little city that could come back after industry imploded! SO says it is the only city he has ever visited that he could picture himself living WITHIN the city. (And that IS a great number of cities- not just American ones, either that he has had to traipse through, and not just for me either.) I think that option of SO living in a city, is even a stretch, but that does say something about both Pittsburgh essence and its topography. Both.

Go White Sox! I'm not going to say how many wins in a row now. It's a jinx. But suffice it to say, that I haven't taken my Sox earrings off for over 2 weeks now.

Saw how the White Sox did while you were there and figured you were happy. Was happy myself as I have a bunch of White Sox players on my FBB teams.

Glad you had a great trip. I need to get back there. Why did a Pierogi get fired?

So glad that you enjoyed your time in Pittsburgh. We fell in love with the city once our daughter started going to Pitt. She's graduated now and in the process of moving away from Pittsburgh, so we probably won't be going there so often now. But, we plan to help her move on a weekend when the Pirates are in town so we can go to a game. You make it sound like such fun!

The Pierogi is supposed to be incognito and voiceless- I guess he commented out of character re the game and some other odds issues. Online. I guess, Pierogi can't have opinions or even voices. One carries a purse though- Hannah! LOL!

On the why home, longhorn55, I sat next to a young football hopeful (SW), that Pitt has special interest in- and who attends a continuing football camp, and rather commutes between Pittsburgh from Sycamore, IL. It's all a small world. We both knew a bunch of the same people from my college employer, Lewis.

Pirates games are AWESOME! Not only the park- either. They have a truly engrossing video format upon opening, for instance. All the statues in the park turn into steel men. Character who come to life and in their own expertise, decimate the "enemy" (which in this case, was a huge aircraft carrier with SOX in clear image upon it). Horus Wagner, Clemente, Stargell etc. all do their things (batting, fielding, running bases) with fireballs.

And every single Thursday home games are free shirt games. FOR VERY reasonable prices on all tickets. They even have a ticket with an "all you can eat" quotient in one section at every home game. NO BAD SEATS. None.

Absolutely the best visual in a ball park, IMHO- and people argue this because there are some excellent views with water in several places in the USA, but this one looking outward upon downtown Pittsburgh with that yellow bridge sitting massively in the outfield (it looks phony- like a movie backdrop) is a perfect 10. The Cell made a massive mistake, not facing the city's skyline, just because of property zoning and windstream issues. It's priceless.

We still like the one in Baltimore's birdland the best overall- as a building- but PNC is more visually beautiful and with easier access too than 2/3rds of the others, at least.

Pittsburgh people are hard, hard working. Service people are moving like dynamo's and HUGE on smiling. We were lost for 1/2 of an afternoon between the Strip and downtown and people came out of nowhere and literally factories. to help us. One time a lady watching a handicapped man in a park, walked us over to the right street to get a quicker Northbound bus.

We ate lots of sea food. I never had any beef- in all that time, I don't think.

Tomorrow I'll do a quick restaurant review addition.

Roland's was very good. Artria at PNC was a REAL find. Fabulous atmosphere for dinner. Ours there was in the hour before a game and within the last 2 hours of 8 hour festival PNC Employee Appreciation Day happening, being held outside in the "block party" barricaded street.

First baseball trip we have ever been on that we didn't see a White Sox home run. We are back to small ball winning again.

Do return to Pittsburgh. Next time if they play the Nationals that year- I'm going to piggy back both with Cleveland or Cin. or Philadelphia and drive.

They rehired the Pierogie. That view of the bridge is great. was the highlight of my first baseball trip - we did Pitts, Cincinatti, Detroit and Toronto (saw the White Sox in Toronto). Fun trip but we wondered why we left Pittsburgh so quick.

Go back. Try, if you can, a weekday game. Wonderful atmosphere!

Very glad to hear that your trip was a success and that you got to find out what Pittsburgh is really like. So many never know... ;)
Where else can you work as a pierogi, get fired, get offered a job as a hotdog the next day, and then get hired back to your old pierogi job?
In other cities, pierogis are still collecting unemployment.

Steelersfan, in what other city is every single service person, not only friendly, but willing and able to relate knowledge and stories of great interest, because they have had former occupations. Our driver for the transits courtesy of the Sheraton Station Square was a 20 plus year former fireman/retired. DROVE THE FIRE TRUCK! (Does he know where everything is!!)

Our taxi drivers were former industry/steel workers etc. We meet huge numbers of PNC, UPMC employees too. Our crab waiter was a physical therapist, nearing the end of his certification. And besides those, we heard at least 3 or 4 long tales of re-direction and gentrification, both. Everything that my city has done wrong, Pittsburgh has done correctly. And I know, regardless, it all takes loads of time.

But having some accountability and not complete corruption, and having the majority still have a moral compass that points North, are the main factors, in the difference. That and the size.

I really missed not hearing about the Pierogi re-hire- and glad that posters in the know, clued me in. I bet the table games going into the Rivers have been installed by now too. That was continuing story #2. I voted for the Pierogi Hannah two times, and lost both times. My SO won twice- once with the Kraut and once with the Cheese. LOVED Hannah's purse!

Oh, enjoy, your beautiful little city. It is also defined within the Steeler identity. And football. Quite like Green Bay. I thought no place could be so football pivoted- but I was wrong.

I'm trying to talk my youngest into moving there- it would fit him- much, much better- than here.

It would fit ALL of us better. We wouldn't have to worry about the National Guard being called in for summer hot weather weekends, either. Last weekend there were 50 plus people wounded in gunfire in Chicago within 2 days. It's not close, the bullets flying- but it's not all that far either. There aren't enough hospitals. Literally! Crime is everywhere- but not like this. Armed robbery is occurring in my town for the first time. And in the "good" neighborhoods in Chicago too.

We were completely impressed by your medical facilities. And their access. People from our hotel had a need. NO WAITS. Like another world from here in IL.

We are supposed to pretend that our city warfare and conditions aren't the reality?? The reality has become so bad, that even the police are not able to wrap their minds around it completely, right now. Very different context than your towns!

Pittsburgh is just the perfect size. That and Seattle are our two choices, so far, out of about 30 American cities- for easy living and most potential toward a balanced life. Maybe in parts of Baltimore, too.

Appreciate it! I'll be back.

Nice to 'meet' another 'Burgh fan!