Team VFH has burgeoned for this weekend trip to Pittsburgh. The kids, whom we affectionally refer to as "The Royals" have come along on the road trip. Adam and Lauren live in Liverpool England and have been visiting this month and decided to come along on this trip through western Pennsylvania. We are the guests of one of Janet's sorority sisters in Steubenville, Ohio, which is just 40 west of Pittsburgh. Sally and her husband Dave are more than gracious hosts who have arranged a lovely weekend for us with tickets to a Pittsburgh Pirates/St. Louis Cardinals game at PNC Bank Park. Turns out that the former Yankees pitcher, AJ Burnett, will pitch his first game for the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.
We drove the treacherous Pennsylvania Turnpike fairly unscathed except for one weaving erratic knucklehead from Virginia which caused great consternation in our little lawn mower of a rental car. We gave him a wide berth and the rest of the drive was uneventful. We stopped only briefly to eat a quick lunch at a truck stop and would have made excellent time but the traffic in Pittsburgh was awful, especially after being in the "tuna can" rental car for nearly 300 miles. We caught glimpses of the mighty three rivers that define the Golden Triangle that was once the gateway to the West, but had to continue west to Ohio. Thankfully the day was warm and clear, and our views were unobscured with none of the pollutants from the steel industry that once produced nearly half of the nation's steel and giving the city the knickname, Smoky. A city of bridges, there are 446 spanning either the Monongahela, Allegany or Ohio Rivers.
Adam was overjoyed with the 8 mile swatch of road of West Virginia we had to drive along, because he could say he was in yet another state of this country and started hooting and yelping "Hee-Haw" in his faux hillbilly/North England accent when we crossed the border. It is the simple things in this world that make life so wondrous. Later, on the way home, we took a different, more southerly route which took us through Wheeling, West Virginia and a truck stop where Adam loaded up on various sundries like beef jerky for the lengthy 6 hour drive.
Steubenville's commerce was also hitched to the steel industry. Our hosts lived on perhaps the loveliest street in Stubenville and Dave is a well respected accountant. He said though the city has been in a slow decline for decades as the "Rust Belt" has hit this area has taken its toll. Still, Steubenville is called the city of murals as there are 25 various paintings in the downtown area, including one of perhaps its most famous citizen, Dean Martin. This was an added bonus for me as I once toured with Frank, Dean and Sammy in the late eighties. Every morning when we were setting up for that evening show the crew would laugh and sing Mr. Martin's opening song... "When You're Drinking." Turns out Steubenville is also home to Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, the Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers and the porn star, Traci Lords. Adam and I went looking for her mural, but could not locate it.
After drinks in the sun splashed backyard we headed over to the country club where Dave and Sally are members for more drinks and a chance to win a lottery they were drawing that night. We were introduced to several friends including Jimmy the Greek's brother, but the odds were not in our favor and we did not win.
The heat of Friday was gone by Saturday and the day was cold and rainy. We were unsure if the game would take place. Dave kept checking the weather reports and when we headed into town it looked rather bleak. We first headed to the heights of Mt. Washington on the south side of the river to have lunch. The area is also called "Coal Hill". The restaurant had a spectacular view of the city. We could see the three rivers, barges lined up on one bank brimming with coal and Heinz Field, where the Steelers play and further along PNC Park where the Pirates call home. According to baseball enthusiasts PNC Park is considered the best baseball venue on the east coast. We snapped pictures through the rain splatterd windows as we busied ourselves with our lunch.
Afterwards we took the Duquesene Incline to the river to an area called Station Square.. There were a lot of shops and restaurants and we walked the area for a time dodging raindrops before having drinks in the renovated train station called the Grand Concourse. Opulent and cavernous, we settled our soaked bones for a round before heading back up the funicular and the car.
By the time we parked and walked across a bridge to the stadium the rain had stopped. The game was going to be held. The bridge is closed for pedestrians on game days and serves as a backdrop in the outfield. Yellow and lighted charmingly, it looked like a movie backdrop from our seats.Team VFH marveled at how convienient and cozy and friendly everything and everyone was at the game. We even got a Pittsburgh Pirate umbrella as a give away when we entered the stadium. We had fantastic seats, just eleven rows up from the inner circle and directly behind home plate, but they were cheap at just $32 each. The same seats at Yankee Stadium and even Citizen's Bank Park in Philly would have been too costly for us. Even the inner circle, which abutted the field were just $100 and included food!!!
As I have run all over the world and the United States I had to go out on Sunday morning for one. The trip to Steubenville would have been hollow had I not gotten a run in while there. So, Sunday morning I headed out in the still dreary weather, left the leafy confines of our host's lovely street and endured the cold and rain for a few miles. It was not the best, but at least I can say I was there, much like Adam's trip through West Virginia.
The trip home was especially bad. It rained the entire way and we hurried home because there were reports of a Nor'easter heading up the east coast. It would get worse as the day progressed. We thought to stop for something to eat, but decided it was best to make it back to the safety of VFH's home and get food there. We survived on beef jerky and nuts! Dave had given us a new route that bypassed Pittsburgh entirely which made the trip a bit easier. Our hosts recommeded we stop either at Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright home, but the Cracker Barrel and later the truckstop were enough and with the weather getting progressively worse we were wise not to dawdle.
Just a few miles from our exit there was a violent accident on the west bound side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I had to dodge debris that cascaded into our path while driving 65 mph. I was never so happy to finally turn off the car and run inside the house.
We drove the treacherous Pennsylvania Turnpike fairly unscathed except for one weaving erratic knucklehead from Virginia which caused great consternation in our little lawn mower of a rental car. We gave him a wide berth and the rest of the drive was uneventful. We stopped only briefly to eat a quick lunch at a truck stop and would have made excellent time but the traffic in Pittsburgh was awful, especially after being in the "tuna can" rental car for nearly 300 miles. We caught glimpses of the mighty three rivers that define the Golden Triangle that was once the gateway to the West, but had to continue west to Ohio. Thankfully the day was warm and clear, and our views were unobscured with none of the pollutants from the steel industry that once produced nearly half of the nation's steel and giving the city the knickname, Smoky. A city of bridges, there are 446 spanning either the Monongahela, Allegany or Ohio Rivers.
Adam was overjoyed with the 8 mile swatch of road of West Virginia we had to drive along, because he could say he was in yet another state of this country and started hooting and yelping "Hee-Haw" in his faux hillbilly/North England accent when we crossed the border. It is the simple things in this world that make life so wondrous. Later, on the way home, we took a different, more southerly route which took us through Wheeling, West Virginia and a truck stop where Adam loaded up on various sundries like beef jerky for the lengthy 6 hour drive.
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| Hey Pally |
After drinks in the sun splashed backyard we headed over to the country club where Dave and Sally are members for more drinks and a chance to win a lottery they were drawing that night. We were introduced to several friends including Jimmy the Greek's brother, but the odds were not in our favor and we did not win.
The heat of Friday was gone by Saturday and the day was cold and rainy. We were unsure if the game would take place. Dave kept checking the weather reports and when we headed into town it looked rather bleak. We first headed to the heights of Mt. Washington on the south side of the river to have lunch. The area is also called "Coal Hill". The restaurant had a spectacular view of the city. We could see the three rivers, barges lined up on one bank brimming with coal and Heinz Field, where the Steelers play and further along PNC Park where the Pirates call home. According to baseball enthusiasts PNC Park is considered the best baseball venue on the east coast. We snapped pictures through the rain splatterd windows as we busied ourselves with our lunch.
Afterwards we took the Duquesene Incline to the river to an area called Station Square.. There were a lot of shops and restaurants and we walked the area for a time dodging raindrops before having drinks in the renovated train station called the Grand Concourse. Opulent and cavernous, we settled our soaked bones for a round before heading back up the funicular and the car.
By the time we parked and walked across a bridge to the stadium the rain had stopped. The game was going to be held. The bridge is closed for pedestrians on game days and serves as a backdrop in the outfield. Yellow and lighted charmingly, it looked like a movie backdrop from our seats.Team VFH marveled at how convienient and cozy and friendly everything and everyone was at the game. We even got a Pittsburgh Pirate umbrella as a give away when we entered the stadium. We had fantastic seats, just eleven rows up from the inner circle and directly behind home plate, but they were cheap at just $32 each. The same seats at Yankee Stadium and even Citizen's Bank Park in Philly would have been too costly for us. Even the inner circle, which abutted the field were just $100 and included food!!!
As I have run all over the world and the United States I had to go out on Sunday morning for one. The trip to Steubenville would have been hollow had I not gotten a run in while there. So, Sunday morning I headed out in the still dreary weather, left the leafy confines of our host's lovely street and endured the cold and rain for a few miles. It was not the best, but at least I can say I was there, much like Adam's trip through West Virginia.
The trip home was especially bad. It rained the entire way and we hurried home because there were reports of a Nor'easter heading up the east coast. It would get worse as the day progressed. We thought to stop for something to eat, but decided it was best to make it back to the safety of VFH's home and get food there. We survived on beef jerky and nuts! Dave had given us a new route that bypassed Pittsburgh entirely which made the trip a bit easier. Our hosts recommeded we stop either at Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright home, but the Cracker Barrel and later the truckstop were enough and with the weather getting progressively worse we were wise not to dawdle.
Just a few miles from our exit there was a violent accident on the west bound side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I had to dodge debris that cascaded into our path while driving 65 mph. I was never so happy to finally turn off the car and run inside the house.
