Classic Trip - Due East Coast Odyssey - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
After Ohio's Amish country, nosotros caput eastward to the Keystone State, Pennsylvania. The following iii night's worth of lodging volition endure at the Amerisuites Inn inward Cranberry Township close 10 miles northward of downtown Pittsburgh.
Driving inward from West Virginia, it seems as though every thruway is nether construction too our map from Yahoo! Maps is woefully inadequate. Luckily, our AAA map of Pennsylvania is to a greater extent than upwards to the chore of navigating us over to Cranberry.
Cranberry Township seems similar 1 of those suburbs that grew agency as good fast for the infrastructure to maintain up. The master copy streets are clogged, strip malls abound, too construction is everywhere. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few barns dot the landscapes pointing out the doomed farms they reside in.
Unfortunately, our AAA Pennsylvania Tourguide is non upwards to par alongside the AAA map too nosotros cannot respect Amerisuites. I receive got to respect a pay telephone to telephone band them. The adult woman answering the telephone gives me cryptic directions to drib dead along downwards the street I'm on too await for the Long John Silver's across from Eaton Park.
That's all I could larn out of her after several tries, too thence I drive on to consider what I tin find. About iii blocks later, I consider a Long John Silver's across from an Eat 'n Park drive inward diner (shouldn't that actually receive got been named Park 'n Eat? Never mind...). I plow inward the following access route too at that spot it is, the Amerisuites Inn.
I cannot rave plenty close this hotel. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 huge ii room suite alongside a total kitchen too dissever dining area. In room ironing board, total fridge (not an laurels bar), too an on-site laundry room. In theory, the indoor puddle sounds dainty but is only as good noisy to enjoy.
We are treated to a daily paper too a continental breakfast that includes pancakes too waffles.
We were really comfortable here. The charge per unit of measurement was close $80 per nighttime too nosotros slept similar babies, although the room did non receive got a roll-in shower.
The following hateful solar daytime nosotros accept a drive only about the expanse to consider what's there. We create it inward the lilliputian town of Zelionople close 10 miles northward of Cranberry. It's a cute lilliputian town alongside an incredible amount of traffic flowing through it. Imagine beingness on Main Street inward Disneyland alongside the traffic of the 405 thruway flowing downwards the middle. It was incredibly noisy.
The Zelionople Diner provided us alongside lunch. What an unbelievable larn by this house was. It's a sit down downwards house alongside friendly service. I had a meat loaf dinner alongside mashed potatoes too dinner rolls...$2.75. My married adult woman had a tuna casserole dinner...$3.00. Tim had a hot dog...75 cents. Sodas were extra at 75 cents each alongside gratuitous refills. It was all delicious. Try to stand upwards for that at whatever McDonalds.
After lunch, nosotros render to the hotel for a nap...we receive got a big nighttime ahead of us.
Next, nosotros drive over to downtown Pittsburgh too common across the river following to the baseball game stadium. Tim is a transit buff too wants to effort every majority transit arrangement he comes across. Pittsburgh has a pocket-size trolley system. Downtown it's inward a subway. All downtown stops are accessible too transit inward the downtown expanse is free.
We ride only about for awhile seeing the sights at the unlike stops. There's a massive rock jail connected via an enclosed rock distich to an as massive courthouse. There is a pretty outflow at Steel Plaza. There are some division stores to see.
In all, downtown Pittsburgh looks similar an expanse that is tardily coming dorsum to life after an extended nap. The metropolis seems to endure shaking off its rust belt doldrums. It is a pleasant place, but however has a ways to go. I await frontward to seeing it 1 time again inward the future.
We walk over to the baseball game stadium, PNC Park, to consider it at that spot are whatever tickets left for tonight's game against the Houston Astros. The game is sold out except for standing room alone tickets. Tim actually wants to consider the stadium to add together to his bespeak to consider them all. Already on this trip he has added iii too this is the final metropolis we'll endure at alongside a major league field. We larn ahead too larn the tickets.
There are however over ii hours till game time. It's dorsum across the river (which is beautiful, past times the way) to the Renaissance Hotel where nosotros build upwards a tab inward the Bridge bar.
When it's fourth dimension for baseball, nosotros caput across the brilliant yellowish Roberto Clemente bridge. It has straightaway been shut to traffic too alone pedestrians too sidewalk vendors inhabit its lanes. Directly on the other side is PNC Park.
In nosotros go. Of course, nosotros receive got nowhere to sit, too thence nosotros accept the pregame fourth dimension to create a circle tour only about the stadium. It's small, capacity 38,000, too every spot is good. The thought from habitation plate takes our breath away. It's a perfectly framed thought of downtown Pittsburgh alongside the Roberto Clemente distich inward the foreground looking similar the Yellow Brick Road leading into Emerald City. I await at the motion painting included hither too mean value that it's too thence pretty it looks fake. Nope, that's the existent view, folks.
The View From Home Plate at PNC Park
Ushers tell us where the best places are to stand upwards during the game. Other ushers tell us to lookout adult man for empty seats after the starting fourth dimension inning because at that spot volition endure flavor ticket holders who don't exhibit up.
We create upwards one's withdraw heed to piece away the residual of the pregame fourth dimension inward the Outback Steakhouse built into the stadium's left champaign side.
There are ii rooms hither at the Outback. One alongside a thought of the champaign too 1 alongside a thought of the city. You are non required to receive got a game ticket to motion into either 1 (though you lot demand 1 to piece of employment out out into the stadium). Since you lot tin lookout adult man a gratuitous baseball game game alongside your meal, gauge which room was to a greater extent than crowded.
We only desire to receive got a few drinks, too thence nosotros withdraw the relative solitude of the metropolis thought room which does receive got closed-circuit TV's to maintain tabs on the game action.
I receive got iii beers (Iron City Ale too Yeungling's of course) too my married adult woman has ii spectacles of wine. Tim has a Coke. The anthem has been sung too "Play ball" is commanded, it's fourth dimension to caput dorsum out into the stadium. I'm dreading the bar tab but am really pleasantly surprised to consider that it's alone $18. For you lot baseball game fans, you lot know that's a bargain. For the residual of you, that's what the iii beers lonely would terms inward most stadiums.
Outside the piece of employment out of the Outback, I consider a wheelchair accessible division close the tertiary base of operations side of the left champaign foul pole alongside iii seats empty...one wheelchair spot inward the middle of ii seats. We larn ahead too sit down there, mindful nosotros may receive got to motion if the ticket holders exhibit up.
After four innings, it's apparent that nosotros volition non receive got to motion too bask the residual of the game. This is only a wonderful house to consider a ball game. The nutrient is wonderful alongside those grilled sausages, pirogies, too xv inch kosher dogs. I straightaway receive got a novel favorite baseball game stadium. Too bad the Pirates are non playing upwards to the same level.
Accessibility is also really proficient alongside wheelchair seating sprinkled liberally throughout. There is fifty-fifty a front end row reserved for wheelchairs following to the Pirates dugout.
This is a create novel baseball-only stadium which replaces the one-time dual-purpose Three Rivers Stadium. The following day, the Steelers volition accept the wrappings off of their novel stadium, Heinz Field, for an exhibition NFL game.
Not for us, though. We caput southward through the gorgeous countryside of southwestern Pennsylvania. Our goal today is Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's signature solid design.
Along the agency nosotros consider at that spot is something called Fort Necessity National Monument. Not beingness 1 who tin top upwards a house similar this, nosotros halt in. I'm really glad nosotros did.
Those of you lot who receive got read our trip reports hither volition know I'm a lover of history. Fort Necessity is a really historical house too thence I am inward sky here.
What is it? It's only a lilliputian meadow off the side of the route alongside a pocket-size circle of upright logs making upwards the fort. It only happens to endure the spot where a immature British colonel past times the cite of George Washington fought his starting fourth dimension battle ii too a one-half centuries agone inward the French too Indian War.
Fort Necessity
It's 1 matter when you lot programme to larn to a historical site such as Fort Sumter. It's a some other matter completely when you lot stumble upon such a major historical spot completely unaware that it's there.
Docent Demonstrating a Musket at Fort Necessity
We withdraw heed as docents inward menstruum clothes push clit what the weather were similar too what Pb upwards to that fateful run across alongside the French troops that hateful solar daytime long agone (Washington lost this battle inward illustration you're keeping score). Another demonstrates the arms of the hateful solar daytime including a musket firing. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 native American docent gives the Indian thought of the times inward some other tour. I am inward consummate awe.
We drib dead along on to Fallingwater. This is a masterpiece of American architecture. I'm certain only close everybody has seen a motion painting of this solid Wright designed for Pittsburgh division shop magnate Edgar Kaufman. It sits spectacularly over a waterfall.
Fallingwater
Unfortunately, Wright did non blueprint it alongside wheelchairs inward mind. Tim too I are express to the living room, dining room too kitchen piece my married adult woman continues on the consummate tour. I am a flake miffed that the foundation however charges the total $15 for the tour fifty-fifty when you lot cannot physically larn past times the starting fourth dimension ii rooms. They create offering to exhibit you lot a video of the residual of the house, but it's only non the same.
Well, that's it for Pittsburgh. We had some other wonderful nighttime at Amerisuites, drove ix hours the following hateful solar daytime to Hickory, North Carolina, stayed at the wonderful Comfort Suites there, ate at the Cracker Barrel (which is as proficient as the Ponderosa is bad), too continued on to our following stop...
-Darryl
Copyright 2001 - Darryl Musick
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