As if the constant construction and million identical bridges don't make driving in the burgh hard enough, here's another reason to complain:
Pittsburgh's steep streets mean that we have more city steps than San Francisco and Cincinnati combined. What's really frustrating is that some of these steps, known as "paper streets", are labelled as streets on maps...good luck driving your car up those steps.
Source: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/about_pittsburgh/a/steps.htm
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Here We Go Steelers!
Today I'd like to take a break from our (semi)regularly scheduled trivia to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart: the Steelers.
I like to say I've been a Steelers fan from birth, but that would be a lie. I was born into a family of die-hard fans. We speak of Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw in hushed tones. I grew up hearing stories of these great men, the heroes of Pittsburgh. I watched the games all my life, but my heart was never in it until I left for college.
I was born and raised in Wheeling, WV. When you grow up in Wheeling, Pittsburgh is your New York. I got my undergraduate degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and as soon as I left my family and the Pittsburgh/Wheeling culture, I missed it like crazy. I connected through my Stillers.
It doesn't hurt that my first year at college was also Big Ben's first year. I had found my hero, my modern Bradshaw. My Bengals fan roommates quickly grew sick of my rabid fandom, but I was addicted. At every party, I had one drink for a Steelers victory. I called my dad after every game, and we discussed the win or loss in detail. I decorated my dorm with the best in black and gold. It all culminated in the fabulous Super Bowl win. I watched it with my dad, fittingly enough, and we both cried when Jerome Bettis retired. It was that touching.
Now I find myself in Pittsburgh itself-my football homeland. I couldn't be happier. Watching the game surrounded by people who love the black and gold as much as I do has been incredible. Sunday night, sprinting down Forbes screaming and high-fiving was one of the best nights of my life. I cheerfully suffer my sore shoulder from waving my Terrible Towel high. Pittsburgh, I'm home.
I like to say I've been a Steelers fan from birth, but that would be a lie. I was born into a family of die-hard fans. We speak of Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw in hushed tones. I grew up hearing stories of these great men, the heroes of Pittsburgh. I watched the games all my life, but my heart was never in it until I left for college.
I was born and raised in Wheeling, WV. When you grow up in Wheeling, Pittsburgh is your New York. I got my undergraduate degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and as soon as I left my family and the Pittsburgh/Wheeling culture, I missed it like crazy. I connected through my Stillers.
It doesn't hurt that my first year at college was also Big Ben's first year. I had found my hero, my modern Bradshaw. My Bengals fan roommates quickly grew sick of my rabid fandom, but I was addicted. At every party, I had one drink for a Steelers victory. I called my dad after every game, and we discussed the win or loss in detail. I decorated my dorm with the best in black and gold. It all culminated in the fabulous Super Bowl win. I watched it with my dad, fittingly enough, and we both cried when Jerome Bettis retired. It was that touching.
Now I find myself in Pittsburgh itself-my football homeland. I couldn't be happier. Watching the game surrounded by people who love the black and gold as much as I do has been incredible. Sunday night, sprinting down Forbes screaming and high-fiving was one of the best nights of my life. I cheerfully suffer my sore shoulder from waving my Terrible Towel high. Pittsburgh, I'm home.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Forbes Field
Since I'm blogging live on location at Posvar Hall (the fomer site of Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates when they were considerably better than they are now) I thought a piece of Forbes trivia would be apropos.
From the time it was built until the time it was torn down, more than four thousand games were played at Forbes Field. No one ever pitched a no hitter.
Source: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/st_forbes.shtml
From the time it was built until the time it was torn down, more than four thousand games were played at Forbes Field. No one ever pitched a no hitter.
Source: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/stadium/st_forbes.shtml
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Dippy loves dem Stillers
I firmly believe Pittsburgh is the greatest city in the Western world. No lie. Since I'm a generous person, I decided to share my love for my little slice of Pennsylvania Nirvana with the rest of the world through random Pittsburgh trivia.
Fact one:
The giant Dipolodocus carnegii statue (whose name, unimaginatively, is Dippy) in front of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wears a Steelers scarf late in football season. Yes, even prehistoric creatures are part of the Steeler Nation. (Picture to follow.)
Fact one:
The giant Dipolodocus carnegii statue (whose name, unimaginatively, is Dippy) in front of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History wears a Steelers scarf late in football season. Yes, even prehistoric creatures are part of the Steeler Nation. (Picture to follow.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)