The Morning Commute

Well, today was my second day of commuting from the top of Mt. Washington to Pittsburgh's Cultural District, which is where I work. There are a variety of options available to me:

1. Car - this is the suburban way of commuting, and is what I used when driving from Gibsonia. I didn't mind the traffic that much, and I enjoyed listening to the radio in the morning and relaxing before starting work. However, I didn't like paying $5 a day to park, in the Strip no less, which led to a 12 minute walk to my office. All told, the commute was usually about 52 minutes, costing $5 plus gasoline each way.

2. Bus - this is the working man's way of traveling. The bus system is relatively easy. You can get a monthly pass for $75/month in zone 1. There are two particular buses that are available to Mt. Washingtonians: the 41E and 43E (aka Mt. Washington Express). These buses drop you off right downtown at Sixth Ave. and Wood Street. The problem with the express is that, in the afternoons, it leaves basically on the half hour. I finish work at 5, so that would mean I'd have to wait 30 minutes for the bus, and I wouldn't get home until after 6. That doesn't sound appealing.

3. The "T" and Inclines - this is the glamourous way to travel down Mt. Washington. The inclines are included with a bus pass, as is the T. The inclines are super quick; I left early Monday morning because I thought there may be a line and it may take awhile. This was not the case. Monday I used the Mon Incline (a.k.a. the close one) in the morning. I got there, after a 5 minute walk from my apartment, and got right on the car. I was at the bottom of the hill in 5 minutes. Today, I walked to the Duquesne Incline (a.k.a. the not close one). It was an 18 minute walk along Grandview Avenue, looking at the still-rising sun, the bustle of traffic, and generally a city that was waking up to a new day; it was beautiful. Then I boarded the incline, again no wait, and was down at the bottom of the hill in no time.

The difference between the two inclines is their position in relation to downtown and Station Square; one is close, one is not. It just so happens that the one that is close to SS and downtown is the Duquesne, which as you may recall is the far one from my house. The Mon Incline leads to a long, long walk along West Carson Street, and its generally not desirable. The one option is to wait for the bus that comes there, but I don't know how that works. You press a button so a light flashes and a bus stops. Is it any bus that is along this route? Is there a particular bus that comes every 27 minutes? Or other intervals? I don't know, and don't want to ask. Maybe I'll try it once and see how it goes.

Taking the T, though, is so much fun. And let me tell you this: there are a LOT of gorgeous young professional girls that ride it to and from work. I can take the T to either Steel Plaza, Wood Street, or Gateway Center. Today I took it to Gateway, and stopped at Dunkin Donuts.

But taking the T has convinced me, as well, that as a region, southwestern PA needs an expanded T. One that goes to the airport, Cranberry, and Monroeville. There has to be a way to do this relatively inexpensively; you don't need to dig new tunnels like they are doing for the North Shore Connector. This is a way that Pittsburgh will be equipped to deal with the last 80 years or so of the 21st Century. When I run for Mayor, this will be one of the things I promote.

Anyway, that describes the morning commute. I just got back into the office from running over to the Steelworkers building for a press conference on healthcare. I ran into my dad on the way back. Small world, eh?

Moving to my 'hood!

Well, I am officially a resident of the city of Pittsburgh! I have lived in Western PA almost all of my life, but it has always been in the northern suburbs. Last Tuesday I got my key to my place on Mt. Washington, and I moved all of my stuff in over the weekend. Of course, it doesn't come without a story.

As you may know, I was moving from Knoxville, TN, and I had been back in town for almost two months, working my new job. My "stuff" was everywhere; I had brought a carload home from Knoxville when I first came up, then I acquired some new things while at home (like a sweet sofa/loveseat set--thanks Beth!), and of course I had some things in Knoxville, like my luxurious bed. So the move commenced on Thursday night when Dad and I borrowed the "high top" van from the Lighthouse. We threw in the few pieces of furniture that were at Mom and Dad's house and took them to my new place.

Friday morning, Dad and I packed my clothes and other small things into my car and his car and headed down to the apartment. This didn't take long to unload, and then we were organizing a bit. Dad also made a clever little closet for my hang-up clothes; one drawback to this sweet apartment is that it doesn't have much closet space. Dad was innovative and created something in a little nook in my bedroom; once Mom adds the curtain, it will be complete.

Then Dad and I headed out to do a little shopping. I was planning on having a few friends over for the 4th (especially since Mom's dream was to watch the fireworks from Mt. Washington), and I had promised grilled meats, so I needed to provide. We went to Lowe's and bought a gas grill, which now is stored in my garage. Then we went to Best Buy, and I bought a 32" LCD HDTV, which was covered fully by my stimulus check!

Friends came over later; Keith, Dave and his girlfriend Marianne, Jim and his fiancee Beth, and my family. We had a great time sitting and talking, then heading out to Grandview to watch the fireworks. Everyone left soon after, because they knew I had to head to Knoxville in the morning to get my stuff.

The drive down to K-town was pretty uneventful. It took a little longer because I couldn't drive as fast as I would in my car. Otherwise, it was fine, besides spending A TON of money on gas. I got down there to realize that my K-town roomies had packed up a lot of my stuff, which was a big help. For everything that I either did or didn't like about Knoxville, I can say this: I made five friends that are friends for life. The one downside to moving back to Pittsburgh is that Colin, Noel, Tim, Hemant, and Jamie are still in Knoxville, and I will miss those guys (but maybe Tim will come to the 'burgh???).

Noel and Tim helped me pack my stuff into the van, so I took them out to dinner to thank them. We went to Calhoun's on the River. If you ever go to Knoxville, I would say this place is a must. The ambiance is great because it's right down on the Tennessee River, with Neyland Stadium and downtown in view. They have a good selection of food; the ribs are what they are famous for, but I prefer either the salmon or the pork plate. I got the pork plate with my favorite side, spinach maria; it was excellent. We had a great time.

I left early Sunday morning to get back to Pittsburgh. Everything was going fine; I was on pace for a 3:30 or so arrival, when, between Kirwan Heights and Carnegie, I smelled gasoline, and the van stopped moving. It was hemorraging gas! I was afraid it might blow up--I don't know if this is rational or not, but it sure seemed to be in the moment--so I walked 50 yards away and called Dad. He was downtown, planning on meeting me to unpack the van, so he was able to be there in 30 minutes. We had to call Mom to find us a Uhaul place in Carnegie, then call them to see if anything was available. It was, so we picked it up, drove back to the van, unloaded the van on the side of the road (!), then headed to the apartment.

Mom and Beth showed up to help, and I wasn't in a good mood at all. Sorry guys:( We took the truck back, then Dad and I ordered a pizza from Cestone's. Dad had a bad feeling originally about the place, but the bacon/banana peppers pizza was excellent.

And after all of that, all that is left to do is unpack all of my crap.