Living in middle Georgia, I hardly get to experience fall weather and the changing color of the leaves. I mean, it does get colder and the leaves do turn orange a little bit, but it's not nearly as sectacular as further north. I had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh last weekend and it was really amazing. I love the hills in and around the city and the beautiful bridges that are all over. I never imagines Pittsburgh to be a very nice city. The name and reputation as the steel city just sounds dirty and gloomy.
I probably went on the best possible weekend of the entire year. The leaves were at their peak colorfulness. The weather was gorgeous - sunny with highs in the low 60's. The city was alive and excited about their sports teams. Maybe it is that Pittsburgh doesn't have as much stuff overall going on as Atlanta or New York or Chicago, but the people are crazy about their sports. The Penguins played Friday and Saturday night and I got to go see the game Saturday, my first hockey game ever, in fact. They really stunk it up that night but I could really tell the fans are passionate about supporting their team. Saturday afternoon U Pitt hosted South Florida and Forbes St. around campus was lively with Pitt students' faces painted blue and gold. And the biggest game of all was Sunday when the Steelers hosted Favre and the Vikings at the beautiful Heinz Field. I was on Mount Washington during this game so I saw from a distance the crowd fullup the stadium and heard the crowd roar from across the river while eating a leisurely lunch and taking in the scenery.
Pittsburgh has a unique setting. There is a steep mountain some 500 feet high above the water, right along the south bank where the 3 rivers (Monongahela, Ohio, and Allegheny) meet. There are 2 inclines - steep railways that take you from the base to the top of Mount Washington - that are old and seem rickety. But it's actually very safe and it's the place to go if you go to Pittsburgh. There are several restaurants with views of the Pittsburgh skyline and the rivers and stadiums.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
New York trip
I took a 3 day weekend to go to New York October 1-4. Mainly I was playing in a bridge tournament on Long Island with my friend Mila but I had to spend 1 day in the city. I have only been to NYC once previously. About a year ago I was on long island for work and I got to spend a couple of evenings in the city, but I didn't do much but walk around. This time, I did about the same and met up with a couple of friends, one in the Greenwich village area and one in Queens.
New York really feels like a foreign city. Kind of European but there are too many skyscrapers for Europe. And it seemed to me like there were more asians than I expected. But maybe its just the area I was in. I guess NYC is about how I would imagine Singapore. Yeah, that's it. Very dense population, mostly English speakers but there's a little of every language, lots of Asians. Does anyone else feel this way about NYC? I've been to all the major cities in the US - Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, Boston - and NYC is the only one that doesn't feel American.
The cab system is kind of a mess once you get outside Manhattan. In Manhattan and parts of the othe burroughs, the trusty yellow cabs are all over. But in Jamaica and the more remote parts of Queens, yellow cabs are hard to find. Most cabs are gypsy cabs or cabs that aren't clearly marked. I don't know how legal they are but they are very common and by far the most efficient way to get to Laguardia airport from the Long Island Railroad. Further out in Suffolk County, cabs are run by dozens and dozens of different companies. These are marked and legal but there is no organization, no regulation for what cab fares should be. Most cars don't have meters and they charge whatever they feel like. I took a cab 3 times between the LIRR and the bridge tournament and was charged $6, $7, and $8. these cab drivers, mostly hispanics, wait at the train station and you tell them where you're going and they'll shuffle you around and take 2 or 3 different passengers at a time to their destination.
New York really feels like a foreign city. Kind of European but there are too many skyscrapers for Europe. And it seemed to me like there were more asians than I expected. But maybe its just the area I was in. I guess NYC is about how I would imagine Singapore. Yeah, that's it. Very dense population, mostly English speakers but there's a little of every language, lots of Asians. Does anyone else feel this way about NYC? I've been to all the major cities in the US - Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, Boston - and NYC is the only one that doesn't feel American.
The cab system is kind of a mess once you get outside Manhattan. In Manhattan and parts of the othe burroughs, the trusty yellow cabs are all over. But in Jamaica and the more remote parts of Queens, yellow cabs are hard to find. Most cabs are gypsy cabs or cabs that aren't clearly marked. I don't know how legal they are but they are very common and by far the most efficient way to get to Laguardia airport from the Long Island Railroad. Further out in Suffolk County, cabs are run by dozens and dozens of different companies. These are marked and legal but there is no organization, no regulation for what cab fares should be. Most cars don't have meters and they charge whatever they feel like. I took a cab 3 times between the LIRR and the bridge tournament and was charged $6, $7, and $8. these cab drivers, mostly hispanics, wait at the train station and you tell them where you're going and they'll shuffle you around and take 2 or 3 different passengers at a time to their destination.
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