Pittsburgh Trip

It was very nice going back to Pittsburgh this weekend. Here are some notes from the trip:

* Kennywood was not nearly as crowded as it was when I was younger. (How many times can I write "was" in a sentence?) I'm not sure why, but I have some theories. The increased price is keeping some folks away. It was a beautiful day, so more people went to the Sandcastle water park. People went to the Dave Matthews Band concert and/or the Three Rivers Arts Festival. I hope it is one of the last reasons because I certainly do not want to see Kennywood in decline.

* While I still think Kennywood is the best neighborhood amusement park in the country (Cedar Point & Six Flags are not neighborhood parks) and I love going there, a few things bothered me. There is a new area of the park called Lost Pittsburg. Why is it not Lost Pittsburgh? The "tunnel of love" type ride has been around for 100 years. While the Old Mill wasn't the most exciting ride ever, I feel like Kennywood sold out a little bit with Garfield's Nightmare. When you first enter the ride, you now see a Pepsi and Lays chips in 3-D. Finally, in the "I feel old" department, Noah's Ark has been redone and you no longer enter through the whale mouth (I'm sure this sounds odd if you have never been there). I asked someone working there where it went, and they replied that it has been gone since 1996.

* Very nice win for the Pirates against Atlanta (sorry Jason). Matt Lawton hit a monster home run and was a triple short of the cycle.

* If you are not going to drink beer at a baseball game (or at other sporting events), I highly recommend signing up to be a designated driver. I have seen a booth at several stadiums. All you have to do is sign a paper saying that you're not going to drink and wear a wristband and you receive a free small drink coupon. When it is 80+ degrees and you're in the sun, the free drink is great. The Pirates also had a drawing for everyone who signed up to be a designated driver. I ended up winning a Pirates jacket, that probably sells for $60. Definitely worth it!!

Back to reality...