Trip To Pittsburgh

We took a family trip back to the 'Burgh last weekend, so of course I have some notes (and pictures) from the trip. This never gets old.

* I had never been on the USS Requin before. While I found it very cool, I would not recommend taking an 11-month old on it as you have to climb from compartment to compartment. Not very easy to carry a kid through this. Who knew that submarines weren't designed for infants?

* Major props to Eat 'N Park in Homestead for having this sign in the bathroom.

And yes I bought Smiley Cookies from, um, Smiley Cookie as one person once said. (This gaffe alone should have disqualified Donald Trump from the presidency.)

* I've gone to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (the dinosaur museum) since I was a young child and I've always parked on the street. For this visit, I parked in the garage behind the museum. Has the garage always been there or is it brand new?

* There was a guy wearing a Jurassic Park T-shirt at the Carnegie Museum. I thought about taking a picture, but that would have been rude (and I couldn't stealthily take one without getting his face and/or his kids in the picture).

* A highlight for the kids was the blue slide at Frick Park. The blue slide isn't quite as blue as it used to be.

By the way, very nice job by the people who use the playground. People left cardboard boxes there so that kids could use them to slide down.

* Who would travel to Pittsburgh and wear Pittsburgh sports gear just walking around the city without going to a game? Makes no sense!

* Speaking of places where kids shouldn't be, I had an opportunity to be a guest on The YaJagoff! podcast. However, John and Rachael were broadcasting from The All-Star Craft Beer, Wine, and Cocktail Festival at PNC Park where you had to be 21+ to attend. None of my kids can pass for 21, so maybe next time. (I should have had my kids stand on each other's shoulders while wearing a trench coat. That would have worked!)

* This is the third consecutive trip to Pittsburgh where I did not stop at The O. Stupid Pennsylvania Turnpike traffic (and very heavy rain) for ruining my lunch plans!

* I drove by the house where I grew up which is currently for sale. My parents sold the house about 8 years ago. Anyway, it looked the same from the outside, but I'm not sure if the current owner moved out or is just lazy or unable to attend to the yard, and I couldn't get past how awful the yard looked. Grass was overgrown and you could barely see the concrete path in the front yard leading to the door. And now this song is in my head.

* Oh, it was also odd seeing my elementary school not there anymore. It was an administrative office for many years, and apparently it was torn down a few years ago. Now it's just grass.

* Naturally, I randomly ran into my brother's first grade teacher and her daughter who someone I knew from when I was in high school. Because Pittsburgh.

Hopefully, I'll be back to the 'Burgh again soon.