Saturday we had plans to have Christina’s friends over for a
pool party. Mother nature had
other ideas. We awoke to
thunderstorms and a flood watch.
The day would be a wash. I
took this opportunity to take care of a few things around the house. I recently had a picture framed. It was an action photo from the
Steelers game we attended back in 2009.
I wanted to display it since it shows Ben Roethlisberger throwing a
touchdown pass…but mainly because it shows Christina and I in the stands in the
background.
We had not been to Pittsburgh since 2007. Christina suggested we should go again
in 2009. The Steelers had won the
Superbowl the year before and with that comes the honor of opening the season
on a Thursday night at home. A
game during the week is tough to swing, so I focused on midseason. Brett Favre had just joined the Vikings
and I had never seen either play in person. This would be the game.
The Steelers sell out every home game. But if you have the money, tickets are
available. The previous years we
were able to get tickets on the club level. While the seats are outside, you can find refuge in an
indoor sanctuary. While I prefer
these seats, who wouldn’t, I thought I would try to find something
different. I found a package
online. The tickets where in a
separate section in the endzone down low…field level. They were located in the last row of the 15, so you
would be high enough not to have the action on the field obscured. The tickets allowed you access to a
pregame party with free food and open bar. Also, retired Steelers players would attend and be available
for autographs. It was located in
a large tent adjacent to the parking lots. Included in the package was a premium parking ticket for
those same lots. It is even more
premium since parking is scarce.
We always take the ferry across the confluence so this pass would not be
necessary. I would offer this
ticket up for bid on eBay. It
usually goes to the highest bidder for $125-$150. This definitely helps defer the package cost.
With the game plan set we were off to Pittsburgh. We would arrive early Saturday
morning…and I never arrive without a full itinerary. Being frequent viewers of Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives, I
had seen a breakfast place that perfected the pancake. The Dor Stop would be our first
stop. A familiar face led us to
our table…I had seen her on the show.
She recommended the oatmeal pancakes and Christina would oblige. I would opt for the pumpkin pancakes. One bite and it seemed the Great
Pumpkin rose right out of the patch in front of me. It was a deliciously sincere pancake.
Now you may have heard a peep or two out of me about the
Long Island Railroad. Funny thing
is, I actually enjoy riding trains.
I have been to several spots in the Northeast that have older trains
still active. Theses include the
Scenic Railway of the Adirondacks, the Delaware & Hudson Railway of the
Catskills and the B&O Railroad of Baltimore. As a child, I was even a member of the Branford Trolley
Museum in Connecticut…and spent many a summer day riding them for fun. I recently brought Christina to this
place of my youth…of course this time I brought wine. This trip to Pittsburgh we would be going to Altoona, PA,
home of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
It was an easy sell to Christina.
She is a big fan of Ghost Hunters…and the Altoona Railroad Museum was
one of their first investigations.
Before the actual museum, you can visit both past and
present parts of the rail line.
The present being the famous Horseshoe Curve. A gondola transports you upward to a trackside observation
park located atop the apex. Many
visitors hovered all morning to catch a glimpse of a passing train. Luck was with us that day. Just as we arrived two separate trains
negotiated the acclaimed curve.
After seeing railroad’s present, we headed to its past. This would be in a town called
Portage. Here the railroad
implemented a 36-mile train-and-canal boat interchange to traverse the
previously impassable Allegheny Ridge section. It offers visitors a glimpse into the defunct railroad and
we would walk among the remaining remnants. The final leg of our railway journey would be the Altoona
Railroad Museum itself. The
building was filled with artifacts and the outside strewn with old
locomotives. Despite our best
efforts, we did not come into contact with any ghosts of railroads past.
Sunday was Steeler game day and we arrived early at the
ferry port at Station Square. As
we boarded the boat Christina was amazed at all the early morning beer
drinkers. I was amazed I was not
among them! I try not to consume
beer when going to the games. I’d
rather not spend half my time in the bathroom. As we arrived, we headed over to the VIP tent. No surprise, we were the first guests
there. I filled up on food and
indulged in a few hard liquor drinks.
Later we were joined with the likes of Rocky Bleier, Robin Cole and
Randy Grossman. Bleier was the
closest to us and you could listen to his regaling of stories as he signed
autographs. Game time approached and
we headed towards our seats. The
package had dubbed them “Best Seats in the House”…and they were. Our end zone location would see all
three Steeler touchdowns that day.
It would give Favre and the undefeated Vikings their first loss of the
season.
Nothing like a good game to work up an appetite. Another Triple D offering was on our
agenda. After arriving on the
other side of the river, we were off to pursue some Polish
delights….Pierogies.
Pittsburgh is known for its Polish heritage and the food that comes
along with it. Located in the
outskirts is a small club turned restaurant that provides the city’s best. The Starlite Lounge, retaining its long
time name, was not much to look at from the outside. Actually, it was not much to look at on the inside
either. Christina was skeptical until
we were greeted by the chef/owner himself, Moondog. He was the same character I had seen on Triple D a few weeks
earlier. His plate sized
pierogies, smothered in onions and butter, did not disappoint.
Monday night we would be heading home, but not before one
last stop. In 2007, I found out
that the National Aviary resided in Pittsburgh. Since Christina is a birder, I took her there that
year. It was an undiscovered
gem. She was excited to be going
again. What I didn’t tell her is I
set up a surprise for her 40th birthday. They had a special program to be a “Trainer for a Day”…and
this would be my gift. She worked
with the birds in the wetlands, she was preened by the flamingos, she pet the
penguins…but what I enjoyed most was her interaction with the mighty
Condors. It was their feeding time
and the cages looked like something off an Eagles album. Now while Christina and I were offered
some of the finest foods of Guy Fieri’s finds…the Condors don’t have such a
discerning palette. The head
trainer gave Christina a container of dead baby chicks and small mice. She was to spread it around in the cage
among the cattle skeleton décor.
Even better, she had to first remove any of the decaying non-devoured
food from their last feeding. As
she started on her task, the head trainer asked me if I wanted to help my
wife. I told him, “No, this is her
40th Birthday present”.
He saw I was serious and smiled, “You sure know how to treat a lady”.
I finished hanging the photo among the signed Steeler
memorabilia in the basement.
Seeing us in our seats took me back to 2009 and our event filled
weekend. It seems a picture is
worth a thousand words.
One thousand, four hundred and ninety one to be exact.
And counting.....
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