Pittsburgh.......Steel City or City of Bridges

The Duquesne Incline Railway Car and downtown Pittsburgh

Wow!  We've been in Pittsburgh for a day and a half so far and the only regret is that we hadn't visited here before now.  There is so much to see and do in and around this beautiful and very walkable city of just over 300,000.  The more we see and learn, the more that we're adding to the itinerary for the next two days.
We flew into Pittsburgh International Airport which is located about 15 miles out of town.  We didn't feel that a car would be necessary while we're in the city, which so far has proven to be a good decision for us.  There are several options to get from the airport to downtown.  We opted for the least expensive option which is a city bus.  The bus (28X) runs directly from the airport to downtown every thirty minutes or so (schedules may vary on weekends and holidays) and dropped us off less than two blocks from our hotel. The cost for the bus was $2.75 each.  An Uber or Taxi would have been at least $40.  We're staying at the Westin, and as we often do, we booked it through Hotwire for a 65% savings over the advertised rates.
Downtown Pittsburgh is fairly compact and is bordered by the Allegheny River on the east and the Monongahela River on the west.  These two rivers converge to form the Ohio River on the north.  Three rivers means a whole lot of bridges.  According to the local guidebook, the city of Pittsburgh has 446 bridges, which is three more bridges than Venice, Italy.  Both are known as the "City of Bridges".
Pittsburgh has a more common nickname that most people are familiar with, the "Steel City".  The city was built and prospered around steel production until the mid-1980's.  It took a period of several years before it began to reinvent itself into the vibrant, economically diverse city that it is today.  Our Uber driver, John who is a long time resident of the city, credited the two universities for playing a major role in helping Pittsburgh through the transition out of steel production.
Our room wasn't ready when we got to the hotel but it was lunch time so I asked for some suggestions.  The hotel clerk suggested a few places in what she referred to as the "strip district".
My first reaction was to see if I could make her laugh by telling her that was a nice suggestion but that since Beth was with me it would probably be a good idea to stay out of the "strip district".  I didn't know much, but I did know the strip district wasn't what the name might imply, and that it was actually neighborhood close to downtown.  The origin of it's name is related to the fact that due to the Allegheny River and some hills, the area is long (about 20 blocks) and narrow (3 blocks).
We found food at Pamela's Diner, a cash only place that has been featured on Diners, Drive In's and Dives.  They specialize in breakfast, but cook up a pretty good hamburger and buffalo chicken wrap as well.  The strip district features a number of ethnic restaurants and markets as well as shops, most of which feature tons of merchandise of their beloved sports teams, the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins.

Lunchtime!

Strip District Mural

Sixteenth Street Bridge over the Allegheny River

Beth holding up the Sixteenth Street Bridge

A reference to Mulberry, Fl?

One thing I had never pondered before, but was educated on by Ben, (Sports Trivia Genius) is that Pittsburgh is the only city with multiple professional sports teams that all have the same colors (Black and Gold).  I can't think of any others and Ben usually isn't wrong about these kind of things.
After lunch we spent most of the rest of the afternoon simply exploring by foot.  The Three Rivers Heritage Trail runs along the riverfront on the downtown side of the rivers.  Most of the bridges in the downtown area have pedestrian areas that allow you to cross over and explore trails on the opposite side of the river as well, but those are for another day.  At the tip of downtown where the rivers meet is Point State Park, which has a huge fountain.  The fountain hasn't been turned on for the season yet, but it's easy to tell that it is impressive when it's operating.

Louis and Clark were here

PNC Park...…..Home of the Pirates

Heinz Field...…...Home of the Steelers.  Both the baseball park and football stadium are across the Allegheny River from downtown.

The Duquesne Incline

Springtime in Pittsburgh...…...a welcome site!

Artwork in the Cultural District

more downtown artwork

Ben will be working about an hour out of Pittsburgh in the Harrisville, Grove City, Mercer area.  He and his two good friends and road warrior partners (Joni and Ben's dog Allie) had arrived from Texas very late Tuesday evening.  He and Joni drove over to spend a few hours with us and to explore a little more of the downtown area.
We walked more of downtown crossing over the Monongahela River on the Smithfield Street Bridge.  Here we walked along the riverfront to the Duquesne Incline, a 140 year old funicular (inclined railway).  The steep 800 foot long climb takes you up 400 feet to the top of Mt. Washington and gives you a spectacular view back across the river to downtown.  We went late enough in the afternoon that we were able to enjoy views in both the daytime and at night.  Roundtrip cost for this is only $5.00 and the views are priceless.

Getting ready to head up the Duquesne Incline

Point State Park and Downtown.  The Allegheny River is upper left, Monongahela River is lower and the Ohio River at the tip of the state park.

Thursday was about heading out a little further and spending the day in the Oakland District neighborhoods.  This area is about 4 miles from downtown and includes the Phipps Conservatory Botanical Gardens, Schenley Park, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.  The botanical gardens had a number of indoor displays of spring flowers that were in bloom.  Outdoors the trees seemed to be blooming and budding right before our eyes on one of the warmest days so far this year.
The University of Pittsburgh campus is quite impressive.  The centerpiece of the campus is the "Cathedral of Learning".  The 42 story (535 feet) building is the tallest educational building in the Western Hemisphere and second tallest university building in the world (the tallest is on the University of Moscow campus).  As impressive as it is on the outside, it is equally impressive on the inside with a four story high gothic study/events hall.  There are around 30 classrooms that are decorated by national and ethnic groups that are recognized as having contributed to the building of the city of Pittsburgh.  The furnishings in each classroom are original to the countries and ethnic groups they represented.

Entrance to the Phipps Conservatory

Collage of Color from inside the Phipps Conservatory

Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh Campus

Outside the Carnegie Music Hall and Natural History Museum on the Pitt campus.  He's ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Study and Events Hall inside the Cathedral of Learning

After leaving the campus we walked a few miles through the Shadyside neighborhoods which had some impressive mansions.  This led us to Walnut Street, a very cool street lined with shops, coffee houses and restaurants.  We enjoyed a nice late lunch at a place called Shady Grove before heading back downtown.
We took an Uber out to the Oakland area (approx. $10) and a city bus back to downtown.  As with the bus ride in from the airport, the bus (#86) was very nice, the ride was quick and we were dropped off right at the hotel.
We've got a weeks worth of fun planned for the next two days...…………...so much to see and do!

Steel City Bound........

It was too windy to sit out on the gulf side for sunset tonight.  This is on the bay side of Anna Maria Island looking north.....amazing color!

Due to a slightly rearranged schedule, our time out on the island has been a little shorter than normal.  Tomorrow morning it's back to the airport for a short flight to somewhere neither Beth or I have been before, Pittsburgh.  I've heard a lot of really good things about the city and we're looking forward to exploring it a bit.  We didn't just randomly select Pittsburgh.  There's a reason we're heading that direction.  Especially since winter is having a difficult time surrendering to spring up in that part of the country.
Ben has recently accepted a position as the Business Development & Recreation Director at Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Kozy Rest.  The park, is located in Harrisville, PA, which is about an hour north of Pittsburgh.  It was a tough decision because he was enjoying his position as Stephen F. Austin, but he's following his passion which is what life is all about.  Additionally, he'll be working closely with some friends he has made over the years.  He'll have an opportunity to learn and grow while sharing his knowledge and experience with them.
We'll be spending three days in Pittsburgh before heading over closer to Harrisville for another three days.  It'll be a fairly short trip, but fun to check out some new areas that I'm sure we'll get more familiar with in the future.  We'll be back on the island for Easter.  This means we'll have the opportunity to wave goodbye to the last of the snowbirds and spring breakers.  It'll be nice to have a few less people and cars to deal with out here.   The saying goes, "you can't live with them and you can't live without them" certainly applies to the island during "high season".
I look forward to sharing a bit of information on this new destination in the next few blogs.

Three Days in San Diego

Cruising Coronado Island

It's getting late on Tuesday evening here in San Diego.  Technically our three days in this incredible city isn't up until tomorrow morning.  However, tomorrow morning is going to be breakfast here at the hotel and a shuttle to the airport for a 9:00 AM flight back to Tampa.
It had been quite a number of years since we were last in San Diego.  We liked it then and we like it even more now.  There is so much to see and do in this clean, diverse and easy to navigate city of over 1.3 million people.  In addition to the aforementioned qualities, you throw in great food and weather that is just about as close to perfect as you can get all year long, what's not to like?  Probably just that seventy two hours isn't seventy two days, weeks or months!
Again, thanks to some expert advice from three former San Diego residents (Ed and Judy Laue and Karla DeChavez) we had a pretty good game plan of what we wanted to see and do.  We checked a bunch of it off the list but left a few things, so I guess that means we'll have to come back soon...……...and hopefully stay a little longer.
Once we disembarked the ship on Sunday morning and checked into our hotel, which was just a few blocks from the Broadway Pier Cruise Terminal we were off.  The hotel (Westin Downtown through Hotwire) provided complimentary bikes which we took advantage of to explore the Embarcadero along the San Diego Bay waterfront.  This waterfront multiuse path took us by the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier (now a museum), Seaport Village and the Convention Center in one direction, and to Harbor Island in the other direction.  It's a great walking, running or biking path that connects with numerous other trails along the way.
After working up an appetite on the bikes we struck out on foot in search of food.  Ed and Judy Laue know us well and know what we like (cheap, local dives) so when they recommend a place to eat we trust them completely.  They sent us to a small place in Paris a couple of years back that was a challenge to find but well worth the effort once we finally located it. Their San Diego recommendation of Pizzeria Luigi was easier to find and perfect for us.  The pizza was New York style but with an exceptionally crispy crust. It was outstanding.  It was easy to see why the Laue's sent us here and why Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive In's and Dives) named it his favorite west coast pizza.  It was conveniently located close to Balboa Park, San Diego's version of New York's Central Park.  Balboa Park is actually about twice the size of Central Park.  The 1200+ acre park is also the home of the world famous San Diego Zoo.  We only touched on a small portion of the park before making our way back toward the hotel where the hot tub was waiting to relieve our legs that had biked for three hours and walked for at least that many.
Pizzeria Luigi

Multiuse path along the Embarcadero

Seaport Village with San Diego Bay in the background

San Diego Bay across to Coronado Island

All that biking and walking can make you hungry!

Monday (Day 2) we started out by exploring a few of the beaches just north of San Diego.  We took an Uber (around $14 from downtown) to Mission Beach, which has an oceanfront multiuse path that extends more than three miles to Pacific Beach.  Although it was a Monday the path and the beaches were busy with people of all ages enjoying a sunny, warm morning in Southern California. At the end of the boardwalk in Pacific Beach we took another Uber a short (around $10), but not walkable distance to La Jolla Cove.  There were a few swimmers in the chilly waters of the cove but they were outnumbered significantly by seals and sea lions swimming playfully and sunning themselves on the rocks and beach.  Again there was more exploring along the rocky coast line and through the trendy neighborhoods, shops and cafe's.  As we were walking in downtown La Jolla we looked up and realized we were standing next to another restaurant recommendation from the Laue's.  This one was Richard Walkers and the recommended dish was the Baked Apple Pancake.  We were there, the restaurant was there and pancakes aren't just for breakfast.  We were thankful that we followed the advice to split it.  One pancake is enough to feed a family.  Try as we might, there was a little left on the plate when it was taken away.
If you're going to be in the San Diego area I'd highly recommend a visit to the beaches and La Jolla.  It's an inexpensive and quick Uber ride or for slightly longer and only $2.25 each way you can take the #30 bus.  We took advantage of the bus on the way back and it worked great.
It was a full day but we weren't done yet.  Baseball season is upon us and the Padres were in town for a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Petco Park is one of my favorite "downtown" ballparks that I've visited.  It was just over a mile away from the hotel and an easy walk through the Gaslamp Quarter (4th, 5th and 6th Ave. between Broadway and L Street).  The Gaslamp Quarter is somewhat an eclectic mix of restaurants, bars and shops where the streets are lined with Victorian style lamp posts.
The last few years have been pretty rough on the Padres but they seem to have put together a pretty solid lineup for this year.  Unfortunately their pitching still stinks or at least it did on this particular night.  I'm not sure what the score was when we left but I do know that they were a bunch of runs behind.  We opted to walk back to the hotel after the game, again passing back through the Gaslamp Quarter.  It was a safe and easy walk both to and from the stadium.  One word of caution if you go to a night game here.  Don't be fooled by the warm, sunny daytime temperature you might experience.  Once the sun goes down it can get a little chilly pretty quick.  We learned this on our last visit to a Padres game about a dozen years ago.  This time we were prepared!

Mission Beach Boardwalk

These are over the water cabins/bungalows on the fishing pier that you can rent.

It's never a bad view to be sitting under palm trees looking up at blue sky

La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Coastline

She kept telling me to move back

Lo and Behold...…..there's Richard Walker's!

Baked Apple Pancake

With all due respect to the current owners...….1.5 million doesn't get you much in La Jolla

La Jolla

Petco Park...….Home of the Padres

For our last day we revisited two of our San Diego favorites, the USS Midway Museum and Coronado Island.  The USS Midway Museum can't be missed...……..literally.  It's an aircraft carrier that was commissioned as the world's largest ship in 1945 and decommissioned in San Diego in 1992.  During it's years of service it was involved in combat tours in Vietnam as well as the first gulf war in 1991.  When fully operational it was the home to over 4,500 crew members and more than 100 aircraft.  One of the things that make a visit to the USS Midway special is the volunteers who are stationed throughout the ship to provide information and insight.  Many of these volunteers served on the USS Midway and are proud to play a part in keeping it's legacy alive.  One volunteer that we enjoyed speaking with today served in World War II.  He had pictures of himself as a seventeen year old newly enlisted sailor.  When I commented that he hadn't aged a bit since that picture was taken he proudly pulled off his hat and showed me a full head of hair.  I thanked him for his service in spite of the fact that I think he was rubbing it in that he had more hair than me!
Our final outing for the day was taking the ferry across San Diego Bay to Coronado Island.  This 20-25 minute ferry ride cost $5 per person each way.  You can catch it at the Broadway Pier or near the convention center.  It offers great views of the city, Coronado Island, the USS Midway as well as a constant parade of boats passing by in the bay.  Bikes can be carried on the ferry or rented on the island.  The bikes give you more chance to explore more of the island, beaches, shops, restaurants and the Coronado Hotel which was built in 1887 and is one of America's largest wooden buildings.

I'm feeling rather small standing next to the Midway

Aircraft are on display both in the hanger below deck and on the flight deck

Enlisted men's sleeping quarters.  This section was right below the anchor chain (every link in the chain weighs 156 pounds).  I would imagine your teeth rattled when the anchor was dropped.

I'm not sure what they kept in there, but you'd better have proper credentials if you approached the door.

The bed's in the jail were actually more spacious than those for the enlisted men.  I guess being a little naughty had it's benefits.

On the Coronado Island Ferry

Part of the San Diego skyline from Coronado Island.  The convention center is in the foreground.  The lights to Petco Park can be seen on the right side

The historical Hotel Del Coronado taken from the beach

A nice parting shot!

There are so many good things I could say about San Diego but this blog is getting a little long.  I'll close by simply saying, if you have the chance come check it out for yourself.  I'm sure you'll find yourself in the same position that we're currently in, already looking forward to coming back.

"The fun side of the wall............"

Cruising across Banderas Bay

One t-shirt that was prominently displayed in practically every souvenir shop in all three ports said "Relax...….you're on the fun side of the wall".  While there are certainly some significant challenges in certain places on that side of the wall, the slogan certainly held true for the three places we visited.
We've made our way back to San Diego and enjoyed a nice sunny day yesterday exploring the city on bike and on foot.  Thanks to some great tips from Ed and Judy Laue and Karla DeChavez,  former residents of San Diego, we took in a few of their favorites, including some killer pizza!  There will be more on San Diego in future blogs, in the meantime I need to catch up on the last few days of the cruise.
Our ship remained docked in Puerto Vallarta until 11:00 PM.  That gave us time to explore the city on our own, which I have already written about in the previous blog.  For the evening we did something we don't usually do.  We spent some money on an excursion offered by the ship.  We decided to do something that had received very good reviews from several people that we talked to as well as from TripAdvisor.  We purchased tickets to the trifecta of an evening out in Puerto Vallarta...…….A sunset cruise, dinner and performance of Rhythms of the Night, a show produced by the co-founder of Cirque de Soleil.  

We noticed that as we walked from the ship to our smaller boat for the sunset cruise that the wind had picked up a little.  This made for a bit of a choppy sunset cruise across Banderas Bay.  Instead of mixing and mingling most people sat in their chairs and held on while stories of small ferries capsizing were probably playing over and over in their minds.  We were entertained by the boats crew the entire hour it took to get to our destination of Las Caletas, a tropical forest where the dinner and show were held.  The reality is that it was a little bumpy, but with the exception of a few people I don't think too many folks felt their lives were in danger.

Las Caletas

 The setting for the dinner and show were spectacular.  The paths were lit by thousands of small candles, which were accompanied by torches, musicians and performers.  The food was served buffet style and was very good, although it was a little salty.  The salt wasn't added by the chef, but came from the occasional wave that would crash over the seawall and spray a fine mist of salt water on us, the food and the table.  It was more entertaining than annoying as we tried to anticipate which wave was of sufficient size to make it over the wall.
The show, which was titled "SAVIA:The Legend of the Five Suns", was held in an outdoor theater that looked like it would seat around 400 people.  Although the singing was in Spanish there was plenty of theatrics, similar to what you would see in a Cirque de Soleil show, to make for a fun and very entertaining evening.

Part of the Welcoming Committee...….

more of the welcoming committee

Posing for a quick picture while keeping an eye out for the next big wave.  Notice the water on the table.

Sunset over Banderas Bay

The outdoor theater stage preshow

Singing, dancing and a lot of flying through the air

No Mexican folklore show would be complete without paying tribute to the "Day of the Dead" celebration

The ride back across Banderas Bay wasn't quite as bumpy as the ride over, although the crews entertainment was very bumpy, by design.  They did a very unstable imitation of Queen, that was complete with costumes and fake instruments.  As intended, it was quite silly but made for an enjoyable conclusion to the evening.
Our last two days on the Nieuw Amsterdam were very relaxing as we sailed back to San Diego. Although we haven't cruised in a few months, I am sure there will certainly be more in the future,   probably even a few more visits to the fun side of the wall!
I've gone back into the three previous blogs and added a few pictures and captions as well as removed the duplicate photos.  Take a look!