Last updated on 2/1/2023
More observation from recent business trip…
Really enjoyed the chance to get to know a few people and find out about low profile things like the raffle at the Sportsman’s Club (Win 1/2 TON of Food!) and the cool skiing machine at the bowling alley and the bodies found downstairs in the local hell-hole. These things made me feel like I was a native.
Traffic there is less of a problem than I’m used to, mostly because there is a huge truck in front of you everywhere you go, so just forget about speeding or getting anywhere on time, OK? Roads are difficult because they have to squeeze ’em in between a mountain or a river and there doesn’t seem to be enough room left over for a berm, let alone sidewalks. AND, downtown being shaped like a triangle, the old “I’ll go around the block and hit it the second time” trick doesn’t work. You need geometry just to figure out the road map! There are at least 200 bridges there, all of which seem to be focal points for negative traffic karma. Picturesque as hell, though.
We got downtown on a rainy day in the middle of the recent flooding, but I still had to go to the point and see where the three rivers meet. From the muddy littered look of it, all three of ’em had been up over the banks recently. Went up the inclined railway for a kind of cloudy panoramic view. In spite of the mist, I could see how the Indians revered this as a sacred place. Even with its modern urban coverings, you can still get a sense of the quiet inevitable force of nature.
Then I turned and saw… The Place Of Doom! Three Rivers Stadium! Quickly I covered my eyes, for the evil black and gold was everywhere around me. Lacking the magical orange and brown talisman for protection, I stumbled madly into the nearest shelter I could find. It was a charming little shopping place, Station Square. Straightaway I located the Beer-a-teria and soon I was fully recovered.
Station Square reminded me of the Flats in Cleveland, re-using abandoned waterfront industrial property. But the focus is more on retail shops than on restaurant/bar establishments. Irish clothing, art galleries, chocolate and jewelry shops. Suffice it to say, the credit card got thoroughly trashed. Don’t miss it if you are ever there.
After a decent meal at a decent place with a decent server, I was on the way home. Listened in the car to the excellent jazz radio station WDUQ, which lasted almost to Youngstown. Ran into a damn ‘lake effect’ snowstorm somewhere south of Akron and white-knuckled my way home from there.
Although I didn’t get to see all the parts of the city I wanted to, I do feel like I got an in-depth experience. This was like the opposite of last year, when we got to play tour guide for Vanna when he came to Cleveland. My hosts showed me and told me as much as they were able to, and over 2 weeks, I was able to ask all the questions I wanted to. I ended up with an impression I often get, which is the underlying similarity of places. Cities like these, Cleveland and Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Buffalo, built this country in its industrial heyday. Now they are trying to change with the post-industrial economy.
Be First to Comment