Rooster_Ties

Yeah, saw the Post-Gazette is folding — but oddly, they’re not even trying to do anything just online, not in any sort of reduced capacity even. Hard to fathom a city the size of Pittsburgh without a newspaper of record. We’re already trying to survey the PGH media landscape for where to get our news — hoping to find some enterprising, hopefully non-profit news-gathering source (which if they’re no. I’m sure when we transfer our NPR support from here in DC to the Pittsburgh NPR station, we’ll double our yearly donation.

I’m sure we’ll take in 2 or 3 games a year — the view of downtown over the outfield is amazing!! I’m on my phone (in St. Louis visiting my dad) — but the main photo on the PNC Park Wikipedia page is a pretty good example… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNC_Park

Yes, definitely. From what I understand, transit west of downtown leaves a LOT to be desired. (And the airport is west of downtown.) Pittsburgh’s transit isn’t as good as it could and should be — but that one busway east of downtown is easily overlooked (and better than bus transit usually is most places). There are also some busways south of downtown too — which I know next to nothing about — and I have no idea how efficient they are (how isolated from other vehicles they are — or aren’t). PGH’s transit is a mixed bag overall — but still better than quite a number of other cities that aren’t bigger than PGH.

The thing about Pittsburgh transit is that they didn’t/couldn't ever fund their main public transit corridor with light rail — instead opting for a protected rapid-transit busway (no other vehicular traffic) down in a valley that cuts thru the heart of the east end of the main part of the city (immediately east of downtown). Back 50+ years ago, there used to be 4 or 5 freight rail lines down in that valley. Then in the mid-70’s, they tore out all but two of those freight rail lines, and replaced them with a 3-lane road for busses only (and emergency vehicles) — and said busses can get up to 40 even 50 mph, taking commuters to and from downtown in 1/4th the time of the city streets above. They also treat and plow the hell out of the busway in the winter (when it snows). I understand the busway actually moves a lot more people daily than Pittsburg’s light rail does (their light rail is called the “T”). And the busses on the busway run almost as frequently as some DC Metro lines (like every 10 minutes during rush hour, 15 minutes during the day, and 15-20 minutes later at night). My wife and I will be in an apartment that’s just a 10-minute walk from one of the two busiest busway stops immediately east of downtown (one of the things we wanted to be close to). Pittsburgh’s east busway was the very first bus-rapid-transit system in the entire US (built in the mid 70’s) — and its cost-per-mile to construct and operate is substantially lower than light rail or heavy rail (a bare fraction of the cost). Nowhere near as sexy as rail — but in the right circumstances, it can be incredibly efficient — especially in this formerly freight-rail-only valley that never had vehicular traffic on it before in the first place.

10,000 steps a day keeps the cardiologist away. It’s definitely helped manage my blood pressure (and probably stress too) — and affected my mood (for the better). Of course I probably need to redouble my efforts — I haven’t lost as much weight as I need to (I lost 20-25 lbs over the last several years, but I really need to lose 20-25 MORE). I’m pretty sure being in a new place, with TONS to explore — and the luxury of time, initially not working for maybe six months, and then only part time after that — will help too. With my wife fully retired now (she might try and pick a part-time job in a bookstore, eventually, mostly for fun and book discounts, as she’s a voracious reader) — I’m sure we will have all the time in the world to exercise more, as we work to walk the entire city. Pittsburgh has 90 distinct neighborhoods, and I hope/plan to walk half of them within our first year.

Update: We’re moving to Pittsburgh in February! — in about 7 short weeks. We found a nice apartment in a ridiculously good location about 3 miles east of dahntahn, between the rivers (Bloomfield-Friendship-Shadyside neighborhoods area). We’ll literally be a 15 minute walk from a dozen places we really wanted to be close to — and there’s tons more within a 30-40 minute walk. Even downtown (or ‘dahntahn’ as they say there) is just a little more than an hour’s hike one-way (with plenty of bus lines back). For years we’ve sometimes hiked an hour to the Kennedy Center in DC (and taken the Metro subway home) — likewise, we plan to hike to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra when we can (and bus home). We also bought a new car!! (2026 Prius) — after 15 years without any cars in DC. Although we wanted to drive, especially longer trips — we also want to be able to walk everywhere (weather permitting), like we do now. (I’ve been walking 5 miles a day, every single day, for the last 6 months — which I plan to try and stick with as much as I can.) We are super excited about Pittsburgh!! — which as I said before, we’d only visited once way back in 2013 for a long weekend — and then two trips last year to explore, and look for an apartment.

Kinda wild that we’re only a couple years from being a quarter of a century old — as an online forum.

My profile says I joined March 13, 2003 — so, yeah, I probably joined about a week after the very first folks here did.

I don’t recall that he ever did. Anyone remember for sure?

What’s my number? Probably over 50. I think I procrastinated a week before I signed up, iirc.

Me!!!

I’ve got it on CD via this budget release under Herbie’s name. https://www.discogs.com/release/9128473-Herbie-Hancock-Baraka Not sure if this has ever gotten any decent — or recommendable — release on CD.

Yes, rest in peace.

Re: the million dollars that the TKC center are suing those no-good scoundrel scofflaws for (i.e. the musicians who cancelled)… People forget the immeasurable reputational damage to the person whose name had been newly added on to the outside of the Kennedy Center building. If a few hundred members of the public suddenly couldn’t go to what was to have been a simple, low-key free holiday jazz jam/concert — that might even irreparably sully the name of he who can’t be mentioned here.

Humphries is still pretty active in Pittsburgh, I understand — leading jam sessions and possibly a regular band. Anybody think I should ask Roger about this when I get to PGH this Spring? — we expect to be moving in late February or maybe early March.