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April 08, 2004

A Night With Pirates

PITTSBURGH - Maybe you don't think of Pittsburgh when you think of vacation destinations. And maybe you probably shouldn't. But for a quick trip or a road-trip stop, I heartily endorse it. There's more to do than in - let's say - Hartford, it's easier to walk around than D.C., cleaner than Philly, and the baseball park is everything it's cracked up to be.

Although it was a rainy pregame and an intimate (4-digit) crowd against the Phillies tonight, the Pirate fans are pretty cool. They were into the game, they mocked the few Phillie fans who made the trek, and they knew their stuff. And PNC Park is as good as they say. Right along the banks of the Allegheny River, the centerfield view opens up to a picturesque view of Pittsburgh's skyline, with the golden Clemente Bridge at the center of attention. Even from the cheap seats, you can still see every part of the field (I'm talking to you, Fenway), and if the game drags or is a blowout (now I'm talking to the Pirates, though you won handily tonight), you have something else to gaze at.

The thing that impressed me the most, though, besides the awe-inspiring Primanti Bros. sandwiches, was the scoreboard. What the Bucs save on player personnel, they've spent on cool CGI graphics. At the start of the game was a little movie where a fleet of ships sails up to the Confluence, each mast bearing the logo of a different NL team. Then the Pirate ship sailed in to defend the city, pelting the Reds ship and the Cubs ship with cannonfire. Then, of course, it turned all its guns on the S.S. Phillie, sending it to a watery demise. Very well done.

I saw other stuff in Pittsburgh, too -- the Monongahela Incline (I can spell that now without looking it up), the Andy Warhol Museum, and the bustling downtown area -- but more on that another time. I have to go walk off that sandwich.

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Comments

The trip reports are great! Makes me wonder why we ever stay home. As St. Augustine said "Life is a book, and if you don't travel, you're only reading one page.'

Posted by: GreenieGirl | April 9, 2004 11:51 AM

My one visit to Pittsburgh was also better than the city's reputation would lead you to believe. The old ballpark at the confluence was good; this sounds an order of magnitude better.

Posted by: Vin | April 9, 2004 12:33 PM