Day 2 - Pittsburgh

Hey!!! So the second day of our trip was pretty eventful. I was unable to blog last night due to a horrible migraine that I got, but ill talk more on that later. Ryan and I woke up at like 8:30, had the free (horrible) continental breakfast at the Days Inn and set out for the Duquesne Incline. There we met an old college friend John Camp and his awesome girlfriend (native of Pittsburgh) Jen.

So a little bit more about the Duquesne Incline, it is like a tram that runs from the river to the top of Mt. Washington. Coal miners used to take it to and from work back in the day when Pittsburgh was a bustling coal town. Ryan and I took the tram up to the top and we walked to a scenic lookout where we could see the whole city of Pittsburgh (see pictures). The view was pretty spectacular I must say. Before we took the ride back down we stopped in at the little Duquesne Incline shop and bought a Zagnut bar and a Clark bar. These are two local candy bars which tasted all right. The Clark bar was kinda like a Butterfinger (but not as good) and the Zagnut bar was much better and it had a mix of coconuts and peanut butter.

After the Duquesne Incline Ryan, Jen, John and I headed to the famous Primanti brothers for lunch. What is so famous about all of their sandwiches is that they put the fries on the sandwich. The reason for this was that all of the workers in Pittsburgh never had time to eat their fries, so they started to put the fries on the sandwiches. Ryan had the Pittsberger, and I had the salami and cheese. Both of us admit that putting fries on a sandwich was pretty good and a must when you are going to Pittsburgh.

After lunch, Ryan and I departed from our friends and headed to the Carnegie Science Center. The Carnegie Science Center is just like the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. So Ryan and I both put on our little kids hats and walked through the museum. We had a lot of fun sitting in the earthquake simulator and playing with the water pressure exhibit. I am pretty sure that we put some pipes together that we shouldn't have and made part of it overflow :) (see pictures). Some other cool exhibits at the Carnegie Science center include a miniature railroad setup and a Robot exhibit.

Since we were at the Carnegie Science Center we had to see something on the Imax screen. Ryan and I picked a movie about the Grand Canyon because we wanted to know more about it before we go there in a few weeks. The movie was really good and explained how bad the water problems are getting in the southern half of the United States. Apparently, lake Meade and Powell have lost half of their water levels in the past 10 years. And the building of the two dams along the Colorado river has seriously impacted the wildlife and eco-system of the whole region. Also, learned that the Colorado no longer reaches the sea in Mexico. This has completely ruined fishing towns and a way of life in portions of Mexico. Horrible!

So after Ryan and I walked all over the Science Center we headed over to the ballpark to see the Pirates play the Cleveland Indians for inter league play. Before going into the park we had dinner at McFaddens. The only reason I even bring this up is that the service there was HORRIBLE!!! It took us almost 2 hours just to get a burger, beer, soda, and a salad. Any who, we went over to the ballpark and purchased lower level seats, section 125 (3rd base side). The seats were pretty awesome, it was fun to sit lower level cuz I never get the chance at citizens bank park because people actually care about baseball in Philadelphia. The game was pretty one sided, Pittsburgh didn't really do much for the 1st 7 innings. So Ryan and I decided to leave because I started to feel very ill and he was getting bored. Nonetheless, PNC Park was pretty nice and it definitely had the feel of CB Park. Very homey, very comfortable, affordable, and a family atmosphere. I would definitely see a game here if your somewhat of a baseball fan.

So more about this migraine...it was probably the worst one I have ever had...NO LIE!!! For those of you who have never had a migraine its like having a really really really bad hangover that just wont go away. For about 4 hours I felt like I was going to puke and my head was pounding. I really wanted to commit suicide. For a while I seriously considered going to the hospital because it would not go away. Luckily I woke up this morning and felt great. More to come about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the drive to Detroit.