Last day in Pittsburgh...

On Thursday we headed for 'the strip' - or Smallman Street, which is virtually next door to Pittsburgh's David Lawrence Convention Centre, it's where the restaurant Eleven is located AND the Heinz museum, which my colleague Pete visited while I was having lunch in Market Square (see previous post).

The view from the Grand View Restaurant, Pittsburgh

This week I have walked many miles because being on foot is, arguably, the best way to get around IF, like me, your hotel is close (ish) to where your work is located. Every day for the past six days, I've walked over two miles a day just getting to and from the David Lawrence Convention Centre, but then, outside of that journey, I have made many others and all on foot; and as discussed in the previous post, excessive walking probably helped with my overall health bearing in mind the type of food and the quantities I was eating (mainly burger and fries). Oddly, I didn't have many desserts (thank God!). I've enjoyed a couple of cookies (and by that I mean I've had TWO cookies, one in Starbucks and another in Yinz, an independent coffee shop on Station Square) and I remember a rather dainty dessert at a dinner on Smallman Street on Tuesday night from where I considered walking back to my hotel but decided against it as I didn't really know much about Pittsburgh at night. But suffice it to say that walking was a major part of the last week and I'm talking about 20,000 steps daily.

I'm losing track of what lunch we had where and on what day. So the following is a little bit sketchy. At some stage we had an awful pizza on the strip (it was square and not what I considered to be a pizza, they're at least round!). At the same restaurant I ordered an even more disgusting no-alcohol beer, this might well have been in the late afternoon of Thursday. The previous day we'd been to Eleven for dinner where, as mentioned in the previous post, we ordered from the Tavern menu and I ordered, yes, you guessed it, another burger and chips (I left most of it). As I say, I'm losing track of what I ate and when. Thursday night I think we were on Smallman Street again where dinner was a fried chicken sandwich and a root beer for me; Pete had the same but with a can of Sprite. 

My last burger and chips in Pittsburgh's Grand View Restaurant

There's a great Starbucks on the strip. I was there late in the afternoon of Tuesday ahead of a planned business dinner, also on the strip. I ordered a cookie and an English Breakfast Tea and simply chilled out. I was there again with Pete possibly on Thursday afternoon and preceding the fried chicken dinner with the root beer. Pete and I set the world to rights, talked about music and generally chilled out.

On Friday we headed for Mount Washington and what was the Coal Hill Steakhouse. It's still there but it's no longer called the Coal Hill Steakhouse. I can't remember what it was called, I think it's now The Grand View Restaurant, something like that, but the management is the same and so is the food. And yes, I ordered another burger and chips, had a non-alcohol cocktail and finished with a cup of tea. I'd asked for English Breakfast but was given Earl Grey, which was awful, and I like Earl Grey! The view of Pittsburgh was great and just how I remembered it in 2019 and 2022, but the food wasn't that good.

On Friday we had to check out by 1100hrs, which we did. It took me a while to cram everything into my suitcase but I managed it and then we hit the road again and went to Mount Washington. The funicular railway linking ground level Pittsburgh with Mount Washington was closed and, as we were soon to find out, some passengers travelling on it the previous evening had to be rescued by the emergency services following a malfunction of some sort that left tourists stranded on the incline. 

As we approached the funicular railway with a view to using it and unaware of what had taken place the previous night, I turned to Pete and said 'I bet it's closed' and sure enough it was, because of the aforementioned incident. At that point a man with a television camera strutted across the road and asked if we'd like a chat. We said yes and then a reporter appeared and started an interview for the local television station. It broadcasted around 1800hrs giving both Pete and I the chance to see ourselves on TV before jumping into a cab and heading for the airport.

After a short cab ride we arrived at the airport, checked in our bags and then chilled out in a Joe the Juice after walking around the airport. At last, I thought, as I tucked in to something decent (a chicken and avocado sandwich accompanied by a ginger tea and a healthy juice drink, which was great.

The flight was on time and very smooth all the way. We landed in London earlier than scheduled and then we went our separate ways. There is a view that if you stay up until the night time of the country you have landed in, your jet lag will be allieviated somewhat. Well, it's almost 2200hrs and while I've been taking it easy, watching YouTube videos, and nodding off occasionally in the process, I haven't really been to sleep in the true sense of the word. In fact, I might watch a bit of YouTube again and will probably hit the sack around 2230 if not later. It's amazing how somehow I still have gas in the tank, but I know that when I hit the pillow I'll sleep well. Here's hoping.

Postscript...

In the end I stayed up until almost midnight, watching a documentary on iPlayer about Paul McCartney's lost Hofner bass guitar. I need to finish it, which I will later. I slept a total of 10 hours, not bad, and now here I am watching a YouTube video, well, half-watching it. Last night, or late in the afternoon yesterday I watched chilled stuff on YouTube like Nomad Sam and Rewilding Jude, the latter recently inspired me to get out into the garden and take down a dead tree. Basically the 'vlog' is all about a guy called Jude whose parents both died. He decided to move to a remote part of Scotland and live in a crofter's cottage with land for a reasonably-sized garden, he's done a lot with it, taken on chickens and growing his own vegetables, it's a great watch, or at least I think it is. Nomad Sam is all about Sam, who lives in a tent with his dog and travels around the country, staying in remote places for a few weeks/months and then moving on. He is now in the Scottish Highlands. They both chill me out and that was what I needed yesterday.

Avid readers of this blog will know that I have read Martin Downham's Remind Me to Smile, which I've probably mentioned before, it's a great read and yesterday, being in mind that he is Pete's dad, I met him, albeit briefly, at the airport. I just wish I'd been a little more awake, but I managed to tell him he had written a great book and shook his hand. Pete's mum was there too and I was offered a lift, but I didn't want to put them out and opted instead for the Heathrow Express.

In Cleveland, Ohio

Yesterday, as I wandered around Heathrow Terminal Five waiting for the 1120hrs BA295 to Chicago I spotted Jimmy Somerville watching the board for whatever flight he was due to take; it's funny as he's the second 'celeb' I've seen at T5, the other being Miranda Hart. Still, celebs are allowed to use the airports so it's nothing out of the ordinary, although I guess Somerville wouldn't take kindly to being described as a 'celeb' and who would blame him? I wouldn't want to be viewed as part the same clan that appear on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

After a bit of faffing around, the plane took off and headed West, out across Northern Ireland and then skimming the coast of Greenland before turning left, or heading in a South Westerly direction, over Canada then Lake Michigan and into O'Hare airport where, I discovered, I had a long wait ahead of me. We landed around 1.30pm US time and when I found myself at Romano's Macaroni Grill it was 7.30pm in the UK and, therefore, time for something to eat. It was roughly 2.30pm Chicago time and my connecting flight didn't leave until 6.30pm. This meant that I could sit and read the newspaper and catch up with editorial comment on the General Election 'back home' – for the first time in history I've made a postal vote.

The reason I was feeling so chipper? Not really sure. I can only put it down to a fairly 'easy' and relaxed flight during which I read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and dipped in to the newspapers. I tried to watch Birdman with Michael Keaton, but a mixture of the small screen, the noise of plane and the fact that, it seemed to me at any rate, all the actors in the movie were just shouting at one another and Keaton's character seemed to live back stage made it not a good movie to watch. That's my view. I'm sure if I sat and watched it at home I'd enjoy it, but there you go. I was going to watch Nightcrawler but, oddly, there was a warning issued that the movie contained scenes of a plane in distress so, being at 38,000 feet over the North Atlantic I decided not to bother.

An incredibly boring shot taken at Chicago O'Hare yesterday

The flight was smooth. Very smooth. The plane was a jumbo jet and my only criticism would be that they really cram in the passengers. I'd chosen an aisle seat – 45C as these days I'm not fussed about having a window seat. What's the point? It means I'm pinned against the wall and have to ask for permission to go to the washrooms. An aisle seat means no real restrictions and there's an opportunity to stretch my right leg, albeit at risk to those passing by. Fortunately, after reading, I did manage to wander about and stretch my legs, not to mention meet my colleague who had originally booked with American Airlines but the flight was cancelled. As a result, he was given a decent seat on the BA flight. We stood and chatted for a good 45 minutes in the galley area of the plane so all was well. Likewise the connecting flight with American Airlines was good and I arrived at Cleveland at 2030, roughly 0130hrs UK time.

Thankfully the taxis accepted credit cards and the ride from the airport to the downtown was brief. The check-in was good – I was given two complimentary cookies, one of which I've eaten, the other is going in the bin. I've noticed that my general intake of biscuits is on the increase and while I've always limited myself to two per day during working hours, it's got to stop as of now, although, as I write this, that remaining cookie is still in its wrapping and resting on the television cabinet to my left. Still, it's going in the bin. I've got to watch my diet as I've noticed that 'crap' is creeping in a little bit, possibly because I'm compensating for generally not eating that much. Not that I'm pigging myself. This morning I had All Bran, tea and a slice of toast. When I'd cleared security at T5 I had a cup of tea and, unfortunately, a Nutella cookie. I should have known. I thought it was just a cookie with a few nuts, but it turns out to be a cookie with a Nutella filling. I resolved to eat nothing more until the inflight meal was served.

Romano's Macaroni Grill at O'Hare

I love airline food and on today's menu was chicken tikka masala plus one of those little chocolate desserts, which I should have left well alone but I figured you never know what might happen at 38,000 feet and I wouldn't want anybody thinking I left the world yearning for a chocolate dessert, not that anybody would ever learn about my dilemma had the plane not made it. Those small bottles of red wine plus a bread roll made up lunch and I didn't eat again until I reached the aforementioned Romano's Macaroni Grill where I enjoyed Pollo Caprese and a glass of Merlot – but no dessert.

The Hilton Doubletree Downtown is alright, so far. There's a pool, but there's always a pool and I never use it, although I always bring my trunks. Perhaps I ought to get down there and swim off the cookies. But then there's the streets of Cleveland and the possibility of hiring a bicycle. I know that there's a 10-mile cycle ride around town today (Sunday) but who the hell am I kidding? I've worn myself out flying across the Atlantic to be here, the last thing I'm going to do is find a bike and ride in a 10-miler. No, I'm going to abort on that one, lads. But I might find a bike later, if there's a bike share scheme and I know there is because I read about it online. Perhaps a bike to the convention instead of a taxi, but first I need to find out where the convention is being held and to be honest I'm not doing anything until I've had a decent breakfast.