If you love Pittsburgh like I love Pittsburgh.....

BUT, if you are as sick and tired and at  the edge of mania due to traffic and construction issues as I am.....you'll love this little ditty from Pittsburgh Dad.....


Pittsburgh Dad Flips Out In Traffic.....

I gotta tell  you blog buddies, this summer's traffic woes have taken my anxiety level to a whole new level.....
As you can see.....I am not alone!  Pittsburgh Dad at least makes it sound funny.....

Yes, I still love my hometown--traffic and construction and all---but, I seriously question the choices made by the folks who make these decisions!  Like everything else, I am sure I don't quite understand the challenges they face but really.....taking down a major tunnel, having the detours one lane, closing down other major roads and having construction vehicles on every corner....it's a little much too understand.... 
 Yes, I know....Pittsburgh is an old city that's blessed with big mountains and rivers. So, our tunnels and roads and bridges need to be maintained.  I get it, I really do.....but.....geez.....
You know---back in the heyday of folks moving into the suburbs, great minds had to figure out ways to get people in and out of the city to go to work and do the business of living life.  So, those great minds put in narrow, windy roads and built tunnels and bridges to carry people to their destinations. It made perfect sense at the time and improved life and provided families with the opportunity to live in the new bustling suburbs--away from the steel mills that gave them jobs but polluted the entire city.
These great minds probably never even imagined how many millions and millions of cars and trucks and buses and bikes would be traveling those roads and tunnels and bridges over the decades.  Naturally, with all that wear and tear, these old roads and tunnels and bridges need to be fixed.   Add to that the already bulging traffic congestion because these roads were not designed for traffic in the 21st Century and you've got some pretty massive headaches. 
For me and millions other suburbanites, the only way to get to work is to get through the mountain and over the river.  Therein lies the problem.  On a typical day, it can be quite daunting.  My trip to work is 8.3 miles.  Google maps tells me that the trip should take about 17-22 minutes. (BTW--that 17-22 minute trip only happens in the middle of the night or early on a Sunday morning when there is no construction or closures!) When there is not construction and closures---my trip takes me anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes on a week day.  Getting out of the Oakland section of town--where I work--into the city itself can be quite harrowing.  Add  that to the times when all of the students are moving into their dorms (like this past week!) and apartments around the Universities and it is harrowing on steroids! 
And, getting through the city to the bridge and to the tunnels is another test of endurance.  That's on a good day....
Close tunnels and roads that have major construction and thousands of students moving into the universities and all of a sudden---that 8.3 mile trip has been taking me over 2 hours.  Yes, you read that right--over 2 hours.  That's what this month has been like.
No wonder I have been thinking about food, martinis and wine.......

Just thought you'd want to know what's happening in my world......

Happy Saturday!!!