Bob Dobbs Day in Review - 8/11/10

I'd like to use our first day of travel (and the fact that my sister didn't add me as a fellow RWD poster) as an excuse to make my official debut on the blog. Emily seemed to do a fairly accurate job at describing me for those of you who don't me so I'm going to jump right into the nitty-gritty.

Many of my close associates know that I love 1) exploring cities, 2) food, and 3) sports. Essential to this roadtrip for me was the opportunity to expand my horizons on all three fronts. And if every day shapes up like today, then I'm in for the experience of a lifetime.

After the turmoil of packing the economically-sized Civic "Telulah," we finally set off around 6 A.M. with the intention of stopping in Pittsburgh for breakfast. Roadtrip Rule #1: Plan ahead and research the places you will be travelling too/through so that you can find America's hidden/not-so-hidden gems. A friend of mine told me to look at the book "Road Food" by Jane and Michael Stern. This book highlights restaurants located just off America's highways and is essential for any road trip, and also makes for a great travelling resource in general.

Having looked at the Pittsburgh features, I decided to test the Stern's judgement at JoJo's Restaurant, located in the "Strip District." This part of the city is famous for its all-night produce market, where truck after truck pull up with fresh fruits and vegetables. The neighborhood reminded me a lot of the Italian Market in South Philly - bustling, a little bit confusing, and a little bit of chaos. Because of the late-night activity, JoJo's hours are 11 PM 'til 2 PM. Luckily we arrived around 11 AM and were treated by an extremely friendly staff that quickly turned around our order. The "JoJo Omlette," as you can see, was a gargantuan beast stuffed with cheese, onions, mushrooms, hot peppers, and sweet sausage served on top of a copious amount of homefires. Hands down, the best omlette I have ever had - and I've certainly had plenty. All in all, it could not have been a better experience.

After breakfast, we explored the city just a bit, and while there were certainly signs of a busted steeltown, there were also multiple signs of vibracy and synergy. No one place captured this more than PNC Park. I have heard many great reviews of the Pirate's baseball stadium due to its design and location along the union of the three rivers. Suffice to say, without even watching a game there, I was blown away. Of the few baseball stadiums I've been to, it has by far the best design both architecturally (the use of limestone throughout) and physically (the restaurants in the stadium facing the street are open, even on non-gamedays, attracting people there 365 days a year). Moreover, you can walk along the outfield concourse during the day and soak in the infield on one side, and the skyline/river on the other. While walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge, I passed several joggers, businessmen, and tourists making their way to and fro.



My verdict on Pittsburgh is that it is a great city to visit, and probably a great city to go to college in. That being said, its distance and inaccessibility from the Northeast Corridor, and the central Midwest, and even a beach! makes me less willing to settle down there permanently.

Our trek onwards to Chicago was long, yet eventful, including a torrential downpour, the revelaion that Indiana calls EZ-Pass "I-Zoom," and even this:


Dr. Dob's model car with a license plate "CEIL"...must be destiny!


We also made a quick drive through of South Bend along the way. Continuing on with Love #3, I stopped by the College Football Hall of Fame, which was unfortunately closed, as well as Notre Dame Stadium.What was most eyecatching might have been the practice facility for the Notre Dame Football Team though: 3 plush grass regulation-sized fields, surrounded by iron gates and 1o-foot high bushes. Sticking out were multiple steel stair towers that led to video/coaches platforms which looked like they belonged at an olympic pool.


Over 14 hours later, we finally fond the brilliant Chicago sundown just as the sun was setting. Seeing as we will be spending the day here tomorrow, and I am quite tired, the Windy City Review will have to wait another day.