Pittsburgh 2

This morning I went and did the tour of Heinz Field. Pretty good stadium and a pretty good tour. Would have been better if we could have made it onto the field, or even taken photos of it but alas, not to be. Again my timing was poor. They were dismantling stuff from the Batman shoot, and had some extra non-Steelers aligned signage and sponsors, so we weren't allowed photos. And we couldn't get onto the field as normal due to the dismantling, and the fact that they were digging up a third of the field to lay new turf before the season starts in a month or so. Apart from that it was pretty cool. I don't remember if I mentioned that in all the cities I have been to so far, there is a heavy sports fascination for their respective teams. It is VERY noticeable here in PGH. You may have seen the photo of the black and yellow fire hydrant ? Well, Pittsburgh has a reason for being right behind their NFL team anyway. They are the only team who have won 6 superbowls, won more divisional titles (8) and played in (15) and hosted more (11) conference championship games than any other AFC or NFC team. The Steelers share the record for most Super Bowl appearances with the Dallas Cowboys (8). They have also sold out every home game since 1972 ! You may have guessed by now which NFL team I follow !!!

I also had lunch at Primanti Brothers. They have been featured on Man vs Food. They have a few locations here but this one is about a 10min walk from where I'm staying. Their sandwiches come with the coleslaw and fries actually on the sandwich. I had a hot corned beef with cheese and onions, paired with a drink (free refills) for $8. They also use fresh Italian baked bread. Wasn't too bad at all. I can get a hot roast beef sandwich in Brisbane, on normal processed loaf bread, for almost $6 without the fries, coleslaw and drink. So it's not too bad value-wise either. Certainly hit the spot.

Also featured and just up the road is Quaker Steak and Lube. The host completed the Atomic Wing Challenge. 6 wings with Atomic Sauce. This sauce requires a waiver to be signed before eating and is rated at 150000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). SHUs are the amount of liquid required (in litres) before you no longer feel the heat. I did think about it but decided against it. These days they also have a Triple Atomic Challenge (500000 SHU) !!  Classic buffalo style wings generally rate around 3000 SHU.

Well, I am heading back to New York tomorrow. Going to try and see all the stuff I didn't see when last there. Taking the MegaBus. If you visit here and plan to travel by bus, it's a cheap way to go. $34 for Pittsburgh to New York. This is much cheaper than Greyhound or the Amtrak (train), and infinitely cheaper than flying. They do advertise $1 fares, but I have yet to see a sale. That said, I have traveled from Cleveland to Detroit for $18 and from New York to Boston for $13. I did fly Boston to Pittsburgh and that was approximately $150.

later