Sunday, January 15, 2006
Commuting in Pittsburgh
See this article in the Post Gazette for a great report on "Commuting in Pittsburgh".
Steelers win!
In a game for the ages, the Steelers upset the Colts in Indianapolis. You had to see it to appreciate it. We're off to Denver!
Saturday, January 07, 2006
New Whole Foods Market
Wow! I'm excited that they will soon be opening a 68,000 sq. ft. Whole Foods Market in the South Hills of Pittsburgh somewhat close to where we now live. It'll be at I-79 and Steen Road which is in nearby Bridgeville. This means that Heather and I won't have to make the trek all the way into Shadyside in order to pick up some of the hard-to-find things that we enjoy.
Friday, December 23, 2005
No spur for the spur - part of the T expansion "postponed"
If you've read previous posts of mine, you'll see that I had opposed the expansion of the T to the new convention center from downtown. The entirity of the line would be wihthin the downtown zone and there would be no way for that project to make money. It turns out that the government agreed with me, at least for the time being. See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05357/627162.stm for more on the postponement...
Sunday, October 09, 2005
More on Pittsburgh mass transit
An interesting article appeared in "City Paper" on the T system and expansion efforts to Oakland, the North Shore, and beyond. Check it out at http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/archive.cfm?type=Main%20Feature&action=getComplete&ref=4944
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Hurricane Katrina
I know its a bit late for me to be commenting on Katrina, but I can't believe the utter devastation that it has caused on the gulf coast. I know several people who live on the Mississippi and Alabama coastline, but they are out of contact at the moment and I have no idea how they fared.
The local, state, and federal governments all managed to drop the ball on the whole New Orleans situation. Since there was a mandatory evacuation of the city BEFORE the hurricane came, did it not occur to government officials that not everyone would have an easy way out? What about the hundreds of school buses that were in the city? What about the hundreds of city buses? Could these not have been utilized to take as many people out of the city as possible? Set up a special lane on the highway for buses or something.
The other thing that I've noticed is that the media has subtly shifted its focus from the suffering of the people at the Superdome to the suffering of left-behind pets. I think a completely unexpected reaction of the New Orleans public was their devotion to their pets. People were staying behind to make sure their pets were safe. The pets weren't allowed into the shelters and so people put their lives at risk to save their pets. I was just amazed!
The one gaudy aspect of this love for pets was the Hispanic lady who was the maid/housekeeper at a wealthy New Orleans mansion. The family evacuated in their big Lexus SUV and left the poor women behind to take care of the animals. What callous bastards!
The local, state, and federal governments all managed to drop the ball on the whole New Orleans situation. Since there was a mandatory evacuation of the city BEFORE the hurricane came, did it not occur to government officials that not everyone would have an easy way out? What about the hundreds of school buses that were in the city? What about the hundreds of city buses? Could these not have been utilized to take as many people out of the city as possible? Set up a special lane on the highway for buses or something.
The other thing that I've noticed is that the media has subtly shifted its focus from the suffering of the people at the Superdome to the suffering of left-behind pets. I think a completely unexpected reaction of the New Orleans public was their devotion to their pets. People were staying behind to make sure their pets were safe. The pets weren't allowed into the shelters and so people put their lives at risk to save their pets. I was just amazed!
The one gaudy aspect of this love for pets was the Hispanic lady who was the maid/housekeeper at a wealthy New Orleans mansion. The family evacuated in their big Lexus SUV and left the poor women behind to take care of the animals. What callous bastards!
It's been awhile!
Wow! I didn't realize that it had been so long since I last wrote! I'll have to play a bit of catch-up.
In July, Heather and I did a LOT of work on the house, finishing up a lot of the improvements that we were working on. I went to St. Louis, MO over the last weekend for the 2005 Theta Tau Leadership Academy.
In August, our exchange student, Franzi, arrived from Germany. Like most exchange students, she's had a little bit of trouble adapting to life in America, but I think she'll make it. She's a bright kid and is really a pleasure to have around. Unfortunately, our schedules dictated that she had to remain home alone for the better part of the day for several weeks. Now that school has started, I think she'll have an easier time of things and be able to enjoy herself more.
That leads us to September...
In July, Heather and I did a LOT of work on the house, finishing up a lot of the improvements that we were working on. I went to St. Louis, MO over the last weekend for the 2005 Theta Tau Leadership Academy.
In August, our exchange student, Franzi, arrived from Germany. Like most exchange students, she's had a little bit of trouble adapting to life in America, but I think she'll make it. She's a bright kid and is really a pleasure to have around. Unfortunately, our schedules dictated that she had to remain home alone for the better part of the day for several weeks. Now that school has started, I think she'll have an easier time of things and be able to enjoy herself more.
That leads us to September...
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Finally moved in!
Well, we've finally moved in and get to spend the 4th of July weekend unpacking. Fun, fun!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
The move continues
Well, we're still getting ready to move. The date is set for Sunday, June 26th. Heather and I have been packing like crazy for the last week or so. We think we'll be done, but we're always a little worried that we won't be...
We bought a new washer, dryer, and deep freezer this past week which were delivered today. The painter finished up today. Tomorrow, we're having cleaning people come in and clean up the kitchens and bathrooms while we're having air duct specialists clean all the dirt out the air ducts. We felt that this was particularly important because of Heather's allergies and all of the dust created when we refinished the hard wood floors.
On Saturday, we'll have a little bit of leeway to make sure that everything is packed and ready to go for both houses. Sunday is the big move in day. We're really looking forward to it!
We bought a new washer, dryer, and deep freezer this past week which were delivered today. The painter finished up today. Tomorrow, we're having cleaning people come in and clean up the kitchens and bathrooms while we're having air duct specialists clean all the dirt out the air ducts. We felt that this was particularly important because of Heather's allergies and all of the dust created when we refinished the hard wood floors.
On Saturday, we'll have a little bit of leeway to make sure that everything is packed and ready to go for both houses. Sunday is the big move in day. We're really looking forward to it!
Monday, May 23, 2005
House selling on Kamin
Before I forget, we are in the process of selling our old house. However, as we are currently in negotiations with the new buyers, I'm not planning on elaborating on the process. If you want to know, ask me!
House update
Well, it's official. On April 25th, Heather and I closed on our new house in Mt. Lebanon. Lately, we've been coordinating work with a roofer, a painter, a general contractor, a hardwood floor specialist, and an electrician to get the house ready for us to move in.
There were several projects which we were wanting to have done before we moved in. Many people have told us that it is much easier on everyone involved if the work is done on an empty house. Thus, we're actually getting more work done then we had anticipated, but we think it will be well worth it.
An example of what we are getting done is in the living room. The living room had two built in bookshelves. (See a picture here) Although the bookshelves looked ok, neither one kept the Victorian style of the house very well. What's worse is that the bookshelf on the left was actually installed over a window. That's right, someone had removed the framing of the window and installed a bookshelf flush with the wall. This was unfortunate as the room didn't really get much light in it at all. The one window at the front of the room was shaded due to a tree and the front porch. The rest of the light in the room was coming in from the dining room.
The bookshelves were removed last week. What a difference the window makes! We walked in on Saturday morning and the room was brightly lit with the morning sun. It made quite a difference on the room and we think that it will be a change for the better.
Of course, now we have to go fix the walls behind the bookshelves, but that's a different story for a different time!
Hopefully, everything will be done in about three to four weeks and we'll be able to move into our new house!
There were several projects which we were wanting to have done before we moved in. Many people have told us that it is much easier on everyone involved if the work is done on an empty house. Thus, we're actually getting more work done then we had anticipated, but we think it will be well worth it.
An example of what we are getting done is in the living room. The living room had two built in bookshelves. (See a picture here) Although the bookshelves looked ok, neither one kept the Victorian style of the house very well. What's worse is that the bookshelf on the left was actually installed over a window. That's right, someone had removed the framing of the window and installed a bookshelf flush with the wall. This was unfortunate as the room didn't really get much light in it at all. The one window at the front of the room was shaded due to a tree and the front porch. The rest of the light in the room was coming in from the dining room.
The bookshelves were removed last week. What a difference the window makes! We walked in on Saturday morning and the room was brightly lit with the morning sun. It made quite a difference on the room and we think that it will be a change for the better.
Of course, now we have to go fix the walls behind the bookshelves, but that's a different story for a different time!
Hopefully, everything will be done in about three to four weeks and we'll be able to move into our new house!
New job!
Where have I been lately? Well, I've been rather busy. I started work at a new job on Friday April 29th. My new job is working in the centralized administration group at PNC Advisors. The new job allows me the opportunity to use my legal training in reviewing trust documents to ensure that the provisions of those documents are being followed.
So far I enjoy the job and I expect that it will be a good fit for me. But, as you can guess, my new job has taken a way a huge chunk of my free time, and thus I don't have as much time to write in my blog lately. :-)
So far I enjoy the job and I expect that it will be a good fit for me. But, as you can guess, my new job has taken a way a huge chunk of my free time, and thus I don't have as much time to write in my blog lately. :-)
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Squirrel Hill Library re-opens
See Architecture review: Firm's renovation plan writes new chapter for Squirrel Hill library
Heather and I are leaving right when the Squirrel Hill library is reopening after having closed for renovations for more than a year!
Heather and I are leaving right when the Squirrel Hill library is reopening after having closed for renovations for more than a year!
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Another Downtown-Oakland transit link proposed
See http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05110/491030.stm
It seems like Dan Onorato wants to revitalize the Downtown to Oakland link up (among other things). The keys to this plan which makes it different from the Spine Line is that it goes above the ground (like the monorail system as Disney World or Las Vegas) and that it goes along the 2nd Avenue corridor instead of going along Fifth and Forbes.
What do I think about this? I actually think it might have a chance. One of the biggest problems that I had about the previous Spine Line plan is that they wanted to extend the T system out to Oakland using an underground tunnel. Tunnels are not cheap to build, especially one which would be several miles long. In this proposal, no tunnel is required.
The second avenue corridor currently is a busy one, but one with plenty of room for such a project. It has a bunch of transportation facilities on several different layers: Second Avenue on the bottom, I-376 (known locally as the Parkway East) in the middle) and the Boulevard of the Allies on top. Additionally, the Eliza Furnace Trail runs through the area. However, the big advantage is that there are no buildings in the way! No houses to acquire through emminant domain. Thus, again, the project would be cheaper.
The proposed project runs from the First Avenue T station (thus linking up with the entire T network) passing by the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland (on second avenue) and going into Oakland. How would it enter Oakland? Although the article didn't specify, it could easily make its way into Oakland using the virtually unused Panther Hollow/Junction Hollow area, a former slag area which has been quasi-restored and now features the small Panther Hollow Trail and a few sports fields. The advantage here is that Panther Hollow ends up on the underside of Oakland near Joncaire and Boundary Streets underneath the Schenley Bridge. Incidentely, this area was made popular by local author Michael Chabon. This area, generally used as parking lots and access for the B&O railroad to tunnel under Oakland, would make a perfect area for a transit station. You can connect the link directly to the Carnegie Library and Museum providing convenient access to the south campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, a link to the Carnegie Museum provides access to Forbes Avenue at this point. Finally, the stop could be right at the ground floor of the new Collaborative Innovation Center that is being built by CMU. One station could provide access to three different destinations!
Onorato also envisions that such an overland route could eventually link up with the old LTV mill site in Hazelwood and Carrie Furnace in Rankin. I'm not as enthusiastic about these destinations except that it could be build along the northern bank of the Monogahela River following the path of the Duck Hollow Trail. From there, its a short jaunt over the river to the Waterfront area in Homestead, a rather popular destination for students. Access to the Waterfront would allow people to be able to easily take mass transit from Oakland and Downtown to a large commercial district including a movie theatre, grocery store, lots of restaurants and other shopping.
In fact there's been talk of (re)establishing a river shuttle service from Homestead to the downtown area. This proposed service would take 30 minutes to travel from one to the other. If an elevated train system were used, you could probably get from Homestead to Oakland in 10 minutes or less and to downtown in 20 minutes or less.
Yes, this is similar to the previous Spine-Line project. However, it has a few things in its favor. First, its not underground which makes it a lot cheaper to implement. Second, by going along Second Avenue and Junction/Panther Hollow you don't have to acquire houses through emminant domain. Third, its destination in Oakland is easily accessible by a large majority of those in Oakland (with connecting access to Forbes Avenue to Squirrel Hill). Fourth, it provides easy transportation from both downtown and Oakland to the very popular Waterfront area. Additionally, a large park and ride lot could be built near the Waterfront and the Rankin bridge providing access for hundreds of commuters. This lot could be espcially useful if the Mon-Fayette Expressway is built as it should go through the area.
So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment!
It seems like Dan Onorato wants to revitalize the Downtown to Oakland link up (among other things). The keys to this plan which makes it different from the Spine Line is that it goes above the ground (like the monorail system as Disney World or Las Vegas) and that it goes along the 2nd Avenue corridor instead of going along Fifth and Forbes.
What do I think about this? I actually think it might have a chance. One of the biggest problems that I had about the previous Spine Line plan is that they wanted to extend the T system out to Oakland using an underground tunnel. Tunnels are not cheap to build, especially one which would be several miles long. In this proposal, no tunnel is required.
The second avenue corridor currently is a busy one, but one with plenty of room for such a project. It has a bunch of transportation facilities on several different layers: Second Avenue on the bottom, I-376 (known locally as the Parkway East) in the middle) and the Boulevard of the Allies on top. Additionally, the Eliza Furnace Trail runs through the area. However, the big advantage is that there are no buildings in the way! No houses to acquire through emminant domain. Thus, again, the project would be cheaper.
The proposed project runs from the First Avenue T station (thus linking up with the entire T network) passing by the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland (on second avenue) and going into Oakland. How would it enter Oakland? Although the article didn't specify, it could easily make its way into Oakland using the virtually unused Panther Hollow/Junction Hollow area, a former slag area which has been quasi-restored and now features the small Panther Hollow Trail and a few sports fields. The advantage here is that Panther Hollow ends up on the underside of Oakland near Joncaire and Boundary Streets underneath the Schenley Bridge. Incidentely, this area was made popular by local author Michael Chabon. This area, generally used as parking lots and access for the B&O railroad to tunnel under Oakland, would make a perfect area for a transit station. You can connect the link directly to the Carnegie Library and Museum providing convenient access to the south campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, a link to the Carnegie Museum provides access to Forbes Avenue at this point. Finally, the stop could be right at the ground floor of the new Collaborative Innovation Center that is being built by CMU. One station could provide access to three different destinations!
Onorato also envisions that such an overland route could eventually link up with the old LTV mill site in Hazelwood and Carrie Furnace in Rankin. I'm not as enthusiastic about these destinations except that it could be build along the northern bank of the Monogahela River following the path of the Duck Hollow Trail. From there, its a short jaunt over the river to the Waterfront area in Homestead, a rather popular destination for students. Access to the Waterfront would allow people to be able to easily take mass transit from Oakland and Downtown to a large commercial district including a movie theatre, grocery store, lots of restaurants and other shopping.
In fact there's been talk of (re)establishing a river shuttle service from Homestead to the downtown area. This proposed service would take 30 minutes to travel from one to the other. If an elevated train system were used, you could probably get from Homestead to Oakland in 10 minutes or less and to downtown in 20 minutes or less.
Yes, this is similar to the previous Spine-Line project. However, it has a few things in its favor. First, its not underground which makes it a lot cheaper to implement. Second, by going along Second Avenue and Junction/Panther Hollow you don't have to acquire houses through emminant domain. Third, its destination in Oakland is easily accessible by a large majority of those in Oakland (with connecting access to Forbes Avenue to Squirrel Hill). Fourth, it provides easy transportation from both downtown and Oakland to the very popular Waterfront area. Additionally, a large park and ride lot could be built near the Waterfront and the Rankin bridge providing access for hundreds of commuters. This lot could be espcially useful if the Mon-Fayette Expressway is built as it should go through the area.
So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment!
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
Pittsburgh Talks Forum
After watching all of the endless bickering and debate on the usenet groups pgh.general and pgh.opinion, I decided to set up a bulletin board to discuss issues which confront Pittsburgh.
The board is called "Pittsburgh Talks" and can be found online at http://pittsburgh.coconia.net. The website is temporary; I'll move it if there is sufficient interest. Check it out and let me know what you think!
The board is called "Pittsburgh Talks" and can be found online at http://pittsburgh.coconia.net. The website is temporary; I'll move it if there is sufficient interest. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
New name for blog
Incidentely, if you haven't already noticed, I've renamed the blog from "ClarkBHM's Blog" to "From Birmingham to Pittsburgh". Why the change? Well, I wanted to try to find something distinctive. Something that would tell my blog apart from the rest of the world. I looked through some stuff and found that a great many blogs out there are titled things like "Jim's blog" or whatever. Unless you know Jim personally, there's really no reason to read his blog.
I tried to take a different approach. I wanted to convey both a sense of who I am and a sense of what I'd like to talk about. After considering several choices, I settled on "From Birmingham to Pittsburgh" because it meets both descriptions. I am a Birmingham, Alabama native who moved to Pittsburgh in 2000. Even as this tells literally who I am, it also gives an idea of what I wanted to focus on in the future: Pittsburgh as the city in which I live. I wanted to be able to include the name "Pittsburgh" in the title as well so that if people will searching for Blogs on Pittsburgh it would come up. I, of course, must now endeavor to write more about Pittsburgh.
Thus, my new sense of purpose for this blog is to write about Pittsburgh and my thoughts and experiences surrounding it. This will give me a chance to analyze some of the things going on in the Pittsburgh area while at the same time sharing some of my life as a "Pittsburgher". Any thoughts? Leave a comment!
I tried to take a different approach. I wanted to convey both a sense of who I am and a sense of what I'd like to talk about. After considering several choices, I settled on "From Birmingham to Pittsburgh" because it meets both descriptions. I am a Birmingham, Alabama native who moved to Pittsburgh in 2000. Even as this tells literally who I am, it also gives an idea of what I wanted to focus on in the future: Pittsburgh as the city in which I live. I wanted to be able to include the name "Pittsburgh" in the title as well so that if people will searching for Blogs on Pittsburgh it would come up. I, of course, must now endeavor to write more about Pittsburgh.
Thus, my new sense of purpose for this blog is to write about Pittsburgh and my thoughts and experiences surrounding it. This will give me a chance to analyze some of the things going on in the Pittsburgh area while at the same time sharing some of my life as a "Pittsburgher". Any thoughts? Leave a comment!
Americans may need passports to re-enter U.S. from Canada, Mexico
Check out Americans may need passports to re-enter U.S. from Canada, Mexico
It looks like the days of travelling out of the US without a passport are over. Passports will be required to go anywhere outside of the US. Go ahead and read the article and I'll make some comments...
However, I think that the article is really overstating matters. Once you get a passport, it's good for ten years. All of these people suddenly won't be able to take last minute trips? They'll only need to get a passport once! Renewal is incredibly easy as long as you plan for it in advance. I renewed my passport last year with no difficulty.
On top of this, it might actually speed things up a bit. Passports are designed to be quickly processed with all sorts of bar codes and stuff built into them. If EVERYONE crossing the border is presenting a passport instead of drivers license/birth certificates as they do now, the system can be standardized and streamlined. You won't get border guards in Buffalo trying to figure out whether or not the New Mexico driver's license in front of them is legit. Either the passport is valid or its not.
The border between the US and Mexico is a mess nowadays anyways with so called "Minutemen" so fed up with the situation that they've decided to patrol the border with Mexico themselves. The border with Canada is wide open for most of its length as it is. Anyone with false identification papers such as a drivers license, etc. can make it through US customs coming in from Canada. If Canada cannot stop terrorists from entering Canada on false documentation, the US must take action. If Mexico cannot stop people from illegally crossing the border, the US must take action.
One other person has strong points of view on this: Bill O'Reilly. Now you may or may not like him, but on this I think he has the right idea. The federal government should allow our military to patrol the border with Mexico. If that's what it takes to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the country, then I'm all for it...
It looks like the days of travelling out of the US without a passport are over. Passports will be required to go anywhere outside of the US. Go ahead and read the article and I'll make some comments...
However, I think that the article is really overstating matters. Once you get a passport, it's good for ten years. All of these people suddenly won't be able to take last minute trips? They'll only need to get a passport once! Renewal is incredibly easy as long as you plan for it in advance. I renewed my passport last year with no difficulty.
On top of this, it might actually speed things up a bit. Passports are designed to be quickly processed with all sorts of bar codes and stuff built into them. If EVERYONE crossing the border is presenting a passport instead of drivers license/birth certificates as they do now, the system can be standardized and streamlined. You won't get border guards in Buffalo trying to figure out whether or not the New Mexico driver's license in front of them is legit. Either the passport is valid or its not.
The border between the US and Mexico is a mess nowadays anyways with so called "Minutemen" so fed up with the situation that they've decided to patrol the border with Mexico themselves. The border with Canada is wide open for most of its length as it is. Anyone with false identification papers such as a drivers license, etc. can make it through US customs coming in from Canada. If Canada cannot stop terrorists from entering Canada on false documentation, the US must take action. If Mexico cannot stop people from illegally crossing the border, the US must take action.
One other person has strong points of view on this: Bill O'Reilly. Now you may or may not like him, but on this I think he has the right idea. The federal government should allow our military to patrol the border with Mexico. If that's what it takes to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the country, then I'm all for it...
Monday, April 04, 2005
Fixing the Dinosaurs of the Carnegie Museum
NPR : Carnegie's Famed Dinosaurs Get a Makeover is an NPR report on the dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum in Oakland.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Good news for Pittsburgh
Apparantly, the convention center IS getting more business then previously thought. Check out City to host 2 new large conventions. I'm still not sure whether or not we should build a hotel at the convention center though... It seems we're doing well enough attracting conventions without it.
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