Evergrey

nice shots... but where are the Verizon vans?

Track to the future: Commuter rail redux Sunday, August 24, 2008 By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Pennsylvania Railroad was once the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, paying out dividends more than 100 years in a row, having a larger budget than the U.S. government, employing 250,000 people at its peak and owning 10,000 miles of rail line. more at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08237/906382-155.stm

I brought the other Primanti Bros sandwiches home on the way back from Pitt to give to my brother whos a hardcore Steelers fan - despite being 3 hours old, he thought it was the bomb :) I wish out-of-towners thought the same thing about Skyline Chili. I never had Skyline.. but I did have Cincy chili at Camp Washington and Price Hill (I think)... I thought it was pretty good.

that's some hardcore urbanity!

amazing thread... Steubenville rules

Amish population nearly doubles in 16 years By MARK SCOLFORO - Associated Press Writer LANCASTER, Pa. — The Amish are expanding their presence in states far beyond Pennsylvania Dutch country as they search for affordable farmland to accommodate a population that has nearly doubled in the past 16 years, a new study found. States such as Missouri, Kentucky and Minnesota have seen increases in their Amish populations of more than 130 percent. The Amish now number an estimated 227,000 nationwide, up from 123,000 in 1992, according to researchers from Elizabethtown College's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. Over the same period, Amish settlements have been established in seven new states, putting them in at least 28 states from coast to coast. The new states are: Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Washington and West Virginia. http://www.centredaily.com/news/breaking_news/story/788175.html

Centre Market: Still One of a Kind Small businesses find a special home in Wheeling By JASON PYLES WHEELING - The Centre Market shopping district in Center Wheeling is precariously situated about 10 miles east of the Ohio Valley Mall and approximately 10 miles west of The Highlands. Yet several private businesses remain at Centre Market, despite the shadow of the surrounding big-box superstores. "I think people get tired of finding the same thing in every store," said Paula Calvert, Centre Market manager. "It's an experience to walk around down here; it's not a mall - and that's a positive thing." More at http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/513109.html?nav=508

That moon is sweet. Speaking of sweet, it looks like a lollypop with that crane or antenna mast just underneath it propping it up. Thanks. :) It's a crane. I just got lucky with a vivid blood moon at twilight. When I started taking photos a few minutes earlier... the moon wasn't visible... then it started to rise over the skyscrapers... a few minutes later and the moon was bright yellow as the lingering rays of sunlight expired.

Renovo is near the halfway point on the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad. The PRR wanted a central location for repair and maintenance of its rolling stock. Also, coal, fire clay and lumber were in abundance in Clinton County. railpictures.net The past 40 years of Renovo history have been pretty depressing. January 1968 - PRR closes Renovo Shops and relocates to Altoona. October 19, 1969 - Last passenger train pulls out of Renovo. 1972 - Tropical Storm Agnes dumps 28 trillion, 50 billion gallons of water on the Susquehanna basin pushing the river over its banks. 1975 - Renovo Public School closed. January 3, 1980 - CONRAIL closes Renovo yards permanently. 1982 - Renovo PRR YMCA closed. 1982 - Saint Joseph's Catholic School closed. 1987 - Saint Joseph's Catholic School razed for church parking lot. January 1996 - Major flood of Susquehanna River. http://www.ncpenn.com/ren_chrono.html Tiny Renovo's economic decline was profiled on both NBC and CBS Evening News back in 1982-83. Here's a neat article from last year about Renovo being a town trapped in time... http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_533778.html One piece of good news is that a rail car repair facility is opening this year. ...

the only way the brown pants might work is if they were coupled with brown jerseys for a mono-chromatic look... maybe

another example of sprawl's many benefits

The brown pants ensemble was hideous... almost as hideous as the Browns' performance last night... it was very distracting... still better than that orange jersey alternate though btw, the Browns should bring back the striped socks permanently

Renovo is truly fascinating. It is the most remote town with a population over 1,000 in Pennsylvania. It is quite a trip to find another town in any direction. It is surrounded by steep hills and dense forests for miles. Renovo is amazingly dense for such a small remote town... even featuring brick rowhouses along the pristine West Branch of the Susquehanna. Of interest to Rob would be the Renovo Railyard and Shops, seen on the left side of this aerial: credit: Ron Smith (Lancaster, PA) http://renovoheritage.org/heritage.html

Where do Conneaut residents go for shopping? Millcreek Mall?

News from The 'Burgh. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08232/905306-52.stm Transit ridership rose 6% during July Tuesday, August 19, 2008 By Dan Majors, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette If you're a transit rider who feels as though the bus or light-rail vehicle you travel in has been more popular lately, you're not alone. The pinch at the gas pump, though easing somewhat lately, appears to have nudged more commuters into public transportation, said Port Authority spokesman David Whipkey. More at link above:

Because everybody knows 14 year-olds are ALL about Steely Dan. Seriously, just about every serious (and not so serious) musician I know has great respect for Steely Dan. Donald Fagan and Walter Becker were bringing levels of musicianship to the table the likes pop music had never seen, but more important--and unlike most studio jazz dorks--they were bringing top notch pop sensibilities, too. Even their most commercially successful album--Aja--is a triumph of chops and taste. Tell me the Wayne Shorter sax solo and Steve Gadd drums on the title track aren't pure sex. One take, sex, I might add. My Kid Rock/Peg story? Okay. In 1995 one of my roomates was friends with Kid Rock (Bob Richie), and at one of our many infamous house parties, Bob and his "crew" turned up with turntables. He plugged into the PA (we had a house band) and proceeded to spin records all night. NOT a bad DJ, this Kid Rock. At one point, he cued up (Steely Dan's) "Peg," and instead of cross mixing it with something--or god forbid RAP--he just let it play all the way through, the dancefloor furiously digging it. I asked him later why he didn't mix it up. He just said, "It was already perfect." About the worst thing I've ever heard a musician say about Steely Dan was that they inadvertantly left the door open for smooth jazz, and for that, perhaps, you are justified in your hatred. Greatest post ever. The making of "Peg".

who are the Jonas Brothers?

consolidated metro government

I also agree with Columbusite.

blood red moon

I second Peabody's suggestions. Max's is a must-eat if you're exploring the North Side. Also in Max's neighborhood (Deutschtown/East Allegheny) are Sassy Marie's (American chophouse-ish) and Legends of the North Shore (Italian). http://www.sassymaries.com/ http://www.legendsnorthshore.com/ http://www.pennbrew.com/data/english/restaurant.htm The Mexican War Streets itself unfortunately doesn't offer much dining. It's commercial front door on Federal and North has been rotting for decades (though there's finally development proposals there). If you need a drink or something light to eat while exploring the gorgeous residential Mexican War Streets... there's a nice coffeehouse on Buena Vista called Beleza... and the Monterey Pub is an Irish pub with a pretty decent menu featuring Shepherd's Pie. http://www.montereypub.com/

"chocolate fanatics" lol

AP Top 25 1. Georgia (22) 0-0 1,528 2. Ohio State (21) 0-0 1,506 3. USC (12) 0-0 1,490 4. Oklahoma (4) 0-0 1,444 5. Florida (6) 0-0 1,415 6. Missouri 0-0 1,266 7. LSU 0-0 1,135 8. West Virginia 0-0 1,116 9. Clemson 0-0 1,105 10. Auburn 0-0 968 11. Texas 0-0 966 12. Texas Tech 0-0 786 13. Wisconsin 0-0 771 14. Kansas 0-0 707 15. Arizona State 0-0 631 16. Brigham Young 0-0 590 17. Virginia Tech 0-0 578 18. Tennessee 0-0 509 19. South Florida 0-0 496 20. Illinois 0-0 483 21. Oregon 0-0 366 22. Penn State 0-0 293 23. Wake Forest 0-0 227 24. Alabama 0-0 89 25. Pittsburgh 0-0 85 Others Receiving Votes South Carolina 84, Fresno State 83, California 59, Utah 53, Cincinnati 44, Florida State 41, Michigan 36, Boston College 32, Rutgers 32, Michigan State 21, Boise State 17, Arkansas 14, North Carolina 14, Connecticut 10, Tulsa 7, UCLA 6, Oregon State 5, Mississippi State 4, Virginia 4, Arizona 3, Nebraska 2, Notre Dame 2, Hawaii 1, Washington 1.

Ohio's northeasternmost city is lookin' good!

amazing job, man