Hello hello everyone! First off thanks for your patience! I know I had been updating nightly but with the Cardinals game last night I was out later than expected and I wanted to get up early this morning and go so I pushed it off.

So let’s jump right in!

It’s often said that the quickest way from one point to another is a straight line. However, the most entertaining way from one point to another often includes some standard, and non standard, deviations.

So leaving Cincinnati I was eager to see what St. Louis had in store for me. However, there were a few pit stops and detours on the way. A couple of them planned and one spur of the moment.

The first detour was Louisville, KY. While looking at the route from Cincy to St. Louis I realized that I’d be passing directly through Louisville and I couldn’t pass through Louisville without stopping at the Louisville Slugger Museum and getting a nice picture of the ginormous bat outside. Unfortunately the museum wasn’t open yet when I got there but I was still able to get some pretty sweet pictures of that bat which you’ll be able to check out in the highlight reel.

Next stop on the detour train was a breakfast place in Louisville called Wagner’s Pharmacy and Diner. A staple in Louisville since 1922 I decided to get a good breakfast in me before continuing on to St. Louis. Boy, I was not let down. I ordered Pam & Jack’s Omelette. Now I don’t know who the heck Pam and Jack are but they make one hell of an omelette. It consisted of green pepper, onion, tomato, ham, bacon, sausage, and two cheeses. This monstrosity also came with two biscuits. After cleaning my plate it was no wonder why I wasn’t hungry again until about 8pm.

The last stop on this train of deviations was a rather unexpected one. Driving along highways in Indiana was what you’d expect. Cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, tractor, cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, horse, cornfield, cornfield. However, I started seeing signs for Santa Claus. Now to say I didn’t know what the hell the signs were for would be an understatement. Then one of the signs said Santa Claus, IN. There is a Santa Claus, Indiana? Are you shitting me? Call it a waste of time, call it cheesy, call it a tourist trap. Call it whatever you want. But when you’re raised by a woman who watches Christmas movies year round like they are just normal movies and keeps Christmas lights up until the town electrician tells her they need to come down, you pull off and find out what the heck Santa Claus, Indiana is all about.

I cannot stress this enough either, this wasn’t just one spot in a town. This entire town was Santa Claus themed. You had your typical Santa Claus toy store and gift shop, but you also had (no exaggeration whatsoever) Santa Claus Hardware and Lake Rudolph. I swear to god. If you don’t believe me please Google it.

Fearing if I stayed too long I might run into Mayor Kringle himself, I took the obligatory pictures and split.

I hopped back on the highway and headed straight for St. Louis. No more deviations, detours, or distractions.

One quick side note though, as I was driving my phone switched back an hour when I entered the Central Time Zone and I honestly had to call my dad and ask him what time it was because it threw me for that much of a loop.

Now onto St. Louis.

Second and last day here in Pittsburgh and it was pretty low key. I saw what I wanted to see yesterday so I took the time today to relax and just explore.

Upon recommendation I went to Pamela’s Diner for breakfast. I got strawberry filled crepe style hotcakes with scrambled eggs and bacon and it was quite possibly the best breakfast I’ve ever had. The hotcakes were filled with slices of real strawberries along with cream cheese and cinnamon and they were heaven. Never mind that the hotcake itself was simply scrumptious, you add in that filling and it couldn’t have been any better.

After breakfast I drove around aimlessly for a bit. I stumbled upon the University of Pittsburgh and decided to take a walk around the campus. It was gorgeous. Way way way too huge for my liking, but gorgeous none the less. With chapels and giant academic buildings scattered around the corner and across the street from the Carnegie Museum of Art or the Carnegie Music Hall I was certainly in an intellectual hot spot.

After poking around the campus grounds a bit I decided to go back to my room and chill a bit before going to an early dinner. I knew I wasn’t going to get many chill days in the upcoming week so I decided to take advantage.

For dinner I headed back to the Allegheny River area to a place called Burgatory. Let me tell you, it was fabulous. From the adult Burnt Almond Torte milkshake with Amaretto to the Piggy Butter & Jelly burger (a half ground beef half ground bacon burger with White American Cheese, Candied Bacon, Bread & Butter Pickles, Peanut Butter & Habanero Jelly) it was all creatively delicious.

After dinner I walked back down to my new found favorite spot  by the river. I grabbed my camera and tripod this time and set up shop to grab some pictures. I sat and watched as people walked by. Runners, bikers, walkers. Couples, friends, families. Adults, kids, pets. As I watched people constantly going by I realized that despite the constant activity it never really seemed crowded. A theme that had carried over from the day before. Again as I walked around the city and as I sat here by the river again today, it never felt packed with people. I never struggled to find parking anywhere I went. I never waited more than 20 minutes at a restaurant and in 2 of the 3 cases I simply walked in and sat down. That’s probably what I enjoyed most about Pittsburgh. For me, when I think of a big name city like Pittsburgh, I immediately think it will be something like Boston. You go out in Boston on a day that’s sunny and close to 70 and you’ll be shoulder to shoulder with people just trying to walk the sidewalk. Pittsburgh was not like that. It was low key. It was surprising to me that it could at times be almost serene.

So as I took the last few pictures of the Allegheny, I stopped for a second and just took in the whole scene. Standing there riverside, the lights illuminating the fountain across the way as the wind gently blew, I realized that if the rest of this trip comes anywhere close to the time I’ve spent in Pittsburgh then it is for sure going to exceed my expectations. Everything doesn’t have to be go go go. I spent so much time planning this trip and listing things I wanted to see and wanted to do and already after the first stop I’ve found that my favorite thing wasn’t seeing PNC Park or Heinz Field or Primanti Bros. It was just sitting by the river taking pictures. And that’s fine by me.

When people found out I was doing this trip alone they inevitably would respond with something along the lines of “Oh I could never do that” or “Wow aren’t you nervous!?” Truth be told as it got closer and closer I got more and more anxious. I’ve never done anything like this before. Never driven for extended periods of time on my own. Hell I’ve never been off the East Coast. So getting in the car this morning and actually starting this trip was nerve wracking to say the least.

As I started driving though and the miles and hours passed by, I was becoming less and less nervous. I was paying more attention to the scenery and landscapes around me. I was taking in sights that I had never seen. Yeah it was rainy and foggy for most of the drive, but when that sun broke? When it shone over green hills in Pennsylvania? It was picturesque.

Rolling into the hotel at about 5:45 pm was pure excitement. It was sunny, it was warm and I was ready to explore. First stop? Primanti Bros. The first meal on this trip was a pastrami and provolone sandwich piled high with coleslaw, tomato, and fresh cut fries with a Yuengling. There was absolutely nothing about that meal that was typical of me. I’ve never eaten pastrami or provolone, never cared for coleslaw, and (as anyone will tell you) am not a beer drinker. But I’m in Pittsburgh and Primanti and Yuengling are staples. Maybe a bit touristy staples, but staples nonetheless. I decided I was going to take the whole “When in Rome” mantra to heart. This trip is about trying new things and having new experiences.

Sandwich and beer both gone, I took off for PNC Park. Not to go to a game or anything, but just to see it. Pirates hat firmly atop my head I walked the street toward the park to get a few pictures. I saw the statues of Stargell and Wagner and Clemente. Then I decided to check out Heinz Field. A quick Google Maps search showed it was only about a 10 minute walk away. Still with a bit of sunlight to burn before the night completely took over, I set off toward the stadium. Knowing my mother would be having an absolute conniption if she knew I was walking the streets of Pittsburgh by myself at about dusk, I kept my head on a swivel and an eye out for anything that made me unsure. Surprisingly though the streets were fairly empty. Not because I was in a bad area either. They were just…empty. Few people passed by, but nothing like the hustle and bustle I was expecting on city streets on a Saturday night. So I got a few pictures of Heinz Field and decided to try to find a bar to watch some of the Penguins’ game.

As I walked the up the street toward Jerome Bettis’ Grille 36, the river caught my eye. I had noticed it when I drove over it coming into Pittsburgh, but the way it was lit up at night struck me. I decided to forgo the bar and walked down the walk way along the edge. There were a few people there with their tripods set up getting pictures of the bridge and the river. I sat down and just took it all in. The Allegheny lit up with reflections of boats passing by and buildings all around. As I sat there though, I realized that this is it. This is what I wanted. I wanted to be exploring places I’ve never been. Seeing things I’ve never seen. And as I think now about the rest of the trip that lays ahead, I’m not nervous or anxious. I’m excited. I’m excited to try new foods. To see ballparks that I have hats for but have never seen except on TV. To sit on the edge of a river and just take in the night. That’s what it’s all about.

Now I assure you that every post I write won’t be this long or this serious in tone, but for the first day I just felt like reflecting a bit.

I’m going to try to write probably once a day, but I’ll probably post more regular updates on Instagram or Snapchat (Jmeuse6) just because it’s easier to do quickly. I’ll also try to repost some videos and pictures from both of those onto here too.

Hopefully you’ve stuck with me through that jumble of thoughts and words and hopefully you’ll stick with me through the rest of this trip. Because this is just the beginning and if today is any indication I’m in for a wild ride and I’d love for you all to come on it too.