We Reflect on Pittsburgh
Julie is taking a virtual walk to Moab, UT, to see her nieces and nephew. John and Ben are tagging along. As they pass Smallwander towns, John has a stream of consciousness. Read the origin story.
Although we are visiting Smallwander towns wherever possible on this jaunt across the States, Ben insisted on passing through Pittsburgh. I bent the rules to allow this because I spent four years growing up in a Pittsburgh suburb. We moved there when I was 6, from Philadelphia. Our hilly Brentwood neighborhood improved our skills for sports. Bike riding was a very aerobic activity. Playing catch in the road demanded accuracy because if you missed the ball, it rolled down the street and down one of the storm drains. Pittsburgh is now a happening place, but back in the mid-70s, we had to boil the water, which did not taste so great. I should say that living there in the era of the Steeler’s first Super Bowl championships was quite exhilarating as a 7- and 8-year-old, which was a major pillar for my self-esteem when I later moved to Albany.
This week, Julie is about to cross Lake Michigan in Muskegon, John and Ben almost made it to the Smallwander Ohio towns of Oxford, and Cambridge.