When White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced in May that the next G-20 Summit would be held in Pittsburgh, there was more than a few snickers from the White House Press Corp. And why not, what does anyone there know about finance and banking or surviving an economic downturn? After all, it is an area where people pay a fair market value for a house. How quaint!
The reason "City of Champions" was chosen by President Obama was due to the trips he made through the area during his 2008 presidential campaign. He saw how it had morphed from center of steel production to one with a more diversified economic base focused on bio-medical (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Western Pennsylvania Health System), financial (PNC Financial, Bank of New York/Mellon), and high-tech (Carnegie Mellon University) industries. Fortunately, the industrial fore-fathers of the city were not misers and gave back to their community in the form of institutions such as libraries and universities from which Pittsburgh could pull it self up by its bootstraps and start over.
Dignitaries began to arrive on Wednesday which prompted rolling roadblocks on the Parkway West between Pittsburgh International Airport and Downtown. The motorcades passed through the US 22/US 30-PA 60 interchange project, which is partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which was passed to dig (no pun intended) the country out of the global recession which would be discussed the following two days.
While the leaders of the 20 largest economies and the European Union were arriving, so were the protesters.
Members of Greenpeace repelled off the West End Bridge with a banner protesting the lack of attention paid to the environment by these leaders. Five others tried to do the same on the Fort Pitt Bridge, but were quickly apprehended. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl deputized 1,000 men and women from police departments as far away as Miami and as close as Johnstown, which in addition to National Guardsmen and state police troopers, made up a force of more than 3,000 officers.
The world's leaders had an easier time getting around the city than the denizens. Only residents, with a driver's license with proof of a Downtown address, delivery trucks (with deliveries made between 5 AM and 7 AM), taxis, hotel shuttles, armored cars, ACCESS vehicles, and medical suppliers were allowed into the Golden Triangle. Three police checkpoints were established on the Smithfield Street Bridge at PA 837/West Carson Street, Fifth Avenue at Ross Street, and the Roberto Clemente Bridge and Isabella Street but motorists could exit anywhere. Ramps from I-279, I-376, and I-579 and other bridges and street were barricaded.
The two-day summit went off without a hitch, and Pittsburgh was able to do something no other city could: host a bloodless G-20. Police arrested only 193 people, a few minor fires were reported, and some minor damage to stores occurred. Only about 5,000 protesters came which were outnumbered by the nearly 6,000 law enforcement personnel. Needless to say crime dropped steeply, as did the need for paramedics which for times every ambulance in the city was idle. Perhaps the most surprising was the thousands of police vehicles, being driven by mostly out-of-towners, managed to navigate the labyrinthine of city streets without a single accident.
VisitPittsburgh hopes that the G-20 Summit helps tourism and attracting conventions. The city was awarded another international gathering not long after the conclusion of the summit. Pittsburgh will be the North American host city for the 2010 United Nations World Environment Day. Perhaps the highest praise came from the Italian-born songwriter, singer, former model, and current French First Lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy who said, "I think I wish I could stay a little longer because we only stay one-and-a-half days," and added "But I think it's beautiful." I don't think VisitPittsburgh could have asked for a better spokeswoman.
How appropriate is it that Super Bowl 43 is won by the team from the city where PA Turnpike 43 will end...someday...hopefully. Many will debate whether this was the best Super Bowl of all time, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. I would say it was, but then again I am partial because my team won. Although, I would have much rather seen that 20-7 score last until the game clock read all zeros instead of the roller coaster ending.
Congratulations goes to the team, staff, and especially Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, both of whom I have had the chance to meet. Art II was the commencement speaker at my college graduation which is also the summer home of the now six-time Super Bowl Champion Steelers. They were only four-time champions when I attended and lived in the dorm named after the family.
The win gave the team that was the "first to win three" and "first to win four" the title of "first to win six." Not only that, but Mike Tomlin becomes the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl and did it sooner than his predecessors Bill Cowher and the great Chuck Noll who delivered two-thirds of the total.
Unfortunately, we were denied a chance for a "Turnpike Bowl" when the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. I congratulate them for a great game and also Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm (both former Steelers coaches) for what they have done with that organization. I would have rooted for Arizona if they were playing anyone but Pittsburgh.
Only four months removed from that celebration, the Penguins stepped up to the challenge. The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw them take on their rivals from the other end of the Turnpike, the Flyers, then the Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. However, it was déjà vu all over again when they went on to face the Detroit Red Wings who knocked them out on home ice to win the Cup in 2008.
No one figured this team to make it into the playoffs, let alone to the Cup Finals, as they manged to fall five points out of the playoff hunt until a little-known coach by the name of Dan Bylsma was hired to right the ship. Some way, some how, he managed to unite the "young bucks" and the "old hands" for a common goal (no pun intended). While this year's series began the same way, with the Wings up 2-0, the end was much different. The Pens became the first visiting team to win a decisive Game 7 in one of the four North American major professional sports leagues since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. It provided a little payback as the Pens hoisted the Stanley Cup at the Joe Louis Arena.
Pittsburgh became the first city to win a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup in the same calendar year, Dan Bylsma became the second rookie head coach to win a Cup, and the team was the first since the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning to come from down two games to win the series. While this was playing out in Detroit, the Hershey Bears of the AHL were winning the Calder Cup in Winnipeg. To steal a line from "Badger" Bob Johnson, who led the Pens to their first Cup win, "It's [was] a great day for hockey [in the Commonwealth]!"
So in three-quarters of a year, Pennsylvania can lay claim to the 2008 World Series Champions, the 2008 Super Bowl Champions, and now the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions. Going back a year, the 2008 Arena Bowl Champions in the Philadelphia Soul. So who is next in the Commonwealth?
It was just a couple weeks ago that the Commonwealth was thrust into the political spotlight when we held our primary. Well it's another month, and another spotlight as both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will meet in an old fashioned Turnpike battle in the NHL's Eastern Conference Final.
Both teams won their respective series four games to one; Penguins finishing off the New York Rangers today, and the Flyers beat the Montréal Canadiens last night.
So while our roads may be the Second Worst in the country, no matter how you slice it, the Commonwealth will be represented in the Stanley Cup Finals. Personally, I'm hoping the "march of the Penguins" continues.
It has been 22 years since the last time Pittsburgh was named the “Most Livable City” by the “Places Rated Almanac.”
Let me put that in some perspective. The last time it was given this designation, a Republican was in the White House, people were talking about competing video formats and wondering which to buy, and MTV played music videos. Well, as Meatloaf said, “two out of three ain’t bad.” Let’s put it another way, the last time Pittsburgh was number one, the mayor was five!
The ranking was devised through several categories: housing affordability (cost of living), transportation, jobs, education, climate, crime, health care, recreation, and ambiance (museums, performing arts, restaurants and historical districts).
I can see housing costs, after all it was only in the past few years that housing crested the $100K mark. Education since there are about 20-30 colleges and universities within a 50 mile radius of the city, crime is relatively low for the size of the city, health care with UPMC and other hospitals in Oakland, recreation with it sitting right next to the Laurel Highlands and the rivers, and ambiance which will increase once Mellon Arena 2 or whatever it’s called, opens will add to that ranking. However, the others I can’t understand. Transportation is limping along especially with the Port Authority hemorrhaging money and job creation is lackluster with the exception of Google that opened at Carnegie Mellon University. Then there is the climate of which we were in the deep freeze for most of April, but basking in 60-degree temperatures in December.
For all the pros and cons it has, Pittsburgh is a decent city. It’s not too big and it’s not too small, like Baby Bear’s bed in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
The final day of the meet featured differing modes of transportation. We started out by taking PA 60 into the city for a cruise on the Gateway Clipper to see some of the numerous bridges as well as some of the sights along the Allegheny River. We had lunch at the Red Star Tavern in Station Square, where I had announced a mere 364 days earlier of my intention to hold a National meet.
Back on land we turned back to the west to take in PA Turnpike 576 at the US 30 interchange. Once on the expressway ROW itself, I heard what sounded like a car traveling at a quick pace. Turning around as we headed northbound, I didn't see anything until I looked over the median mound that is common place on PTC extensions only to see the "Christmas Tree" lightbar of a State Police cruiser. He caught up to us and only said to turn around; however, I was only yards away from getting Adam Prince the first PA Turnpike 576 northern end picture. Considering the alternative, we were very fortunate. Even on foot, I get pulled over by the Pennsylvania State Police!
The final event of the three day meet was to take in a ball game at the site of the 77th All Star Game at PNC Park. Surprisingly the Pirates managed to win 3-2 over the Saint Louis Cardinals, while the Steelers playing NFL's version on the same day lost.
After the game, we returned to the Comfort Inn on Steubenville Pike where I thanked all for attending and being part of the first National meet. Then we called it a night and went on our respective ways.
States represented/number attended:
California - 1
Georgia - 1
Kentucky - 1
Maryland - 1
Michigan - 2
New York - 2
Pennsylvania - 2
Tennessee - 2
Virginia - 1
West Virginia - 1
