Baseball Trip '07- Pittsburgh

This year we took the boys on our annual out of town trip to watch the Cardinals play. Neither of us was crazy about driving 1700 miles with two nine year olds, but we knew it would be a good learning experience for them. The first day we just spent driving from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, PA. Although we did stop for lunch at Wendy's, which was a welcomed treat since all the Wendy's in the St. Louis area have been closed for over a year! We stayed about 5 miles outside of Pittsburgh to save some money and it was definitely the right decision. We had a suite with a full kitchen, the hotel had free breakfast (not just continental either) and a free two-hour happy hour everynight- it was great and everyone was really nice! The hotel even took us to and from the baseball game, so we didn't have to pay for parking. At less than $100 per night it was definitely the bargain of the trip and with the exception of the fire alarm going off in the middle of that first night it was a pleasant experience. There was no fire, but of course the alarm was right outside our door, luckily the boys slept through it all, Brian wasn't so lucky. The next morning we toured PNC Park and got to go in the dugout and the pressbox and see the inner working of the Pittsburgh Pirates home. The ballpark is right on the Allegheny River and is a very pretty park. After we left we decided to go up one of Pittsburgh's historic inclines (130 years old historic) to get a better view of the city (see pic of the incline going up the hill and the overview shot of downtown Pittsburgh). After going back to the hotel for a quick swim and the free happy hour, we left for the game and watched the Cardinals lose 15-1 :(

The next morning we ate our free breakfast and hit the road on our way to Washington DC!

TO BE CONTINUED....................