I like Pittsburgh. Many people don't, but I do.

The drive here was much shorter than I remembered. I left Julie's in DC in the early afternoon and was in Altoona by six. I was very glad I stopped in Altoona. I hadn't been in touch with anyone there in years, but I called that morning to see if anyone I knew was still there. I got in touch with Tony, who was a producer when I was there. Now he's executive producer and as fun as ever.

We met up at a bar everyone from the station used to hang out at. It's actually moved about a hundred feet across the parking lot and become a little classier, but it seemed to be the same Zak's.

"A more stable and enjoyable existence"
Tony's one of the best producers I've ever worked with and really could go about wherever he wants. But he likes Altoona and has done well moving up and up in the newsroom there. He's going against the norm of people staying at a station a year or two and moving on. It may well make for a more stable and enjoyable existence.

We went by the station and saw how little had changed. A few people I remembered were still there, but very few. The building itself, though, was nearly identical.

Then on to Pittsburgh where I met David after the 11pm news. Since I've done most of the visitor stuff Pittsburgh offers in previous visits, we debated what we'd do all weekend. For Saturday we decided on the relatively new Andy Warhol museum and outdoor ice skating downtown.

"I know about the Coke bottles and Campbell's soup cans."
I wish I had known more about Andy Warhol before going to the museum. I know about the Coke bottles and the Campbell's soup cans. That's about it. When we walked into the first gallery there was a little shock at the paintings

About To Break My Tailbone

of abstract naked bodies in various states of arousal. Later we found the recognizable consumer product art, but it would have been nice if there'd been more background on the guy's life. I felt like I needed to understand him to get the art. Or maybe I'd never get it.

The ice skating, on the other hand, was an unbridled success. I'd been skating once before, years ago. I was never able to let go of the rail. Couldn't even stand still on the ice. I was also never able to figure out how to roller blade. So I was quite surprised when I caught onto the ice skating thing fairly quickly. I was able to go fairly fast, maintain control, and stop with a reasonable amount of grace. There were four falls of increasing severity and I left with a badly bruised tailbone and wrist, but with the satisfaction of knowing I'd cracked ice skating.

David, Gab and Me

I got to meet another former Altoona co-worker for dinner that night. Gabrielle was one of our main anchors in Altoona who now does weekends at David's station in Pittsburgh. It was great to see her. She's even happier and more energetic than I remember her from before. She was very excited about my upcoming trip. It was great to see her. Funny how sometimes you don't realize how much you've missed people till you see them again.