'Tis the season

The normally peaceful route I take to work was SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN because of ROAD CONSTRUCTION.

In Pittsburgh. Imagine that.

And when I say suddenly, I mean it was highly publicized for a few years, then in the past few months the detour signs went up, then finally a few weeks before the closure, they put up a blinking orange sign that stated exactly when the road would close, and even postponed it a few days just in case those oblivious Pittsburghers weren't quite ready for the change.

I'm now a full-blown oblivious Pittsburgher. I wasn't ready for the change.

I spent the first couple of days taking the suggested detour. It just wasn't working for me. It was taking me two hours to get to and from work, and seeing as I had a definitive leave time in the morning (after Zoe got on the bus) and a definitive leave time in the afternoon (when the after-care club would put Zoe on the curb) it was leaving me only about... four hours to actually BE IN THE OFFICE.

Being one of those Pittsburghers who doesn't like change, I decided I would outwit the detour, drive all the way from Collier to the South Hills, and take Route 51 in instead of my usual Route 60. It still took me to the West End Circle, but in my mind, everyone else would find some other way to go, so it would be clear and free for me.


I was sorely mistaken. Though I was only an hour and half late that day.

So I started shopping around for advice. If you ask 10 different Yinzers for directions to my work, you'll get 10 different answers. So I tried some of them. The way via Carson Street wasn't so bad, but still took me an hour. Mapquest was no help either. Liam had suggested right off the bat to take Banksville to the Parkway, but I was skeptical. After all, he worked on Banksville, so he is partial to it. And he's worked there for seven years, so what the hell does he know about getting through downtown traffic? Especially when I'm not even going to downtown?? I'm going to the North Shore, for crying out loud.

Then, one day, I tried it. And the next day. And the next.

NOT ONLY is this route about the same amount of time as my old one, it's actually more fun negotiating a little bit of traffic. And anyone who has ever driven through the Fort Pitt tunnel toward downtown knows it's one of the more breathtaking views of the city.

The trip home ain't too shabby either. I don't mind creeping along with this to look at: