Now many folks don't vacation in March ... or if they perchance happen to do so then they probably would select a sunny-type locale to head out to. But then I ain't like many folks ... I prefer the term "unique". *chuckle*

Now my vacation was for relaxation as well as a nervous meeting with not only those from #30plus that I had talked to on a nitely basis for a few months ... but also to meet a particular "nick" I mainly talked to via another IRC channel since the early days of autumn 1995 and I wanted to meet fact to face in real life before continuing it to another level. So I arranged time off from the two jobs I held at that time ... scrimped and saved .... had my car belts replaced ... and packed. And in the afternoon of March 12th, I hopped into my little Mercury and headed to Pennsylvania for my "vacation" -- to which a couple of folks I contacted to tell them I would be in the area and try to arrange to meet for a coffee thought I was crazy to pick March as a vacation month ....

FP- from #30plus somehow became my tourguide, and the person who laughed the most over the fact I chose March to vacation in "'to beat the tourist rush'". He patiently showed me how to wind my way thru the hills and intersections to get to some places on the southside of Pittsburgh that he thought might interest me. Piano was the one most curious over to why I was in Pittsburgh of all places and the one I kept wrapped up in curiousity for most of my visit for the sheer heck of it *ducking from the glare* but she and I managed to meet up a couple of times in the evenings during my visit. TinyTim and I kept missing each other on IRC and the phone, so he and I didn't get to meet until May, 1996.

On my first full day in Pittsburgh I got to ride an incline (took one roll of photos), browsed thru a train station turned into a shopping mall and meandered thru the Carson Street shopping district (half a roll of film). The latter is close (but not quite) like the Broad Ripple area I liked so well in Indy -- major differences are 1. more of a straight shot rather than having equal number of shops around back streets as well, and 2. lots and lots more bars, in fact almsot every other store was a bar or tavern.

The second day was more relaxed ... I went on IRC from FP-'s to try to check my e-mail and talk to my roomie in Indianapolis, as well as pop on the channels I liked to frequent for a few minutes. We went back to the Carson Street area so I could use up the rest of the roll of film then met later on that night at a little bar by Piano's house to visit.

My third day was spent souvenir shopping ... mainly postcards and unique cards to send out to friends. FP- and I went out to a shopping mall for dinner and a movie that evening. One thing I couldn't get over while in Pittsburgh was how the hills meandered thru the neighborhoods ... one house could either see over their neighbors' homes -- or have a direct view from the first floor into the neighbor's second floor (no fake!! It's like a sort of heaven envisioned in a Peeping Tom's fantasy!).

The week-end flew by!! St Patrick's Day parade caused many roads to be detoured as it was televised .... so it wasn't easy getting about on Saturday. FP-, Piano, and I managed to met up later on that night for munchies and such. We later went to Piano's to hop on IRC to joke with the folks we knew online. Sunday was a lazy kick back day interspersed with touring on the south side of the town a bit and packing for my drive home.

Monday I left for Indianapolis ... none of us knowing if we would chance to meet again or what. The weather had been great the week I was in Pennsylvania, I arrived 3 days after a heavy snow but the temps when I got there were in the upper 50's to 60's....when I arrived home in Indiana I woke up the next day to 3 inches of fresh fallen snow and temps of the teens!!

I didn't know at that time that a month later I would not only be returning to Pennsylvania, but also with a U-Haul behind the car. On April 28th, 1996 I moved to Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania.

No regrets though ... cause it was due to that meeting arrangements that I met someone else who later became an important part of my life when I later moved to Pennsylvania. *smile*