The title of this blog post was going to be very, very different.  Here’s what happened.  I caught a different bus since mine was a bit late, and I didn’t feel like waiting outside any longer.  I transferred at the Park ‘n Ride, my bus was right behind us by the time we got there, so it was pretty awesome.

However, as I got on the bus, the driver said he wasn’t going into our plan, instead he was going to drop us all off (I think six of us by the time we got to our neighborhood) at he gas station about a mile away from the Park ‘n Ride in our neighborhood, where (I think) most people get on the bus.  Well, that was pretty crappy, but it was better than being at a further lot, and I had my boots on and even a pair of Yax Trax I could lend out.

To be fair, the roads through Wilkinsburg were pretty awful, and so was most of 22 through Wilkins and Monroeville, but as we got into Monroeville, the roads improved, a lot.  And thankfully, as we drove past the gas station (Sunoco, fyi, although as I found out, people from out of state sometimes pronounce it “Son-a-ca”), the driver announced he was going to try our road!

The road was just wet, much, much better than it was today, when our normal driver, fearless as always, drove us home.  So thanks to the drivers, regular, or the never-ended cast of subs we have every Monday, for letting me nap while you navigate the (sometimes awful) roads.

Hey look, there’s a giant, international event going on and I don’t have to cover it!  It’s like some weird kind of G-20 withdrawal….just kidding.

Anyway, the crew over at Vancouver Metblogs is covering the 2010 Olympic games (as I watch it on TV obsessively).  Check it out, and good luck to everyone in Vancouver!

And by the way, does anyone have a good schedule I could print out showing what is when on TV?  I can’t find a good one online, and the official site only shows one day at a time, and really isn’t very useful.

A favorite web series of mine is coming back for a second season:

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I’m calling this The Wedding edition, make sure to read while listening to Pachelbel’s cannon.  The TDP changes finally his my routes, and all kinds of upheaval followed.

• Something Old

Old buses!  The changes may have happened, but we have the same buses we always have.  It does seem though, that with this round of changes, the signs have been up to date.  When the first two rounds of bus changes went through, it was more common to see the old route names than the new, so it is nice to see this working in the rider’s favors.

• Something New

The routes of course.  I’ve lost service to my neighborhood, but I’m adjusting to the Park ‘n Ride live (more on that in the next section as well).  Part of me likes it, I have more options to get home (now that the buses are showing up when they are supposed to, thanks @PGHtransit) and if I need to run out after work, I’m more prone to get things done since I’m at my car already.

The new routes however, came at a time which has really messed some things up downtown.  With the construction at Penn Station, riders who normally use those stops are now crowded onto Grant Street.  This minor change has created some big problems.  I don’t know if it is a combination of the displaced riders, or a change in the EBO/EBA/EBS schedule, but I feel for those riders.  They need more buses, badly.  We’ll watch three buses in a row go past on their way out of town, filled to the brim and unable to pick anyone else up.  And just in case PAT is reading, from my unscientific observations, we need more G buses as well.

• Something Borrowed

Information.  Not was I was expecting to write for this section at all.  Before my bus route disappeared I tried to find out about the Park ‘n Ride I would be using.  It was already pretty full to begin with, and then with the consolidation of three routes, including one very popular, but very unofficial Park ‘N Ride, I knew we would be spilling out of the spaces marked for us.

I tried contacting PAT, which offered up no response, although one of my drivers said to park wherever, it didn’t really matter (he was fairly accurate).  So instead, I called the mall, where, completely unexpected, I received a call back from the General Manager.  He was curious about the changes and I explained what was going to happen, and he very calmly suggested that we use the rows nearby, stating the only time we should have a problem was Christmas.  Having worked at Monroeville Mall through 7 years (and Christmas seasons) in high school and college breaks, I knew to expect that though.

So a huge thank you to the staff and management of Monroeville Mall, you came through when PAT didn’t!

• Something Blue

Stranded riders.  The first couple days, driving back from the Park ‘n Ride, seeing passengers waiting at bus stop signs for buses that will never come, it was sad.  The only phrase I could think of is “The bus doesn’t come here any more.”  I guess I never realized how many stops people used.

I’ve seen some of the people from my old route on the bus now, some I know take a different route altogether.  It’s nice to see a familiar face, and we can smile knowingly at each other, understanding that this isn’t the best outcome, but at least it’s something.  It’s nice that the “Survivors” can still find each other.

Two Park ‘n Rides closed in Monroeville, and that is sad as well.  I don’t have much to add, but felt it should be mentioned.

Have the changes been all bad?  No, but they have been far from perfect.  I still find it hard to believe that the company that did the research for the new routes really did much work.  The outcry from the lack of service on the West Busway turned out to be a foreshadow to what would happen to the East Busway.  My route is overflowing, I normally stand on my way home now.  Whoever PAT hired, they spent too much money, guess that doesn’t help their current financial situation either.

I’m hearing reports that thre is a fire downtown.

A coworker walked by and said she thinks the Mellon building was being evacuated, and I just read on twitter that the fire is spreading and the county courthouse is being evacuated as well.

The Post-Gazette reports on it here, from their reporting it is just the county courthouse.

Conflicting reports, but I’ll keep looking to see what I can find.

Update: What I gather is the fire was limited to the county courthouse, and smoke travelled through the HVAC system mostly.  The building remains closed the rest of the day, and I’ve heard of no injuries.  Buses are no longer being detoured and service has been restored to Grant Street, but Port Authority warns of residual delays

Penn Station reopened yesterday!  Thank freaking goodness.  The opening was delayed, which all things considered, was not unexpected or too terrible of an inconvenience (it is construction after all).  However, it seems to have (knocking on wood here), reset the bus schedules and brought things back on track.

I say this after one day of having the right bus at the right time.  Which, should not be something to celebrate…but, well, you know…

Since July, my bus has rarely showed up on time (normally one of the three I can catch home doesn’t show up, causing a snowball affect), or so terribly overcrowded that I physically don’t have room to stand.  And again, I have to praise the two hardest working people at PAT that I know of, the two who run @pghtransit, they have helped me out so many times I really should buy them a coffee or something at the very least (I hope their bosses appreciate them…hint hint).

A couple things to praise PAT though, the station looks awesome.  There wasn’t really anything done that I could tell to the two long sidewalks, except new handicap access with the bumpy strips, but the road itself looks pretty awesome.  Over next to the post office/federal court building, the sidewalk was completely redone and looks nice, although I haven’t walked on it yet.

One really nice thing was that there was a crossing guard yesterday.  The pedestrians have this “free for all” mentality at Penn Station, so whoever had that guard there to help direct traffic, I can’t promise that those behaviors will stick, but it was nice.

Once again, I’m thrilled that things are going back to normal, we’ll see how the rest of the week pans out.  We shouldn’t have had to wait four months for a fix, but I’ll chalk it up to a win nonetheless.

Waffle Shop put up a great video showcasing Iranian food, which was being featured at Conflict Kitchen.  Stick around until the end for the cooking-show-esque demonstration:

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Set designer Tony Ferrieri

What do trains, stinkbugs, raincoats, Iron City and umbrellas have in common?  Pop in tomorrow to find out.

Note: once again posting from my phone, I apologize for any wonkiness.  I will be able to clean it up later if need be.

Good gravy, that was strange.  Apparently WordPress did not like my mobile upload, should be fixed now!

Quantum Theater opens it Neighborhood Initiative with their production of “When the Rain Stops Falling,” featuring an all-local cast.  They invited a small group of patrons and bloggers to their technical rehearsal and allowed us the chance to walk around, take pictures, and talk with some of the cast and crew.  Sadly, I didn’t grab the names of any of the other bloggers (I was off looking around) except for Joe and Betsy, but they’ll be posting about it soon I imagine.

I am really excited about the Neighborhood Initiative as a way to engage the local community and as a form of outreach to not only theater goers and patrons, but entire neighborhoods.  I’ll be interested to see where else Quantum will be going over the next 18 months.  During the run of “Rain,” you can stop by Church Brew Works for a special three-course meal.

This production takes place in the Iron City Brewery, a sign with the letter Q marks where to turn off Liberty onto Sassafras Street.  The location, simply put, is awesome.  We got to explore a little bit beyond where the production is, which was a lot of fun.  The space itself is heated, and a bit cavernous, offering seating for 150 at each performance on custom built risers (a tradition of Quantum).  The set is extremely wide, which puts the audience off center, but I really liked the affect.  Other performances of “Rain” around the world have featured rotating stages or giant water machines, making it rain.  Iron City Brewery offers not only the room to create one large set and giant set pieces, but the projection of stars onto the exposed insulation of the walls and ceiling, creating a beautiful scene.

Being a technical rehearsal, lights and sounds were being cued and adjusted, and it was great to see the actors interact with the small audience as things were fiddled with.  There was one stinkbug that got shooed away, and a scene was restarted at one point as we waited for a train to pass.

Set design by Tony Ferrieri

That is one of the hallmarks of Quantum though, being outside of normal theater spaces offers a chance for the world to interact and be part of the production, for good or for ill.  I couldn’t help but hope for rain during at least some of the performances.  The sound and smell of a rainstorm I think would be a wonderful addition to the already water-centric piece.

“When the Rain Stops Falling” opens Thursday and runs through November 21, and special nights with receptions and discussions have been planned.  Learn more and buy tickets online here.  Here is the official blurb to wet (oh, the pun) your appetite:

Seven people, bound together by blood and circumstance, share a story that stretches across time and place, from London in 1959 to the coast of Australia in 2039. Alone in a torrential downpour, one man finds himself on the receiving end of this legacy of secrecy, betrayal… and love. A fish falls from the sky. And the mysteries of his past begin to unfold.

A special thanks to Quantum Theater for allowing me to come to their rehearsal, poke around and interact with cast a crew, it was an absolute blast.  Check out the rest of my pictures here.

Tonight’s game marks the official home opener of the Consol Center.  Players will be making red carpet entrances at the AE Gate (which I believe is the one closest to Epiphany Church and the Civic Arena) starting at 4:15.

The big screen (AKA, Mario’s TV) will be set up outside that gate as well, free and open to the public.

Those lucky enough (I hate you just a little) to have tickets should get to their seats by 6:30 (some reports say 6:45, but I’d say 6:30 just to be safe) for the pre-game opening ceremony and festivities.

So glad to have hockey season back!

Side note: I tried doing this post with a WordPress app on my new droid phone, didn’t work, but I’ll be on the lookout to make sure it didn’t accidently double or triple post.

Side note 2: Good gravy it posted five times!  I think we’re back down to just one.  Crazy technology!