Day One: Pittsburgh, who knew?

It's the end of Day One and we are pooped, but pleased.  Getting out of New York was remarkably simple compared to the last time Sarah and I drove out of town together many years ago.  We thought the stars might be aligning for us.  Then came the merger to I-76 right after Harrisburg, where there appears to have been a huge pile-up that shut down the entire interstate for about fifty miles.  We detoured down I-81, switched to another road, then linked up with I-70, which took us to Pittsburgh after about eight hours on the road.  Of course, we were also met with mountains, thick fog, pounding rain, and big trucks.  That didn't stop us, though.  We are committed documentarians and that means we will continue to senselessly bulldoze toward our goal.

Case in point: after a second visit to Panera in a single day (is it the soup?) we forged into the night for beer and cigarettes at a local bar, Gene's Place.  We both ordered local brews, which were served in glasses the size of a Big Gulp and cost between $2.75 (mine) and $3.25 (fancy Sarah's.)  While watching the Twins-Yankees game and nursing our drinks, we struck up conversations with the bartender, Zach, and one of the other patrons, Christy.  They were kind of enough to direct us to where we might find some tasty delicacies tomorrow -- like sandwiches layered with capicola, cole slaw, and french fries -- and were game for talking to us about their work lives.  Christy told us about her dad, whose band produced a one-hit wonder in the 1960s and who has worked casually in various odd jobs over the course of his entire professional career.  He drives limousines now to begin to gain quarters for his social security.  He has health problems and Christy worries that he may not be able to drive for long.  In fact, she worries most that he'll actually die behind the wheel.  But without having contributed to social security in the past and without his own alternate retirement and health plan, this is the best he can do.  Christy, on the other hand, works for a company that does on-line marketing and she loves her job.  Her clients range from Chase Credit to Puma and she feels that her company treats her right because it's small and its leaders are invested in keeping a loyal staff.  Not only does she get to do the kind of work she likes, which includes computer programming and marketing, she also has her healthcare paid for completely by her company and her ideas are appreciated by her bosses.  One of her co-workers, who just started working at the company, has learned that he may need to take a leave of absence to care for an ill family member and Christy says he's been told to put his family first and that his job will be waiting for him.  Sounds like a dream!

Sarah and I hope to go back to Gene's Place again tomorrow, where both Christy and Zach say they would welcome our company, particularly because there's a big PA-based hockey game scheduled and there will be a rowdy crowd.  If possible, we may try to interview Christy on camera.

We're looking forward to tomorrow when we will, among other things, actually learn how to use the camera and track down this Steelworkers' Convention about which we've heard so much.  Could we really get a chance to attend part of the conference and interview people?  We hope so.  More updates on that to come tomorrow.  Sleep tight, friends.