Pittsburgh - August 10th, 2019

Started by noelbotevera, August 30, 2018, 02:13:08 PM

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Postmeet Activities

Kennywood Amusement Park
1 (16.7%)
Bridge tour (Three Sisters, West End)
4 (66.7%)
Tunnel tour (Wabash, Armstrong, Liberty)
4 (66.7%)
Nike missile sites
2 (33.3%)
Monroeville Mall
4 (66.7%)
Bigelow Mosaic (in case I choose not to have it on the tour)
3 (50%)

Total Members Voted: 6

cl94

Yeah, WAY too early for me to choose a date. Only thing I can say is that end of July or the first weekend of August do NOT work.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)


A.J. Bertin

I don't think Sundays tend to work well for most people. I think 99 percent of the road meets I've attended have taken place on Saturdays.
-A.J. from Michigan

PHLBOS

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 07, 2018, 11:06:59 AM
I don't think Sundays tend to work well for most people. I think 99 percent of the road meets I've attended have taken place on Saturdays.
Some meets have either spilled over into Sundays or been a two-parter of sorts; the last Baltimore/Maryland Eastern Shore meet (circa 2015) being one of latter.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

vdeane

The Pulaski Skyway mini-meet was also on a Sunday, but yeah, they're not common.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

PAHighways

Quote from: noelbotevera on August 30, 2018, 07:55:10 PMI guess choosing a restaurant downtown was a poor choice. Does Pittsburgh build parking garages around the city or no? I know that major subway stations provide parking (like North Side), but I'm not sure of anywhere else.

There are parking garages all around, but why pay for parking when you don't need to in the suburbs.

Quote from: noelbotevera on August 30, 2018, 07:55:10 PMI wasn't aware of any Pittsburgh meets, so I assumed that people had forgotten about it.

They were even the subject of a Post-Gazette article in 2005.

I won't be able to attend because I work every weekend from mid-May until November, which is one reason there hasn't been a meet in the area since 2010.

rickmastfan67

Just going to throw this out there for food, but a new Dave & Buster's will be opening in the Spring in the North Hills in case it's needed as a fall back food place.

Rothman

D&B can be loud, but sometimes they have rooms that can be reserved.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

noelbotevera

Okay, as a temporary location for lunch, I picked the Primanti Bros in Homestead. It's just down the road from Kennywood, if anybody recognizes those places.

Also, I know I probably shouldn't be picking dates this far off, but at the very least everybody has an idea of when and when they can't attend. Unless something unexpected happens.

Alps

Quote from: noelbotevera on September 13, 2018, 11:54:49 PM
Okay, as a temporary location for lunch, I picked the Primanti Bros in Homestead. It's just down the road from Kennywood, if anybody recognizes those places.

Also, I know I probably shouldn't be picking dates this far off, but at the very least everybody has an idea of when and when they can't attend. Unless something unexpected happens.
This is all good. It's on our radar, you have a plan in place. As we get closer (Feb/March), put out a poll for specific dates based on the results here - do something like the top 4 Saturdays.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: Alps on September 14, 2018, 12:04:56 AM
Quote from: noelbotevera on September 13, 2018, 11:54:49 PM
Okay, as a temporary location for lunch, I picked the Primanti Bros in Homestead. It's just down the road from Kennywood, if anybody recognizes those places.

Also, I know I probably shouldn't be picking dates this far off, but at the very least everybody has an idea of when and when they can't attend. Unless something unexpected happens.
This is all good. It's on our radar, you have a plan in place. As we get closer (Feb/March), put out a poll for specific dates based on the results here - do something like the top 4 Saturdays.

I agree with Steve. It's your meet; you can plan it out as far in advance or as close in advance as you want. I'm already planning my Providence "city meet" and created a poll for dates about a month and a half ago (for April or May 2019). One of my poll options was "it's way too early for me to decide". LOL

I also like Steve's idea of having you narrow your poll down to the top, say, 4 choices around February or March and create another poll with only those top dates in it.
-A.J. from Michigan

CanesFan27

I hate to throw cold water on this...

But a 15 or 16 year old hosting a meet in a city he doesnt live in is not the best idea.  You already see the miscalculation with Primanti's in the strip and distance and time it would take to travel from one location to another.

He's best off trying to align with Jeff or someone else in Pittsburgh that has been or hosted a meet.  There are a lot of nuances to the city and surrounding area that I honestly wouldn't trust someone that is inexperienced in hosting a meet let alone driving.

The reason why we had basically two meets a year in Pittsburgh is because of the regional nature of the area.  Plus, it wasnt anout seeing everything you can in an area in one day then.  Our rule of thumb was what was or interest to the people that lived there and if some one wanted to drive 400 miles to come to it more power to them.

CanesFan27

Quote from: noelbotevera on August 30, 2018, 02:13:08 PM
Could possibly be the first roadmeet I host. It can't be June because I plan on traveling to Montreal or the Philippines (depends on money). However, I feel like that Pittsburgh is long overdue. So, let's have a meet on it. Currently I'm thinking of ideas - if somebody has suggestions I can list them here.

Possible highlights:
Southern Beltway (should be completed around this time)
PA 28 freeway conversion
PA 43 construction (not sure if that's started yet)

If time permits, use the Duquesne Incline/drive up McArdle Roadway and take photos atop Mount Washington (possible meet photo?)

Possible lunch place: TBD, because the chances of finding an empty parking space in a downtown area is one in a trillion
Possible pre-meet idea: PA 837/PA 885 interchange

Pittsburgh was home to the first organized roadmeet in February 1999. It was in Greensburg and we checked out the Lincoln Highway Museum.  We then had a fall one that same year and just explore some of the oddities in western Allegheny county among other things.

As for your suggestions, 43 hasn't started yet and I dont think it will for what at least a decade, the southern beltway will not be open for another two years.  However, there will be a lot of construction going on.

If you are going to do the Southern Beltway, do not have the meet near Kennywood.  Itll take at least 45 minutes to an hour to get to the airport.  You are better off doing something in Moon, Robinson township for anything southern beltway related.

Here's a suggested itinerary I gave when the last hullabaloo about someone please do a Pittsburgh meet came up.

Here's how you'd have the meet.

Theme 576 construction.
Location either at Robinson Town Centre or Moon near Robert Morris - I'm partial to Wings Suds and Spuds but that's because I spent many of hours there in college.

Leave meet and head out to the old airport via Business 376 - can check some of the roads abandoned from the old airport.  Keep going north to where some of the ramp stubs are at north of the airport at the north/west jct of 376 and business 376.

Head east on 376 to existing 576 take to it ends on 22. Take various roads between 22 and 79 checking out construction with stops. Take 79 north to Pa 50 maybe check out old PA 50 see if anything is good there.  Head north on 978 to old 22/30 stubenville pike and take east to robinson town Centre and back to meet site or elsewhere.

Honestly, if I knew what our plans were for the Christmas holidays (we are going to disney in december and may not go up north) I would do an old style SWPA Winter Meet we used to have and have it focused on the Southern Beltway.

But I highly doubt I will.

My suggestion is read up on the area.  Go to Pittsburgh about two or three times before this meet so you know what's going on, the limitations, and places to stop.  If not, unless someone local is attending or someone like Steve (who has been to Pittsburgh enough to know the city well) jumps in during the meet to save the day, it could be a recipe for disaster.

cl94

Thankfully, enough of us have experience with Pittsburgh to step in at the last minute and get something done. There are multiple likely attendees who could throw something together with minimal dedicated scouting.

Heck, the one meet I hosted had little to no scouting. I did one dry run to confirm times and that was it. The meet I'm hosting in October will be a similar story. There are a few people who could do that with Pittsburgh.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

PHLBOS

#38
Quote from: Rothman on September 13, 2018, 11:04:56 PMD&B can be loud, but sometimes they have rooms that can be reserved.
Ah yes, the Kiddie Casino.  Just insert a vacuum hose to one's wallet & flip on the switch.  :-D

Quote from: CanesFan27 on September 14, 2018, 08:19:03 AM
I hate to throw cold water on this...

But a 15 or 16 year old hosting a meet in a city he doesn't live in is not the best idea.
I was tempted to chime in on that earlier but held back.  However, you're right on that point.

Quote from: cl94 on September 14, 2018, 11:15:29 AMI did one dry run to confirm times and that was it.  The meet I'm hosting in October will be a similar story.
There in lies the difference.  You were able to drive out there, on your own & do dry runs.  At 15 (maybe going on 16) by the time the meet is scheduled to take place, the OP is & will not be able to even do that... at least not on his own.

Quote from: cl94 on September 14, 2018, 11:15:29 AMThere are a few people who could do that with Pittsburgh.
Given that the OP's a minor, let alone unfamiliar with the meet area; I would change the word could in your sentence to should.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

hbelkins

This is why I would never want to host a meet anywhere unless I was intimately familiar with the area, or could scout often enough to make plans.

And even then, things can change between your last scouting trip and the meet date. I've had that happen on more than one occasion, and was able to work around it.

I've been to meets that were poorly planned -- restaurants not open for lunch, making routing decisions on the fly, corralling everyone into a late-evening meal at the end of the tour when some of us were tired and wanted to go back to our rooms -- and they aren't as enjoyable.

Adam mentioned the possibility of an old-style Christmastime meet. Since Jeff doesn't work weekends in that time of year, maybe he might want to put something together, being that he's more or less the resident expert.

The western Kentucky meet I did last fall was a bit of an exception, because I was familiar with the area and knew that the timing was a close call, but I'd never consider hosting a meet that was more than a couple of hours or so away from home. Knoxville, Louisville and Cincinnati are all about equidistant from me, slightly less than three hours, but I don't know enough about them to try to put something together.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

cl94

Quote from: hbelkins on September 14, 2018, 01:36:34 PM
And even then, things can change between your last scouting trip and the meet date. I've had that happen on more than one occasion, and was able to work around it.

This happens almost every time there's a major construction project the meet is focused on. Have a backup plan and communicate it. When the host has a backup plan and communicates it, it isn't a problem.

QuoteI've been to meets that were poorly planned -- restaurants not open for lunch, making routing decisions on the fly

THAT is one of my pet peeves. It works if you only have 1-2 cars. It does NOT work if you have a convoy. Most meets are good with that, but I've been to a couple that weren't and they fell apart. Keep to the printed directions unless it is absolutely necessary to deviate. It's easy enough to check restaurant hours with the internet. If it's a place that isn't open for breakfast, around opening is generally a good time to schedule for - faster service with a large group.

QuoteAdam mentioned the possibility of an old-style Christmastime meet. Since Jeff doesn't work weekends in that time of year, maybe he might want to put something together, being that he's more or less the resident expert.

I'd definitely be down for that. Being as I'm already traveling to Buffalo for Christmas, this would significantly reduce the amount of traveling I need to do for a Pittsburgh meet (effectively only 4-5 hours each way instead of a full day). The Delaware meet last year was basically a Christmastime meet and it worked quite well, as it fell in the middle of a long stretch without any meets.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Brandon

Quote from: hbelkins on September 14, 2018, 01:36:34 PM
This is why I would never want to host a meet anywhere unless I was intimately familiar with the area, or could scout often enough to make plans.

And even then, things can change between your last scouting trip and the meet date. I've had that happen on more than one occasion, and was able to work around it.

I've been to meets that were poorly planned -- restaurants not open for lunch, making routing decisions on the fly, corralling everyone into a late-evening meal at the end of the tour when some of us were tired and wanted to go back to our rooms -- and they aren't as enjoyable.

Adam mentioned the possibility of an old-style Christmastime meet. Since Jeff doesn't work weekends in that time of year, maybe he might want to put something together, being that he's more or less the resident expert.

The western Kentucky meet I did last fall was a bit of an exception, because I was familiar with the area and knew that the timing was a close call, but I'd never consider hosting a meet that was more than a couple of hours or so away from home. Knoxville, Louisville and Cincinnati are all about equidistant from me, slightly less than three hours, but I don't know enough about them to try to put something together.

That can happen even if the meet organizer is very familiar with the area.  St. Louis 2014 comes to mind...
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

cl94

Quote from: Brandon on September 14, 2018, 02:44:04 PM
That can happen even if the meet organizer is very familiar with the area.  St. Louis 2014 comes to mind...

I've been told that was the meet to end all meets, though.  :-D
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

hbelkins

Quote from: cl94 on September 14, 2018, 02:50:33 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 14, 2018, 02:44:04 PM
That can happen even if the meet organizer is very familiar with the area.  St. Louis 2014 comes to mind...

I've been told that was the meet to end all meets, though.  :-D

I think it gets that reputation precisely because it was such a cluster foxtrot.

There were four meets in close proximity to each other during that time. I could pick two of them, and picked Hampton Roads (enjoyable drive) and Nashville (closest to home.) Given the disorganization at STL, I'm glad I didn't go. I'd have been pulling my hair out.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Brandon

Quote from: cl94 on September 14, 2018, 02:50:33 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 14, 2018, 02:44:04 PM
That can happen even if the meet organizer is very familiar with the area.  St. Louis 2014 comes to mind...

I've been told that was the meet to end all meets, though.  :-D

Oh, fuck, was it ever.  :-D
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10674.0
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

noelbotevera

Honestly, I'd be fine if somebody else hosted. I'm probably not the best choice, so if anyone wants I can let them host.

Alps

Quote from: noelbotevera on September 14, 2018, 05:35:22 PM
Honestly, I'd be fine if somebody else hosted. I'm probably not the best choice, so if anyone wants I can let them host.
You're the only one who's even trying! I am happy to share my knowledge of hosting and guide you through the process. You've already picked the restaurant. That's the hard part. The easy part is the route. Put together what you want to see and I can go over with you how long it will take and offer suggestions. I'm really excited for this.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: noelbotevera on September 14, 2018, 05:35:22 PM
Honestly, I'd be fine if somebody else hosted. I'm probably not the best choice, so if anyone wants I can let them host.

I would highly encourage you to not allow other people who say you're too young to host a meet prevent you from moving ahead with it! You are the one who came up with this idea and you should pursue it. Seriously. If others don't want to go to your meet because they feel you're too young to host it, that's on them... it's not on you. I am personally excited about the idea of a Pittsburgh meet next summer and think you should run with this idea. Steve is offering to help. He's really good at hosting meets, so I would encourage you to take him up on his offer. :)

If you don't host this meet, no one else will.

Even though there may have been a tradition in the past for a Pittsburgh meet to take place in the winter, times are different now and meets have broader appeal than they used to. A winter meet almost causes people who don't live close to Pittsburgh to feel left out because of the distance and the potential for bad weather getting to/from this meet. If someone wants to host a smaller-scale, exclusive meet in Pittsburgh, that's fine... just please don't burst this kid's bubble for a summer 2019 meet.
-A.J. from Michigan

74/171FAN

In regards to winter, there were a lot of attendees at Alex's Delaware meet last December despite snow the day before.  As long as the weather is fine, a meet in PA may be doable in cold weather.  However, I'd make sure not to do one in Erie for sure.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

A.J. Bertin

#49
Quote from: 74/171FAN on September 15, 2018, 01:51:50 PM
In regards to winter, there were a lot of attendees at Alex's Delaware meet last December despite snow the day before.

If I were to make a guess, I'd say that most of the attendees probably didn't have to drive too far to get there. In other words, Alex was probably only intending it to be for locals (or semi-locals).

Quote from: 74/171FAN on September 15, 2018, 01:51:50 PM
As long as the weather is fine, a meet in PA may be doable in cold weather.

The kicker is... "as long as the weather is fine". But the problem is, for attendees driving from long distance, it takes longer time to plan, make hotel reservations, request time off work, etc. All those plans can be made, but if the weather is not fine and it's not advisable to drive long distance, all those plans have to be cancelled which is a pain.

None of this is really the point. The guy who is intending to host this meet is looking at July/August... not December.
-A.J. from Michigan



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