It was very much a fuck it moment, with nothing to do due to a recent job loss I took up the offer of joining a cross-country road trip. Traversing 17 states over two weeks, discovering my newfound love of covered bridges (no, really), possible near death by social media (thanks true crime podcasts), decent Texas wine (yes, really) and some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer.
Besides a cabin in the woods in Vermont there was very little planned. The trip was in two parts, the first was to head north and across to New England, then circle back to DC for a short break and a few loads of laundry. The second was to Phoenix, although we didn’t know it at the time, by way of honky tonks, movie locations and alien encounters.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting a day-by-day account of the trip, places seen and roads traveled.
With an iPhone charger in hand and Google Maps at the ready, we set out to in our trusty steed, a Mazda 3 and drove to Pittsburgh. It was a Sunday and there was a Pirates game to be at. PNC Park is one of the more impressive stadiums in the country, sitting along the river with sweeping views across the city. Buy the cheap seats, it’s the best way to take it all in, even in the shade-less soaring heat. A couple of local IPA’s and a Primanti Brothers’ sandwich later we were very much relaxed and enjoying the afternoon. The Dodgers won 11-7. The rest of the day was spent walking through the Strip District and Lower Lawrenceville, Penn Ave and Butler Street has street art that will go well on any Instagram account, and it’s a great way to meander the neighborhoods without veering too far from downtown. The weather eventually turned against us so we darted into Driftwood Oven and perched at the bar for one of their sourdough pies. It was a great tasting pizza if not a little greasy, but a relaxing way to cap off what was an exhausting day nonetheless. It was only day one.
It’s here I should mention our lodging, we had no reservations other than the cabin in Vermont. A couple of hours out from each of our destinations I’d open up the Hotel Tonight app and see what was available, it’s an easy way to make a reservation, and as we didn’t really know where we’d be spending each night until the last minute it was very convenient. We allowed ourselves a few splurges but we got used to low-budget rooms and motels pretty quickly. Pittsburgh was our first of probably only two decent hotels, we stayed downtown at the Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh for $110.
N.B. because my mother reads this, I am now employed.