Day 4 - Pittsburgh 2011

It was a quieter, easier day today. Our group had another seminar this afternoon, but it was only an hour long and I had no real part to play. We were ambushed by Granddaughter Havela when were going to lunch. She came up behind us with a big hug! With 5000 youth here, it definitely not easy to spot her. Both times we have seen her, she has spotted us. Sounds like she is having a great time. Their sponsors were taking the whole group of twenty out to dinner at a restaurant tonight... We have not seen the kids from Menno at all, though Forry saw their sponsor Jennifer once.

We walk along the Ohio River from the Convention Center to the Hampton Inn where we are staying. This is one of the MANY bridges in Pittsburgh. It's an old railroad bridge that only has a portions still in use.

We were surprised to spot a Lewis and Clark Expedition sign! We are so used to seeing them in the west. This one marks the start of their three year journey.

This evening we went to a dinner away from the Convention Center that was sponsored by the Peace and Justice group. We were told it was a little more than a mile away from our hotel, so we decided to take a taxi. The desk clerk told us that two other women (a mother and daughter) had also ordered a taxi and suggested we all go together. The taxi driver misunderstood when we told him we wanted to go to the Pittsburgh Opera House and was taking us to a German Haufbrau House over on the south side of town! He was so busy talking -- and giving a lecture -- to his son on the phone that we couldn't get a word in cross-wise to tell him we thought he was going the wrong way. We finally got his attention and he headed to the right place. Fortunately, he apologized for his error and only charged us what the fare should have been.

They had tables set up in this restored old building, each with a different kind of food. They had a table of Korean food, Mexican food, and one of Middle Eastern dishes. Delicious! We decided there wasn't much chance of getting another taxi, so walked back to the hotel. The younger woman with us has a prosthetic leg, so Forry didn't have the nerve to complain about the long walk! I was sure glad to see the hotel.