The Very Important Thoughts Of Jami

The incredible wisdom, wit and observations of Jami.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Jami Warns You About Pittsburgh Streets

Don't get me wrong. I love Pittsburgh, and I have no desire to live anywhere else. But, just a like a person, when you love a city, there are things you might not love. Like the roads and street-plans. Pittsburgh's roads look like they were laid out by someone exceptionally drunk who had never heard the word "grid". Sure, you can blame some of this on the hills, but not all of it. A few of my pet peeves:
  • The streets that are two-way, then one-way, then two-way again. What was the thinking here? "okay, at this light, this road is now one-way, uh, let's say this way. Then up here, let's say you can go both directions again. That makes total sense."
  • The 5 major two-to-four lane roads that all feed into one bridge at the exact same place, and you have to get in the correct lane (out of 4) at full speed by the end of the bridge, or you'll go to the wrong place. It's not like you can turn around easily, either.
  • The places where on street parking turns two lane streets into one lane at random intervals.
  • The drivers who feel the need to slow down and genuflect before entering a tunnel. The entrance isn't going anywhere. You could (and I'm not recommending this) speed up, because they can't pull you over when you're in a tunnel, so just go. Why do you slow down??
  • The potholes that are so large that my car might actually fit into them.

So there you have it. Your guide to the insane driving issues in Pittsburgh. Just remember - you can't get there from here.

Here's a little look at a typical Pittsburgh neighborhood. Keep in mind, some of these roads are one-way. You'll have to x out the bubble, I couldn't figure out how to not make it do that. Note the many loops and random, curving dead ends.

View Larger Map

Labels: , ,

3 Comments:

  • At 9:09 PM, Blogger Liz said…

    Maybe we can add a tour of "Insane Streets" when I visit!

     
  • At 9:39 PM, Blogger Jami said…

    I also like to show people new to Pittsburgh some of our big hills and long tunnels. Freaks out the midwesterners.

     
  • At 11:15 PM, Blogger Paperback Writer said…

    You can show her the street that no car can drive up. It's actually illegal to do so!

     

Post a Comment

<< Home