July 13, 2013
With our tight schedule, there was no time to rest, so it was up and out early from Cleveland and on to Pittsburgh. The Steel City was only two hours away, and the drive in proved to be an easy one. We arrived with plenty of time to do some exploration in the city, such as eating at Frick Place Market, the restaurant talked about in Rapper Mac Miller’s song. Before long, however, we wanted to get to the ballpark and enjoy the night there.
This might sound unusual, but one of the best parts of PNC Park came right when we arrived, and it came when parking and walking to the stadium. How can parking and walking be fun? Well, we parked on the other side of the Allegheny River and got to cross the beautiful Roberto Clemente Bridge to get to PNC Park. Walking across this iconic bridge with thousands of other fans heading to the game was such a cool experience! Once we got to the stadium, there was live music outside and many bars and restaurants in the surrounding area that created a lively game-day atmosphere.
After lots of walking around outside, it was time to enter PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. First on the list to see was the “river-walk” in right field, which was a walkway that was right along the Allegheny River. Being inside a baseball stadium yet next to a river certainly was unique. On this a Saturday night, and with the Pirates doing well for the first time in 20 years, this place was packed. So packed that we couldn’t find four seats together. We had to split up into two pairs and watch the game in different sections. I went with my mom while Adrian went with my dad. As we got closer to first pitch, we went our separate ways and headed to our seats.
My mom and I had a blast in our seats! We had some tasty onion rings and also made some great friends with the people sitting behind us. We even exchanged phone numbers and have kept in touch since then. From our seats in the upper deck, we had the single best view I had ever seen. The downtown Pittsburgh skyline behind the three yellow bridges across the Allegheny River created a simply breathtaking picture. This view alone made PNC Park my favorite stadium thus far. There’s just no better sight in baseball.
As for the game, it was tied at two until the Pirates took the lead in the 7th and won 4-2. Raise the Jolly Roger! When the game ended, my dad and Adrian rushed over to meet us in time for the fireworks. That’s right, a third fireworks night! I guess stadiums like to celebrate our presence. The fireworks show in Cleveland was still my favorite, mainly because of its synchronization with the music, but these fireworks over the Allegheny River were a sight to behold as well. When the show came to an end it was time to cross the back over to our car, but not before I bought Jason Grilli and Andrew McCutchen t-shirts at a stand on the Clemente Bridge. The Pirates had become a likable team with likable players, and they had a beautiful stadium to add on to everything. What an incredible ballpark!
