Sept. 16 Run: North Side (pickup at 6:30 at Commonplace); Alternate: Tom's House

Elaine – a welcome sight! – has offered to lead the long-anticipated North Park run, which I think is this one – and which has evidently been refurbished and beautified.  So we are bravely venturing into the suburbs, and hoping not to meet up with any bears.  Please reply to the list if you can offer a ride so we know there will be some – and if you are giving a ride or need one, please show up at Commonplace Coffee at 6:30 a.m. where the caravan will begin.

Also an auxiliary run for those needing to be back early – start at Tom’s house again.

Last Sunday’s run was a fascinating trek down little-known Oakland streets and Tom’s youthful haunts, where we learned he had often been discovered in unexpected places.  Elaine channeled Rick Sebak in giving us the lowdown on Groceria Merante, and the view over Junction Hollow was crystal clear.  Later we discussed some horrifying infectious diseases with our local expert specialist and a heroic sufferer, and the upshot was:  try not to spend a long plane trip next to a 3-year-old unless it is yours.

PtB has provided the route and the title (which can be explained on request):
The Dark Knight and the Tall Mexican

Sept. 9 Run: Tom's house, Aylesboro near Forbes

Next week’s run has been devised by Tom and will start at his house.  Sure to be creative!  Also maybe he will reveal what has been built underneath the pavement.

Last Sunday we hit the trail from the Waterfront along the river towards McKeesport, over that cute pedestrian bridge, and stopping and reversing direction when we saw the back of a  Kennywood roller coaster looming over us.  We agreed it was way more interesting than those somewhat boring suburban trails, keeping in view of the smokestacks and barge traffic of our steel industry past.  About Monday I only know about the coffee part, which, like Sunday, was as usual filled with good ideas and

Endorsements: 

·         Stylish yet comfortable shoes:  votes for Rieker (the one I couldn’t recall), Dansko, Aerosoles, and the NYT article interviewing flight attendants.

·         The “Bob” stroller and midwives – OMG, we are now talking about pregnancy and baby accoutrements.  MUCH advice to be handed out.

·         Born To Run and the new Newtons

·         The new little citrusy olive oil cakes at Commonplace

·         A Women-only 10K in Glasgow – now that would be a great RG trip.  Shout-out to Anna – we miss you!  

Non-endorsement: 

·         Doctors who don’t listen (unlike the doctors in our group, who could teach them a thing or two.)

1.Sept. 2 Run - Lowe's at Waterfront; Labor Day Run - 7:30 at Commonplace

At Jan’s inspiration, we will be starting at Lowe’s parking lot at the Waterfront, and taking the trail to McKeesport (probably not all the way).  Coffee will most likely be somewhere around there – Panera is open at 8.  Will expect to hear more from people who can offer a ride and the intrepid R-to-R crowd.

Labor Day run starting at Commonplace at 7:30 a.m. as is our wont.

In a bit of a rush, so no real report on last week except to say that it was the usual delightful gabfest and felt way more hilly than this (compliments of PtB) would indicate.

Aug. 26 Run: Commonplace Coffee

Next Sunday’s run will start from Commonplace Coffee, and will take us through Chatham and perhaps Shadyside depending on our whims.  Please come with your whims handy.

Last week our tiny group traversed a refreshingly cool and leafy Schenley Park, stopping only to give lengthy directions to out-of-town visitors.  Scintillating talk as always: endorsements for Nigel Slater’s cookbooks, Dr. Leslie Bonci’s nutrition advice, the Aeropress coffee maker, and apples from Wendy’s tree.  

Aug. 19 Run: Schenley Park starting at Wendy Bennett Trailhead

Next week’s run: Schenley Park starting at the Wendy Bennett Trailhead (Aimee reflected that we haven’t been seeing much of lovely Schenley Park this summer.)  Coffee at Commonplace of course.

Yesterday was just perfect running weather, and we headed out to the hidden streets of Morningside and Stanton Heights – endless hills and a scene like a 1960’s movie set - to end up at Mildred’s Daughter’s Farm,  a tiny spot of rural homesteading in our own Gotham City.  Also traversed more zucchini and tomato fields, a serious bocce court, and the customary bushwhacking shortcut discovered by Teri. 

PtB, our mapmeister, has kept track: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/123773011

Chat at the hip Tazza D’Oro started out with vacation recommendations including one for a group trip to the new Brooklyn Bridge Park, but really got interesting as we dived deep into female medical matters – runner MD’s: where were you? – to be continued!  Tom, Jonathan, David: you definitely want to be there -

August 12 run: Highland Park starting at Tazza D'Oro

Next up:  starting at Tazza D’Oro on Highland Ave.  Much talk of farmer’s markets and CSA’s over coffee last week led to a wish to visit the Mildred’s Daughters farm in Morningside (or thereabouts), so I’m going to try to remember how to get there from Highland Ave. – we did this at least once before.  If not, well, we’ll just mosey on through the park. 

Last week’s run consisted of a small but hardy band of non-vacationers, and we visited the Water Lilies garden at Phipps, and the estates of the 1% up above CMU.  Tom continued his Zelig-like activity of suddenly appearing where we were, just as he had been spotted by Cheryl  in Quebec City – where will he materialize next?  Is this related to the underground bunker that was just installed  in front of his house?  Questions will be asked.

Aug. 5 Run: Commonplace Coffee

Next week’s run – apparently still to start at Commonplace Coffee – destination mysterious.  (However, might I propose for some future time, a Batman-in-the-Burgh theme?  Extra points for Catwoman outfits.)

No personal reflection on the run because I’m still on the DL, but reports were that it was spontaneous and delightful, and evidently the group mind-meld is working since a pretty  large group was assembled at CC despite there being no email last week.  Just shows we’re way ahead of those new-fangled brain-computer implants – who needs them?

Coffee was also delightful – and being frequented by more non-runners it seems.   I can’t recall what we talked about except:

• ·         Go Buccos!!

BUT I will report on last week’s revelation by Pam of the amazing and gigantic Korean day spa outside DC which may just be worth a group trip.

Jul 22 Run: Pam's House + Brunch: 2200 Beechwood

Thanks to Roye for these helpful hints!

Next run:  from Pam’s house, 2200 Beechwood Blvd., with birthday celebration afterward.  We are all grateful that the hat has been misplaced.

A few things came up that were useful yesterday at coffee:
1.       How was the run?  Humid.  But the meles were still warm.

2.     Getting great prices on vacation places & hotel rooms:  www.vrbo.com, www.airbnb.com, www.priceline.com

3.     Designer Dress Days boutique just opened up on Forbes in Squirrel Hill, but more good stuff from NCJW also available at Thriftique in Swissvale.

4.     You can put cheap panniers on your bike if you use the large plastic cat litter or detergent containers you get at Costco.

.

Jul 15 Run: 21st and Liberty: Downtown?

The remainder of last Sunday's runners decided to meet at the parking lot 21st and Liberty Ave in the Strip but note that the 31st Bridge is closed (it is missing big pieces of the deck right now so even intrepid EE Runners could not cross). A route could be made by running down Liberty to downtown, crossing the Ft.Duquesne Bridge, coming back up the trail to the 16th St. Bridge, crossing and taking Smallman or Penn back to La Prima. I will be out on the river at the time so whoever shows up can improvise. Of course there will be flaky pastries as an end of the run reward!

Jul 4 & 8 Runs: Commonplace unless it changes

HI All

There will be a holiday run from Commonplace coffee (which may or may not be open) starting at 7:30AM this Wednesday July 4th. Since no run was chosen for Sunday, I arbitrarily designated Commonplace again for July 8th. If someone has a better idea send it on.

From Cheryl - a great report on last Sunday's run:

I was so impressed that 13 runners made it to the Mt. Washington run. Even Wendy was there after just returning home from Europe! I think I showed everyone a good time. We started with a "slight" climb onto Grandview Avenue and then traversed the Emerald Trail which allowed us to travel on a nearly one mile path located on the western hillside of the Mount. We then headed east on Grandview Avenue to see the city sites again and, of course, we ran up and down Sycamore Street. What would a Mt. Washington run be without some hefty rolling hills! We wove in and around Chatham Village, including a short run on the trail behind the village on the southern side. Cafe Cravings was a nice resting spot and I do think they have good coffee. I forgot to ask the others!

We all wished Anna safe travels and a good life. We will be anxious to hear from her once she is settled in to her new surroundings. We will truly miss her.

Jul 1 Run: Cafe Cravings, 402 Bigham St.

Cheryl has created a Mount Washington exploratory run for the group AND she got the Chatham Village coffee shop owner to open up early . Meet at Cafe Cravings, 402 Bigham Street at the usual time.

I could not resist taking a boat out this gorgeous summer morning but Aimee kindly sent a few words about what must have been a very fun run:
Anna zigged and zagged us through the streets of Manchester and The Mexican War Streets.  A beautiful morning with tons of surprises around every corner.  The pics show a particularly arty house on Jacksonia.

Jun 24 Run: Western and Allegheny, N. Side

Anna Brewer is giving us a going away gift: a run through Manchester and the North Site. Meet at the big parking lot at Western and Allegheny. There is plenty of street parking. Last Sunday's run was through summer-fied Frick Park - all the open spaces have been filled up by green trees. Coffee was shorter than usual due to the cooler than expected breeze.

Virginia Linn's Famous Black Bean Salad

Virginia Linn's Famous Black Bean Salad

1 pound dried black beans or 2, 16-ounce cans black beans (my option)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
1 large orange bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, crushed or 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (I don't use that much -- probably a little more than 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Penzey's Salsa Salad Seasoning (before I got this, I used a couple of tablespoons of mild or medium jarred salsa and mixed it in -- little different in taste or texture
1/4-1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
3-4 Tablespoon of fresh, chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

If you are using dried beans, place them in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak overnight and drain. Place the beans and 4 cups of water in a 2-quart saucepan, Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Drain and cool. OR open your two cans of black beans, drain and rinse under cold water in colander. Place in serving bowl.

Add peppers, onion and garlic

In a small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, salsa salad dressing (or salsa). Mix well. Dress the bean mixture, tossing gently. Add pepper to taste.

Refrigerate an hour before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro

If using the cans, you can throw this together in 15 minutes and can make ahead.

Enjoy

Jun 17 Run: Entrance to Frick Park at Reynolds and Homewood

Fathers day run in the park - meet at the Frick Park Gatehouse, Reynolds and Homewood - at the circle.

I was on the river this morning not on the run but I know that trail to Kennywood would have been leafy and cool this time of year. And of course there were glimpses of the river all along. I did hear that the group saw a man walking on the roller coaster tracks at that back gate.

Jun 10 Run: Lowe's Home Store at Waterfront

Thanks to Elaine Mormer again for this provocative write-up!  How did the group get taken over by Billy Joe McCallister??

Run on Sunday should meet at the Lowe's parking lot (home store, not movie theater) for a run along the trail from homestead towards Kennywood.

We had a lovely run Sunday -over the Hot Metal Bridge, along the river trail towards town, and back through the South Side streets. The run to the run was eventful...we saw a minor emergency involving the Pittsburgh Fire Fighters battling a contained fire in a container at the Anderson Playground. The run, and coffee,  was highlighted by ongoing critical analysis of Billy Joe McCallister's demise at the Tallahatchee Bridge( wait, did he really die that day?), and intermittent country singing We all made it across the Hot Metal Bridge twice with NOTHING being thrown over the side. Ask Tom just how the Bathhouse on the Southside relates to the 3rd of June...

Jun 3 Run: Hot Metal Bridge

Thank-you to Elaine Mormer for this evocative recounting of various runs and even adding lyrics.
I will be thinking of you all as I get ready to race down the Anacostia River in DC.

We had two hot runs last weekend. Sunday Pam took the group on a long and varied route through Frick Park and some hidden treasure neighborhoods of south Squirrel Hill. For Monday’s holiday run we sought the shade of the Schenley Park trails. Coffee was long and lingering both days, and we appreciated sitting outside. We did agree on a run starting at the Hot Metal Bridge for this Sunday. Meet in the parking lot at the corner of Hot Metal Bridge and Second Avenue, entrance directly across from Bates Street. Run to the Run 6:25 Common Place.


And while we are on the bridge theme: on Wednesday’s run this week Tom pointed out that this Sunday’s run will take place on June 3…which many of us remember as the day that…   Billy Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge…Friday’s run will be recorded as the first run during which Tom showed up with full lyrics in hand (protected by a plastic newspaper bag) and said lyrics accompanied the group through the entire morning route.
In honor of this special date, and Tom’s special and sensitive affection for this musically notable event, I’ve included the lyrics and a link to the history of Billy Joe’s tragedy. Wendy, Tom, and others are ready and willing to lead an East End Runners soulful rendition of Billy Joe’s heartbreaking ballad…on Sunday. And perhaps we will discuss what was thrown from the bridge, and why….
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110123002150AACYYNa

Ode To Billie Joe lyrics

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day
I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was balin' hay
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat
And Mama hollered out the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet"
And then she said "I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge"
"Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

'n' Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas
"Well Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please"
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow"
'n' Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow
Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge

'n' Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie Joe
Put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show
And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece-a apple pie, you know it don't seem right"
[ From : http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/bobbie-gentry-lyrics/ode-to-billie-joe-lyrics.html ]
"I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge"
"And now ya tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

'n' Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?"
"I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite"
"That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today"
"Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way"
"He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge"
"And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe
'n' Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring
And now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything
And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge

May 27 and Memorial Day Runs: Squirrel Hill

Commonplace is closed this Sunday (May 27th) so lets meet at Coffee Tree for a local run. Commonplace is open on Memorial day - meet there at 7:30 on Monday.

Amazing we found our way through the new Highland Park run, despite a few hesitations and doubters. it was warm enough to laze in the sun at T'azza D'oro. I heard people hung around until 9:45AM!

May 20 Run: Highland Park starting at Enrico's Tazza D'Oro

Next week's run will be to somewhere in Highland Park, starting at Enrico's Tazza D'Oro on Highland Ave.  Once again we can hope that Joanne will appear and take us around, but there was also talk of recreating that fabled run through Morningside, during which an unknown man got out of a car and accompanied us for a good while, barefoot? shirtless? naked? (thus are legends born.)

Our Mother's Day run consisted of a smallish but lively group - anyone who wasn't doing the Race for the Cure or being served breakfast in bed, I guess - and we created such a circuitous route around the Chatham campus that it must look like a corkscrew on MapMyRun.  We visited two costumed lawn duck ornaments, but strangely saw no wild turkeys.  Endorsements from coffee chat were:  podcasts in general and the Stitcher radio app, multicultural/international romance, and the amazing bravery and composure of Aimee when she broke her wrist on that other fabled run on sheer ice.  RG history lives!

May 13 Run: Commonplace

Because the Race for the Cure will likely be causing traffic congestion, we opted for a simple Mother's Day run starting at Commonplace - we will make it up as we go.

"Renegade Runners" was what one person aptly called us this Sunday as we traveled on part of the marathon course. As has been the case in the past we were cheered by some good-natured spectators and enjoyed the near empty streets. It is a rare pleasure to run right down the middle of 5th Ave. surrounded only by East End Runners. While the temperature at 7:00 was pleasantly cool, we could see that things would be heating up for the marathoners. Congratulations to all of you who competed in the both the 1/2 and the full!!!

It was just warm enough that we sat outside with our coffee. I can't remember what we discussed but you know it was interesting!

May 6 Run: Commonplace Coffee

It will be Marathon Sunday so we will stick close to home but perhaps get a sneak preview of the course before the runners get there.

Flat, stylish Shadyside run this past Sunday - it felt to me like we glided through those leafy streets. There was a fair crowd complete with new and returning runners.
Coffee was raucous as usual. My end of the table got caught up in election year politics - we vowed to not do that again as we got too upset.

Apr 29 Run: Mellon Park Playground

Meet at the Mellon Park Playground on 5th Ave where Beechwood ends. Virginia will take us on a tour of Shadyside - always delightful.

Anna created a layered run of Lawrenceville which took us on both familiar and never visited routes. We started on the hidden path along the Allegheny River - always a great place to begin - then zigged and zagged across the streets. First we visited the tightly packed worker row houses near the river, climbed up to the slightly bigger "manager" homes, dipped down to the commercial district and ended up with a tour of Allegheny Cemetery. The houses were a mix of fashionably renovated, well-kept and not so well-kept originals making it difficult to chat as there always seemed to be something interesting to see. The cemetery was travel book perfect in its Spring finery and we saw two fox cubs!

Since it took longer than usual to cover all this, we decided to try Expresso A Mano in Lawrenceville again. The last time we were there, the group was bigger and we overwhelmed the small coffee shop. Today we did not seem so disruptive, service was quicker and it was overall a nicer experience (although I have a feeling customers may have been happy to regain their quiet Sunday morning when we left). While there were many topics of interest the one that captured me were the working vacations being planned by Wendy, David and Jan through the aid of https://www.helpx.net/. Check it out. We also learned that Anna, who just joined us will be leaving - good news for her and her husband as they will be moving to Glasgow, Scotland but sad news for the rest of us who have been enjoying her company.

Apr 22 Run: 46th St & Hatfield St, Lawrenceville

Anna, one of our new "members" (seems like a strong word for such a loosely organized group), is stepping up to lead us on a brand new run in Lawrenceville. Meet at the corner of 46th and Hatfield - there is parking all along Hatfield. It was sounding like coffee would still be at the Commonplace since we overwhelmed the local coffee shop the last time we ran in that area.

It was slightly misty and definitely overcast this morning, making the run through Schenley particularly photogenic. I can't find words to capture how painterly the spattering of bright green leaves against the dark forest looked - it was evocative of old photographs. There were clusters of white trillium blooming on the steep hillsides as well - a very spring landscape.

Here is our coffee discussion in links (this does not include  links related to the discussion of the various merits of grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, The East End Coop and Whole Foods or why you might not get good gas mileage with Get Go Gas):

http://themoth.org/events?month=5  The Moth Story Slam Pittsburgh: May 9 - sounds like a possible group outing. Highly recommended by Elaine and Jan
http://www.lagourmandinebakery.com/  La Gourmandine French bakery (need I say more) in Lawrenceville that is unfortunately not open on Sunday
http://jeanmarcchatellier.com/ Jean Marc Chatellier’s French Bakery in Millvale another wonderful French bakery that is not open on Sunday
http://www.slowfoodpgh.com/  Slow Food Pittsburgh where you can sign up to get emails. Sharon and Anne Jane bought wonderful lamb from the Slow Food Sponsored Laptop Butcher Shop (look for the tab on the Slow Food site)
http://www.kcponline.com/     Kevin's Computers: Recommended to Sharon for replacing the screen on her laptop shattered by rambunctious boys
http://www.arcadia.edu/  Arcadia University  where Elaine's youngest daughter will be heading this fall - looks very interesting
http://hairylemonuganda.com/  The Hairy Lemon Resort where Pam and family relaxed while visiting their daughter in uganda

DC Adventure Report

I mistakenly thought this was sent to everyone in the group so it is a few weeks late but still well worth reading. Here is Jan and Cheryl's captivating description of their trip to DC:


Encore, Encore… or… the running get-a-way that must be repeated:  Our invitation to DC truly came from the heart.  We were welcomed into Ceil’s townhouse with a dinner on the grill, wine and stories about politics (... when in Rome).  This was followed by a long walk around the tidal basin under the cherry blossoms which were in full bloom (check out Cheryl's phone's wallpaper).  Saturday, we ran 5 miles through Rock Creek Park, stopping in Georgetown for an organic breakfast.  The run was so pleasant, as was the conversation, so we insanely decided to retrace our steps, rather than catch a bus.  We spent the rest of the day as tourists, and did a ‘monument’ run Sunday morning as well.  In between our consecutive day runs, we enjoyed a visit to the National Portrait Gallery, including relaxing in its fabulous courtyard, then a chocolate- infused dinner experience and a play at the Ford Theater. It was a 5-star plus weekend although we missed our fellow runners

Apr 15 Run: Wendy Bennett Trailhead

Thanks to Wendy for writing up the run in my absence.

April 8 run:

The smell of viburnum helped launch this morning's run, commencing at CMU, and continuing down Fifth Ave behind Central Catholic HS and along the footpaths paralleling the Panther Hollow soccer fields. We ran a portion of the jail trail which put us at Jameson's Restaurant/Bar (favored by the Fitzgerald's we were told) where we puzzled over the Hump Day sign (was it because Wed. is Hump Day or is that the clever name of a band)? Across from Jameson's we mounted a set of Pgh steps that took us near the Shrine of the Holy Mother and past Dan Marino field. As we crossed Panther Hollow Bridge, we encountered a parade of early morning Easter celebrants and found ourselves outside the Tepper School of Business, deep within the nerve center of the community of CMU buggy racers.
Commonplace was closed so we convened at Starbucks where we got to admire some local Easter finery (pastel sports jackets are in this year). Topics included coffee mug nostalgia, ideas for business start-ups, unusual science and medical careers, the original of Tractor the dog's name and the trickle down effect of the unfortunate Pitt bomb threats.

Next up April 15:
Wendy Bennett trailhead (entrance to Schenley Park, just below the Oval, at the intersection of Bartlett and whatever that road is named at that time - I think Panther Hollow Road).

Apr 8 Run:Forbes and Beeler

For an Easter treat we will try and piece together Bobbi's run through Panther Hollow and Greenfield. Meet at the corner of Forbes and Beeler. There was some speculation that the CMU garage is free on Sundays.Coffee will have to be at Starbucks because Commonplace is closed.

The run to the run will start at the corner of Forbes and Murray at 6:45AM.

We pasted together a spring run through Frick Park this morning. While there were not many blossoms there were dustings of light green where the new leaves were starting to emerge. On our way home we had a close encounter with a herd of young deer who were grazing in the cemetery. The looked at us calmly across the low wall.

Because the group at coffee was small we were able to focus on one topic at a time. Teri's new job, recent trips, Easter food...Judy provided us with a fascinating introduction to the therapy approach she will be using in her new practice. We all chewed on the implications it had for our various relationships.

Apr 1 Run: Commonplace - no joke

The group that ran last week must have been affected by a double runners high (from the run and from the route up Herron Hill) because a place for this Sunday's run was not chosen. We will meet at the "default" location - Commonplace Coffee on Forbes in Squirrel Hill. Perhaps someone will come up with a suitable April Fools route.

Mar 24 Run: Phipps for a Heron Hill Run

Meet at Phipps Conservatory for a run up to Heron Hill and a magnificent 360 view of Pittsburgh. There will likely be a run to the run from CommonPlace starting around 6:40/6:45 AM.

There were a few patches of stale beer and other less appealing patches on the sidewalk but the S. Side was quieter and cleaner than I expected. By the time we hit Carson Street, bars were cleaning up and swishing wash water out on the sidewalk (like Medieval times, Julie commented). We ran by another much larger group of runners who unexpectedly gave us a big cheer as we passed - perhaps they were amazed we were still running at our advanced ages? The return trip on the trail by the river was the best part - banks of daffodils in bloom and a new amphitheater area by the Hoffbrau house were some of the highlights. The weather was so unseasonable that we lingered, spending time looking over the Mon and the burst of forsythia blooming by the railroad tracks.

Boosted by injured reserved and coffee guests we filled up many tables at Commonplace. Thanks to Aimee for the delicious banana bread of which there was only crumbs remaining.

Mar 18 Run: Hot Metal Bridge Parking Lot for an early morning pub crawl

Meet in the parking lot on the downtown side of the Hot Metal bridge at the Pittsburgh Technology Center.As you drive down Bates Street - head straight into the parking lot and make a left. In celebration of St. Patrick's day we will see if any bars are still open on Carson Street. I don't think we are planning to actually drink but you never know!


We wound our way through the East End this morning checking out all the new (and old) restaurants that have been popping up in our neighborhood. It also involved three crossings of the bus-way including the new "amusement park" bridge between Ellsworth and the East Side parking lot. The bridges provided some fine views of the city in the bright morning sun. Given the time change there were quite a few runners and even though everyone did not stay for coffee you might not have guessed this given the noise level. The big news was the announcement and passing around of  Roye son's new book: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl How cool is that!!!

Mar 11: Bakery Square - DST BEGINS

Don't forget to move your clock forward an hour before you go to bed next Saturday night so you don't miss the Explore Exotic East End run. From Bakery Square we will visit some of the new restaurants popping up and also work in a trip across the new foot bridge to Ellsworth Ave.

It has been a while since the group has been reprimanded so it should not have been a surprise that the security guard at the Pennsylvanian Apartments (the old train station) told us to leave the rotunda area where we had been admiring the stonework because it was private property - but somehow it just does not seem right to limit access to one of the city's architectural gems... Still that did not take away from the rest of the run whose mysterious goal turned out to be a visit to the partly dismantled Civic Arena. Well, OK, that was not exactly uplifting but it was interesting. We also ran by a new (to me at least) public square across from Point Park on the Boulevard and Tom did not complain when we took a detour to see the Cell Phone Disco which we unfortunately could not activate since no one had their cell phone on them.. Thanks to Tom for the downtown tour.
PtB joined us for coffee and we were all glad to see she is healing up nicely from her running injury.

Mar 4 Run: PPG Place/Tomb of the Unknown Bowler

Tom rushed into Commonplace this past Sunday and told Wendy he would lead the run this coming Sunday from the Tomb of the Unknown Bowler in PPG Place (at the skating rink). He promptly left, leaving us with many questions - but where ever the run is, it will sure to be interesting so get there if you can!

Yet another sunny Sunday run - truly unusual weather for Pittsburgh but most welcomed. Virginia led us through the streets of Regent Square then down into Frick Park - a nice combination of urban and less-urban. We had a good sized group and commanded many tables at Common Place. I was hoping the other customers were not looking for a quiet Sunday morning coffee...

A lucky few runners spied two (!) Pileated woodpeckers by the tennis courts. You can just pick them out in this photo:

Feb 26 Run: Braddock Ave/Regent Square Tennis Courts

Thank-you to Wendy for her stellar review of last Sunday's run:

Virginia promised to join the run next week, which will commence from the Braddock Ave/Regent Square tennis courts.

A smaller than usual crew, including newcomers JoAnne, Lisa and Anna gathered for a sunny, slightly frosty but very familiar run. It felt like early spring tripping over the crunchy wet passages of the trail and hearing the sound of intermittent bird song. I momentarily derailed the flow of the run when I bent over to retrieve my handkerchief but we avoided a pile up and soldiered on.  

Afterwards, we commandeered our usual corner at Commonplace where Elaine led us in leg and hip stretches, Sarah reminded us about the date of the Pgh Marathon (she's doing the full--go Sarah!), Teri waxed poetic about Manfred Honeck's soft hands, Virginia discussed the new PG Steel Advice columnist and Cheryl introduced us to the app Shanghai Lite and vowed to organize a mahjong game, despite the fact that her tiles are plastic. David also endorsed itunes university, which offers free online courses featuring audio, video, books, and other content:http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/

AJG: MIT also offers free on-line courses: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

Feb 19 Run: Wendy Bennett Trailhead

Next Sunday meet at the entrance to Schenley Park at the corner of Bartlett and the Boulevard (aka the Wendy Bennett Trailhead) for a Presidents' Day weekend run.

The word "intrepid" was mentioned several times today to describe the hardy band of runners who showed up for a tour of wintry Frick Park. In truth, while it was certainly chilly, it did not seem quite as bitter as the day of the Troy Hill expedition. The park did not disappoint, offering stark winter views at every turn.

Several people ran directly home making the small group even smaller for coffee but I think it was one of my all-time favorites. Not only was the list of topics long and engaging but we even had a guest speaker. Carl, Elaine's husband, joined us to answer questions about reception on new TVs (no, you do not need cable), eating vegan (watch for an invitation to the Vegan meetup monthly meal) and making no-knead bread (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html).

Feb 12 Run: Reynolds & Homewood for a Frick Park Run

Betting that the fine weather will hold, next week gather at the entrance to Frick Park where Reynolds and South Homewood meet in a traffic circle for a run in Frick Park.

The triple thread run brought out a crowd of runners (a host, a clowder, a herd, a ?) including a new runner (Anna), a returning runner (Julie), N. Hills runners (Carrie, Bob and Carol) and a S. Hills runner (Louise). The mild winter weather made for a pleasant run around our beautiful rivers. There were many photo worthy views from bridge decks and river-side paths as the fog lifted with the sunrise. Overall it was just a smooth run - no big surprises or hills (although the steps to the West End Bridge were steep enough).

Even though many people could not join the coffee group there were still plenty left to fill-up such a long-table at Commonplace that I don't know what people at the other end were discussing but I am sure it was interesting!

Feb 5 Run: PPG Place for a triple threat run

Meet at PPG Place, home of the Tomb of the Unknown Bowler and the Ice Skating Rink for a 3 bridges, 3 rivers, 3 stadium run in honor of Superbowl Sunday (the third stadium is in the planning phase:  http://www.riverhounds.com/home/589776.html)

Another crisp and sunny Sunday run, this time along the Mon Valley Heritage Trail. Being winter we could see clearly the post-modern rust-belt scenery across the river as well as panoramic views of the upstream bridges framed in steam and sunlight. I was told by at least two runners to be sure to mention the bouncing bridge over the rail-road tracks that nicely echoed the entrance to the Noah's Ark ride at Kennywood - it did provide the same sense of surprised disorientation, enough to elicit a few yelps of delight. The turn-around point was at the backside of the park where the Thunderbolt and whatever the Steel Phantom is these days overlap. It was a tiny tease of summer to come.

We had quite a few people who joined us for coffee - a nice trend - we can become a running AND Sunday coffee group. Some of the conversations turned to election year matters and Roye kindly explained Stephen Colbert to those of us without cable. There were also discussions about Kindles, ebooks and the library - this was just at my part of the table!

We send healing vibes out to PtB who turned her ankle on the run to the run.

Jan 29 Run: Lowes at the Waterfront

If weather cooperates (no big snows to block the trails), we will meet at Lowes in the Waterfront Shopping Center for a run to Kennywood and back.

You know it is cold when Tom wears his tights as he did this past Sunday. That did not stop a sizable crew of runners from following Roye on a trip to see small East End gems. There were Moravian stars on Hastings, mosaics on Penn Ave and Currier and Ives street scenes to entertain and distract us. A lovely run for another crisp winter morning. 

We visited the CoffeeTree at Bakery Square. Nice big windows but not quite as homey are our regular hang-out.

Jan 22 Run: Coffee Tree Bakery Square, MLK Run: Commonplace

If you have tomorrow off and would like to run with company, meet at the Commonplace in Squirrel Hill at 7:30AM (note the holiday time).
Next Sunday meet at the Coffee Tree in Bakery Square for a trip through East Liberty and beyond.

While it was chilly, this was a perfect morning to take our first tour of Troy Hill. The bright white air was a clear lens from which to view the panoramic views of the Allegheny river and the city. I almost decided to skip this run, and I am so glad I did not - as Elaine said, Joanne may have already won the award for best run of 2012 (who knew there was one?).  Once again I felt like a tourist in my own city. With its narrow streets and shoulder to shoulder brick houses, Troy Hill has a slightly European feel. Joanne was our tour guide, not only leading us to landmarks but providing historical commentary. Consider St. Anthony's Chapel, Pittsburgh's home of 5,000 Catholic related relics, North Catholic High School  from where a few influential Pittsburghers graduated or the last remaining piece of the reservoir that once served the city - we saw all of these and more. But of course the highlight was the magnificent vistas, not only on the city-side but even of the surrounding neighboring hillsides - they were more than worth the climb!

We toyed with the idea of stopping at LaPrima for coffee but with no indoor seating we decided to invade the Commonplace. However Roye, stopped by La Prima and surprised us all with warm meles. It just added to the feeling of an unexpected holiday.

And finally from Paula the Brit:

Need to check this with Joanne but here is the run:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/64457270

Run that Lisa (welcome!) and new Joanne are doing:
http://www.smileymiles.com/2011/APP%2011%20021911%20Runnin%20Outta%20Our%20Mine%205K.pdf

And a plea for Pittsburgh Trees, I got the last form in The Common Place but there is an online VERY SHORT survey:
 http://www.treepittsburgh.org/urban-forest-master-plan

Jan 15 Run: Washington's Landing for a Troy Hill Run

Meet at the parking lot right under the 31st St Bridge on Washington's Landing, just off the ramp from the bridge. Both Joanne's (a second Joanne shed her lurking status and joined us) kindly agreed (well, they got dragged) to lead us on a run through Troy Hill, a neighborhood most of us have not explored before. Although it was not discussed we could have coffee at Expresso a mano  in Lawrenceville or even go out for breakfast a MauraMori on Butler at 52nd St.

Joanne from Highland Park outdid herself with a new run through Highland Park, the neighborhood and the park. It included wooded trail that paralleled the river and looked over the Highland Park dam - a unique view of both and a trail that I think was unknown to all of us.  Then just when I thought we would run by the zoo, back into familiar territory, we headed across the little bridge, up a hill and turned onto Jancey Street in Morningside. It was a neat little circuit.

We truly took over Tazza d'Oro, jamming many tables together and loudly holding multiple conversations at once. Jan had to raise her hand and voice to quiet us down enough to ask a question of the group (are we interested in a group trip to DC - of course!). I could just hear the collective sigh when we left the paper readers and coffee drinkers.

Jan. 8 run - Tazza D'Oro for a Highland Park Run

[Don't be confused - I just wanted to be sure it was recorded in the blog for future reference - next week's run will be coming soon]


Next up:  Highland Park run starting at Tazza D’Oro on Highland Ave.  As always we are hoping Joanne will appear and take us around.  (No pressure, Joanne!)

We had the usual holiday double whammy this New Year’s weekend – Schenley Park and Homewood cemetery runs that gave just the right amount of heat to fuel some excellent coffee conversation topics. (Perhaps these exercise priorities are not the best.) These turned up the following endorsements which we sort of New-Year's-edly resolved to follow up on. 

• Oli’s Beadwork – she gives classes in how to do it
• Vitamin D: way beyond calcium boosting properties
• Upcoming Van Gogh exhibit in Philly: Megabus trip, anyone?
• Unclaimed property: you can REALLY get big chunks of cash that is legally yours - affirmed by our RG lawyers
• “Gap year”:  hate the term but like the idea – should be available for the middle-aged
• Bow and arrow:  good protection if you are in Ghana
• Brandy-soaked Montmorency cherries:  in cookies (PtB, was this it?) really in anything
• Podcasts:  A Way with words; the Moth; The Guardian Books Podcast; Prairie Home Companion
• Mindfulness: requiring limiting exposure to the above podcasts
• Mindlessness: dog diving at Cabela's (Costco pales in comparison.)