Whole Foods Austin vs. Whole Foods Pittsburgh

Originally uploaded by pittsburghmetblogpics

This is the view from my table on the patio at the whole Foods store in Austin, TX. I am visiting Austin for a few days and I walked into whole foods to pick up a snack. I think this is the origionsl Whole Foods and it is way more than a grocery store. I had to walk past the windows of the catering/cooking school to get to the front door - I have since figured out there are like 6 entrances. I am going to guess that this store is about 8 times the size of the Pittsburgh one. So what is Pittsburgh missing ? Juice bar, wine shop, beer cooler, mini clothing boutique, a huge produce section, larger bakery, candy counter with chocolate fountain, patio with babbling brooke, composting bins and a concierge. I am not sure what a grocery store concierge does but they have one.

Kids e-fest 2008

Originally uploaded by pittsburghmetblogpics

Yhe field at peabody high school has been transformed into a kid friendly carnival - inflatables, art projects and performances. I am here helping at the tent making paper bag puppets. The Manchester craftsmans guild is letting kids screenorint their own shirts. Facepainting is a popular activity with the little kids. E-fest is a project of the East End cooperative ministries youth business initiative.

Still waiting… Possible system outage at apple

Originally uploaded by pittsburghmetblogpics

It is now 10:30 am and there is still a line of people waiting at the apple store. There are 3 police cars in front of the store. I just talked to the police officer and asked us there have been any issues. So far no problems but the office just told me that the system is down and they can’t sell any mechandise.
What is interesting is that I see at least 2 people in line that are talking on iphones. I am assuming those are the old phones and they are waiting to get the new ones.

I’m just back from another trip to Boston, where I am reminded yet again that US Airways pulling
out was probably one of the best things that could happen to Pittsburgh air travel. In ten years of
flying PIT<->BOS, they have not once managed to give me a flight that departs on time, arrives on
time, *and* does not lose checked baggage. If only they weren’t still beloved of corporate travel
managers across the nation…

But I digress. On this trip, I happened to cross Boston’s
famous <a href=”http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/visitor/visitor.html”>Freedom Trail</a>,
a tourist attraction that allows you to hike through the great events of American history. It
started me wondering: why don’t we have one of those? Pittsburgh may not have quite as many
events that make it into grade-school history books, but we *do* have a big cluster of interesting
museums, buildings, eating spots, and even historical sites, if you consider Downtown, the North
Shore, and the Strip as a collection. We’re also pretty good at painting lines on the ground and
constantly rerouting traffic. Why not develop an official trail to take tourists through Downtown
and its surroundings and help them take in the sights? It’d be as good a marketing tool as anything
else we’ve currently got going on…

From the river

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

This is the view from my kayak on the river. These are easy no tip kayaks. No exorience necessary. Just head on down to kayak pittsburgh www.kayakpittsburgh.org located just under the Roberto Clement bridge, for less than $ 20 you can be on the river too.

Waiting at the finish line…

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

Waiting for the bike tour to arrive

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

Photographers and spectators are waiting for the tour of pa to come across the hot metal bridge.

Sculpture on the shore

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

I came across this while walking on the shore of lake Erie near Fredonia, NY.

Today is World Wide Knit in Public Day

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

I joined a group of about 10 other knitters for some public knitting at the tent in Schenley Park.

Many of the knitters found out about this event from the new online community for knitters Ravelry.com. I am a member of ravelry and I must say it is one of the best well constructed social communities on the web.

Look out Starbucks…

Originally uploaded by gophotogo

Market Square dunkin donuts opens June 30.