As we approached the more expensive East Coast we decided to fit in our bulk cheap clothes purchasing at an Outlet Centre just outside Pittsburgh. It would have been an insult to our feet not to avail the Reebok store of their buy one get one free offer on already cheap trainers. Needing some running shoes (in order to work off the 8 million hot dogs I've consumed) I purchased some only slightly offensive looking green and yellow numbers, being a man I also neglected to try them on.
It was getting late so the conclusion of our evening was to be another Econolodge motel just near our next game, I finally got round to testing out my new 'sneakers'.
Firstly I put the left one on, then the other left...
"ARSE"
"2-2" said Phil
"Yep"
Game 11 of our trip started about 15 minutes before we got there, causing us to miss yet another home run. We found PNC Park to be one of the better stadiums and because the Pirates are so appalling we were able to get fairly good seats pretty cheaply.
Given that it was 12:35pm on a weekday the only others in attendance seemed to be Reds fans and screaming kids on a 'day camp'. The Reds won fairly comfortably prompting Phil to hand over $20 and keep me in hotdogs for another few nights.
We had a walk around town looking for the main bar area but it seems we weren't able to find it, as the rain started to belt down we got the feeling Pittsburgh was telling us to leave and who were we to argue.
After a quick detour to change the left shoe for a 'right' one we ventured three hours Northwards to a place called Youngstown, we were to attend the first day of the Bridgestone Invitational Golf Tournament in Akron and had to be up with the lark or at least just after it.
$40 got us into the course which enables you to walk around pretty much everywhere. Frustratingly though no cameras or mobiles are allowed in the grounds and they use scanners to enforce it.
Perching around the green of the par 5 2nd we saw most of the top players including Tiger Woods who managed to make bogey, also we did not hear a single person say 'Get in the Hole' which was both pleasing and surprising. We stayed for around seven hours before heading further north to Cleveland.
Pat and his buddy Wyatt were waiting for us by the pool, the plan being to drink looking out over Lake Erie and we did not object. They then took us downtown where we got more drunk. I don't remember much apart from making some local buddies and being invited to a BBQ by someone who had 'Never met an English person before'.
Pat is a fireman/paramedic/self employed fencer as well as being a top guy and a lot of fun. The four of us had lunch at 'The Harp' (Irish pub obviously!) before getting a guided tour of a microbrewery despite the fact that they didn't do tours. We purchased some Indigo Imp and sat down for a bottle outside, it was genuinely one of the best beers I've ever had and I hope it sells as well as it should for them.
Next we were to meet a local celebrity but I'm too tired and will have to pick up the tale in the morning...
the title is a pun too far, imo
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