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Host or Meet up with 3 cyclists touring from PGH to WAS?

Greetings on the eve of bike-to-work day! Two friends and I will be doing our first long self supported tour from PGH to WAS on the week of July 4th. We will be in your great town on June 28th (Saturday) and heading out on June 29 (Sunday). I've never been to Pittsburgh, and I've heard great things, and from the looks of this site, y'all have a great community going on. One that we (in Charlotte, NC) can envy and learn from. In the interest of meeting locals and having good conversation we're wondering if anyone has a spare bedroom to let us occupy for the night. We won't be dirty or smelly at this time because it's just the beginning of our trip. We are designers (architecture, urban design, planning and landscape architecture). We are in our late 20s-early 30s. Two of us are hailing from Charlotte, and another from NYC. I think in the spirit of couchsurfing and have met so many generous, passionate people that really make you want to pay it forward. I have contacted some folks on WarmShowers (you have more people on that site than DC does!) but it's a bit quiet. To learn more about me, visit my site: www.mappingofminds.wordpress.com and/or a new project I've co-started called www.completeblocks.com (visualizing positive change for our streets and public spaces) I look forward to hearing from you! Best, keihly
thespacebetween
2014-05-15 21:50:42
Cool stuff. I will share this among some of my contacts (architect here). My home is about 10 miles from the Point, so not your best setup, but I imagine you'll be able to find something. Do get here early enough on Saturday to toodle around a bit, and by all means do start from the Point.
edmonds59
2014-05-16 05:47:10
In. Email me and we'll make it happen. csmayhew at gmail
mayhew
2014-05-16 07:45:17
Hello travelers on the eve of a great adventure! I'm an architect and a cyclist, and have a small loft that isn't big enough for 3 people, however I could try to find friends to offer space for you to stay. As for checking out the city with an architectural, urban, historical, and sustainable eye, I could probably assist you -it would be a hectic 24 hrs of Pgh-Arch love, but well-worth it! Pittsburgh really has some very unique places and neighborhoods, as well as some exciting nuggets of urban fabric to explore :) email me at: bikeygirlpgh AT gmail.com and maybe we can figure something out! Awesome! Have fun on your trip -be safe! We'll see you when you get here!
bikeygirl
2014-05-16 14:13:44
Like @edmonds59, I too am 10 miles out of the city, and might not be the best choice to put you up for a night. But since what you guys do is what I think about in my off hours, I can offer you some stuff to look for while you're here. If nothing else, just by poking around on StreetView can give you some idea of what makes Pittsburgh unique. Start with Downtown, the "Golden Triangle". Note the bizarre street grids. Really two grids, one abutting the Allegheny River, the other the Mon (Monongahela), which meet at Liberty Avenue. Traversing downtown from one side to the other can be a tad confusing, especially with a couple of streets missing (Oliver Ave no longer intersects Liberty) [StreetView of former intersection], many others one-way (Third and Fourth Avenues), and others with bus-only restrictions (southbound Smithfield), and still others with temporary closures while building construction proceeds (two very large buildings going up in our already very dense downtown). Note how little surface parking there is here. Then we have the terrain. Pittsburgh is probably the only city in North America where two parallel streets cross at a right angle (Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue) [link] because there's a hill in the way. We have a bunch of very, very old housing stock. The oldest original building is the Fort Pitt Blockhouse in Point State Park, dating from 1800 or so, which you will go right past on the first minute of your trip. Check out the huge 13-star flag! Lower Lawrenceville has many pre-1860 residences, some dating to Stephen Foster's time here. Look around Charlotte St between 34th and 39th Streets [link]. For some better kept examples, the Mexican War Streets section of the North Side was built in the 1840s. The streets were named after battles fought during that war. But enough with the flat sections of town. We have serious hills here! In addition to the two funiculars, known to the locals as inclines (be sure to ride one), we have several hundred sets of staircases which are actual named city streets. Some have intersections. Many have residences. Imagine hauling a loaded bicycle up a 144-step staircase every day [there are 144, I've counted them many times]. On a more architectural theme, be sure to research (if you haven't already) Chatham Village, an excellent early example of a planned community. If you get a chance to tour the town by bike, it's about a two-minute ride from the top of the Duquesne Incline. That's a start. You could spend a couple of weeks here looking around. Tell us what you're into, and prepare to get a ton of ideas of what to look for.
stuinmccandless
2014-05-16 15:15:14
BUMP - these folks will be in our vicinity this weekend, if people want to join in the Pgh-loving, let me know.
bikeygirl
2014-06-24 10:46:04
I could host or show you all around if you're still in need. I'm in the Squirrel Hill area. I don't have anything planned for the weekend, and was hoping to do a trail ride towards Ohiopyle anyways.
atown
2014-06-24 12:16:51
Atown - I'm actually already giving a Pgh Tour to these folks saturday/sunday, but wanted to see if any other BikePgh folks wanted to join in. They also already have a place to stay for the evening.
bikeygirl
2014-06-25 07:17:33
Sure, I'm always up for a ride. I'll shoot you a private message.
atown
2014-06-25 08:27:59