I am tired of hearing how great Pittsburgh is! (Penn: assessment, safety)

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by goodgirl49

Yes, I remember that horrible fire! Fires have come pretty close to me in the Valley, but luckily I live where it's flat. Glad to hear that your boss and his wife came out OK, other than the horrendous property damage, which really pales next to loss of life!

Yes, they were lucky. I remember burnt leaves falling on our car in San Francisco from the fire across the Bay in Oakland. The rest of the year the winds come off the Pacific, west to east and bring in the cool damp sea air. In the fall we get the Santa Anna winds that move east to west and bring the hot dry air from the valley which, along with the dry trees and grasses, makes the perfect conditions for big fires.

BTW, my boss was one of the nicest guys around. I could tell you stories of his kindness and generosity. A few months after he lost everything, he was laid off of his senior management position after more than 20 years with the company.

[tread102]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

It has been a perfect Spring. Enough water for plants and just great for cycling. I always get a kick out of the weather complainers. I just think it feeds on itself around here. I ride a bike to work every day and I can count on two hands the days I didn't ride due to weather. I also didn't take a vacation in the past year, so that is one heck of a lot of days riding with no weather issues. If that is considered bad weather, I really don't know what to say. This past winter was really great skiing as well. Near perfect climate for so many types of events. Never understood why people always look for a rainy day and say, "see this is Pittsburgh weather", or whatever. If you want to live in the desert, go for it. Enjoy the tumbleweeds and raging fires that are out of control all the time. I think I will take this really nice climate. Enjoy the arts festival today. Should be great as usual.

Not really a fair assessment. Your a die hard. Most people aren't. Claiming that Pittsburgh has mild winters is like me claiming Charlotte has mild temperate summers. No matter what you type. Fact is the winters are cold, with long stretches of cloudy days. Like I've said in prior posts. Pittsburgh is a great city. Has alot of great thing for a city of its size. Great weather isn't one of them though.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by goodgirl49

I was once in Napa in the fall, and it was beautiful! Much more color than L.A. for sure.

While we don't have snow other than up in the Sierras, northern CA has much more distinct seasons than the southern part of the state. I've found that the image most people who live elsewhere have of CA is actually an image of the southern end of the state, and the coastal side at that. Warm weather year round, beaches, surfers, Hollywood, Disneyland... CA is a huge state and has a variety of climates and cultures.

Before I became interested in moving to PA, my image of the state was that of Philadelphia, Amish country, and Pittsburgh in its steel days. I still have a lot to learn, but I realize that there is a lot of variety here. The thing that most surprised me was the midwestern influence in Pittsburgh. It didn't seem as "East Coast" as I expected. My image before I visited was more of Philly. Pittsburgh felt like a mix of East Coast, Midwest, with a bit of Appalachia thrown in.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by tread102

Not really a fair assessment. Your a die hard. Most people aren't. Claiming that Pittsburgh has mild winters is like me claiming Charlotte has mild temperate summers. No matter what you type. Fact is the winters are cold, with long stretches of cloudy days. Like I've said in prior posts. Pittsburgh is a great city. Has alot of great thing for a city of its size. Great weather isn't one of them though.

I wouldn't say Pittsburgh has mild winters when compared to SF. But compared to Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Buffalo they are milder. Pittsburgh winters were as extreme as I wanted to get when I was doing my search for cheaper places to live.

[MathmanMathman]

I was in Seattle in late January. Surprisingly warm for a place so far north. But...it...drizzled...and...drizzled...and...drizz led...all...the...time!

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

e-clips. This are not your Daddy's clip on sunglasses.

You pick your new frames, they make the glasses, send them to e-clips, they make exactly matching sunglasses in matching metals and problem is solved. At first they are very clumsy to put on and take off, but then you get good at it.

For about 40 bucks.

Can't beat it.

Or just have an old pair of glasses tinted for sunglasses. My Rx doesn't change much from year to year, so that works for me.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I was in Seattle in late January. Surprisingly warm for a place so far north. But...it...drizzled...and...drizzled...and...drizz led...all...the...time!

that's Seattle. From late September until June. Winters there are much milder than Pittsburgh, but summers not as hot as here. And the weather yo-yo's constantly. It's a great place.

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by juliegt

While we don't have snow other than up in the Sierras, northern CA has much more distinct seasons than the southern part of the state. I've found that the image most people who live elsewhere have of CA is actually an image of the southern end of the state, and the coastal side at that. Warm weather year round, beaches, surfers, Hollywood, Disneyland... CA is a huge state and has a variety of climates and cultures.

Before I became interested in moving to PA, my image of the state was that of Philadelphia, Amish country, and Pittsburgh in its steel days. I still have a lot to learn, but I realize that there is a lot of variety here. The thing that most surprised me was the midwestern influence in Pittsburgh. It didn't seem as "East Coast" as I expected. My image before I visited was more of Philly. Pittsburgh felt like a mix of East Coast, Midwest, with a bit of Appalachia thrown in.

We have some snow up in the San Gabriel mountains. Big Bear, Wrightwood and Lake Arrowhead come to mind as ski resorts, but I was reading the other day that due to climate change, there will be about 40% less snow in the mountains by mid-century. Still, snow is not really associated with SoCal. Yes, I agree that most people have an image of CA as LA or SD rather than northern CA or the Central Valley. I agree that Pittsburgh is not east coast but I always considered the midwest to be Ohio and states further west. But I have always considered the whole of PA to be an eastern state. Western PA is certainly a beautiful area, but the central part of the state has always been my favorite for scenery.

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by juliegt

I wouldn't say Pittsburgh has mild winters when compared to SF. But compared to Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Buffalo they are milder. Pittsburgh winters were as extreme as I wanted to get when I was doing my search for cheaper places to live.

I can understand your feeling about these other places. Lots worse in the winter! New England would be worse in the winter than Pittsburgh too. You made the best choice.

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by juliegt

Yes, they were lucky. I remember burnt leaves falling on our car in San Francisco from the fire across the Bay in Oakland. The rest of the year the winds come off the Pacific, west to east and bring in the cool damp sea air. In the fall we get the Santa Anna winds that move east to west and bring the hot dry air from the valley which, along with the dry trees and grasses, makes the perfect conditions for big fires.

BTW, my boss was one of the nicest guys around. I could tell you stories of his kindness and generosity. A few months after he lost everything, he was laid off of his senior management position after more than 20 years with the company.

Sorry to hear that your boss got a double whammy after losing all his possessions in the fire! Hopefully you still keep in touch with the guy if he is still around.