Pittsburgh

We got back late monday from our 3 day visit to Pittsburgh, PA (not to be confused to Pittsburg, CA which is 30 miles from here!). We really had fun! It was great to meet close friends after a really long time and get to know their spouses. Pittsburgh itself had lots to show - the city was very different from any other city that I've visited in North America. It was more like Manchester in England. The weather gods smiled a little upon us and we didn't encounter any really bad weather - although we did encounter a little snow which was fun. We enjoyed ice skating in downtown Pittsburgh. App did pretty well considering she's basically a first-timer. I am also a learner - I fell twice - once pulling Murugan down with me :)
On our second day, Sukumar & Deepa left after lunch. Raghu & Vandana left after skating, we went to a sports bar to play darts with some of Murugan's friends. We realized that we'd made a mistake going to a bar as soon as we stepped into the place - unlike California, Pittsburgh allows patrons to smoke indoors. Not being used to inhaling second hand smoke, we had to leave after just a few games. However, his friends were friendly and the game was very addictive - we need to find some electronic dart games around here.
We had the most fantastic breakfast on our last day (I forget the name of the place) and skipped down to Pitt's own Apple store. Took Murugan on a tour of my beloved mac machines and basically sold him on the platform - look out for a new mac user on the block soon!!
We had a quick tour of the city's best spots before leaving - the best part was catching up with Murugan, glad to see that he's doing well and happy!
We definitely want to visit Pittsburgh when its warmer, and it would definitely help if SouthWest airlines starts service to PIT. Apparently, talks are on.