David's Dream Becomes a Reality, Aug 8 - 10, 2019

August 8, 2019

So, David's10th birthday present, a trip to see the Pittsburgh Steelers play in Heinz Field, changed from a dream to a reality when Zaydie, Bubbie, and David headed to Atlanta Airport to board our Southwest Flight!

While going through TSA,  we met this super nice lady, from Pittsburgh who immediately struck up a conversation with David, who of course, was decked out in Steelers' attire.  Well, it turns out she was on our flight, and continued to give us pointers about things to do in Pittsburgh!  After an uneventful flight in record time, we landed at the Pittsburgh airport while rain poured down! 

But, by the time we walked out of the terminal, the sun was shining, and we boarded our Lyft ride to our hotel, Drury Plaza on Grant Avenue.  Once again, we had a very nice driver who gave us more pointers on places to see. After checking into our hotel (Room 319), we unpacked, and decided that Zaydie would take a nap while David and I headed up to check out the hotel's indoor swimming pool.  David swam for a while, then we took a stroll to find the subway station for tomorrow's adventures.  On our walk back, we stopped to admire some of the city's beautiful architecture.

We took Lyft, and again had a great driver who made some recommendations for tomorrow.  He also told us that his dad retired from the Devoe Shipyard where my dad had trained  during World War II. We arrived at  Jerome Bettis' 36 Grille for our 7:00 PM dinner reservations!

While enjoying dinner, our server, George, kept asking David Steeler trivia questions because we told him that David was a walking Wikipedia of Steeler information.  David answered every question correctly, so at the end of our dinner, George told David that Jerome Bettis (who actually lives in Atlanta) has a "Man Cave" in the restaurant and would David like to see it?  David just about dumped over the table hopping up to take advantage of this amazing offer.  We were included in the invite, so off we went.  Way cool!  I especially enjoy enjoyed the picture of Jerome and Tiger Woods.  Apparently, Jerome beat Tiger in a round of golf!

Afterwards, we took a walk along the river because it was a beautiful evening.  This was an absolutely amazing dinner that we'll always remember!

August 9, 2019
   And today begins THE DAY OF ALL DAYS!  We enjoyed an amazing breakfast buffet at the Drury Plaza, and then Bubbie and David started walking towards the Strip District, about four blocks away. This area of Pittsburgh is known for all the street vendors selling Pittsburgh sports memorabilia.

We shopped around this great section, buying lots of Pittsburgh Steelers' stuff, and then finally took a Lyft over to the Cargnegie Science Center.

 We spent four hours at the Sportswork and Carnegie Sciene Center.  After we enjoyed lunch there, we took the free subway system back to our hotel for a short rest to recharge my phone for tonight.

And, we're off to the main event.  We arrived at Heinz Field early, so we had some time to explore.

Next, we tried some of Pittsburgh's famous grilled chicken on a stick which was absolutely delicious.

David also had his face painted.

  Finally, we were allowed into Heinz field for our tour. We had special passes and had a very small group for our private tour.  We walked down to the field where the teams were warming up.  We watched the Pittsburgh kickers practice for a while.  David actually picked up the football that Chris Brazwell, #9, kicked between the goal posts, and threw it back to him!

Seriously, you would have thought David touched the Hope Diamond!  It is a once in a life time moment. We were able to actually stand on Heinz field which is really four layers of golf course quality grass.

Then we moved onto the Press Area.

 As we were walking there, David walked on the track where the players walk from the locker room.  One of the Tampa Bay players chased him, just messing with him.

 Had we realized how many times we would watch the Instant Replay during the game.  We would have viewed the Instant Replay Room a lot longer. Heinz Field really is amazing!

David had me take his picture in front of all six Super Bowl  trophies that Pittsburgh has won!

Then, the game finally started.  I honestly felt that Rob and I were the only folks in the stadium NOT wearing Steelers' clothing.  The fans are amazingly loyal!  Well, the game was a nail biter, but Pittsburgh did win, 30 - 28!

Final Note:  On the plane ride home, David leaned against me and said, "Bubbie, this trip was better than Disney and a cruise put together." No words needed.