Pittsburgh Visit

Early Friday morning, Emile and I headed to Pittsburgh for her tour of PTI. She drove the entire way there.. and did very well I might add. We arrived at PTI at 1:15pm and here are some of the highlights.The campus is open and accommodating. The tour was about two hours and during that time we got a lot of information. Above are some pictures showing a portion of what goes on in the Criminal Justice training program. I was truly impressed by the qualifications of the staff and members of the advisory board. The curriculum is solid and I'm certain Emile will get a great education.PTI provided us with overnight accommodations at the Comfort Inn. It was very nice. We were able to have a great breakfast Sat. morning before heading home. I was pleasantly surprised how good the complimentary breakfast was.Before leaving Pittsburgh we had to drop down to the North Shore to see Heinz Field, home of the Steelers. Em was thrilled to say the least! It's amazing how big the stadium really is.Emile and I saw lots of fascinating sites as we traveled together. There was plenty of snow in a few places, we were able to spy some of the riverboats in Pittsburgh, we passed several huge wind turbines, and went through 6 tunnels. Did you know that Pittsburgh has the most bridges of any city in the world? There are over 467. I never knew that. And finally, the thing I found most interesting.....The Duquesne Incline. It's amazing. We weren't able to ride on it this visit, however, we want to the next time we head up. It only costs $4.00 for a round trip ride. For locals who have a transit pass, it's a free ride. How cool is that? Here are some interesting facts.

The Duquesne Incline

Opened to Public: May 20, 1877
Cost to Build: $47,000
Length of Track: 794 feet
Elevation: 800 feet
Total Rise: 400 feet
Grade: 30 degrees
Degree of Slope: 58.5 percent
Speed: 6 miles per hour
Passenger: Capacity 23 per car

And there you have it. In February we can go back up for a housing tour so we can see what her dorm options would be. With the exception of the cold temps, I really think Emile likes the school and the opportunities it will provide her with. There is plenty to do in the city as well. Looks like she's found her school.