I am from St. Louis originally, but now live in Pittsburgh, PA.  I also enjoy playing golf, racquetball, and flag football, but am finding less and less time for stuff like that as life moves forward.

To learn more about my first name, check out this page I made about 7 years ago.


PLACES I'VE LIVED

Granite City, IL
I grew up in Granite City.  It's about 15 minutes from St. Louis and is a steel town.  I enjoyed growing up there, and have very fond memories of school, church, and of the people.  It is unlikely that I would move back there, but I can say that I would not have traded my life in Granite City for anything.  I recommend going to Taco Le and Vin Hoa, both on Nameoki Road.

Kirksville, MO
I got my bachelor's degree at Truman State University, which is basically the lifeblood of Kirksville.  It's a small town (about 15K + about 6K of students), but definitely endearing.  If given the chance, I would move back to Kirksville, especially to teach at Truman.  If you are in Kirksville, I strongly suggest having a ronza from Paglia's Pizza, and a beer or two at Too Talls Two.

Oak Ridge, TN
I spent about 7 months in Oak Ridge working at Oak Ridge National Lab.  This town went up literally overnight back in the 50's (I think) so they could start doing nuclear research.  I remember going to Crystal quite a lot, as well as Godfather's Pizza when I was there ('94).  I strongly suggest taking a tour of ORNL, though.  They do an incredible amount of research there, and the historical value is off the charts.

Madison, WI
The best place I've ever lived, no doubt.  There is so much to do I didn't cover very much of it in my two years there.  Yes, it is cold, but if that doesn't bother you (I love winter), Madison is the perfect place to live.  It is large enough (around 200K) to get anything you need, and the people there are beyond friendly.  I had perfect strangers talking to me on nearly a daily basis.  There are no skyscrapers, but it is the capital of Wisconsin, so there is always a demonstration, or something going on.  I once saw two guys swordfighting on campus and after a second look, realized they were actors and had a hat sitting out for donations.  I also remember the blue-robed old man who stood up on a small tower shouting at everyone who went by that they were all sinners and doomed.  Man I enjoyed that.  Before I moved to Madison, I did enjoy college football.  By the time the cheeseheads got to me, I LOVED BADGER FOOTBALL.  I lived about a block from the stadium, so to witness the sea of red in the streets before games was intense and enticing.  I will always root for the Badgers, and am proud that I went to UW.

If you are Madison, definitely take a stroll down State Street.  You can stop at any restaurant or bar there and have a nice time and get good food.  By the way, Madison ranks #1 in the country for most restaurants per person.  Personally, I always enjoyed Falbo's Pizza and State Street Brats.  

Pittsburgh, PA
And currently I live in the 'burgh.  It's a big city, but is really about 100 small towns smushed together.  There is a great mix of culture and sports here (I'm a bit behind on the cultural side though!), and the food is absolutely tremendous.  One thing I've noticed about Pittsburgh is that things are always changing.  They are always working on something here, or building something new there.  That's a good sign, I think.  The current effort is to build up the riverfront between Heinz Field and PNC Park - it's going to be sweet when the finish.  I always wondered why they didn't take advantage of any of their riverfront space (they friggen' have 3 of them!).  

As far as recommendations go, I have several.  You must go to the Church Brewworks.  I only go when I have guests in town, but I should go more often.  It's an old Catholic church that was going to be torn down, but instead it was purchased and turned into a microbrewery.  The confessionals now hold booze and t-shirts to sell.   How cool is that?  You also must get a Primanti Brother's sandwich - I will probably miss this most of all when I leave Pittsburgh.  There are also "O" fries from the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland - they are made completely from scratch on location.  While in Oakland, you would also enjoy Dave & Andy's ice cream (again, made on premises).  Lastly, there are many places to visit, but some of my favorites are Station Square (by the inclines, which you should ride, btw), the Homestead waterfront area (by the high-level bridge, it is new & unique), and of course, the Point State Park downtown (where the three rivers meet).

last update:  1/24/03
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