Whoever made the schedule cares not a whit for rush hour commuters nor their cars’ emissions: This afternoon around 5pm, President Bush will cause the Parkway West, the Pittsburgh Downtown area, and everything else around there grind to a halt while he makes an appearance in support of Senator Arlen Specter. The NRA convention is also in town. Makes for an interesting mix.
Coincidentally, at 3:30 this afternoon — which is the middle of rush hour here on the western side of Butler, given that the intermediate and high schools let out and various shifts change or end the workday at companies in the vicinity at about that time — at that magic hour, the city and local development authority will make an announcement at the ball field next door to our offices. Governor Rendell will be present.
We assume this regards the city’s plan to move all the companies in this area to new digs elsewhere within the city limits, to reroute traffic through the area and expand the ball park to make it usable by a AAA team.
(Personal quandary: Should I high-tail it out of here before then, or should I stick around to see how much of a crowd turns out and to hear the announcement? Decisions, decisions.)
UPDATE: The governor hasn’t arrived yet. It’s raining, and people are standing under tents and sitting in the bleachers, waiting. Some people have left. The security has been tight: A person needed to be on the invitation list to get in, and had to show photo ID. The kids who would normally be practicing ball are sitting and standing in the bleachers, in uniform. Maybe they’re the only ones who don’t mind the wait, as it means they don’t have to practice in the rain.