All is well in Steel City
After following the Steelers through their incredible 15-1 season and watching today’s nail-biter with my stomach tied in knots, I can say that I fully understand the frenzy that takes hold of Pittsburgh every fall.
And the best part of this is that I’m not the only one. Arielle, who once proudly boasted of never watching a complete football game, is now as much into the team as I am. We jumped around the living room like a couple of monkeys when the Jets chumped their field goal attempts and yelled our heads off when the Steelers finally delivered the goods.
The turning point, I think, came about on December 12th. We were given tickets to a game (against the Jets, no less) and invited to take part in some pre-game tailgating. Experiencing the bedlam firsthand was far more enjoyable than we expected and it showed us what a unifying force the team is in this town.
Because, as the team goes, so goes the city. I now think I understand what the Steelers of the 1970’s meant to the town, whose economy was quickly drying up, leaving the prospect of a very bleak future. Although things aren’t so dire this time around, with every Steelers win there’s an increased feeling of hope running throughout this desperate city.
Our newfound appreciation for the Steelers falls into line with the general sense of contentment we are beginning to feel about Pittsburgh as a whole. This city is a tough nut to crack. It’s old, broke, and blighted. Things aren’t as easy here as they were in Minneapolis. But we’re really starting to figure things out. We moved to a new apartment in September, which proved to be the single best decision we’ve made in a long time. Arielle started school, finally, which renewed our sense of purpose and reminded us why we made the trip in the first place. And recently, I took a new job with Carnegie Mellon University after spending a year with some really great guys.
Leaving a place is never easy, but many rewards await those who make the trip.
