I started my new job last week, but I was in Pittsburgh all week getting set up. Today I was officially in my new location, which isn't as far or as bad of a drive as I thought it would be. In fact, one of my favorite clothing stores is about a 5-minute drive away. Which might turn out to be more of a minus than a place.

Anyway, here is what I discovered about this new place on my first day:

1. My bra sets off the metal detector. Or, as the security dude said, my "support system."
2. It's like a small city. 600 people work in my building but there are others. There is a bank and a cafeteria serving both lunch AND breakfast!!
3. Only people with special access can go to the second floor. I have access, therefore I am special.
4. There is a security code to get into the room I work in, so I'm double special.
5. The cafeteria is where we go during emergencies. Which makes sense, we'll need food to fortify us against danger.
6. Out of the three girls in the room I work in, I'm the only one that talks. Already.
7. My work room has a beautiful view of the warehouse. Actually, it would be beautiful if it were packed with shoes instead of computers.
8. The parking lot is so huge that it continues on the other side of the street but we have our own bridge so we don't have to deal with traffic.
9. Most sections have rooms named with themes. Most of my floor is Shakespeare - Hamlet, Prometheus, Othello. Downstairs there are storybook names - Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book.
10. The coffee's decent.

The Pittsburgh List

I happen to be in Pittsburgh for the second time in two weeks. The first was for a job interview, this time for orientation and training for what is now my new job. I saw nothing the first time but my dinner and a crummy hotel room. This time, I'm here for several days so I've been able to see more than a single river view and the gross pube in the hotel's bathroom sink. (Yes, gag!)

Tonight I went adventuring for the first time. Mapquest's GPS whore took me through areas I probably had no business being so I got to see more than I bargained for. The following list is my initial impression of Steel City and contains both facts and opinions. Some of my opinions are actual facts.

1. Pittsburgh has the highest bridge count in the world, even more than Venice, the so-called City of Bridges. I don't know how many I've gone over so far. Some are over the rivers, some are over railroad tracks, others are over nothing.

2. Mr. Rogers lived here. There is a statue of him somewhere in the city but I haven't seen it yet.

3. My favoritest guilty pleasure movie was filmed here. Partly. I might try to find some of the locations tomorrow.

4. Pittsburgh has some of the most gorgeous, beautiful, old homes and it's heartbreaking that many of them are completely neglected and rotting into the ground. I think some of the poorest people in the city live in what were once very glamorous houses.

5. There is an Andy Warhol museum here. I won't see it because it closes as I'm getting off of work. Boo.

6. The smiley emoticon was invented here.

7. The Big Mac was born here. I'm still not going to eat one.

8. It's cleaner here than I thought except for the skeezy neighborhoods. I think they're still covered in coal dust.

9. There is no sales tax here on clothes. But I bought books.

10. They have boroughs here. It's so east-coast.

11. There are things called green belts and blue belts and red belts but I don't know what they are yet.

12. It is very, very difficult to get around here and nearly impossible to get from one side of town to another without going down side streets, often in skeezy areas.

13. The parks are beautiful. So are the cemeteries. And the churches.

14. There is a dinosaur skeleton in the airport.

15. I need to see more.