{"id":209597,"date":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/?p=209597"},"modified":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","slug":"romeo-cultural-tour-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/?p=209597","title":{"rendered":"Romeo Cultural Tour 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243;][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.65&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>ROMEO CULTURAL TOUR 2017<\/h2>\n<p>There were six of us; Tom Sibley, Marlin Baker, Lou Haveman, Jerry Kaizer, Rod Osner, and Steve Dooley. \u00a0We are all retired, kinda, representing six different professions; juvenile court, probation, real estate, business, management, and air traffic controller. \u00a0We range in age from 58 to 75. \u00a0We departed on a Sunday, returning Wednesday afternoon, four days, drove close to 1,200 miles, and were still laughing. \u00a0Three drivers took turns driving a 18-year old Fleetwood Flair motorhome. \u00a0I wanted some back-seat time. \u00a0I was envious of how relaxed Rod was stretched out on the couch and the dramatic conversations often initiated by Marlin or was it Marlina? <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3\" width=\"315\" height=\"236\" \/><\/p>\n<p>ROMEO stands for Retired old Men Eating Out. \u00a0Every day somewhere in Grand Rapids a few of hard core members of ROMEO meet for coffee. \u00a0There are probably twenty plus ROMEOs but I only know about eight of them well. \u00a0I make it a point not to miss Monday mornings at Panera. \u00a0I share several magazines and the Wall Street Journal with a couple people and I always walk away, not always wiser but certainly inspired. \u00a0The rest of the week has to be better than the last hour with these clowns. \u00a0Not to appear over complementary nor sucking up to them, but I would not miss this group for anything. \u00a0Proud to be a ROMEO\u2026most of the time!<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2\" width=\"323\" height=\"242\" \/><\/p>\n<p><u>Day One:<\/u>\u00a0The sun had not yet risen as I heard Jerry walk up our drive asking if we were planning on leaving on time. \u00a0At six fifteen we were on the road even though Tom got lost. \u00a0We were headed to Donegal, PA, about 45 miles east of Pittsburg. \u00a0We stopped at the Fowlerville for some breakfast at a Family restaurant, a recommendation by Jerry.<\/p>\n<p>Mid-afternoon we were walking the streets of Lawrenceville, PA, an emerging renewed suburb of Pittsburgh formally looking for a place to eat. \u00a0We walked a half a mile one way passed several restaurants thinking there had to be a better place just up the road. \u00a0Then, back to the RV and another quarter miles in the other direction. \u00a0Several of us wanted to stop at one of the newest and most popular places, a local ice cream shop but that did not happen, a mistake we would not repeat.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve hours from our early morning departure we walked into Brady\u2019s Restaurant. \u00a0It was a perfect meal. \u00a0An hour later we were at Day\u2019s Inn where five of us slept in the hotel and I stayed in the RV. \u00a0Four of us spent time at the pool. \u00a0The rain dumped on us all night.<\/p>\n<p><u>Day Two:<\/u>\u00a0 We were on the road at 8;00 A.M. driving to Stoystown, the location of Flight 93 National Memorial. \u00a0This is a thousand-acre site. \u00a0It truly captures the quiet yet powerful and courageous characters that brought that flight down before it could do damage to our nation\u2019s capital. \u00a0The Boeing 757 200 passenger airplane disappear into a million pieces as it hit the ground nose first, upside down, at 563 miles per hour creating a 20-foot crater, vaporizing all 44 persons on board. \u00a0It was a powerful two hours listening to the life stories of people who lived in the area and are still engaged. \u00a0Nothing could prepare us for listening to the actual recorded phone calls made by several of the passengers to their loved ones knowing they were in the last minutes of their lives. \u00a0This is living history. \u00a0It happened on our watch. Here are a several things we discovered:<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1\" width=\"340\" height=\"255\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Local people are taking \u201cownership\u201d of this memorial given it happened in their community. \u00a0This site is a part of the National Park System.<\/li>\n<li>The crash site was an abandoned surface coal mine.<\/li>\n<li>The delay of departure (25 minutes) of this flight out of Newark gave the passengers (Thirteen people made a total of 37 phone call) an opportunity to know this was part of a larger hijacking, hence they decided by vote to attack the hijackers and spoil their mission. \u00a0The crash site is only 18 minutes flying time from Washington D.C.<\/li>\n<li>This was the largest investigation ever by the FBI.<\/li>\n<li>Forty groves of local tree varieties of forty trees each are planted representing the forty-innocent people killed.<\/li>\n<li>It was worth the trip to just experience this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At one thirty we arrived in Ohiopyle\/Mill Run, visiting Falling Water, a classic of Frank Lloyd Wright, constructed over the Bear Run River falls. \u00a0 It once was nominated as one of the wonders of the world. \u00a0This home was built in 1935 for the Kaufman family. \u00a0It only cost $155,000 in the days when people would work at 25 cents per hour. \u00a0It now is owned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. \u00a0The American Institute of Architecture stated \u201c<em>Best all-time work of American architecture.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image7.png\" alt=\"image7\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em>It reminded me of <em>The Rock<\/em>\u00a0in Wisconsin where nature embraces and incorporates itself into the structure both inside and outside the home. \u00a0I think I was impressed as much by the footpaths surrounded by Mountain Laurel than the home itself, as impressive as it was. \u00a0I would not trade it for the home we live in today.<\/p>\n<p><u>Day Three:<\/u>\u00a0 Although Steve has directed thousands of flights to land safely in some of the largest airports, all we could do was circle around. \u00a0We were not lost but we could not find our destination in Pittsburgh. \u00a0Too late, we discovered this is not uncommon. \u00a0Jerry told us about his wife\u2019s father when he moved his family to Pittsburgh he would set up sales appointments and then return home in the evening reporting he was unable to find even one appointment. \u00a0After driving past several potential parking areas, none of which would accommodate an RV, a vehicle stopped in front of us. A man approached and asked if he could help. \u00a0He told us to follow him. \u00a0Six blocks later, we were parked in his lot paying $28.00 for all day parking. \u00a0He then proceeded to give us directions on using the subway and how to get out of town. \u00a0We do not know his name but he gave a great name to the people of Pittsburg.<\/p>\n<p>The city center is at the confluence of the mighty Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. \u00a0It is here the Ohio River begins. \u00a0The city has 446 bridges within its borders. \u00a0It is easier to build a bridge than to build a road over the hills and ridges of the terrain. \u00a0Our first president, George Washington, dreamed that the forks of the Ohio River would connect to the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. \u00a0Canals, railroads, and the access to coal and coke were the driving forces for early development. \u00a0Today, the region is driven by history, tourism, and the beautiful forests and wilderness attractions.<\/p>\n<p>We had lunch at Grill 36 owned by Jerome Bettis, a star Pittsburgh Steelers star called <em>The Bus<\/em>\u00a0because of his size and effectiveness on the field in the shadow of Heinz Field. \u00a0Then Eugene, the manager, came out and talked to us about him and sports in Pittsburgh. \u00a0His directions to our next stop were spot on. We never did stop eating this entire trip. \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image8.png\" alt=\"image8\" width=\"345\" height=\"259\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We discovered the subway (tunnel under the Allegany and above the Monongahela) was free for those over 65 as was the Duquesne Incline, a rail cable car that rises 400 feet to Mt. Washington escarpment, formally called <em>Coal Hill<\/em>. \u00a0On the ridge, we met Gino. \u00a0Born and raised, lived, and now retired, presently doing his daily walks about, he gave us detailed sketches of life during Pittsburgh\u2019s glory days of steel, smog, smell, and smoky days to the green city it is today. \u00a0 Walking about overlooking the city from the escarpment, Tom and I spotted a Dairy Queen. \u00a0We did not miss this opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>We ended our time in the city with a ride on the Duck. \u00a0It drives, floats, and is fully narrated. \u00a0Rod and Lou took their turns at the wheel. \u00a0We departed and returned to historical Station Square. \u00a0I learned and forgot more about the city in that hour than I have in a long time. \u00a0Here are a couple highlights. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image5.jpg\" alt=\"image5\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image6.jpg\" alt=\"image6\" width=\"339\" height=\"254\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When the British cut off the supply of goods in the War of 1812, the nation turned to Pittsburgh which became a center for manufacturing of iron, brass, tin, and glass.<\/li>\n<li>Pittsburgh became a railroad hub in the mid 1800s.<\/li>\n<li>Some of the nation\u2019s first skyscrapers were built in Pittsburgh<\/li>\n<li>Pittsburgh has made one of the most significant transitions in our nation\u2019s history from contaminated waterways and smog filled air to a green city.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We wrapped up the trip with a quick stop at Cabela\u2019s in Dundee. \u00a0As we entered Michigan again we spent a good hour reflecting on what it all meant from the tragedy of Flight 93, great architecture, history, and the terrific people we met. \u00a0Steve perhaps said it best. \u00a0It is not a perfect quote but it is what I heard. \u00a0\u201cWe think we control our plans, but in the end, God directs it all!\u201d \u00a0Our only regret was we did not have time enough to enjoy it all. \u00a0However, discussion is already beginning for our 2018 ROMEO Cultural tour. \u00a0Special thanks to Marlin for the fine pictures. \u00a0Who is this guy anyway? \u00a0LJH<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/bizconectworld.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/08\/image4.jpg\" alt=\"image4\" width=\"408\" height=\"305\" \/><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243;][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.65&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221;] ROMEO CULTURAL TOUR 2017 There were six of us; Tom Sibley, Marlin Baker, Lou Haveman, Jerry Kaizer, Rod Osner, and Steve Dooley. \u00a0We are all retired, kinda, representing six different professions; juvenile court, probation, real estate, business, management, and air traffic controller. \u00a0We range in age from 58 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Lou Haveman","author_link":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/?author=5"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=209597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209597\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=209597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=209597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/louhaveman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=209597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}