PITTSBURGH – 'Twas the eve of All Hallows, throughout the Northeast, and a foot-plus of snow fell – several inches, at least.
Bizarre sights are normal, around Halloween, but a freaky Nor'easter? That's rarely been seen.
It was cloudy and rainy when we left Gillette, and on touchdown in Pittsburgh, the ground was all wet.
Snow flurries had caused that, and while some were bumming, few folks were prepared for the punch that was coming.
From Philly to Newark, many travelers got stranded, but we were relieved when our bumpy flight landed.
Alighting the plane and boarding the bus, we got to our hotel without much more fuss.
A few minutes later, we headed back down, and ventured to Lidia's, in the center of town.
The meal was great, the conversation light, so we went for a drink, to close out the night.
USC-Stanford, on the bar's big TV, held our attention into triple OT.
Midnight arrived, and we took a stab, at hitting the streets to hail a cab.
A friar, a French maid, and two Musketeers were prowling nearby in search of some beers.
Perhaps they had just left a Halloween bash, and were looking for one more good party to crash?
Shortly thereafter we tracked down a ride. The livery pulled over; we climbed inside.
The driver – a woman – had Halloween spirit, and an interesting story, should we like to hear it.
Skulls, bats, and pumpkins — a groaning Grim Reaper! — festooned her cab and were her company-keeper.
To be north of the river, she said, we were lucky, because on the south side, the nightlife was yucky.
Tom Cruise was shooting a movie down there, so, 10th Street Bridge closed and East Carson was bare.
We settled our fare and headed upstairs, as folks in New England were caught unawares.
By morning, Weather Channel was live and reporting that children back home were outside cavorting.
But problems made grown-ups feel just a bit sour, including the widespread losses of power.
Gillette was affected by many downed lines, so, perhaps it's a good thing this game is at Heinz.
The storm's slanted track made commuting a slog, but all we woke to in Pittsburgh was thick, spooky fog.
Mother Nature's surprise: a trick or a treat? Guess we'll soon find that out, when the Steelers, Pats meet.
