Everything Pittsburgh

[Highwayman]

For those who don't know much about Pittsburgh and it's involvement in the New Tech world here are some of the things happening that might surprise you.

Google established an office in Pittsburgh many years ago to develop it's Google Maps application. Their thoughts were that there is a large selection of talent and support from places like CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) as well as Pittsburgh has what has been called the most complicated infrastructure to navigate around, if they could make their Maps app work there they could make it work anywhere.

Other Tech startups have established themselves in Pittsburgh not only for the talent and support available but also because of the low cost of living and the incredible diverse social life available.

Pittsburgh is at the top of every list for where Amazon will locate it's second headquarters for the same reasons.

Something I have gotten to see first hand many times while there is Uber's self driving cars. Uber established an office in Pittsburgh for the same reason as Google, if they can get their autonomous vehicles to operate on the streets of Pittsburgh they can operate them anywhere. Here is a good article of how Uber is established in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127

Who would have tunk that an old cruddy steel making town would become something like this.

[68fastback]

...and the revitalization all sort of started a few decades ago when CMU made the then radical decision to focus on that new weirdo field called robotics -- a brilliant :idea:

I made several trips to CMU in the early '80s when it was still novel and first caught Big Blue's attention...

---

Btw, I was talking to the now-long-retired president of the NYState Trolley Museum here in the Hudson Valley and he mentioned that one of the very best trolley museums in the country is in Pittsburgh, so I pass that along for anyone nearby (:shades:) who may be interested.

I've never been to the P'burgh trolley museum but did ride the cog-railway from the high-land down to the river during one of the later Orfstocks -- way cool -- if not technically a trolley.

Pittsburgh Trolley Museum
(https://pa-trolley.org/)

[Alloy Dave]

For those who don't know much about Pittsburgh and it's involvement in the New Tech world here are some of the things happening that might surprise you.

Google established an office in Pittsburgh many years ago to develop it's Google Maps application. Their thoughts were that there is a large selection of talent and support from places like CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) as well as Pittsburgh has what has been called the most complicated infrastructure to navigate around, if they could make their Maps app work there they could make it work anywhere.

Other Tech startups have established themselves in Pittsburgh not only for the talent and support available but also because of the low cost of living and the incredible diverse social life available.

Pittsburgh is at the top of every list for where Amazon will locate it's second headquarters for the same reasons.

Something I have gotten to see first hand many times while there is Uber's self driving cars. Uber established an office in Pittsburgh for the same reason as Google, if they can get their autonomous vehicles to operate on the streets of Pittsburgh they can operate them anywhere. Here is a good article of how Uber is established in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127

Who would have tunk that an old cruddy steel making town would become something like this.It's a credit to the key leaders (mayor, council, etc.) that they are looking forward and not thinking anything would change like IBM and Polaroid. Kudos to Pittsburgh.

[68fastback]

IBM and CMU's robotics lab's relationship goes back three decades.

Ford's contractual relationship with Argo Systems is also engaged with CMU in the context of cutting-edge autonomous vehicle systems (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/11/21/how-argo-is-working-with-universities-to-stay-on-the-cutting-edg.html).

[Alloy Dave]

What I don't get is how ketchup (Heinz) is such a big part of Pittsburgh, yet the stadium and uniforms look more like mustard.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/scorestream-team-profile-pictures/teamPic117912-3574-c41k0d.jpg

[Highwayman]

What I don't get is how ketchup (Heinz) is such a big part of Pittsburgh, yet the stadium and uniforms look more like mustard.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/scorestream-team-profile-pictures/teamPic117912-3574-c41k0d.jpg

The city colors are Black and Gold, it's what the sports teams use too.

Heinz was founded in Pittsburgh and is still co-Headquartered there :headscratcher: with Kraft in Chicago. Very little manufacturing or packaging occurs there anymore.

[Joe G]

Catsup / Ketchup

Black / Gold

Iceberg / Goldberg

[Alloy Dave]

The city colors are Black and Gold, it's what the sports teams use too.

Heinz was founded in Pittsburgh and is still co-Headquartered there :headscratcher: with Kraft in Chicago. Very little manufacturing or packaging occurs there anymore.Just teasin' Mark...I think Heinz makes mustard too so it fits. :look:

[Highwayman]

Just teasin' Mark...I think Heinz makes mustard too so it fits. :look:

Never an issue, I take everything here light hearted, except for travel tips :look:.

I thought that you were actually confused so I figured I would help with an explanation.

[68fastback]

What would this thread be w/o a link to official Pittsburgh site?! :lol: (http://www.pittsburghpa.gov/)

[Highwayman]

What would this thread be w/o a link to official Pittsburgh site?! :lol: (http://www.pittsburghpa.gov/)

That's nice, but to truly understand Pittsburgh you need to do a search on the bar scene, after all Pittsburgh is known as a Drinking town with a Football problem.

[68fastback]

That's nice, but to truly understand Pittsburgh you need to do a search on the bar scene, after all Pittsburgh is known as a Drinking town with a Football problem.

:lol: ...or a river town w/a cog railway problem :giggle:

[Orf]

The black and yellow colors are from the William Pitt family crest. The bridges were painted in the same color as the Steelers and Pirates used at the time - a color called Aztec Gold. This is why the Steeler faithful call them the black and gold, not black and yellow At that time, the Penguins used blue and white for their colors. They have since changed to black and gold as well.

Side note - one of the bridges over the Allegheny is actually a small scale version of the Golden Gate. It was built to verify the style of suspension bridge would perform as claimed.

[Joe G]

Never an issue, I take everything here light hearted, except for travel tips :look:.

:spitcopy:

[Boston Mike]

For those who don't know much about Pittsburgh and it's involvement in the New Tech world here are some of the things happening that might surprise you.

Google established an office in Pittsburgh many years ago to develop it's Google Maps application. Their thoughts were that there is a large selection of talent and support from places like CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) as well as Pittsburgh has what has been called the most complicated infrastructure to navigate around, if they could make their Maps app work there they could make it work anywhere.

Other Tech startups have established themselves in Pittsburgh not only for the talent and support available but also because of the low cost of living and the incredible diverse social life available.

Pittsburgh is at the top of every list for where Amazon will locate it's second headquarters for the same reasons.

Something I have gotten to see first hand many times while there is Uber's self driving cars. Uber established an office in Pittsburgh for the same reason as Google, if they can get their autonomous vehicles to operate on the streets of Pittsburgh they can operate them anywhere. Here is a good article of how Uber is established in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2017/11/20/Uber-Strikes-Deal-With-Volvo-to-Bring-Self-Driving-Cars-to-Its-Network/stories/201711200127

Who would have tunk that an old cruddy steel making town would become something like this.

funny, that's what they say about North Texas as well.............................we will see.

[Highwayman]

Yes Austin as well as Columbus and Cincinnati are on everyone's list. Nashville shows up on a few too.

What I find funny is cities like San Francisco, Washington DC and New York City are on some lists yet one of the major requirements by Amazon is the city has to be able to expand housing to maintain low housing costs. I don't see how those cities can accomplish that when they already have high housing costs to start with.

[Boston Mike]

Yes Austin as well as Columbus and Cincinnati are on everyone's list. Nashville shows up on a few too.

What I find funny is cities like San Francisco, Washington DC and New York City are on some lists yet one of the major requirements by Amazon is the city has to be able to expand housing to maintain low housing costs. I don't see how those cities can accomplish that when they already have high housing costs to start with.

I'm actually saying North Texas...........not Central Texas (Austin). Fort Worth area has a decent chance....................afterall, there is an entire airport (Alliance) that handles deliveries in/out of the area for FedEx and can avoid the commercial airports entirely.

[Highwayman]

I'm actually saying North Texas...........not Central Texas (Austin). Fort Worth area has a decent chance....................afterall, there is an entire airport (Alliance) that handles deliveries in/out of the area for FedEx and can avoid the commercial airports entirely.

Are we talking about the same thing here? Sounds like you are talking about one of Amazons new major distribution warehousing sites and I am talking about Amazons new second headquarters. Or the cargo airport reference is just throwing me off.

[68fastback]

So if they have two HQs which one is HQ? :lol:

If it's in the US I have to believe it's really a longer term plan to get out of Seattle with one of the highest business $/sq.ft. in the US ($604 :faint:).

Then again, maybe it won't be in the US at all! :shades: ...or maybe that will be after Seattle is repurposed sometime down the road?

This list seems to best represent (or at least encompass) the various articles I'd read:

---

The report factors in 13 different metrics to gauge a market’s ability to attract and grow tech talent. The result is a rank of 50 North American cities based on which are best for tech employers and workers.

While the city itself will certainly provide workers, Amazon is always looking to recruit from elsewhere. Getting new talent to come to a city requires a mix of good amenities and affordable housing, according to Svenja Gudell, chief economist at real estate data firm Zillow (https://www.zillow.com/).

Her short list for Amazon’s second headquarters is topped by Austin, Denver and Chicago because they have all the amenities of a big city, but they aren’t geographically constrained and have much cheaper housing than Seattle.

Of course, Amazon might not choose to put its headquarters in the U.S. at all.

According to Gudell, “Given our current immigration policy, especially on the tech side, it might be smart to consider Canada.”

Here’s the same information in the map as a sortable table:
Comparison of potential cities for Amazon’s HQ2




City

Tech talent rank #

Airport travel time (mins.)

Office price per sq. ft.

Median home value

Median rent

Population estimate



City

Tech talent rank #

Airport travel time (mins.)

Office price per sq. ft.

Median home value

Median rent

Population estimate



Washington, DC

4

19

595

$382,900

$2,130

6,131,977



Atlanta, Georgia

5

22

239

$229,400

$1,430

5,789,700



Raleigh, North Carolina

6

21

290

$180,400

$1,355

1,302,946



Austin, Texas

8

18

486

$323,900

$1,786

2,056,405



Boston, Massachusetts

9

11

550

$560,300

$2,555

4,794,447



Dallas, Texas

10

24

271

$167,200

$1,421

7,233,323



Baltimore, Maryland

11

17

202

$122,800

$1,286

2,798,886



Denver, Colorado

12

32

284

$385,600

$1,997

2,853,077



Chicago, Illinois

15

36

255

$223,400

$1,653

9,512,999



Phoenix, Arizona

17

8


$215,800

$1,276

4,661,537



Minneapolis, Minnesota

18

25

158

$246,900

$1,601

3,551,036



Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

22

20

207

$138,900

$1,208

6,070,500



Salt Lake City, Utah

23

8

187

$285,200

$1,479

1,186,187



Charlotte, North Carolina

26

16

177

$187,100

$1,321

2,474,314



Columbus, Ohio

28

8

61

$129,900

$1,135

2,041,520



Kansas City, Missouri

29

21

152

$122,900

$1,039

2,104,509



Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

30

30

140

$124,100

$1,122

2,342,299



St. Louis, Missouri

35

17

168

$121,300

$891

2,807,002



Sacramento, California

36

12

216

$305,200

$1,562

2,296,418



Milwaukee, Wisconsin

40

14

100

$108,200

$997

1,572,482



Nashville, Tennessee

43

14

217

$233,000

$1,550

1,865,298



Tulsa, Oklahoma

50

12

421

$108,400

$959

1,157,465

[Boston Mike]

Are we talking about the same thing here? Sounds like you are talking about one of Amazons new major distribution warehousing sites and I am talking about Amazons new second headquarters. Or the cargo airport reference is just throwing me off.

We already have a major Amazon distribution site here................would make sense to have HQ2 nearby. Not to mention, EVERYONE is moving to North Texas lately (Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Toyota NA............even Boeing is moving a unit here).

[Boston Mike]

So if they have two HQs which one is HQ? :lol:

If it's in the US I have to believe it's really a longer term plan to get out of Seattle with one of the highest business $/sq.ft. in the US ($604 :faint:).

Then again, maybe it won't be in the US at all! :shades: ...or maybe that will be after Seattle is repurposed sometime down the road?

This list seems to best represent (or at least encompass) the various articles I'd read:

---

The report factors in 13 different metrics to gauge a market’s ability to attract and grow tech talent. The result is a rank of 50 North American cities based on which are best for tech employers and workers.

While the city itself will certainly provide workers, Amazon is always looking to recruit from elsewhere. Getting new talent to come to a city requires a mix of good amenities and affordable housing, according to Svenja Gudell, chief economist at real estate data firm Zillow (https://www.zillow.com/).

Her short list for Amazon’s second headquarters is topped by Austin, Denver and Chicago because they have all the amenities of a big city, but they aren’t geographically constrained and have much cheaper housing than Seattle.

Of course, Amazon might not choose to put its headquarters in the U.S. at all.

According to Gudell, “Given our current immigration policy, especially on the tech side, it might be smart to consider Canada.”

Here’s the same information in the map as a sortable table:
Comparison of potential cities for Amazon’s HQ2




City

Tech talent rank #

Airport travel time (mins.)

Office price per sq. ft.

Median home value

Median rent

Population estimate



City

Tech talent rank #

Airport travel time (mins.)

Office price per sq. ft.

Median home value

Median rent

Population estimate



Washington, DC

4

19

595

$382,900

$2,130

6,131,977



Atlanta, Georgia

5

22

239

$229,400

$1,430

5,789,700



Raleigh, North Carolina

6

21

290

$180,400

$1,355

1,302,946



Austin, Texas

8

18

486

$323,900

$1,786

2,056,405



Boston, Massachusetts

9

11

550

$560,300

$2,555

4,794,447



Dallas, Texas

10

24

271

$167,200

$1,421

7,233,323



Baltimore, Maryland

11

17

202

$122,800

$1,286

2,798,886



Denver, Colorado

12

32

284

$385,600

$1,997

2,853,077



Chicago, Illinois

15

36

255

$223,400

$1,653

9,512,999



Phoenix, Arizona

17

8


$215,800

$1,276

4,661,537



Minneapolis, Minnesota

18

25

158

$246,900

$1,601

3,551,036



Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

22

20

207

$138,900

$1,208

6,070,500



Salt Lake City, Utah

23

8

187

$285,200

$1,479

1,186,187



Charlotte, North Carolina

26

16

177

$187,100

$1,321

2,474,314



Columbus, Ohio

28

8

61

$129,900

$1,135

2,041,520



Kansas City, Missouri

29

21

152

$122,900

$1,039

2,104,509



Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

30

30

140

$124,100

$1,122

2,342,299



St. Louis, Missouri

35

17

168

$121,300

$891

2,807,002



Sacramento, California

36

12

216

$305,200

$1,562

2,296,418



Milwaukee, Wisconsin

40

14

100

$108,200

$997

1,572,482



Nashville, Tennessee

43

14

217

$233,000

$1,550

1,865,298



Tulsa, Oklahoma

50

12

421

$108,400

$959

1,157,465




Chicago? I guess they'd be "killing" it there.
Denver.............was just there. I have to say that I was surprised. Maybe it was the part of the city we stayed in (Renaissance Downtown), but man it was POOR.................I've never seen so many homeless in one area. Made me sad. But, at least weed is legal.

[68fastback]

Denver is not my fave place tho my stepson loves it there. Parts of the downtown are very nice and parts are like wht you saw. If Amazon were to do an HQ2 there I would think it would not actually be in Denver ....more like NE where 6/76 & 470 near Barr Lake ...short commute to downtown and plenty of space for McMansions and quick access to the airport.

Yeah, Chicago struck me as bizarre too!

[Highwayman]

And yet another, apparently they are all hearing that I have chosen not to live there anymore :look:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business-top-stories/2018/01/11/Billionaire-Thomas-Tull-is-the-most-recent-transplant-to-Pittsburgh/stories/201801110122

[68fastback]

...that's TG !! :haha:

[Highwayman]

...that's TG !! :haha:

Yep pretty much, he always goes where I am not :kickrock:

[68fastback]

:lol:

[Joe G]

Yep pretty much, he always goes where I am not :kickrock:

You're not the only one he ignores. :kickrock:

[Highwayman]

You're not the only one he ignores. :kickrock:

I have to go with avoids over ignores since he is always in contact with me when he wants to know where I am to know where he can go

[Joe G]

I have to go with avoids over ignores since he is always in contact with me when he wants to know where I am to know where he can go

Oh yeah. :logical:

[68fastback]

:lol:

[Boston Mike]

everything BUT an AFC Championship appearance................:tiptoe:

[Highwayman]

East Liberty-based language learning startup Duolingo put up an ad along San Francisco's U.S. Highway 101 last week urging residents to move to Pittsburgh. It read, "Own a home. Work in tech. Move to Pittsburgh."

[68fastback]

Cool!

Could probably use another one in silicon valley for the many vacating Komifornia -lol

NY State has been targeting Silicon Valley (and a few other high-tech areas) for a few years now ...dunno how successful it is vs just helping our all-sizzle-=no-steak Gov trying to look like he's doing something useful in support of a possible POTUS run in 2020 :yikes: :rofl3:

[Highwayman]

Here is the actual billboard

https://i.imgur.com/JUA7XXW.jpg

[68fastback]

Compared to San Fran homes are probably a real bargain too ...smart targeting!

[Highwayman]

Compared to San Fran homes are probably a real bargain too ...smart targeting!

The biggest difference... housing IS available in Pittsburgh

[Alloy Dave]

Compared to San Fran homes are probably a real bargain too ...smart targeting!
I'm sure Mark will know better...but I would not be surprised if a typical house in Pittsburgh is 25-30% of the cost of the same house in CA.

[Highwayman]

From an article online by a Bay Area news paper The Mercury News

The median home value in Pittsburgh is $132,400 — compared to $1.3 million in San Francisco, $1.1 million in San Jose and $755,600 in Oakland, according to Zillow.

I have cousins that have been living in Sacramento since the late 70's and they are now getting bled out on taxes because their property values has gone up over 100% in the last 10 years because the lack of housing in San Francisco is pushing people outward and now into their area.

[Alloy Dave]

From an article online by a Bay Area news paper The Mercury News

The median home value in Pittsburgh is $132,400 — compared to $1.3 million in San Francisco, $1.1 million in San Jose and $755,600 in Oakland, according to Zillow.

I have cousins that have been living in Sacramento since the late 70's and they are now getting bled out on taxes because their property values has gone up over 100% in the last 10 years because the lack of housing in San Francisco is pushing people outward and now into their area.Not sure if that's apples to apples....but maybe not far off.

The really smart money is to live your life in San Fran, then move to Boise Idaho or Lincoln Nebraska or Detroit in retirement...and live like a king.

Footnote: No way I'd ever live in Detroit. :haha:

[Alloy Dave]

Just did a quick "survey" using Zillow...put in a bunch of parameters (3 BR, 2 BA, 1,800-2,100 sqft) and then selected 8 houses at random. For San Fran, was $1.4M. For Pittsburgh, $420k....roughly 30%

Definitely not scientific, but proves the point. SanFran (and most of CA) is VERY expensive housing.

[68fastback]

I'm sure Mark will know better...but I would not be surprised if a typical house in Pittsburgh is 25-30% of the cost of the same house in CA.

I was figuring around half or less. SF is very expensive.

[HSURB]

Not sure if that's apples to apples....but maybe not far off.

The really smart money is to live your life in San Fran, then move to Boise Idaho or Lincoln Nebraska or Detroit in retirement...and live like a king.

Footnote: No way I'd ever live in Detroit. :haha:

I agree, I would never live in Detroit, but it would be a hell of an improvement over San Francisco. And I've spent time in both locations.

HSURB®

[68fastback]

Maybe Dearborn or Flat Rock :giggle:

[Tommy Gun]

From an article online by a Bay Area news paper The Mercury News

The median home value in Pittsburgh is $132,400 — compared to $1.3 million in San Francisco, $1.1 million in San Jose and $755,600 in Oakland, according to Zillow.

I have cousins that have been living in Sacramento since the late 70's and they are now getting bled out on taxes because their property values has gone up over 100% in the last 10 years because the lack of housing in San Francisco is pushing people outward and now into their area.



Median home price in Virginia Beach is double Pittsburg :(

https://www.zillow.com/virginia-beach-va/home-values/

.

[Tommy Gun]

Or Pittsburgh :rolleyes:

[Highwayman]

Or Pittsburgh :rolleyes:

Good quick fix :trouble:

[Highwayman]

Another Pittsburgh FYI

From the beginning towns and cities with names ending with burg were spelled either as burg or burgh.

***You can google the exact details as I busy working now***

at some point the post office wanted to stop the confusion and forced all towns and cities to drop the 'h'. The city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania requested an exception and eventually got it making it the only town or city in the country to have an 'h' at the end of it's name.

Good reading if you look it up.

[68fastback]

Da 'Burgh :banana:

[Joe G]

Median home price in Virginia Beach is double Pittsburg :(

https://www.zillow.com/virginia-beach-va/home-values/

.

Yep... the rich folks like you. :moneyman:

[68fastback]

Wow -- Zillow says our market is "Very Hot" too!

[Joe G]

Wow -- Zillow says our market is "Very Hot" too!

Must be because of all the beaver. :look:

[68fastback]

Must be because of all the beaver. :look:

:spitcopy: ...indubitably ;-)

[Highwayman]

:spitcopy: ...indubitably ;-)

Yeah, there are just groundhogs in Western PA. I heard there is an arrest warrant out for one of them :sherriff:

[68fastback]

Maybe Mr. W. moved there. :giggle:

[Tommy Gun]

Good quick fix :trouble:




:tiptoe:

[Tommy Gun]

Yeah, there are just groundhogs in Western PA. I heard there is an arrest warrant out for one of them :sherriff:



:spitcopy:

.

[Tommy Gun]

Another Pittsburgh FYI

From the beginning towns and cities with names ending with burg were spelled either as burg or burgh.

***You can google the exact details as I busy working now***

at some point the post office wanted to stop the confusion and forced all towns and cities to drop the 'h'. The city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania requested an exception and eventually got it making it the only town or city in the country to have an 'h' at the end of it's name.

Good reading if you look it up.



Sounds like people get bored when it’s cold out for 9 months of the year. :popcorn:

.

[68fastback]

:spitcopy:

[Highwayman]

Sounds like people get bored when it’s cold out for 9 months of the year. :popcorn:

.

I know that I used too, but not anymore :beach:

[68fastback]

Mark, are you selling da burgh house? ...or just spending more time in FL?

[Highwayman]

Mark, are you selling da burgh house? ...or just spending more time in FL?

That has become a topic of discussion the past month. At this point we are in Pittsburgh from mid June till mid September. There are a lot of things that we have to consider about whether it is worth keeping the house.

Summers in Florida are brutal in the opposite sense of winters in the north. It is usually hot and muggy or raining. Thus no one wants to go outside much or do anything during the summer here. Oh and by hot I mean it's 85 in the morning when you wake up on it's way to the high 90's only to cool back off to the mid 80's again. No relief what's so ever for months. And when it rains it rains for days or weeks at a time continuously.

Transitioning away from a permanent second home will be a slow process. The follow up will be staying long term, like a month at a time, at places up north in rentals. Something like a month in Pittsburgh, a month in Rode Island area, a month somewhere else during the summer.

A big obstetrical is selling a fully furnished house that we don't need the furnishings. Very few things are needed in Clearwater.

[68fastback]

That has become a topic of discussion the past month. At this point we are in Pittsburgh from mid June till mid September. There are a lot of things that we have to consider about whether it is worth keeping the house.

Summers in Florida are brutal in the opposite sense of winters in the north. It is usually hot and muggy or raining. Thus no one wants to go outside much or do anything during the summer here. Oh and by hot I mean it's 85 in the morning when you wake up on it's way to the high 90's only to cool back off to the mid 80's again. No relief what's so ever for months. And when it rains it rains for days or weeks at a time continuously.

Transitioning away from a permanent second home will be a slow process. The follow up will be staying long term, like a month at a time, at places up north in rentals. Something like a month in Pittsburgh, a month in Rode Island area, a month somewhere else during the summer.

A big obstetrical is selling a fully furnished house that we don't need the furnishings. Very few things are needed in Clearwater.

I can appreciate the dilemma. We'd been considering a warmer climate eventually but can't take the FL summer heat & humidity either. At least up north in winter you can put on heavier jacket and I still get out and walk every day, but in FL they don't let you run naked much :haha: and I'd have to be covered up anyway for skin cancer considerations. Out by Tony is nice in that there's no humidity and when the kids lived in Vegas it was nice to visit ...you just need insulated shoe soles to not fry your feet if walking for more than 15 minutes -lol. AZ/Phoenix is similar, just that if you're white and over 60 the odds of being temporarily abducted for a ransom is >100x higher than anywhere else in the US, but you can carry easily for security :weg: Wyoming and Idaho have some nice areas with moderate climates but you're not near anything -lol We were also considering just staying here and buying a condo in a seniors community ...at least still near to the Catskills and Adirondacks (for as long as we are inclined to enjoy such) and no maintenance or weather-related 'work' to worry about. I guess everywhere has its benes and drawbacks.

[Boston Mike]

That has become a topic of discussion the past month. At this point we are in Pittsburgh from mid June till mid September. There are a lot of things that we have to consider about whether it is worth keeping the house.

Summers in Florida are brutal in the opposite sense of winters in the north. It is usually hot and muggy or raining. Thus no one wants to go outside much or do anything during the summer here. Oh and by hot I mean it's 85 in the morning when you wake up on it's way to the high 90's only to cool back off to the mid 80's again. No relief what's so ever for months. And when it rains it rains for days or weeks at a time continuously.

Transitioning away from a permanent second home will be a slow process. The follow up will be staying long term, like a month at a time, at places up north in rentals. Something like a month in Pittsburgh, a month in Rode Island area, a month somewhere else during the summer.

A big obstetrical is selling a fully furnished house that we don't need the furnishings. Very few things are needed in Clearwater.

Something we should know about here?? :look:

[Highwayman]

Something we should know about here?? :look:

Ah yeah... I don't have a clue what that means without googling it. Damm spell check!!!

[Boston Mike]

Ah yeah... I don't have a clue what that means without googling it. Damm spell check!!!

:baby:

[Tommy Gun]

That has become a topic of discussion the past month. At this point we are in Pittsburgh from mid June till mid September and anytime TG thinks about visiting. There are a lot of things that we have to consider about whether it is worth keeping the house.

Summers in Florida are brutal in the opposite sense of winters in the north. It is usually hot and muggy or raining. Thus no one wants to go outside much or do anything during the summer here. Oh and by hot I mean it's 85 in the morning when you wake up on it's way to the high 90's only to cool back off to the mid 80's again. No relief what's so ever for months. And when it rains it rains for days or weeks at a time continuously.

Transitioning away from a permanent second home will be a slow process. The follow up will be staying long term, like a month at a time, at places up north in rentals. Something like a month in Pittsburgh, a month in Rode Island area, a month somewhere else during the summer.

A big obstetrical is selling a fully furnished house that we don't need the furnishings. Very few things are needed in Clearwater.



Agree :nonono:


Lol

[Highwayman]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2018/04/10/carnegie-libraries/500452002/

Some footnotes:

The city of Allegheny became the northside of Pittsburgh
Braddock is in the eastern suburb part of Pittsburgh full of steel mills back in the day

[68fastback]

A brief history (http://popularpittsburgh.com/history-pittsburgh/)of da 'burgh.

[Highwayman]

Another interesting read

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/brian-oneill/2018/05/13/brian-o-neill-lewis-and-clark-trail-pittsburgh-mississippi-river/stories/201805130067

[Alloy Dave]

Here's an interesting read:

https://sports.theonion.com/roethlisberger-upset-steelers-didnt-ask-for-his-consent-1825952968

:look2:

[Highwayman]

Here's an interesting read:

https://sports.theonion.com/roethlisberger-upset-steelers-didnt-ask-for-his-consent-1825952968

:look2:

Amazing how everyone outside of Pittsburgh and Steelers fans are making an issue over this.

[68fastback]

I read nothing on The Onion :nonono: lol

---

[68fastback]

Another interesting read

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/brian-oneill/2018/05/13/brian-o-neill-lewis-and-clark-trail-pittsburgh-mississippi-river/stories/201805130067

I chuckled at this part:

But after Lewis demonstrated the 22-shot rifle with dead-eyed shooting of a target 50 paces away, a joker named Blaize Cenas grabbed it, it went off, and the bullet grazed a woman standing nearby. “She drops like a shot mallard,” Mr. Masich said. Once it was clear she’d survive, Lewis hustled his men back on the boat, but they had to take tons of supplies on and off it three times before McKees Rocks just to clear the sandbars.

Hey, no big deal ...just an accident ...no one died -lol Today that would have resulted in a full investigation, reckless endangerment charges, and delayed the trip by 3-6 months :haha:

[68fastback]

Ford collaborating w/ da 'burgh and others on City of Tomorrow, etc...

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/06/05/help-build-the-city-of-tomorrow-ford-and-pittsburgh.html

[Highwayman]

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2018/09/28/Facebook-Strip-signing-up-for-offiice-space-to-expand-District-tech/stories/201809280124

[Tommy Gun]

This could be good or bad.

[Highwayman]

The progress of Tech companies moving in or expanding in Pittsburgh has been slow enough so far that the impact on cost of living has not changed.

Amazon will cause a huge change where ever they select to open a new office at, I can only presume that they will choose a city that can handle the rapid increase of new residents without becoming another Seattle or San Francisco.

[Tommy Gun]

Seattle or San Francisco, so your saying it increases the gay population?



:rofl3:

[Highwayman]

Seattle or San Francisco, so your saying it increases the gay population?



:rofl3:

Yep, the percentage of them will equally increase with all others.

That is what you meant I take it :look:

[Tommy Gun]

Yes :look:

[Boston Mike]

Yep, the percentage of them will equally increase with all others.

That is what you meant I take it :look:

gay..............you take it................:yikes:

[Boston Mike]

The progress of Tech companies moving in or expanding in Pittsburgh has been slow enough so far that the impact on cost of living has not changed.

Amazon will cause a huge change where ever they select to open a new office at, I can only presume that they will choose a city that can handle the rapid increase of new residents without becoming another Seattle or San Francisco.

fairly sure it's gonna be in the DFW metroplex. :look:

[68fastback]

That would be a good choice ...good roads, land for communities to grow into, Texas services.

[Boston Mike]

That would be a good choice ...good roads, land for communities to grow into, Texas services.

and the world's first 100% cargo/corporate airport.............

https://www.alliancetexas.com/OverviewMaps/ServicesAmenities/AllianceAirport.aspx

[Highwayman]

and the world's first 100% cargo/corporate airport.............

https://www.alliancetexas.com/OverviewMaps/ServicesAmenities/AllianceAirport.aspx

That definitely would fill a check box on Amazons list.

Pittsburgh has an International Hub airport that is now being used as a regional airport with lots of potential. USAir pulled out and went to Philly thanks to the Governor (Ed Randell) at the time who was from Philly. He gave them great tax breaks to move their hub to Philly to help create jobs there. He didn't care that he was taking jobs away in another part of the state that he represented.

[68fastback]

Actually the corp jet part is probably more attractive than the cargo part -lol- since Amazon has highly decentralized regional distrib centers and not much at all ships by air from a centralized facility any longer ...and what does ship by air mostly ships from the manufacturer/supplier directly TO the many regional distrib centers (and sometimes drop-ship).
Surely it would still add to the attractiveness anyway but more in terms of large DFW businesses receiving bulk goods from their suppliers, of which Amazon may be some [likely small] part. Amazon is primarily a residential consumer and SOHO game, not so much a large corporate supplier who mostly contract in bulk and coordinate direct shipments to their units.

[Highwayman]

Actually the corp jet part is probably more attractive than the cargo part -lol- since Amazon has highly decentralized regional distrib centers and not much at all ships by air from a centralized facility any longer ...and what does ship by air mostly ships from the manufacturer/supplier directly TO the many regional distrib centers (and sometimes drop-ship).
Surely it would still add to the attractiveness anyway but more in terms of large DFW businesses receiving bulk goods from their suppliers, of which Amazon may be some [likely small] part. Amazon is primarily a residential consumer and SOHO game, not so much a large corporate supplier who mostly contract in bulk and coordinate direct shipments to their units.

That would explain why Amazon is interested in a location in Pittsburgh that is not near the main airport but rather near the County airport with houses Corporate Jets and many of the other corporations in the Pittsburgh area. The county airport is from what I remember mostly just corporate and small private planes.

[68fastback]

That would explain why Amazon is interested in a location in Pittsburgh that is not near the main airport but rather near the County airport with houses Corporate Jets and many of the other corporations in the Pittsburgh area. The county airport is from what I remember mostly just corporate and small private planes.

I could see them going SSW of da 'burgh ...20-30 minutes, on the edge of cheaper housing ...maybe even commutable from the 'spike' of WV.
I could also see them going to the DFW fringe a similar reason. Both areas potentially offer roll-over residential development tho DFW machine is likely more well-greased. But I'm sure there's a litany of other business considerations and how they map to all the indigenous location features.

Also Amazon is likely 'playing' all candidate areas for sliding and/or wholesale long-term tax abatements and other pot-sweeteners that mix into their total investment strategy. In that regard DFW may be able to offer more but da 'burgh may be more motivated to work very closely w/Amazon since they need a golden ring more than DFW. Surely Amazon also knows they could hold more sway in da 'burgh in other ways too as it is the home of the leading robotics lab in the US, among other things, which may or may not uniquely benefit them depending on how Amazon views themselves going forward -- e.g. if they see themselves going virtually 100% automated in all their regional distrib centers (which they do), so they may feel they can be more influential in getting their unique needs addressed in a competitive-advantage sense more effectively in da 'burgh (vs, let's say, Walmart, who came on super-strong last year -- $500B+ strong) so the considerations might be more than proximity to housing, skills and influence.

They may also want to invest heavily in the periphery of NREL (US National Robotics Engineering Lab) for those purposes and also for brand polish reasons (vs a Walmart), and to engender long-term loyalty that they may feel is not as likely available in the broader DFW area. Only Amazon can know what serves them best overall.

Even Bezos' potential political aspirations could affect the decision ...and that might favor DFW -- or somewhere else entirely -- based on personal quid-pro-quo dealing we would not know about until afterward -- if ever -lol

[Boston Mike]

I could see them going SSW of da 'burgh ...20-30 minutes, on the edge of cheaper housing ...maybe even commutable from the 'spike' of WV.
I could also see them going to the DFW fringe a similar reason. Both areas potentially offer roll-over residential development tho DFW machine is likely more well-greased. But I'm sure there's a litany of other business considerations and how they map to all the indigenous location features.

Also Amazon is likely 'playing' all candidate areas for sliding and/or wholesale long-term tax abatements and other pot-sweeteners that mix into their total investment strategy. In that regard DFW may be able to offer more but da 'burgh may be more motivated to work very closely w/Amazon since they need a golden ring more than DFW. Surely Amazon also knows they could hold more sway in da 'burgh in other ways too as it is the home of the leading robotics lab in the US, among other things, which may or may not uniquely benefit them depending on how Amazon views themselves going forward -- e.g. if they see themselves going virtually 100% automated in all their regional distrib centers (which they do), so they may feel they can be more influential in getting their unique needs addressed in a competitive-advantage sense more effectively in da 'burgh (vs, let's say, Walmart, who came on super-strong last year -- $500B+ strong) so the considerations might be more than proximity to housing, skills and influence.

They may also want to invest heavily in the periphery of NREL (US National Robotics Engineering Lab) for those purposes and also for brand polish reasons (vs a Walmart), and to engender long-term loyalty that they may feel is not as likely available in the broader DFW area. Only Amazon can know what serves them best overall.

Even Bezos' potential political aspirations could affect the decision ...and that might favor DFW -- or somewhere else entirely -- based on personal quid-pro-quo dealing we would not know about until afterward -- if ever -lol

You have no idea...................the building growth going on here is insane. I'm fortunate as I can get to and from work without having to take a major highway, but have an option of two different highway routes to take if I so choose (I prefer to save the $8-10/day in tolls and take the backroads for an extra 5-10 minutes each way on average). Frisco, TX is going to be nearly as big commercially as Fort Worth and has allowed that building growth to push north into Celina and places that were too far out of Dallas to be commutable. To put it in perspective, Celina is an additional 15 miles north of where the original Monkey Palace was in McKinney and that was 45 miles to downtown Dallas). I have found if you follow the building of Home Depot/Lowes and CVS/Walgreen, you will see where the population growth is set to burst. The Celina and surrounding areas are ready to burst wide open.

[Highwayman]

I have found if you follow the building of Home Depot/Lowes and CVS/Walgreen, you will see where the population growth is set to burst.

This is so true

[68fastback]

:iagree: I was offering comment on the all-cargo airport being a major consideration. For Amazon it's really not. Few people, except business analysts, realize that Amazon's web services now yield more overall profitability to their bottom line than all other operations combined, including hard product sales, and their Cloud services are coming on strong now too.

That said, being in a growth area as Mike suggests may have real draw given that cargo operations are unlikely to even figure into the mix there and high-density people operations may well favor the DFW megalopolis. That may also mean they will spend more on salary and have to compete more heavily to draw labor because the area is so business dense, competitive, and growing so fast -- and that could be a real negative too.

If I were Bezos -lol- and assuming a HQ-type operation (possibly a bad assumption given his full intentions are far from clear) I would favor DFW but build out past the current development mega-bubble such that employees who choose to build close to Amazon (vs commute from within the existing bounds of the rapidly developing mega bubble) face a huge roll-over appreciation benefit as the perimeter of the existing huge bubble integrates with the small Amazon bubble. That can be a big draw for employees -- and over other employers -- who know they will essentially double their equity in 2-5 years.

[Highwayman]

I didn't see this coming but it does make sense based on some of the points that Dan made earlier

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2018/10/04/Tech-firm-to-take-space-in-Hazelwood-s-Mill-19-redevelopment-project-CMU-Almono-RIDC/stories/201810040118

[68fastback]

Interesting ...sounds like da 'burgh is seeing some nice growth!

[Highwayman]

So... Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia... or just Fake news about Amazon HQ2?

[68fastback]

...or just another finalist in the mix advantageous for Bezos to lever against the others? But the fact that they are coming in 'late' means they either have more to offer or can serve to extract more from a preferred location.

[68fastback]

New York news networks are carrying story that Amazon is now considering TWO new headquarters locations, one of which to be in my old neighborhood in NYC:

Long Island City, Queens County, NYC, NY (https://www.bing.com/search?q=Long+Island+City,+Queens+County,+NYC,+NY&form=PRACE1&src=IE11TR&pc=EUPP_ACTE)

Billed as 25,000 jobs.

Long Island City has the space, infrastructure and several old manufacturing sites ripe for rebuilding with excellent access to rail, subway and bus, and a suitable in situ labor market.

I'm not so sure it would be my first pick -lol- but it would be great for that part of NYC which is quickly becoming desirable once again (it used to a major NYC manufacturing hub) ...and for Amazon too.

---

Then again, I would not put it past Andy-boy Cuomo to make this 'splash' drum-beating the day before [his] election day ...just in case the fearsome MAGA red-wave might roll Molinaro over him at the polls tomorrow (tho doubtful).

[Highwayman]

It appears that several of the 20 cities selected, including Pittsburgh, have been mentioning that they haven't heard back from Amazon since their first visit. As this is a double edge sword there probably is no real losing in not being selected. Plus it has helped many cities put themselves on national display of what they have to offer for other corporations to see.

[Boston Mike]

I'll give you one more reason that DFW wins........................Democrats are trying very hard to turn this state purple. Amazon headquarters (and all their liberal employees they'd likely ship here to staff it) would help.

[68fastback]

...in that case: DFW SUCKS -- AMAZON STAY AWAY! :hilarious:

NY's already a very-blue lost cause -lol

[Tommy Gun]

...in that case: DFW SUCKS -- AMAZON STAY AWAY! :hilarious:

NY's already a very-blue lost cause -lol


I think NY will have one, probably near Long Island. :popcorn:






:sofa:

.

[68fastback]

New York news networks are carrying story that Amazon is now considering TWO new headquarters locations, one of which to be in my old neighborhood in NYC:

Long Island City, Queens County, NYC, NY (https://www.bing.com/search?q=Long+Island+City,+Queens+County,+NYC,+NY&form=PRACE1&src=IE11TR&pc=EUPP_ACTE)

Billed as 25,000 jobs.

Long Island City has the space, infrastructure and several old manufacturing sites ripe for rebuilding with excellent access to rail, subway and bus, and a suitable in situ labor market.

I'm not so sure it would be my first pick -lol- but it would be great for that part of NYC which is quickly becoming desirable once again (it used to a major NYC manufacturing hub) ...and for Amazon too.




I think NY will have one, probably near Long Island. :popcorn:






:sofa:

.

Long Island City is on LI but part of NYC...
LIC, NY got the bigger of the two.
Crystal City VA gets the other.
Good for both communities and Amazon
:banana:

Will be interesting to see where in LIC Amazon will be ...I know the area well and there really isn't any undeveloped land so it will be redevelopment of some sort.

[Boston Mike]

Long Island City is on LI but part of NYC...
LIC, NY got the bigger of the two.
Crystal City VA gets the other.
Good for both communities and Amazon
:banana:

Will be interesting to see where in LIC Amazon will be ...I know the area well and there really isn't any undeveloped land so it will be redevelopment of some sort.

well, good. We can continue to consolidate the liberals in NY.

[68fastback]

well, good. We can continue to consolidate the liberals in NY.

:spitcopy: ...might as well, when full cut the island adrift :haha:

[Tommy Gun]

well, good. We can continue to consolidate the liberals in NY.



That’s why I left when I was 1 year old. :popcorn:

[Highwayman]

Let's get this thread back on topic or I am going to go all 'Tek' on you :boink::fryingpan::boxers::bangin:

[Tommy Gun]

Why did you put the ban hammer emoji in there when talking about Tek, have you changed your vote? :popcorn:

[Highwayman]

Why did you put the ban hammer emoji in there when talking about Tek, have you changed your vote? :popcorn:

Opps Fixed

I was using all of the violent emojis available to stress my point :rofl3:

[68fastback]

Let's get this thread back on topic or I am going to go all 'Tek' on you :boink::fryingpan::boxers::bangin:

Okay -- how sad that da 'burgh didn't get squat from Amazon :haha:

:hiding: ;-)

[Tommy Gun]

:rofl3:

[Highwayman]

Okay -- how sad that da 'burgh didn't get squat from Amazon :haha:

:hiding: ;-)

I for one am happy that Pittsburgh did not get selected and I am even more happy that it was in the final 20.

In short, as opposed to a 'Dan' post, I believe the city never would have truly benefited from having a company like Amazon move in and take over. However being a participant of the final 20 selection did provide the city more exposure of what it does have to offer for the mere cost of assembling a proposal (~ a few hundred thousand) than it ever could have gotten trying to advertise and seek out companies and people to move there.

I left there mostly because I am tired of the cold and Clearwater is such an awesome place to live but it is still one of the better midsize cities to live in.

[68fastback]

Many NYers have now expressed similar feelings about Amazon going to LIC too ...has been a lot on this on local news. Can't please everyone but I'm not sure I agree Amazon would "take over" in da burgh or anywhere else ...they'd just be another large employer. Would they get ramped tax benes? Sure. But they would probably bring $1.3B in tax revenues to wherever they did this over that ramp period (current estimate). Of course, 50K (30K and 20K prime and second locations respectively) jobs would require transit adjustments and more but, overall, I think they would be a bene once the change shakes out ...jmho.

[Boston Mike]

Many NYers have now expressed similar feelings about Amazon going to LIC too ...has been a lot on this on local news. Can't please everyone but I'm not sure I agree Amazon would "take over" in da burgh or anywhere else ...they'd just be another large employer. Would they get ramped tax benes? Sure. But they would probably bring $1.3B in tax revenues to wherever they did this over that ramp period (current estimate). Of course, 50K (30K and 20K prime and second locations respectively) jobs would require transit adjustments and more but, overall, I think they would be a bene once the change shakes out ...jmho.

30k & and 20k Democrat increase................that would leach the location quickly.

[68fastback]

Could have been part of NYC's plan too ...LIC is both residential and business but has more businesses (small, commercial and industrial) than most other NYC precincts and therefore leans more republican (-- not necessarily in the majority (dunno), but more than most of NYC -- so this could, in fact, tip that district more deeply democrat. Then again, such motivation may give NY's moron mayor and thug governor more credit than they deserve :haha:

[Boston Mike]

Could have been part of NYC's plan too ...LIC is both residential and business but has more businesses (small, commercial and industrial) than most other NYC precincts and therefore leans more republican (-- not necessarily in the majority (dunno), but more than most of NYC -- so this could, in fact, tip that district more deeply democrat. Then again, such motivation may give NY's moron mayor and thug governor more credit than they deserve :haha:

As if THEY are actually running the show...............

[68fastback]

As if THEY are actually running the show...............

:lol: ...yeah, it's not quite Chicago but still corrupt.

[68fastback]

Just for closure sake: Amazon announced yesterday they have contracted for 1M sq feet in the former CitiGroup Building (https://qns.com/story/2018/11/14/amazon-move-one-court-square-awaits-construction-hq2-campus-lic/)at 1 Court Square in LIC ...I know the area well! 30K new people seems like so many but it's a nit for NYC to absorb (http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/amazons-hq2-decision-was-always-about-transit/ar-BBPV4Eo?ocid=ientp) -- and it was seemingly about transportation and access all along ...just part of one existing building (which they will likely take all of eventually) -lol In a city where the F-train alone (one of dozens in NYC) moves roughly the entire population of Wyoming daily it's just no big deal.

[Highwayman]

Just for closure sake: Amazon announced yesterday they have contracted for 1M sq feet in the former CitiGroup Building (https://qns.com/story/2018/11/14/amazon-move-one-court-square-awaits-construction-hq2-campus-lic/)at 1 Court Square in LIC ...I know the area well! 30K new people seems like so many but it's a nit for NYC to absorb (http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/amazons-hq2-decision-was-always-about-transit/ar-BBPV4Eo?ocid=ientp) -- and it was seemingly about transportation and access all along ...just part of one existing building (which they will likely take all of eventually) -lol In a city where the F-train alone (one of dozens in NYC) moves roughly the entire population of Wyoming daily it's just no big deal.

I agree that transportation, the lack of ease and availability, is one of the main reasons Pittsburgh was not seriously considered.

[68fastback]

I could see them, alternatively, going to the other approach too -- i.e. building on the fringe/beltline of a smaller but fast-growing metro with the advantage of new housing investment growth and rollover. Dunno Amazon's plan, but the fact they apparently planned all along to go the other way (existing housing and mature infrastructure) may suggest that the majority of hires will be local with the much smaller remainder seeded from the West coast and/or magnet-drawn from other areas. If it was mostly dissemination of existing skill into another geography (i.e. primarily paid moves as companies like IBM have often done) the fringes of DFW or RTP/NC or even Charleston/SC or Da 'Burgh might have been more suitable. I guess NYC or DC/VA might have also served to hedge their bets as it also keeps other options open too ...and folks Amazon will be able to (and will) populate 1 Court Square with will start to ramp the early part of 2019. Still not clear to me exactly what business units are involved, i.e. 'old' product-oriented Amazon or the newer (and already larger!) data & logistics services end of Amazon ...I'm guessing more the latter, but who knows?

[Tommy Gun]

23665

[Highwayman]

23665

Other than clothing and non-prepared food YES!!!

[68fastback]

Pittsburgh Announces the Winners of the City of Tomorrow Challenge



Nov 28, 2018 | PITTSBURGH, PA. (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/11/28/pittsburgh-announces-winners-city-of-tomorrow-challenge.html#)




After working collaboratively with Ford Motor Company, AT&T, Dell Technologies, Microsoft and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Pittsburgh today announces its winning projects from the City Of Tomorrow Challenge™.
Two of the winning proposals will each be awarded $50,000 to fund a pilot program that will test their implementation in a real-world setting
The Ford City of Tomorrow Challenge™ is a crowdsourcing platform created to help prepare cities for the future, bringing groups of people together to design and pilot new solutions to help improve mobility in cities



More information on the semi-finalists and other proposals that were submitted: City of Tomorrow Challenge website. (http://bit.ly/2Q0uyVd)

Story @ Ford Media... (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/11/28/pittsburgh-announces-winners-city-of-tomorrow-challenge.html)

[Highwayman]

Pittsburgh Announces the Winners of the City of Tomorrow Challenge



Nov 28, 2018 | PITTSBURGH, PA. (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/11/28/pittsburgh-announces-winners-city-of-tomorrow-challenge.html#)




After working collaboratively with Ford Motor Company, AT&T, Dell Technologies, Microsoft and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Pittsburgh today announces its winning projects from the City Of Tomorrow Challenge™.
Two of the winning proposals will each be awarded $50,000 to fund a pilot program that will test their implementation in a real-world setting
The Ford City of Tomorrow Challenge™ is a crowdsourcing platform created to help prepare cities for the future, bringing groups of people together to design and pilot new solutions to help improve mobility in cities



More information on the semi-finalists and other proposals that were submitted: City of Tomorrow Challenge website. (http://bit.ly/2Q0uyVd)

Story @ Ford Media... (https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/11/28/pittsburgh-announces-winners-city-of-tomorrow-challenge.html)








:goodpost:

[Tommy Gun]

Other than clothing and non-prepared food YES!!!


We have crazy tax on prepared food.

[68fastback]

We have crazy tax on prepared food.

Socialist state -lol

[68fastback]

:goodpost:

:uwelcome:

[Tommy Gun]

Socialist state -lol



Socialist/Democrat state :nonono:

.

[68fastback]

...VA's two senators Tim Kane and Mark Warner are moron #1 and jack-azz #1 respectively :lol:

...and Jillibrand and Schumer in NY are no better :rofl3:

[68fastback]

After much political pushback on Amazon, Amazon politely tells NY to stick it where the sun don't shine.
They would have been very good for Long Island City and NY but, under the circumstances, I think I would have done exactly what Amazon is doing ...telling De Blasio, in the nicest way possible 'sayonara, Bozo.' :rofl3:

[Highwayman]

I have several thoughts on this, the foremost is I saw this coming with most of the cities bidding.

The way Amazon went about this whole thing created the need for secrecy that was deemed necessary by the bidding teams. However the bidding teams were not made up of everyone in each city who in the end would have a say. So here we are after the conditions of the bid were made public and those with a say that weren't included during the bidding process are saying No Way, Nada, forget that, or in NYC's case Are you Frickn' kidding me. I saw this being extremely real in Pittsburgh as several lawsuits had been filed requesting the conditions of the bid be released. That city has a tremendous amount of internal struggle and lack of cooperation.

I believe that Amazon purposely doubled their need requirements with the intent from the beginning to split the bid in the end and drop the one who refused to honor the bid first then work with the second winner holding over them the now real possibility that Amazon will pull out too. Amazon now has in their pockets what the other cities were willing to give away and will use that in expanding existing operations in those cities of which Pittsburgh is one of them. All of the Alexa voice technology and machine learning is conducted in Pittsburgh, this is an expanding core of Amazon and they will be needing more of an existence there to continue their growth.

[68fastback]

At least in NYC's case I see it differently. The terms were not really hidden at all. Everyone knew about the tax incentives etc. But now the politicians need to have an excuse for what other new socialist politicians have wrought. The media has been polluted with false stories about how there was no transparency and how so many have been against it but so many more have been for it and the tax incentives were public all along. So now politicians are now trying to put it back on the 'people' rather that 'eat' one another :rofl3:.

Dunno about the other locations but in NYC's case what happened was an election and a wave of new socialism (give away free sh!t you never will actually do b/c you can't). Alexandria Ocasio Cortez -- who is a moron when it comes to economics or most anything else -- picked this issue as a rich-Bezos-guy-trying-to-exploit-the-little-man -doh! She's so clueless she thinks the $3B in tax abatements, etc. is actual money (her comments talk about investing that instead by government into social programs and making jobs :doh:) not realizing (because she's an economics moron) that the money doesn't actually exist -- anywhere -- it's merely money Amazon will be forgiven (averted taxes) in exchange for Amazon bring many billions via 25,000 jobs with paychecks :doh2: She declared "victory" yesterday for forcing Amazon out ...she stirred people up with unrealistic socialist bullsh!t (get rid of Amazon and get that $3B [that doesn't exist] for social programs and made-up jobs.

Notice Amazon's statement, which is quite accurate in characterizing the change in political climate ...the reason they're leaving is because politicians turned non-receptive (Ocasio Cortez being the most outspoken socialist even though it's not even her district!) and Amazon didn't feel they want to exist in a hostile climate. Sad also because investors had already started building apartment buildings nearby (nearby part of LIC is recently repurposed from old industrial so there is space for some new-builds). It would actually have been much easier for Amazon to go with the media ruse and put it on public sentiment, but that's just not real ...people I know down there were ecstatic that their home values would instantly go up; there will always be 'noise' in NYC for anything involving change (my trains will be more crowded -- omg! lol) but that's simply nonsense since the building they were to occupy was previously loaded with people commuting every day before the bank moved its operations elsewhere.

[Boston Mike]

At least in NYC's case I see it differently. The terms were not really hidden at all. Everyone knew about the tax incentives etc. But now the politicians need to have an excuse for what other new socialist politicians have wrought. The media has been polluted with false stories about how there was no transparency and how so many have been against it but so many more have been for it and the tax incentives were public all along. So now politicians are now trying to put it back on the 'people' rather that 'eat' one another :rofl3:.

Dunno about the other locations but in NYC's case what happened was an election and a wave of new socialism (give away free sh!t you never will actually do b/c you can't). Alexandria Ocasio Cortez -- who is a moron when it comes to economics or most anything else -- picked this issue as a rich-Bezos-guy-trying-to-exploit-the-little-man -doh! She's so clueless she thinks the $3B in tax abatements, etc. is actual money (her comments talk about investing that instead by government into social programs and making jobs :doh:) not realizing (because she's an economics moron) that the money doesn't actually exist -- anywhere -- it's merely money Amazon will be forgiven (averted taxes) in exchange for Amazon bring many billions via 25,000 jobs with paychecks :doh2: She declared "victory" yesterday for forcing Amazon out ...she stirred people up with unrealistic socialist bullsh!t (get rid of Amazon and get that $3B [that doesn't exist] for social programs and made-up jobs.

Notice Amazon's statement, which is quite accurate in characterizing the change in political climate ...the reason they're leaving is because politicians turned non-receptive (Ocasio Cortez being the most outspoken socialist even though it's not even her district!) and Amazon didn't feel they want to exist in a hostile climate. Sad also because investors had already started building apartment buildings nearby (nearby part of LIC is recently repurposed from old industrial so there is space for some new-builds). It would actually have been much easier for Amazon to go with the media ruse and put it on public sentiment, but that's just not real ...people I know down there were ecstatic that their home values would instantly go up; there will always be 'noise' in NYC for anything involving change (my trains will be more crowded -- omg! lol) but that's simply nonsense since the building they were to occupy was previously loaded with people commuting every day before the bank moved its operations elsewhere.

If I was Bezos, I’d have said “not only am I walking away from the LIC HQ2, but I’m also pulling every job in NY state”.

[68fastback]

If I was Bezos, I’d have said “not only am I walking away from the LIC HQ2, but I’m also pulling every job in NY state”.

Once again, politicians rejoice in power vs content ...even when it blows up in their faces :doh: Morons!

Amazon doesn't have much in NYS ...a software location somewhere in NYC (according to Wiki) and fulfillment centers near Buffalo and on Staten Is, NYC. I think that's it.

Nah, I would not do that ...it would sort of be cutting off your nose to spite his face -- NY is a huge market. Actually Amazon no longer profits from their retail business -- their profits are mostly from data-driven metrics -- and retail is an important and timely source for that data (yeah, they sell our collective info too). Besides, the other fulfillment locations like Amazon -- at least I know Staten Island loves the jobs, dunno about Buffalo.

Watch how fast NYC senior politicians stop talking about Amazon now that the blowback has been squarely positioned on them, except when pointing fingers at one another :rofl3:

[Alloy Dave]

At least in NYC's case I see it differently. The terms were not really hidden at all. Everyone knew about the tax incentives etc. But now the politicians need to have an excuse for what other new socialist politicians have wrought. The media has been polluted with false stories about how there was no transparency and how so many have been against it but so many more have been for it and the tax incentives were public all along. So now politicians are now trying to put it back on the 'people' rather that 'eat' one another :rofl3:.

Dunno about the other locations but in NYC's case what happened was an election and a wave of new socialism (give away free sh!t you never will actually do b/c you can't). Alexandria Ocasio Cortez -- who is a moron when it comes to economics or most anything else -- picked this issue as a rich-Bezos-guy-trying-to-exploit-the-little-man -doh! She's so clueless she thinks the $3B in tax abatements, etc. is actual money (her comments talk about investing that instead by government into social programs and making jobs :doh:) not realizing (because she's an economics moron) that the money doesn't actually exist -- anywhere -- it's merely money Amazon will be forgiven (averted taxes) in exchange for Amazon bring many billions via 25,000 jobs with paychecks :doh2: She declared "victory" yesterday for forcing Amazon out ...she stirred people up with unrealistic socialist bullsh!t (get rid of Amazon and get that $3B [that doesn't exist] for social programs and made-up jobs.

Notice Amazon's statement, which is quite accurate in characterizing the change in political climate ...the reason they're leaving is because politicians turned non-receptive (Ocasio Cortez being the most outspoken socialist even though it's not even her district!) and Amazon didn't feel they want to exist in a hostile climate. Sad also because investors had already started building apartment buildings nearby (nearby part of LIC is recently repurposed from old industrial so there is space for some new-builds). It would actually have been much easier for Amazon to go with the media ruse and put it on public sentiment, but that's just not real ...people I know down there were ecstatic that their home values would instantly go up; there will always be 'noise' in NYC for anything involving change (my trains will be more crowded -- omg! lol) but that's simply nonsense since the building they were to occupy was previously loaded with people commuting every day before the bank moved its operations elsewhere.
Dan, just read this after I posted in the food for thought area...note the bold. LOL

[68fastback]

lol ...and I just posted some thoughts there before coming here :rofl3:

[68fastback]

Heard that the Amazon LIC NY deal may be back on.

[Highwayman]

Discussions on Amazon has become a topic of it's own so I created a thread to continue those discussions in --> http://stangsunited.com/showthread.php?9327-Amazon&p=386259#post386259

[68fastback]

Good idea...

...say, that's a cool cog railway :haha:

[Highwayman]

It's been a while as I don't read much about Pittsburgh anymore since I consider Clearwater my home but I saw this while looking at local articles about the Steelers.

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/10/24/Honeywell-Robotics-Strip-District-3-Crossings-warehouse-AI-hiring/stories/201910240120

[68fastback]

Curious they are just getting into a new field and opening a center-of-excellence in that field -- high hopes! :giggle:
That said they are targeting an interesting sector which sounds like warehousing and distribution [robotics] automation. There are several players in that space but none dominating, so maybe they see this as a ripe niche. Cool!

Another odd statement is their center's mantra: "To create new solutions for industrial customers with both simple and complex needs" Well, that about says -- ummm -- nothing :haha:

[68fastback]

Okay, found Honeywell's overview ...more sense/focus:

https://www.honeywell.com/en-us/newsroom/news/2019/10/3-things-to-know-about-honeywell-robotics (https://www.honeywell.com/en-us/newsroom/news/2019/10/3-things-to-know-about-honeywell-robotics)

[Highwayman]

Well, this is diffidently the short term end to Autonomous vehicles

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/26/ford-vw-backed-argo-ai-is-shutting-down/

[Highwayman]

This was news even to me, I had thought that San Francesco would have the steepest streets.

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2016/10/steepest_streets_in_pittsburgh.html



Here is the official sign.

http://i.imgur.com/CZtv0k6.jpg (https://imgur.com/CZtv0k6)

[Tommy Gun]

During one of the Orfstocks when we drove around Pittsburgh one day we drove down a couple very steep streets. I don’t have a clue what the street names were, but we were thinking how crazy it must be when it snows, I bet even in the rain probably questionable.

.

[Highwayman]

During one of the Orfstocks when we drove around Pittsburgh one day we drove down a couple very steep streets. I don’t have a clue what the street names were, but we were thinking how crazy it must be when it snows, I bet even in the rain probably questionable.

.

I grew up never having those thoughts, you just went. No after being away from there for so long I don't like all of the wavy curvy roads anymore.

[Alloy Dave]

In Cincinnati there is a street called "Straight Street" because it's nearly straight up lol. I don't think it's as steep as 37%, but it's steep for sure. I used to park on it when I went to the University of Cincinnati...have to turn your wheels away from the curb when parking uphill, especially if you drive a manual like I did lol.

They even have a foot "race" up the hill each year...it's .36 miles long lol.

https://www.straightstreethillclimb.com/

[onecrazydog]

We have a road called Groat Road... Lol... But is has an awesome S curve area for drifting...

The person taking the vid is going too slow, but drives the whole fun area!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVLEXW7u4HI&t=1s



https://video.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.1790-2/21561484_420321838363001_3477406518721118208_n.mp4 ?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=985c63&efg=eyJybHIiOjM2NywicmxhIjo1MTIsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIj oic3ZlX3NkIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=UvXO18tKOTkAX8RQHA1&rl=367&vabr=204&_nc_ht=video.xx&edm=AGo2L-IEAAAA&oh=00_AfCSBC3bq4ENWMd3lxhKOfR5tpZG9PtJeyBmENxXDTzQ Cw&oe=63BF4D50

[Highwayman]

They have a race in Pittsburgh specifically involving these streets for the same reason

[twobjshelbys]

They have a race in Pittsburgh specifically involving these streets for the same reason

Somehow I don't think F1 would have it as part of the route

[Highwayman]

Somehow I don't think F1 would have it as part of the route

I was replying to Dave's post about a runners race.

[Highwayman]

http://i.imgur.com/w6P1EJM.jpg (https://imgur.com/w6P1EJM)

[Tommy Gun]

Cool

[Highwayman]

Preparations for the NFL draft in April have begun, lots of renovations including the fountain at the point is getting a new lighting system

[Orf]

During one of the Orfstocks

During what?

[Tommy Gun]

:wow2:


.

[tekheavy]

:wow2:

[Highwayman]

:redcard3::threadjacked::hijacked::offtopic: