We did finally find the West condos. In preparation for auctioning off 36 units, the developer held an open house. We saw nearly all of them and loved most of the ones we saw. But, frankly, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t an easy walk to downtown. The upside of that was that many of the units had a great view of the city skyline. I picked a unit on the 15th floor. Joy said she wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. (I hope she was talking about bidding on the unit. That’s what she was talking about, right?)

After the open house we ran into a young Oracle employee. Despite my giving him grief about the Oracle-Google law suit, he was very friendly. He took us to the “Entertainment District” where he was meeting his girlfriend to watch the NFL game at Tobacco Road (which turned out to be a restaurant). He told us about two Irish pubs within walking distance and walked us past a third one. Tobacco Road has ESPN on something like a zillion TV’s. Also in Glenwood South (aka “Entertainment District”), there is the Downtown Grill & Sports Bar. It is one of those below the sidewalk bars that seemed to be favored for a guys’ night out. But did you hear me say that there are three Irish Pubs within walking distance of West (and the other homes in Glenwood South). There is also a Bada Bing NY-style pizza joint and a very nice Bruegger’s with lots of outdoor tables. These and many other restaurants are on the first floor of 222 Glenwood, home of another beautiful condo complex.

But one needs more than a home, coffee shop, sports bar, and pub. At least, I do. How about a church that meets in an old warehouse. It shares the warehouse with a bar and an outdoor volleyball court. The teaching pastor is a product of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. I belonged to IVCF in college and was also a faculty advisor for IVCF.

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Adjacent to Glenwood South is Sewickley, PA-like Cameron Park. Do you prefer an older home with character to condo living? Sidewalks and parks? Friendly people? Check this neighborhood out. I asked two different couples what I thought was a quick question and ended up engaged in friendly conversation for several minutes both times.

We went back to our favorite pub Friday night with Lindsay and Sherry. Napper Tandy is a tasteful assemblage of intimate dining nooks. Some of the fixtures were imported from Ireland, but they all look as if they could have been. The live music is not traditional Irish but one definitely feels as though one is in an Irish pub. I really loved this place. Heather provided first class service and the food was great. I cannot wait to go back. This discovery is going to cost me money.

Yes, I love Honolulu, So Cal, and Pittsburgh as well as several other great cities, but what fun to find that there is room in my heart for one more – especially since I live here.