Hit the bricks

I just spent the weekend in Pittsburgh and noticed something very curious (in addition to the excessive availability of Steeler's paraphanalia). Pittsburghers love their bricks. Seriously. I have never witnessed such an overwhelming abundance of brick before. I'm convinced that bricks must be free in Pittsburgh or possibly there is a brick mine that shares the treasure with everyone in the city.

Where I live on the other side of the state (Northeast PA), and I would presume the rest of the country, a cross walk is just a painted set of lines on the blacktop. In Pittsburgh, the blacktop is interrupted with rows of brick, thus completing the crosswalk. Almost every church, school or house is brick (and the ones that aren't are stone).

It's even rumored that one of the reasons the Steelers are playing so well this year is because they spend all of their practices hiking, punting, passing and kicking bricks. So when game time comes, the pigskin is a breeze to maneuver.

What other uses might the people of Pittsburgh invent for bricks? How about brick furniture (for the indoor brick lover) or brick canoes (for the outdoorsy type)? Brick sandals might be a nice idea. Maybe a nice set of brick earrings would make a good gift (although I hate the thought of what that might do to your ear lobes).

Maybe a truly creative Pittsburgher could market "The Pet Brick," similar to the concept of the pet rock. And maybe you could market Pet Bricks sort of like Xavier Roberts marketed Cabbage Patch Dolls. They could each come with their own birth certificate and a unique name (like Mason McBricky or Brittany Lyn Brickelstein). Add a noticeable brick bellybutton in the middle. And you could sign your name on the brick's backside.

These are just a few thoughts. Either way, Pittsburgh has a lot of bricks and I thought the city would like to know that someone noticed.