When the directions said “go down the alley,” I figured they were really
good, or I was being misled as an out of towner. Truth be told, you do go down
the alley, which after a few tries not using the directions found them to be the
most accurate. And there it was, just where I was told they would be “Primanti
Bros.” perhaps one of the best sandwiches I would ever eat. After seeing their
unique sandwich on the Food Network, I knew that Pittsburg would be my next stop
going east. But downtown Pittsburgh is a difficult place to navigate, what with
3 rivers separating it, stadiums every where you look, and old narrow roads, one
way in that they never go the way you want, and the challenge was on. I was
going to Primanti Bros. for lunch, even if it took until dinner time to get
there.
Finding a parking place right across from the entrance was
scary, I was the only motorcycle in sight, but looking back in the alley, again
the alley, I saw a Triumph Speed Triple, which I later found out to be the
cook’s bike, so I knew I was in good company. Now being a stranger in a strange
land, can be scary. And at a place where the locals meet, I was definitely not
a local. But I was welcomed, even told about how to duck my head when goin
downstairs to the head-low ceiling-and soon I was sitting at the counter,
watching the TV with local news, while the patron next to me informed me of all
the corrupt politics in Pittsburgh, made me feel right at home. And surrounded
by all the Steeler posters and jerseys, I would never admit I was from San
Diego. Something about a 1994 AFC game the Chargers somehow won, and the
Steeler fans never forgot. So So Cal was my answer. But he wasn’t listening,
only commenting. But it was time to order-yelling across the counter to the
cook, the chubby woman seen on TV, and soon a #2, the all time best seller, a
cheese steak with a handful of fries, and a handful of Italian coleslaw piled
high between hand cut Italian bread was in front of me. A real sandwich, not
for calorie counters, nor health food addicts-obviously this was before my open
heart surgery, and soon I was in Primanti heaven. Funny how so many distinct
flavors can come together to taste so good. Add a diet Coke, and all was well
with the world. Now how do I get out of Pittsburgh? Where is another alley
when I need one?
I could see the 16th Street bridge from where I was in the strip
district, but how to get to it-only a few blocks away? So using another
alley-by now I figured them out, or so I thought, I took a left, and went under
the bridge, then another left, and onto the bridge-just like the signs said,
maybe Pittsburgh wasn’t so bad after all, then across the bridge. Safe and
secure, and proud of my navigational skills, until I got in the wrong lane, and
no one cut me slack-and ended up going west, when I needed to go east, and
taking the wrong fork in the road. Only to end up where I needed to be, going
east-going against the signs and traffic. No woder the Steelers are so
tough-just getting around the city had made me a tougher individual. But still
not a Steeler fan...and still not a Chargers fan either.
And off into the country I rode, glad to leave the city behind.
The hustle, the bustle, the traffic, signs that say west that point to roads
goin east, and full of #2, I was glad to be relaxing on the backroads of
Pennsylvania again. And no alleys in sight. All that for a sandwich, seen on
the Food network, a detour I would make again, taking the alley route the first
time, not as exciting but more rewarding. Following directions...and not
getting lost, all without a GPS.
As a long distance rider, I am never lost as long as I am not
out of gas. And wrong turns are referred to as exploratory, never knowing where
they might lead. Even an alley can turn into something good, as my Primanti
bros. #2 proved, but some directions should be obeyed. For being lost,
separated from God is not a road I choose to travel. Scripture warns us that
obedience is better than sacrifice. Listening to God can and will keep you out
of trouble. But yet we argue, and even try to negotiate with God, when He shows
us something. Maybe that is why we don’t hear from Him so often, as if we could
win any argument with the creator of the universe. So I have found solace, and
good places to eat by following God.
Psalm 37 tells us to delight in the Lord, and He will give us
the desires of our heart. Not our lusts, our ego trip filled desires, but His
desires. He plants them in your heart, then He fulfills them just like He says
He will. Think about Jesus for a minute. Did you just wake up one morning and
decide to find God? All by yourself? If you did, it explains the drugs, cults,
and failures you had to endure. But it was and is the Holy Spirit telling you
“you need Jesus” and drawing you close to Him. That knocking on your heart is
Him asking to come into your life. And when you let Him in, love will not
demand its own way, God fulfills the desire through salvation. He gives us the
desire for Himself, and then fulfills it through Jesus Christ. And just like
not all roads lead to Primanti Bros., not all roads lead to God. It is only
through Jesus we are saved, He is the way to God-He is God! So why wonder
aimlessly when you don’t have to?
My lunch was good, but still only meat, fries, and coleslaw
between two pieces of bread. Jesus is the bread of life-stay tucked in between
Him, and never go hungry. Another promise, Psalms also tells us He has never
seen the righteous begging, or their children going without food. Hungry, turn
to Jesus. Lost, follow Him. And watch as your desires turn to Him, for as He
gives the desire, He fulfills it. And someday you will find that Jesus is the
desire of your heart...and the scripture has come alive in your life. Sure
beats a burger under a heat lamp. For both fast food and fast religion leave
you hungry for he real thing, you never be filled until Jesus fulfills
you.
If only I had listened to the directions I would have been
eating instead of learning the back roads of the strip district. I saw the
bridge too, but how to get there. Jesus is the destination, the spirit the
direction. Follow Him and eat and be full rather than looking for an
alternative route. Some roads take you down an alley...not out of gas, but
still lost. Where you end up is based on the desire of your heart. I know what
my desire is, do you know where you will end up eating?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com