# I Pit the pit that is Breezewood PA **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 3, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307 "2010-11-03T05:58:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/21 "2010-11-03T17:58:15Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I got you beat there. My fiancee used to work in Breezewood for several years. Do people live in Breezewood? Most maps I’ve looked at don’t show much housing in the area. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/22 "2010-11-03T19:09:35Z")
Heh…I’ll join in, though I don’t really have any animus toward Breezewood. Of course, I rarely have reason to have to travel through it, either, so…but it really IS an armpit. The few times I remember going through it when I was a kid (I grew up in Altoona, about 40 miles NW of Breezewood), I can’t remember much housing…the town is like a giant truckstop. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/23 "2010-11-03T19:20:30Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > I fuel up and food up at Breezewood any time I’m venturing to Maryland, DC, Virginia, and other points south. This is exactly why Breezewood is the way it is. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/24 "2010-11-03T19:38:40Z")
I’ll join in the pitting of the whole PA Turnpike. Amusing story: In college, I was with one the student government going from our college in the NYC area to a conference in Cleveland, Ohio. We were also caravaning with a group from another of the nearby colleges. All told, there were 3 of those 14-person vans for the 10-ish hour trip. At around mile-marker 200 on the PA Turnpike, the other college’s van broke down. We all pulled over (which isn’t easy on the PA Turnpike - shoulders tend to come and go) and, after ascertaining that their van was kaput, squished into our vans and proceeded to the conference. The whole delay cost us around 2-3 hours. Not a huge deal, but we missed the opening/welcome speech and got in kinda late. Four days later, we were returning. Alone this time, as the other college had to leave late the night before in their replacement van. Lo-and-behold, right around mile-marker 200, **our** van breaks down due to some leaking oil or other nonsense. We wait a good hour-and-change for a tow capable of towing this van to show up. But to get us to a garage, the truck has to proceed 13 miles further down the roadway to the next exit, _turn around_ and drive 25-ish miles to the previous exit, then drive a few miles off of the turnpike to some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. But wait, it’s Sunday … which means the garage isn’t open. And we can’t get a rental because the Enterprise in town doesn’t have any vehicles large enough to accommodate us and the nearest place that did was more than 1/2 way home. So the club’s advisor’s supervisor gets in one of the other school vans, drives 6 hours out to get us (where we spent killing time in a tiny, but nice truck stop - a pinball tournament can pass the time!) and then we drive about 6 hours back home, getting home somewhere well after midnight. So yes - I wholeheartedly support this pitting of the PA Turnpike for breaking down my the vehicle I was traveling in not once, but twice, in the same trip. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/25 "2010-11-03T20:23:55Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There’s a similar thing in Carlisle, PA; I-81 crosses over I-76, but the only way to get from one to the other is a half-mile of surface road. > > I used to work along that half-mile. The scuttlebutt was that the guy who owned the huge truck stop across the street had enough local clout to prevent an interchange from being built, guaranteeing all the truck traffic would come right by his business. > > (The place I worked was a software company, so it had nothing to do with highway access or passing motorists. Our lives would have been a lot easier with less traffic.) On the Eastern end there is no decent connection between I-95 and the Turnpike either. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/26 "2010-11-03T21:06:03Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > I have plans to head up there sometime to bike the 13 miles of [Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandoned_Pennsylvania_Turnpike). I just need to find someone to team up with, as this isn’t an activity to tackle solo. > > You really are in the middle of nowhere when bicycling this road - it is no longer maintained and goes through two unlit tunnels. It isn’t an official bike trail yet, though the road bed is in decent shape and thousands of bicyclists use it every year. > > Any takers? Let me know when and we’ll go. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/27 "2010-11-03T21:11:55Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > On the Eastern end there is no decent connection between I-95 and the Turnpike either. This at least is finally being remedied. There’s a huge, multi-decade project finally getting into the “construction” (read: build something finally) phase. [http://www.paturnpikei95.com/home.htm](http://www.paturnpikei95.com/home.htm) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/28 "2010-11-03T21:41:09Z")
I spent three days in Breezewood once. You heard me, three. days. The u-haul I was driving from Michigan to Virginia burst a pumpkin ont he way down the pennsylvania moutnainside. Being a bit stressed out I chose the hotel which advertised a jacuzzi int he room. When I turned on the water to fill the jacuzzi, the water was brown. Same int he tap, and the toilet, as it turned out. The most fun I had in Breezewood was looking at the 1000’s of different shot glasses covering a wall in one of the shops. I impressed my friends by buying everyone an “Air Force One” shot glass for Christmas. The best food I had was at the Silver Diner. Breezewood sucks. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/29 "2010-11-03T22:31:48Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Do people live in Breezewood? > > Most maps I’ve looked at don’t show much housing in the area. Nope. She drove there and back every day from a little town between there and Altoona. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/30 "2010-11-03T23:04:30Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Nope. She drove there and back every day from a little town between there and Altoona. I’m guessing King or Claysburg. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/31 "2010-11-03T23:19:51Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I’m guessing King or Claysburg. Neither, but reasonably close. Back roads all the way and not I-99. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/32 "2010-11-04T00:24:48Z")
Mixed feelings. I moved to Ohio in 1971. My family home is Arlington VA. Still is. So, I’ve driven through there(conservatively) 390 times. You heard me right. It was worse many years ago before there were as many fast food joints as there are now. I spent the night there only once, trapped by a blizzard. Motel Hell. I’m glad to know the history of _why_. Getting off at an exit on the PA tpk before/after Breezewood wasn’t exactly a holiday. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/33 "2010-11-04T00:30:10Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > It was worse many years ago before there were as many fast food joints as there are now. More fast food joints make a place better? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/34 "2010-11-04T00:34:42Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > More fast food joints make a place better? No, certainly not. Just that, if I’m forced to exit there, and it’s lunch/dinner time, I’d prefer to have more than 3 choices as to where I eat my slop. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/35 "2010-11-04T00:44:32Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > No, certainly not. Just that, if I’m forced to exit there, and it’s lunch/dinner time, I’d prefer to have more than 3 choices as to where I eat my slop. It’s got a Sheetz, so it’s not as bad as it could be. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/36 "2010-11-04T00:54:08Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > I have plans to head up there sometime to bike the 13 miles of [Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandoned_Pennsylvania_Turnpike). I just need to find someone to team up with, as this isn’t an activity to tackle solo. > > You really are in the middle of nowhere when bicycling this road - it is no longer maintained and goes through two unlit tunnels. It isn’t an official bike trail yet, though the road bed is in decent shape and thousands of bicyclists use it every year. > > Any takers? Wish I could. I probably rode through one or both of those tunnels multiple times as a kid with my parents. It would be fascinating to see them outside of a car. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/37 "2010-11-04T04:03:27Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > More fast food joints make a place better? Lots of people don’t remember this, but one of the reasons McDonald’s grew so fast is because it gave people a clean hygenic alternative to greasy spoons. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/38 "2010-11-04T10:49:27Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve driven along that part of the Pennsy Turnpike. Is the neonish _Breezewood: Town of Motels_ sign still there? The gentle pink glow made it seem so nice and friendly and comforting, rather than what it actually is: a truck stop with its own zip code. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/39 "2010-11-04T14:13:15Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > With that said, let me tell you a little story about Breezewood. One night, after drill, the guys in my unit convince me to go to the bar instead of heading home to DC. So I go with them and I don’t get on the road home til 3 am. By the time I get to Breezewood, it’s 4 a.m. So I stop in the diner there and chat up the waitress. We talk about everything until about 7 a.m. Then we go hop in her Camaro and she takes me around Breezewood’s unofficial drag strips while she smokes a J. > > I’ve been up all night partying and now I’m driving around an unknown town with a hot woman in a fast car. > > Thank you, Breezewood. Thank you. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Breezewood sucks. Evidently, what happens in Breezewood, stays in Breezewood. So, progress would be if the waitresses took EZPass…? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307/40 "2010-11-04T21:20:46Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Yes, I believe more Americans have been forcibly transported through Breezewood than through their mothers’ womb. Breezewood, Pennsylvania: Cervix To The Midwest !! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-pit-that-is-breezewood-pa/559307.md?page=1)