I signed up for one of the survival courses last year, but it was canceled due to lack of enrollment so I didn't get to go. (Or rather, everyone who signed up cancelled at the last minute--courses regularly sell out.) The guy who runs it was very prompt in answering my questions before signing up, and the info packets and waivers he sent were comprehensive. I'll definitely try to attend again the next time I have a chance. I realize this isn't especially helpful, but hey, hopefully it'll help if no one who's actually completed a course responds.

Why on earth would you want to, when email is an option? Serious question. Assuming faxes would work (which, whatever, that may or may not hold in some cases but clearly not all), was there some benefit?

Take the train to the Indiana Dunes! They're almost like hills. And if you can borrow a car, drive out to the Midewin prairie preserve for a different kind of nature.

Anyway, Pittsburgh is not nearly as cold, but much grayer. Rains all the time and harder. No brilliant blue winter skies like you get in Chicago. It can be equally windy. There are not as many bus shelters, and definitely no heat lamps, so waiting for transit sucks more.

Whole Foods has it, $4.29 for 8.4 oz.

"Ruining our businesses, frightening our customers. It’s like having a ghetto in the heart of a wonderfully safe neighborhood community.”

This is... maybe not... the best possible phrasing in a historically Jewish neighborhood, never mind the anti-black tones of the word. (Kids do sound like assholes, though.)

The Manchester airport is tiny and easy to navigate. I used to fly into it all the time before Southwest went to Logan. If that's where you're going in the end, I'd fly direct unless it's prohibitively expensive or at 5am. If that's the case, Logan is also totally fine and has one of the prettier approaches of any airport--you loop in over the ocean and fly low over the harbor islands before landing. Get your luggage, catch the free Silver Line bus to South Station, and go from there.

Hotelwise, the lazy way would be to stay at an airport hotel and then take the T into Boston or Cambridge for sights/eats. You could stay anywhere off the Red Line too, but it's more $$$. If you're VERY lazy, stick around the airport, Eastie has a ton of good Salvadorean food.