Greg Barone, a visitor to Pittsburgh, was in town on business for four days when he became painfully aware that the gas prices were higher here than they were than back in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

"Don't get me wrong," Barone said, "we still think they are high there, too." The regular gas price, Barone said, is about $3 a gallon, compared to about $3.57 here.

Barone, however, drives a Toyota Prius. This helps him immensely, he said.

"With that car, I get about 45 or 55 miles per gallon. It's awesome," he said.

Gas prices vary around the area. The BP and Exxon gas stations on Route 50 sit right next to each other. They compete with each other to bring in customers.

Najab Khan, a cashier at the BP gas station, said business has gone down ever since gas prices have gone up.

"People are not filling their tanks as much as they used to," Khan said.

And people who are filling their tanks are doing it differently now.

Sue Bradley of Scott said she is buying everything with gift cards at Giant Eagle and Shop 'n Save. Her reasons for doing this are two-fold: Her husband, Doug, works in construction, and he drives a Ford Explorer.

"That (vehicle) is a gas guzzler," Bradley said, "and he finds himself going to Greensburg, South Fayette, Latrobe, all over the place."

The gift cards also helped her to save more than $1,000 in gas money during the summer of 2007. She hopes to double that this year, Bradley said.

"The (cards) are a lifesaver, believe me."

The good news was that retail gas prices fell slightly last Friday -- the first time in 18 days that they have not risen to a new record -- and analysts say pump prices may be peaking for the year.

The prices may rise no higher than $3.65-$3.70, experts say. The prices may fall to $3.00 a gallon by the summer.

One can only hope.

In the meantime, the local gas price average last week was $3.59. Stations surveyed were the Sunoco in Crafton ($3.59 regular), the BP in Heidelberg ($3.65), the BP in Carnegie ($3.64) and the Exxon in Green Tree ($3.59), among others.

A majority of people surveyed say they cannot afford to go on summer vacations because of the rising gas prices. Seven out of 10 people spoken to said they are not going anywhere this summer because of the prices at the pump.

Others, however, don't feel the sting of the gas prices quite as badly.

Steven Ingram of Center Township, Beaver County, works in Green Tree. He finds himself driving his Nissan Maxima back and forth to work every day near the Parkway Center Mall.

However, Ingram said the inflated gas prices have not hit him as hard as others.

"Even if the gas prices have gone up $10 or $15, it's not going to kill me," Ingram said. "I don't like paying the extra money (for gas), but it's not going to kill me. It's not going to change my lifestyle."

There are businesses in the area that are getting hit by the increased gas prices.

Al Huqq is originally from Chicago and now lives in Memphis. He owns Clear Choice Carpet Cleaning, which has a location in Carnegie.

He said the gas prices in Memphis are between $3.10 and $3.20 a gallon for regular gas.

When in Pittsburgh, he said, "I drive less. I plan my routes better. I know that gas is killing (my business)."

Mike Mueller, a ventilation supervisor for Clear Choice, drives a Ford Explorer. He drove 140 miles last Thursday and put $55 in the tank that day.

"It hurts," he said, "but that's the way it is."