Pittsburgh

The Priory Inn

 After a enjoyable Christmas tour of family in Ann Arbor and Oberlin, we took Ben for a short vacation in Pittsburgh. We've always liked Pittsburgh, but I hadn't been back in 20 years and it's consistently ranked as one of the more interesting and livable cities in the US. Ann came up with a most excellent  place to stay on the north shore across the Allegheny River from downtown - a former Benedictine Priory and Catholic church now a beautiful (and not expensive) inn called The Priory. We settled into our lovely suite - 10 foot ceilings, large bay windowed living room overlooking the courtyard, spacious corner bedroom - after a slight delay. They were in the throws of finishing an expansion before the new year into a new wing next door (very nice too) and didn't have our new RFID lockset installed at check-in. They were great, giving us a substantial discount for the delay and a bottle of wine. Gracious under pressure is a good way for an inn proprietor to be.

Dinner at Legends

Ann continued her winning ways by finding us a cute neighborhood Italian restaurant to go with our wine. A bring your own alcohol establishment with homey atmosphere and simple, well prepared meals. Well worth a visit if you're on the north shore. Legends - right across the street from the hospital.

North Shore Neighborhood

The neighborhood around the Priory is an interesting, vibrant, transitional place. There are many 2 and 3 story brick row houses. Some have been beautifully restored and updated, others down the block are waiting for some love, and a few are boarded up and waiting for an imaginative owner. The area around the Priory was once German and is known as Deutsch Town, but there is a lot of diversity now.  Ohio street, the main commercial street in the area has an eclectic mix of local restaurants that reflect the economic and racial mix like Bistro Soul  (nice, with great carry out if you want to eat back at the Priory) Max's Tavern (German), an Asian restaurant, check cashing joints, a hardware store, hair stylists, and pawn shops. Definitely in the process of remaking itself and not quiet done yet.

Beech Avenue

National Aviary

The North Shore was once Allegheny City until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. In the center of the old city (just west of Deutsch Town) is Allegheny Commons which contains extensive park land, an original Carnegie Library (he lived in Allegheny City), a children's museum in the beautiful old post office, the original Carnegie Hall next to his library, and the National Aviary, along with some newer office towers and housing. We enjoyed several forays into the parks, a visit to the Aviary, which I hadn't seen in 30 years,  and lots of exploring the surrounding neighborhoods.

West of the parks was once the wealthier part of town, and there are still some superb mansions still on the hill above the river. Many were removed to build the community college there, but some were also preserved as classrooms and dorms. Cool! We also found a street of massive row houses, all well preserved. Apparently it's been used in the movies as a stand-in for Victorian England.
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PPG plaza

 We also popped across the Andy Warhol bridge, (near the Warhol museum - another home boy) to downtown Pittsburgh to explore.This was the dramatic, if not particularly inviting, scene of a skating rink at PPG center. As the cold December wind blew it reminded me of giant ice crystals heaving from the pavement. We quickly made our way to a corner shop for some Italian wedding soup to warm our souls. Point Park where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers form the mighty Ohio were pretty closed up for the winter- we we moved on.

Strip District

We headed back up-river past the massive convention center near where we started and along Penn Avenue to the Strip District. This was a fascinating stretch of wholesale and retail. We stopped in at a Polish shop and got Polish honey, visite a vast Italian sausage and cheese establishment, a Penzy's Spice, and others I forget. Street vendors were everywhere. There was also the Society of Contemporary Craft and the large Heinz history center showing Treasures of the Vatican. We just didn't have time to visit everything nearby. And there was tons more further into the city. Next trip.

Point Park View of Science Museum and Steelers Stadium

On the bridge back to the North Shore we were treated to great views of other North Shore attractions were were going to miss -  Steelers stadium, the science museum, and Pirates stadium. Pittsburgh is a great cultural city, and it would take weeks to see just the high points. For sports fans there'd be even more to see, like the big outdoor NHL hockey game at the football stadium scheduled for Saturday. We also really enjoyed the city setting amidst the steep hills and along the massive rivers (they look almost like lakes). Back on the North Shore with tired feet, we ordered Bistro Soul to go and ate in our room.

Sculpture in Mattress Factory Courtyard

Mattress Factory Annex

Our last day we met up with a co-worker of Ann's and headed to the Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum on the North Shore - we assume situated in an old mattress factory. As we approached the museum the row houses started getting funky - like the Annex with inflatable headgear. Appropriate as the museum was a always fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, mix of traditional media, installation art, and architecture. The current exhibition was focused on Cuban artists offering commentary on gender, race, and economic oppression (hence the car of the rich born on the feet of the poor), but there were many permanent exhibits as well. They had an excellent garden built into the footings of an old adjacent factory making excellent use of the old foundations, drains, and sluices. If you like art that experiments brilliantly, and sometimes fails, this is an exciting place to visit. If sometimes graphic and disturbing art offend you, this is not your place.

Mattress Factory Art Museum

We also had time while in town to spend with the West family. Living - we had a great visit with Ann's 3 cousins one evening.  And dead - the Wests have extensive history in Pittsburgh. Ann's great grandfather owned a glass factory nearby, and there are other family links to long ago industry and wealth. We went to Allegheny Cemetery and visited the graves of many ancestors on both sides of her father's family. Ann had fun explaining the family tree to Ben in front of the David Gillespie mausoleum where her grandmother's wealthy old-maid cousin Mable Gillespie is interred. Mable was a great friend and generous benefactor to Ann's parents in tight times.

So, the verdict on Pittsburgh? One of my favorite big cities. Not the best at any one thing, but so good at so much. For me the best in the mid-west behind Chicago. Another trip is definitely in order before we leave Pennsylvania.