Pittsburgh Part I

Grace is in Pittsburgh for the summer, and this gave us the opportunity to take a four-day weekend family vacation up there to visit.  I was excited to go since both sides of my family are from the area.  I used to fly up to Pittsburgh every summer as an unaccompanied minor to see all the grandparents.  I had not been there for 20 years, so I was really excited about this trip!

We stayed at the Oaklander Hotel, right next to the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon campuses.  It was an outstanding location, and the Autograph Collection Marriott had a "boutique" vibe that felt extra fancy.  We arrived late Wednesday night, and started exploring the city on Thursday morning.

We had about an hour to spend before we met Grace for lunch so we explored the area around the hotel.  The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum was right next door to the hotel.  

What a beautiful building!

Next we saw the Cathedral of Learning.  I was instantly impressed by all the hydrangeas!  We just don't see those much in Texas.  The educational building is part of the University of Pittsburgh and was built in the 1920's.  It is 535 feet tall and 42 stories.

The Cathedral of Learning was officially closed to the public due to covid, but we snuck in a handicapped entrance to get a picture of the impressive 4 story lobby.  (It opened back up to the public on July 1st.)

Then we walked across the greenspace to see the Heinz Memorial Chapel.  This is part of the University, and Grace said there are weddings here all the time.  

The stained glass was just beautiful, and represented some very interesting historical and Biblical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Sir Isaac Newton, Clara Barton, Johnny Appleseed and more.  

We had a few more minutes, so we stopped in to see St. Paul's Cathedral.

The interior was awe inspiring.

After exploring the area, we walked over to the Medical Center where Grace's research lab is located.  We ate lunch together in the cafeteria.

Thursday evening we picked Grace up and headed over to the Duquesne Incline.  There were many of these funiculars in the city, and this one ran from 1877-1962.  At that point, it became a tourist attraction, although some locals still use it for public transit.  I remember riding this as a child with my grandmother!

At the top of the incline, you are rewarded with a stellar view of the three-river city.

From the incline station, we walked through the Mount Washington neighborhood to get some dinner.  Grace's friend recommended Bigham Tavern, and it was really good!

And finally, we wrapped up our Thursday night with a sunset view of the city before riding the incline back down to the riverside.

On Friday, Grace was back to work in the lab, so Michael, Jack and I went to the Carnegie Museum.  It includes both an art museum and a natural history museum.  

We had lots of fun seeing the various exhibits.  

Can you guess that Michael told us to pose here for a picture?

After the museum, we walked over to a restaurant to meet up with family I hadn't seen in 20 years.  I was so excited about this!  In the photo above, I am with two of my father's sisters - Aunt June and Aunt Janis.  We all really enjoyed catching up and I felt like we could have talked forever!

Here's the extended family group with June's husband, daughter and granddaughter.

And some flashback photos from our visit in 2022.  I'm so glad I have these pictures of my Grandma Schultz with Grace as a baby.

Friday night we went for a light dinner at The Porch, next to Schenley Park.

And then over to Phipp's Conservatory.

They had an interesting display called Monet in Bloom where they recreated paintings with flowers and other natural materials.

One of the best parts of our visit to Pittsburgh was enjoying time outside without feeling like we were walking on the surface of the sun!  It was warm but very pleasant.

A "natural" version of Monet painting his water lilies.

Next up - Pittsburgh Part II.