Worth a Thousand Words: J.B. Ford Mausoleum

J.B. Ford Mausoleum, Allegheny
taken by Father Pitt

Gorgeous. We were fortunate enough to have Father Pitt (a.k.a. Dr. Boli, a.k.a. Chris Bailey) take us on a whirlwind architectural tour of Pittsburgh.

It would not be at all good for his ego to let him know that of all the people we met when on vacation a few weeks ago, he is the one who excited my mother's admiration. "Dr. Boli?" she said, her voice rising in astonished delight. "How wonderful! Tell me what he was like!" So we won't mention it beyond this post.

I will admit that the Doctor Who episode, Blink, did flash through my mind when I first saw this photo but then I saw these ladies were neither angels nor weeping. Whew!

What I Learned On My Summer Vacation - Part 1

We went to a niece's wedding in Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Wintergreen Resort. Tom and I then took advantage of being "back East" to go to Pittsburgh and meet some online friends in person.

A few discoveries, in no particular order.

• When you go to a wedding on a mountaintop and the first thing you see next to the outdoor seating is a can of Deep Woods Off ... use it. Don't think the stiff breeze will keep the insects away. Just use it.
  
  
• When you attend a wedding on a mountaintop, it may be punctuated by bird song or raptor cries. This adds a note of romance. The cat yowling at a nearby house (albeit one hidden by dense forest) does not. Especially when everyone is wondering whether that is a baby or a cat.
  
  
• You can completely plan a destination wedding by email, as my brother and sister-in-law in Germany discovered. A lot of it will go just as you hoped. However, much of it may lead to a series of miscommunications, especially if the destination resort doesn't really take the wedding planning in hand the way it might (yes, Wintergreen Resort, I'm looking at you).
  
  However, the great thing about having a series of miscommunications during a wedding is that you soon discover everything works out ok anyway and that the important things are what matter ... such as the wedding itself. So in a way that is a great way to have your married life begin. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) Plus, that wedding cake was one of the most delicious I've ever had. I'm just sayin' ... sometimes things go better than you could have expected.
  
  
• When you stay at the Holiday Inn Express in a nearby town, rather than at the mountaintop resort, you soon discover that repeated forays up very steep, crooked inclines may put a strain on your car's 8-year-old transmission.
  
  This adds a note of anticipation and adventure to every subsequent foray up and down. It also adds a note of nostalgia for one's childhood when cars were not so reliable. It also increases one's prayer life, sense of trust in God, and adds a lot of variety to routes taken as one continually strives for the level, gradual paths. So ... that's all to the good! (Again, my story and I'm stickin' with it.)
  
  
• As is often the case at these things, I didn't get to talk to my family members nearly as much as I wanted. However, I did get to have very enjoyable conversations with many other guests, including a young couple who are making a go of it as vegetable farmers supplying restaurants with fresh produce, a young Combat Medic off to her first posting in Germany, and part of my sister-in-law's family who I'd never have met otherwise. I love the random nature of these encounters and how interesting everyone was.

Part 2 is here.

Worth a Thousand Words: Heinz Memorial Chapel

73-foot tall North Transept windows of Heinz Memorial Chapel
on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
photo by Laurie Stepanek/Mike White
via Wikipedia

Nativity scene. Heinz Chapel detail.
via Wikipedia

On our recent visit to Pittsburgh, one of the sights that elicited awe was the Heinz Memorial Chapel. Tom has some photos which I hope to share soon, but in the meantime do take advantage of the links to  enjoy a virtual tour of the chapel. Wikipedia seems to have more complete information than the chapel's website, but there are some glorious images at both sites.

We knew nothing about the chapel but were wandering around the university area and were drawn to the fine architecture. Entering was a complete surprise, as you can imagine.

Each of these tall windows has a unique theme which is illustrated with a range of religious and secular figures. It was a distinct pleasure to see the range of people used to remind us that Courage or Tolerance come in many forms.

Heinz Memorial Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh,
photo by Michael G. White
via Wikipedia

Pittsburgh Pilgrimage ... not ths year

Trinity Churchyard taken by Father Pitt
(go to the link for more photos)

Sadly, the Trinity Churchyard is a sight that I will have to wait to see. I am sorry to say that we failed to meet the necessary quorum for the Pittsburgh Pilgrimage. I am not sure if we just hit the economy at a bad time or if it was a combination of many factors. I am hoping that possibly the economy will be better next year and that we may revive the pilgrimage.

What I am sure of is that there are no words to convey how much I am touched by Mike Aquilina's and Chris Bailey's whole-hearted support and generosity in working on this pilgrimage idea. Certainly I never would have had the enjoyment of our frequent emails on this and other subjects, not to mention the pleasure of discovering Chris's other enjoyable blogs: Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine, Official Harding-Agnew Campaign Site, and Father Pitt.

As I will not have the pleasure of providing this book to a few in Pittsburgh by hand as I had planned to do, please allow me to recommend to you, Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians by Mike and Chris. That is something that we can all enjoy and that is quite affordable!

$700 ... that's a lot to pay for a Pittsburgh Pilgrimage

Allegheny Building
taken by Father Pitt

This may not be the best time in the economy to plan a pilgrimage, some people may be thinking "especially to Pittsburgh." But why not fly in the face of conventional wisdom, right? I did want to take a second here to address something that was brought up by a commenter.

Agreed. $700 is a lot. However, it's chock full of value.

Let's just look quickly again at what that $700 buys:

• 4-night stay at the Wyndham in the University area ... this is about 3/4 of the cost and is an excellent price for a hotel anywhere, much less a top flight hotel in the heart of a vibrant central location in a city
  
  
• Welcome dinner on Mount Washington ... the most scenic location in Pittsburgh to have a meal overlooking the valley and downtown at night. Purposely chosen for unique Pittsburgh flavah.
  
  
• Admittance to tour attractions including the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum
  
  
• Talk by Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey, noted Catholic authors and Pittsburgh afficionados ... including a copy of their latest book, Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians, to be signed afterwards
  
  
• Special tour guides, Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey, afore-mentioned Pittsburgh afficionados will show us why Pittsburgh is in its third renaissance. They'll also take us to special Catholic sites in a place where Catholicism has thrived for over 200 years. For further looks, check out Mike's recent talk about Pittsburgh or Chris's excellent Father Pitt blog.
  
  
• Pittsburgh info for planning your free time in advance ... a.k.a. Moon Guide to Pittsburgh with items of interest marked.
  
  
• Movie talk night ... dessert, coffee, and a movie ... as well as the book sent to you ahead of time so we'll have a chance to discuss where the book and movie differ.

Of course, the opportunity to have several days of give and take with like-minded Catholics in a unique community setting is priceless. N'est ce pas?

As I said, the economy's tough and this might not be the way you want to spend your hard-earned cash. But you gotta admit, there's plenty of bang for the buck there.

More details about the pilgrimage can be found here.

Bridge of Sighs

Bridge of Sighs, taken by Father Pitt ... just one of the charming sights to be seen in Pittsburgh, where you may recall we will be going on pilgrimage (if we can get enough people signed up). Check it out, as well as Father Pitt's other great photos of this little known treasure.

Deco Romanesque in Pittsburgh. Huh?

It's hard to see here but this building is a combination of both Romanesque and Art Deco styles. It's easier to see in the close-up below and if you click on the big photo to see the details ... which you can do over at Father Pitt's where you'll find many interesting and arresting photos of Pittsburgh's treasures.

Don't forget, we'll see some of those treasures in person, with Father Pitt as our guide, on the pilgrimage to Pittsburgh this summer. Click through for more details.

Pittsburgh Pilgrimage ... a little more info

I'm still getting this together, but so far, here's what we've got

DATES

Beginning with dinner Wednesday, June 3, and leaving after Mass on Sunday, June 7.

HIGHLIGHT
Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey Talk

Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey (more about them can be found here) will give a talk for us on popular devotion that ranges from the Psalms to the Grail and refers to many of the sights and artworks we'll be seeing in Pittsburgh. Woohoo! Exciting, right?

Mike says,

"We can do it together, which is always more better for comedic effect, since alone we tend to be very earnest and homiletic."

See? He's already being funny!

I also will give a talk after our arrival dinner which will be less interesting to those who know me well (of which I have at least one travel commitment) than those who don't. However, I will try to have a little something for everyone in there.

HOTEL

We need to book 10 rooms in order to make this work (costs coming later but it's looking good to me). We'll be staying at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Place. Right in the heart of Oakland and convenient to so many things we'll want to do!

WEEKEND EXTRA

The Three Rivers Art Festival is that weekend and will be easy to get to from where we're staying.

WHERE WE'LL SEE THE SIGHTS

I am filling in the blanks right now ... a tough job because there is so much I want to see and do. Here's the rough schedule. More to come, obviously!

• Wednesday: Dinner and the view from Mount Washington by night.
• Thursday: Downtown and North Side.
• Friday: Oakland.
• Saturday: The Strip in the morning, something else (I'm still thinking) in the afternoon.
• Sunday: Mass, perhaps at an interesting ethnic church.

What is there to do in those places? Here is a sampling to get your imaginations going.

HOW WE'LL GET AROUND

This map which shows just how much fun you can have using rapid transport in Pittsburgh is courtesy of Father Pitt. If you visit him you can download this as a pdf to print out and study.

Immaculate Heart of Mary
Polish Hill

I want to see both Polish Hill and Immaculate Heart of Mary!

AND the Holy Stairs!

Oh, decisions, decisions ...

Pittsburgh Pilgrimage Point: Baby Elephants!

Not Catholic related but what is better than an adorable baby elephant? Unless it is two adorable baby elephants.

Whenever we visit somewhere it seems as if we always wind up at the zoo. This elephant page at their website makes me think the Pittsburgh Zoo is a pretty good one. Pittsburgh's Zoo and Aquarium is one of only six such combos in the country.

Why do we care about Pittsburgh? We're seeing if anyone wants to join us so we can make a Pittsburgh trip into a Pittsburgh Catholic pilgrimage! Check out the link and let me know if you are interested.

Pittsburgh news will come next week

I was all set to get down to brass tacks on the whole Pittsburgh thing last Friday ... and then, of course, that was put out of my mind by tragedy.

As this week is Christmas and we are all busy I will beg your indulgence once more. As well, I need a little more recovery time to work up a full head of steam for my enthusiasm once again. All shall be revealed next week! I promise!

Haunted by a (Pittsburgh) Hoagie

Ever since an email discussion with two Pittsburgh denizens, I have had images of a sausage hoagie floating through my head ... which a visit to Roadfood and then to Sloppy Talk just made worse.

When, oh when might I get to sample this fare that I long for?

More on that later, dear readers ...

Today's Pittsburgh Picture

I truly meant to reveal why I've had Pittsburgh on my mind ... but something came up that prevented the requisite amount of blogging time.

Enjoy this photo today and tomorrow I will ... reveal all!

Max Vanko Murals in Pittsburgh Church

A series of fascinating murals celebrating the American worker can be seen in Pittsburgh's St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church and also at The Society to Preserve the Millford Murals. You can read more also at Time magazine.

Pittsburgh, O Pittsburgh ... how lovely are thy views

View from the rotunda of Daniel Burnham’s Pennsylvania Railroad Station,
taken by Father Pitt

Would that I could see them in person ...

Another Reason to Visit Pittsburgh

I love strolling through cemeteries no matter the size but monuments like this one in the Allegheny Cemetery just call out to me. Who would have thought that there would be so many interesting memorials there? Of course, in the summer, it would be that much more inviting for lingering and speculating upon why this gentleman feels he must go on working even now.

You Spell It Pittsburg. I Spell It Pittsburgh.

Actually I tend to spell it both ways. Then I am embarrassed for spelling it whichever other way I did before.

Now, I find that I am not the only one with Pittsburgh spelling confusion.

Father Pitt has the whole story.

Why have I been spelling Pittsburgh at all?

That, dear readers, is something which I shall reveal in the very near future.