Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of the Night: Pittsburgh Halloween 2011, Vol. 1

Things you should know about me:
1. I love Pittsburgh.
2. I love Phil Collins.
3. I. LOVE. HALLOWEEN.

Since I was a wee lil yinzer tot growing up in the South Hills, I have always loved Halloween. All other holidays took a back seat to the one night where dressing up as something ridiculous, going door to door around the neighborhood, and receiving FREE candy was accepted and expected. My brother and I would always try to last as long as we could walking up and down the streets of our neighborhood. But as our bags weighed us down with all the FREE candy, we would get tired and inevitably make our way back home to trade candies. (He always got my Snickers bars; I got his Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.) I trick-or-treated until I was well into college, only having given it up when I moved to Boston.

In the weeks leading up to October 31, nothing pleases me more than to walk around and see the gruesome (or just plain awesome) things people decorate their porches, doors, windows, and yards with. It makes me long for a front porch and a yard of my own one day. I will make a Halloween spectacle for the neighborhood to enjoy (or despise) and it will be wonderful.

Until then, I will wander the streets and take pictures of Halloween decorations of all shapes, sizes and arrangements. Be prepared for a barrage of these posts today and on Monday, Halloween proper.

There is a great story that accompanies the picture above. A few weekends ago, I left my phone at Winghart's after having too many beers with my dad and brother. Luckily, they found it and held it for me, but that meant I was phoneless the rest of the weekend and when I went to pick it up Monday at lunch it was dead dead dead. A coworker and I went and ate our lunches in the little park by the Grille on Seventh, which is right across the street from Tambellini's. Halfway through lunch I realized that Tambellini's was COVERED in Halloween decorations in a quite impressive display. But, a dead phone meant no pictures. The next day - THE VERY NEXT DAY - I was having lunch with my friend Andy and I asked him if we could walk past Tambellini's so I could take a picture of the decorations. When we got there, THE DECORATIONS WERE GONE. It looked like Tambellini's was boarded up for renovations and there was no trace of Halloween to be seen. Andy made fun of me; I got sad. Then as we were walking back, he pointed out that Blush had a Halloween decoration up, so above is what I had to settle for. Halloween bummer.

Bloomfield window pumpkins.

South Side Slopes skeleton wreath.

South Side Slopes skeleton fence and graves.

One of the most-decorated homes I came across in October, on the South Side.