Stroll the Cemetery: Winter 2013

Technically, this stroll took place at the every end of 2012. But, it'll hit the internet-waves in 2013, and I'm way more inclined to live in the present rather than in the past. The cemetery in the wintertime is boring. Sheeeesh. Walking through (with great care and caution; the pathways were a bit icy), it was hard to believe that this was the same place that was bursting with amazing color just a few months prior.

The cemetery was eerily quiet. It was cold, but not terribly unpleasant. The snow was falling lightly. For as much as I hate winter, this wasn't the worst way to spend a few hours outside of the apartment. Enjoy the photos I took along the way.

The infamous grave looks ever goofier in the winter.

Last year's purchase of good winter boots has finally come in handy.

Stroll the Cemetery: Fall 2012

So, we are all hunkering down for Frankenstorm, right? I am highly doubtful that Pittsburgh is in for anything more than several days of rain. Supposedly Tuesday we'll be facing hurricane-winds, but that will hopefully be more a fun bike-commute challenge than anything else. The one thing this constant rain will do is take the remainder of the leaves off the trees. So very sad.

Fortunately, before this dreary cold rain came to town, we were graced by a lovely week of Indian summer weather. I took the opportunity to take many bike rides and many walks, including a nice long one through the Allegheny Cemetery. Though I proclaim a love of summer over all other seasons, fall is really the most breathtaking time of year. My favorite color is orange. Followed by yellow. Followed by red. So, for me, fall is the perfect. (The only reason I can't call it my favorite is because it's always too short. It's always perfect for a couple weeks and then it's a slow and painful descent into the long cold and dark winter.) As these adventures through the cemetery continue throughout the year, I am highly doubtful that any of the photos I take will be as beautiful as these.

How perfect is that orange tree? Pretty perfect. 

One of my favorite things about the Allegheny Cemetery is seeing all the graves and mausoleums with the names of Pittsburgh streets. Ward Street was home to my first Pittsburgh apartment. 

This wins my vote for my favorite photo of the day.

Why, oh why, can't we live in a world where the trees are always this way?

Stroll the Cemetery: Summer 2012

Residing so close to the Allegheny Cemetery is a really wonderful thing. It's such a quiet place, and a semi-haunting place, to walk through. After our walk through of the Frick grounds, Allie and I parted after checking out a couple shops on Butler. Instead of walking back up the hill to Bloomfield through Lawrenceville, I took a leisurely stroll through the cemetery to Penn Ave. I'm going to make an effort to visit the cemetery each season coming up, to gather a collection of photos showing this beautiful place in its different states. Here is the summer series. (Sadly, they are a bit crappy because of that dead damn cellphone camera. Oh well.)

I have a weird fascination with graves that contain my name.

Downtown peeking through the cemetery trees.

The pyramid boobs. Best mausoleum, ever.

Doing a little clicking around on the Allegheny Cemetery website, I've learned that the cemetery has an app for Android phones loaded with tours. I'm downloading it now so I can test it out next time I find myself strolling the cemetery.

30 Before 30: The Frick Art Museum (and Cars! and Plants!)

This is the first of two posts this week that brings me back to past. In one day I revisited two places that I first experienced on field trips - one in middle school and one in college. Though it may seem odd, I have not always been this PGH-obsessed. I am a born Pittsburgher, but I was quick to flee as soon as possible after getting a couple degrees from Pitt. In my youth (youthier youth; in my mind I'm forever in my youth), I did not appreciate Pittsburgh. Which is a shame, but I really missed out on some dynamic things. At least I'm appreciating them now.

Saturday afternoon Allie and I visited the grounds of Clayton, Henry Clay Frick's estate in Point Breeze. Though you have to pay to tour the house (which was part of my field trip in middle school), the art museum, the carriage house, and the gardens were free admission. So that's what we explored. No photos were permitted in the museum or carriage house. The art wasn't really my thing (I tend toward the modern and contemporary stuff), but the cars were awesome. Cars aren't my thing; we've covered this fact before. I could have easily seen myself behind the wheel of a couple of the smaller little roadsters. If you have a spare hour or so, it's worth a trip to Frick to see the cars and then wander around the gardens.

This is a playhouse. I wouldn't mind it as a real house.

The greenhouse and outdoor garden were abundant with growth. We figure that they use the produce at the Cafe. We didn't stop for anything at the Cafe while we were there, but I wouldn't mind trying out their tea service sometime in the not too distant future.

These are monster tomato plants. I don't think I've ever seen tomato plants this tall.

Tons of basil.

On the grounds of the Frick, a pet cemetery.

Eventually, I'll take the tour of the house again. But when looking for some free activities on a Saturday afternoon, the Frick provides three very different options.