A little fun in the ‘Burgh
Jack Hughes
Pictured is the Christmas tree displayed on the MassMutual Pittsburgh Ice Rink at PPG Place.
Jack Hughes
Pittsburgh has always been my favorite big city. My wife and I have traveled over much of the country and Europe and Pittsburgh will always be our favorite. Perhaps one of the big reasons is that so much of my life has fond memories of days spent in Pittsburgh. Who doesn鈥檛 remember a trip to the museum to see the dinosaurs, a ride on the incline for a view of the city from Mount Washington or a trip to Phipps Conservatory, otherwise known as the Big Glass Building housing Pittsburgh鈥檚 Botanical Gardens? For many years, we would visit the city during the holidays to see the millions of lights as well as the decorated windows of Kaufman鈥檚 Department store and the famous clock on the corner.
With the mild weather last weekend, Diane and I decided to visit Pittsburgh and see the holiday flower and light show at Phipps, spend some time downtown visiting the Market Square holiday market and the PPG skating rink. The rink has a large decorated tree and was filled with families skating around the tree. The lobby of the PPG building houses a display of Santa鈥檚 from around the world.
The light show at Phipps was truly spectacular and a beautiful family event. Kids and adults of all ages enjoyed the colorful display of flowers and lights. There are tens of thousands of colorful lights attached to trees shrubs and special built displays.
Lights that look like dripping icicles hang from trees and appear as if they are melting. Inside, a model train exhibition is fun to watch and flowers are everywhere. Red, white and yellow poinsettia fill inside rooms as well as blue hydrangea, white and pink cyclamen and in the orchid room there are hundreds of them, many with a distinctive fragrance.
The displays take about an hour to walk through, and afterwards, if you are a bit hungry, a wonderful caf茅 with some great food selections is available. Phipps is open from 9:30 am until 11 p.m. every day until Jan. 12 with the exception of Christmas day and an early close of 5 p.m. on the Dec. 24. There is limited free parking in front of the entrance and valet parking is also available.Evenings are best since the lights just add so much against the dark night sky.
The neat thing about our botanical garden is that just about the time winter is growing old, the spring flower show begins with an array of tulips, daffodils and spring blooms. Since the city is a little warmer, the outside garden usually has an early display of some of spring鈥檚 offering.
Pittsburgh also has some great theater and sporting events. Our Steelers are holding their own, and perhaps next year will be more kind to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The new ballparks are always fun. Two weeks ago, we got to celebrate our anniversary with tickets to see the Broadway show 鈥淟es Miserables,鈥� always one of our favorites. Dinner afterwards at a nice restaurant and the music from the show is still dancing around in our heads. 鈥淥ne Day More鈥� just keeps playing over and over and each time I can see the flag still waving as they prepare for the Revolution in Paris in 1832. An enthralling story of broken dreams, love, passion and redemption-a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.
Have fun and enjoy a great city just a short distance away during this holiday season.