Amazingly, it hasn’t been particularly rainy in Pittsburgh this June, which is odd, because the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival is well underway. I mean, this is not normal – there was talk at one point of having the Fest go on the road to drought-plagued regions of the world, perhaps re-greening of the Sahara or the Gobi…

I stopped down last Saturday, took some pictures, trying to catch the overall feeling of the fest. Music, sculpture, arts, crafts, food… It’s all there downtown, and it’s all good. Stop by the PPG Wintergarden and check out the sculpture, and while you’re there, you or the kids can cool off (Whoa! ‘Cause it’s warm and sunny! Git aht!) in the fountains in PPG Plaza. Then, wander through the Gateway Center Plazas, check out all the great artists presenting their work – paintings, photographs, jewelry, crafts…

And come hungry – the food booths are scattered about, but concentrated in front of the Hilton. Everything you’d want to eat while walking through a park on a sunny day is there – Gyros, Panini, Fried Vegetables (With Cheese, of course. I mean, fried isn’t quite bad enough for you, right?)… And of course, Italian Ice, lemonade, funnel cake for the sweet tooth.

Take a walk down to the fountain at the Point – the late afternoon sun behind you, and look back at the skyline, beautifully outlined against an azure sky.

If you stay until night falls, check out some of the shows or concerts presented at various venues around downtown.

The Arts Festival only comes once a year, and is truly one of the things that makes Pittsburgh special and a great place to live.