Tag Archives: Downtown

Art N’At – The 2006 Three Rivers Arts Festival Runs Through This Weekend

Flowers, And Not Flowers Fountain, Gateway One Plaza Junkanoo! I Saw Three Guys With A Cooler Of Iron And Nerf Shotguns Approaching As I was Walking Away

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…

Tiny Graffiti (Graffitino?)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…

Come Hungry (And Wealthy)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.

Big Ben in Motorcycle Accident

Ben Roethlisberger was in a motorcycle accident outside the Armstrong Tunnel on Second Avenue at 11:30 this morning. Apparently he flipped over the handlebars and was bleeding from the head. The Steelers have confirmed this, as is seen on tons of local news outlets right now.

It’s a shame that such a new high-profile athlete would brush off advice from friends and colleagues telling him not to ride a motorcycle. Nonetheless, we should all hope for a quick and speedy recovery.

Downtown Art in Public Places

Just released today: Pittsburgh Art in Public Places; Downtown Walking Tour

The Office of Public Art has published an exciting guide to art in public places in downtown Pittsburgh. No matter where you are downtown, you are steps away from experiencing a work of art. By taking this tour of four downtown neighborhoods, residents and visitors will experience remarkable artwork by some of the nationally & internationally recognized artists. Since many of the artists were inspired by our region when they created their pieces, the tour is also a great way to learn about Pittsburgh’s place in history. Explore the dynamic collection of art in public places in four downtown neighborhoods. Each tour takes an hour to 90 minutes.

There are three ways to get a copy of the tour:
1. Download a free copy: www.publicartpittsburgh.org

2. Visit the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council offices, 707 Penn Avenue, 2nd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

3. Call 412.394.3353 to have a copy shipped to you ($7 shipping/handling fee). To request more information, send an email to publicart@pittsburghartscouncil.org

Jerry’s Railroad Photo Archive – Pgh style

You want old photos of trolleys?

Oh man, do we got old photos of trolleys.

Check’em aht:

1
1520 (St. Louis 1944) [71 NEGLEY HIGHLAND PK]
at 6th. & Liberty in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (April, 1966)

2
1444 (St. Louis 1942) [77/54 NO. SIDE CARRICK VIA BLOOMFIELD]
at 32nd. & Liberty in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. (August, 1964)

3
1555 (St. Louis 1945) [76 HAMILTON]
at Coal and Ramsey in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. (August, 1964)

4
1621 (St. Louis 1945) [39 BROOKLINE]
on the Smithfield St. Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (August, 1964)

5
1662 (St. Louis 1945) [42/38 MT LEBANON BEECHVIEW]
at P&LE station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (February, 1967)

Belly Dancing Rules the School

bellyAnd the Burgh. I recently bumped into an old friend who is now a small business owner, belly dance instructor and vegan chef extraordinnaire. Her web site, Healing Arts by Amethyst is a neat introduction to belly dancing, vegan living and sacred dance.

And guess what? her Bellydance and Veil Work for Beginners class starts this Monday, so we can let it all hang out! From the web site:

6-Week Course, beginning this Monday, March 13, 2006
Mondays, 6:45-8:00 p.m.
Stanwix Towers
625 Stanwix Street, Floor 2
Cost: $60 for entire 6-week course

Come learn a choreography using a veil as a prop! Students have the option of performing in a student dance recital “Elements”, on April 28, 2006. If you don’t want to perform, no worries, you can still come to class and learn the choreography for fun and exercise! If you have a veil or other large piece of fabric, please bring it to class. Limited extras are available for use in class, so if you don’t have one, don’t let that stop you from coming to class! Please note, you must first contact Amethyst if you would like to attend classes downtown, as the building is a secured building. You may call any day, including the day of class.

Amethyst also offers massage therapy and other courses and workshops. Check it out!

Last but not least, our resident bellydancer is also a dedicated vegan, and her site includes powerful video on the subject, as well as helpful nutrional information and answers to the perennial question, “What do vegans eat?” Apparently, vegan Coffee-Chocolate Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake is an option. Click below for the recipe and see the site for more.

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