Allegheny Observatory

I went for a drive this afternoon with the idea of going to Riverview Park up above the North Side, I don't know if it's considered North Side or Observatory Hill or Perrysville or what, but I drove up. Eventually I ended up on the top of the hill at the Allegheny Observatory.

There were some families out sledding. It was a perfect day for sled ridding. It wasn't that cold out (in the mid to upper 30s celsius) but the snow was still there. The places where the snow was melting created some neat visual effects. The ice melting from the trees and dripping onto the snow gave it a dappled look.

Sarah and the Geese

(No, this does not end up like Leda and the Swan, thank goodness)

Geese and I are not on as friendly of terms as pigeons and I, but...here we are.

On Thin Ice

Geese standing on thin ice on a pond at Allegheny Commons Park, North Side, Pittsburgh.

Morning Walk in Allegheny Commons

This morning I was diverted from work to a walk in the Allegheny Commons park in the North Side. This is why I love that the spanish word "divertido" means "fun." Because when I get diverted from what I intended to do, the diversion often ends up being quite fun, and probably more fun than what I intended to do... Anyways, I got a little turned around in the park as I was probably too busy looking at everything, so it took me much longer than it should have to make my way through. However, the fruit of this is I have some neat pictures to share with you. I took them on my cell phone, so they are not the best quality, but I just really loved the yellow yellow leaves on the ground and the wrought iron fencing above the railroad tracks. I also liked all the juxtapositions of old buildings with newer downtown buildings in the distance and natural elements like the trees. Without further ado...

First Snow of the Season in Pittsburgh

park in the north side from north ave this am as the first snow fell, 16 november 2007

What's an Adventure Without Friends?

They were in some of the previous South Side Slopes pictures, but this post is more specifically about my travelling companions in this journey, Vijay and Rachel. Vijay introduced me to the spot on the South Side Slopes, then we just drove randomly up narrow winding hills where you even have to go up steps to get to the sidewalks and there are tunnels through houses to get to the backyard. Here's one of the two of them:



Good thing they were there too, they picked me up when I fell down:


And they humoured my love of trees:

Here are two pictures that Rachel took-- I think she has a good eye for photo composition, don't you?:





Where does this road go?


Onto other places to explore:

South Side Slopes Photos 2

South Side Slopes Photos 1

There are still too many photos to post from my adventure in the South Side Slopes, but here are a few more. From a quick google search, I'm pretty sure this was at the South Side Park. The Getting Outdoors Website says it's:

reached from Quarry Street (18th Street to St. Patrick to Quarry). The park features 65 acres of ballfields, walking trails, a playground, and a former ice arena. South Side Local Development Company and South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association recently convened a task force to plan park improvements.