Our Trip to Pittsburgh
Title
Our Trip to Pittsburgh
Identifier
OUR_TRIP_TO_PITSBURGH
Creator
Jacob Schlitt
Description
"We are back from our trip to Pittsburgh."
Date
2016-08-03
Coverage
2016
Format
application/pdf
Type
text
Text
OUR TRIP TO PITSBURGH
We are back from our trip to Pittsburgh. I suspect some of you did not know that we were away. On Friday July 29, Fran and I flew to Pittsburgh to spend four glorious days with David. And the extra added attraction: Sarah has been spending the month with David, working on an assignment from YIVO. We got two for the price of one.
We stayed at the Omni William Penn in downtown, the surprise pick from Hotwire where you get a first rate hotel for much less, if you are willing to gamble. The flight went well, though, as I have already noted, it is getting hard to do airport terminals, even with a wheelchair for Fran. I push her walker and always have trouble keeping up with the attendant pushing the wheelchair. David met us, took us to our hotel, and after work picked us up, we went to his apartment, and together with Sarah, we went to a charming neighborhood eatery, which was featuring a pizza food truck. Delicious. Did a little sight-seeing—Squirrel Hill and Greenfield-- returned to the apartment, talked, played with Artie, and back to the hotel.
It was wonderful being with David and Sarah. Talking, getting to know her, learning about her “post-doc.” which will be in Bucharest at the New Europe College, Institute for Advanced Study. I assume she will be working on turning her dissertation into a book. Sarah will be able to return to the U.S. a couple of times at their expense, and David will visit her a couple of times, at his expense.
David went out of his way to show Fran and me the city, despite the fact that he has his hands full at the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives. . We went to the Frick Museum where there was a special exhibit on high heels, and we also had high tea there. For me, the high point was a several hour visit to the Sen. John Heinz History Center. The last time I was there, in January, I visited David’s office and attended a special program that he had arranged, but did not do the Center, which calls itself “an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution” and “Pennsylvania’s largest history museum.” It is impressive. A moving exhibit, “From Slavery to Freedom,” another on the history of H J Heinz, also, the history of glass manufacture in western Pennsylvania, the various ethnic communities of Pittsburgh, and that is only on the fourth floor.
We ate great! On Sunday, we went to the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, and then to Deutschtown, for another food truck, featuring German food. In the evening, we celebrated in the garden of a popular Thai restaurant. We would have eaten there Saturday, but they were unable to seat us. Instead Fran and I ate in the fancy hotel Terrace Room, which was surprisingly good. And our last supper, Monday evening, was at the Church Brew Works, a microbrewery and restaurant in what was once the St. John the Baptist Church, with the giant beer vats on the altar. They brew award winning beers, but I had a glass of their house made cream soda. We sat in the original church pews and had great potato and onion pierogies. I will send you pictures of the place.
Speaking of pictures, I took lots, especially of the downtown skyscrapers. It was fun being in this spruced up area. One morning, I decided to take a walk, and after walking one block, I realized I am not up to taking walks any more. However, I passed the office of the Pittsburgh bus service, Port Authority, and said I would like to ride a few buses to see the city. How much? Turns out that with your Medicare card, nothing. So I spent the next hour and a half sightseeing by public transportation for free. Better than “Hop On Hop Off, especially since I can’t do too much hopping any more.
Pittsburgh is no longer Steel City, but it seems to have made the accommodation to education, hospitality, finance, medical services etc. David will tell you all about it. The days of the Carnegies and Fricks and Mellons are over. They did leave some impressive institutions. Of course, they made their money on the backs of thousands of exploited workers, they smashed the early attempts of the workers to organize, and now there is hardly a sign of a steel mill anywhere. If I were more mobile, I would have visited the headquarters of the United Steel Workers. They are holding their own by branching out and organizing wherever. Hopefully, we will be back.
8-3-16
We are back from our trip to Pittsburgh. I suspect some of you did not know that we were away. On Friday July 29, Fran and I flew to Pittsburgh to spend four glorious days with David. And the extra added attraction: Sarah has been spending the month with David, working on an assignment from YIVO. We got two for the price of one.
We stayed at the Omni William Penn in downtown, the surprise pick from Hotwire where you get a first rate hotel for much less, if you are willing to gamble. The flight went well, though, as I have already noted, it is getting hard to do airport terminals, even with a wheelchair for Fran. I push her walker and always have trouble keeping up with the attendant pushing the wheelchair. David met us, took us to our hotel, and after work picked us up, we went to his apartment, and together with Sarah, we went to a charming neighborhood eatery, which was featuring a pizza food truck. Delicious. Did a little sight-seeing—Squirrel Hill and Greenfield-- returned to the apartment, talked, played with Artie, and back to the hotel.
It was wonderful being with David and Sarah. Talking, getting to know her, learning about her “post-doc.” which will be in Bucharest at the New Europe College, Institute for Advanced Study. I assume she will be working on turning her dissertation into a book. Sarah will be able to return to the U.S. a couple of times at their expense, and David will visit her a couple of times, at his expense.
David went out of his way to show Fran and me the city, despite the fact that he has his hands full at the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives. . We went to the Frick Museum where there was a special exhibit on high heels, and we also had high tea there. For me, the high point was a several hour visit to the Sen. John Heinz History Center. The last time I was there, in January, I visited David’s office and attended a special program that he had arranged, but did not do the Center, which calls itself “an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution” and “Pennsylvania’s largest history museum.” It is impressive. A moving exhibit, “From Slavery to Freedom,” another on the history of H J Heinz, also, the history of glass manufacture in western Pennsylvania, the various ethnic communities of Pittsburgh, and that is only on the fourth floor.
We ate great! On Sunday, we went to the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, and then to Deutschtown, for another food truck, featuring German food. In the evening, we celebrated in the garden of a popular Thai restaurant. We would have eaten there Saturday, but they were unable to seat us. Instead Fran and I ate in the fancy hotel Terrace Room, which was surprisingly good. And our last supper, Monday evening, was at the Church Brew Works, a microbrewery and restaurant in what was once the St. John the Baptist Church, with the giant beer vats on the altar. They brew award winning beers, but I had a glass of their house made cream soda. We sat in the original church pews and had great potato and onion pierogies. I will send you pictures of the place.
Speaking of pictures, I took lots, especially of the downtown skyscrapers. It was fun being in this spruced up area. One morning, I decided to take a walk, and after walking one block, I realized I am not up to taking walks any more. However, I passed the office of the Pittsburgh bus service, Port Authority, and said I would like to ride a few buses to see the city. How much? Turns out that with your Medicare card, nothing. So I spent the next hour and a half sightseeing by public transportation for free. Better than “Hop On Hop Off, especially since I can’t do too much hopping any more.
Pittsburgh is no longer Steel City, but it seems to have made the accommodation to education, hospitality, finance, medical services etc. David will tell you all about it. The days of the Carnegies and Fricks and Mellons are over. They did leave some impressive institutions. Of course, they made their money on the backs of thousands of exploited workers, they smashed the early attempts of the workers to organize, and now there is hardly a sign of a steel mill anywhere. If I were more mobile, I would have visited the headquarters of the United Steel Workers. They are holding their own by branching out and organizing wherever. Hopefully, we will be back.
8-3-16
Original Format
application/msword
Collection
Citation
Jacob Schlitt, “Our Trip to Pittsburgh,” Autobiographical stories & other writing by Jacob Schlitt, accessed April 23, 2025, https://tsirlson.omeka.net/items/show/412.