Pittsburgh: Frick Museum and Gardens

Conveniently our lunch stop after visiting the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh was at the Speckled Egg next door to Pittsburgh's REI in their South Side district. This gave me a chance to sit and relax while Don bonded with the local green vests. Even more conveniently was that across the square (past a Mr. Rogers-themed dinosaur) is a Jeni's Ice Cream location.

Fred "Roar"gers ;)

Salted Peanut butter with
Chocolate flakes, Sweet Cream
biscuits with peach jam, Dairy-free
Peppermint Patty, Darkest Chocolate
 

Two story rock climbing
at REI

 

While waiting for lunch I planned out the rest of the day. I had hoped to stop at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater on our way home, but they had already distributed their tickets for the day. I decided instead to backtrack and visit the Frick Museum and Gardens in the Point Breeze district.

After deciding to change course, the pieces fell into place just right. Frick offers tours called "Gilded but not Golden" about life in 1892 -- a pivotal year for the Frick family, Pittsburgh, and the nation. The tour is offered every 45 minutes and lasts 75 minutes. It was already 2:15 pm and we had wanted to be on the Pennsylvania Turnpike by 3 pm to start our five plus hour drive home. The timing did not make sense for us. When we were told the next tour was about to start and they only had four people on it, Don and I looked at each other and decided to do it.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house. 

For the first time while in Pittsburgh, I remembered to bring my notebook while sightseeing. I listen better when I take notes, especially if I can't take pictures to prompt my memory.

Our docent, Bill, a retired math teacher who feels he landed the absolute best post-retirement gig, was fine with me taking notes, but blanched at the thought of my using a ball point pen inside the home. He asked around and found a pencil for me to use. That's the first time I have had that request!

The house is 93% original. When Henry Clay Frick's daughter Helen, also known as "our benefactor" donated the house to Pittsburgh upon her death in 1984 she left just about everything behind. We learned on the tour that the only changes that were made from the Gilded Age that could not be changed back were to the kitchen. When I think of other homes we have toured, such as the William Trent House in Trenton that has nothing original in it, this emphasized just how impressive this house tour would be. It would feel as if the Frick family could walk in on us at any moment. Archivists spent six years cataloging the collection and making repairs before it was opened to the public.

When Henry Clay Frick bought his home in 1882 it was a "simple" two-story, 11 room, Italianate-style home. Much too small for the growing family of an industrialist! They moved out for a few years years while two floors were added, and the house grew on two sides to its current 23-room chateau-style mansion. He named the house Clayton in honor of his family name.

Henry and his wife, Adelaide Childs, met with much tragedy. Of their four children, only their eldest son (named Childs) and their daughter, Helen, survive to adulthood. Their eldest daughter, Martha, died at age six from a blood disorder. Their youngest, Henry, died in 1892 at five weeks with the diagnosis "failure to thrive." Soon after their son was born, Mr. Frick was shot and took to his rooms in Clayton to recover as his wife recovered from childbirth, and their son died.

Helen, after watching other homes on what was once known as "millionaire's row" be demolished, she made sure her childhood home was preserved upon her death in 1984.

Throughout the home are tags on certain pieces describing not just what it cost, but what that equated to in terms of ordinary salaries. For example, in the covered front porch area sits an "orchestreon" (think an play piano that is an organ) would have cost Mr. Frick $5,000 in 1892, or at $2.10 a day, eight years of wages for someone working in his factory. The orchestreon was originally located in an alcove, but carefully moved to the porch when it was discovered the floor was sagging. That must have been quite a challenge since the door is smaller than the instrument.

Bill guided us inside to the parlor. Unfortunately none of us remembered to bring our calling cards, which would have been expected in the day. We learn the house was originally built with gas fixtures, and converted to electric ones. In the dining room we see the original chandelier that was fitted for both. Above the pictures in the parlor are electrical outlets. At some point there were lights above each painting.

The house was up on a hill, about eight miles from the active steel mills. This was decades before the advent of air conditioning. As a result, the furniture in the next room, where the women would have retreated after dinner, shows the furniture covered in fabric, charmingly referred to as their "summer whites."

We moved to the dining room, which is Bill's favorite room in the house. The woodwork was all done by Italian immigrants. So much woodwork was needed Mr. Frick had a lumbermill added to the property during the renovations.

While in the dining room we time traveled to 1902 when a most important guest was invited to the July 4th party: President Teddy Roosevelt. Less than a year earlier he became president when President William McKinley was assassinated. From what I've read, he was only selected to be vice president to keep him out of trouble, after all the vice president never does anything of consequence. An aside here ... Teddy said he would not run for a third term (which was allowed at the time), a decision he later regretted. When his predecessor (President William Henry Taft) did not follow through on the programs Teddy had started, he decided to run against him in the Bull Moose party, but did not win.

The July 4, 1902 party was for white men only. After all, women and minorities could not vote. There was a marine band performing on the lawn. It was quite an elaborate event.

We passed through the butlers' pantry on the way to the kitchen. In a modern home, the butlers' pantry decor with its paneled wood, large white farm-style sink, and glass cabinets showcasing the china would be spectacular. In this home, is was bland.

The kitchen is the room that had undergone the biggest transformation when Helen moved back in 1980 when she was an old lady. She wanted a dishwasher, microwave, and carpeting on the tiled floor. After she passed away in 1984 it was restored to be similar to how it would have looked when Mr. Frick was alive.

We passed a nook with a phone in it. A reminder of a simpler time when phone calls happened in select spaces and not everywhere.

The breakfast room is set up how it was on Thursday night poker nights rather than how it would have looked for breakfast the next morning. Rather than gold gilding, the room is decorated in aluminum gilding. Still quite swanky.

The family moved out from 1890 to 1892 so renovations could take place. In August 1891 their eldest daughter, Martha, died. When they moved back home in January 1892, they were in deep mourning. On January 1, 1892 received a promotion from Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel. He was placed in charge of the labor contract. Negotiations were going no where. Workers were locked out. Scabs were brought in. It was a dark time in the history of steel industry in Pittsburgh. On July 6, 1892 Mr. Frick dissolves the union, lowers wages, and removes collective bargaining. Two days later his son, Henry Clay Frick, Jr. is born. Later that month, on July 23, a would-be assassin shoots him in his office, when that fails, he tries to stab him. Frick never loses consciousness. He asks to go home to recover in his bedroom.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Frick is recovering from childbirth in her bedroom. On August 5, 1892 their son dies. 

The second floor is home to his bedroom, bathroom, and walk in closet, plus her bedroom, bathroom, and walk in closet. On the other side of her bathroom is the room where Helen grew up. Her big brother, Childs, slept on the third floor in a space that is not part of the tour. Also on the third floor is Mr. Frick's library, the coziest space on the tour with giant windows allowing daylight and breezes. The bedrooms are filled with family pictures, particularly ones of their eldest daughter. 

Our 75-minute tour stretched to 90-minutes as we got into conversations and asked questions. It was a terrific tour. I would not recommend it on a hot summer day as the second floor is not air conditioned.

We walked outside and passed both the greenhouse and the "play house." The latter reminded me of the time we toured Boldt Castle on the waters between the United States and Canada. Neither was on tour.

As we procrastinated getting in the car it was suggested we stop by the carriage house, which was included in our ticket. We saw dozens of classic cars, and were even allowed to pose inside one. Each car had a tag explaining its significance. Its history. Unfortunately, my mind had already shifted to the long drive home. The docent in that space was also a retired math teacher. She said the pandemic did her in. She, too, was thrilled to land this as her retirement gig since substitute teaching held no appeal.

Pittsburgh: Cathedral of Learning

Researching things to do in Pittsburgh and one kept piquing my interest: the Cathedral of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Inside this Gothic 42-story skyscraper are 31 rooms referred to as Nationality Rooms representing different countries and cultures. These spaces are still used as classrooms, as evidenced by the screens in each room. Having been educated in a public college mostly built post-World War II, my jaw dropped walking in these rooms. Each one transports you to a different world. The ones representing places where we visited we simply nodded and agreed in four walls, they captured the essence of that foreign place. For the other rooms it sparked my curiosity to visit someday.

The Pitt website has great images of all of the rooms. Most were on display the day we went--the benefit to going between semesters. Two rooms (the Syria-Lebanon room and the Early American room) are currently closed to visitors, but they have a glass door allowing people to look inside the rooms. The Korean Heritage room's floor was being refinished. For some reason the door to the Armenian room refused to unlock. I thought I could still sneak a peek at it on the audio app we downloaded to learn more, but it is opening for me. I can see it on their website.

The rooms are located on the first and third floors. Each one was designed by a committee from that country (or region). The Romanian room was first on display in the 1939 World's Fair. Some rooms (such as German) were based on traditional classrooms from that region, others (such as Swedish) were based on traditional homes. The committees seem to have been given a lot of latitude in creation. They are still involved with their upkeep.

The website is great because it makes seeing 31 rooms approachable by adding links on the bottom to rooms with similar traits. A lot of thought and planning went into creating the website, just as a lot of thought and planning went into creating the rooms. Many of the rooms were started after The Great Wall, but were not completed until after World War II. Israel was not commissioned until 1966 and dedicated in 1987. This was the first addition after a long break from building Nationality Rooms. African Heritage was dedicated two years later using features from different African countries.

Don, a lefty, noted his joy when he saw left-handed desks. A sore point for a kid who went to college in the 80s when he was lucky if there was one per classroom. Turkey outdid themselves in their room as each seat had the option of pulling down a left or right-handed desk, or leaving them both up or both down. Options! I wonder if this is due to it being built in the 21st century (2001-2012).

Much detail went into every single aspect of every single room from the windows to the flooring, ceilings, furniture, decorations. They were not each given the same blank slate to fill. Some were larger than others. Some were inside rooms, others faced outside. I was mesmerized and took more pictures than I should have given the excellent quality of images found on the Pitt website. 

I'll end with some anyway. Starting with the four-story Common room that feels like it could serve as a Hogwarts's set, it is an experience unlike any other I have taken. I could imagine each room being a portal that allows the heroine to jump between different worlds in order to save the universe. Maybe a 31-part series? Anyone interested in writing these books and adding a thank you to me for the idea? The rooms definitely feel magical.

Take the $10 audio tour and explore the magic.

 

Pittsburgh: Afternoon

The rain in Pittsburgh's forecast took pity on us. After recharging in our hotel room, we walked around Pittsburgh. As we passed Fort Pitt Museum I remembered what the woman at the Heinz Historic Center told us that morning  our ticket was good here, too. Even though we had less than 20 minutes to enjoy the space, we went inside. A docent was giving a tour. I wished I had brought my notebook so I could write down what he was saying.

Much of the fort's history dates back to the French and Indian War, a war that I do not know much about because it did not take place in New Jersey. Though as I write this, I realize the Old Barracks in Trenton was built to house soldiers during the French and Indian War before it was used a decade later in the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War dominates all grade school history classes in the State of New Jersey. They would not have built it if there was no need for the building.

Next time we are in Pittsburgh we should allow more time to visit.

In addition to the Heinz Museum, I was told to see the Mr. Rogers and Roberto Clemente statues. Having seen them, I wish I had looked for a walking tour of Pittsburgh so I could have learned more about them.

Next time I'll schedule a walking tour of the North Shore.

Pittsburgh has a lot to offer: history, street art, food, and sports. In my opinion, one of the best parts of urban planning Pittsburgh did was to build their sports arenas with the city. In addition to walking to the PPG (hockey) we walked past Acrisure Stadium (football) and PNC Park (baseball). Also within walking distance are places to stay, eat, and mass transit. It is well designed. Trenton does have baseball and hockey, but neither is located in an area conducive to doing more than driving to the game then driving home. We need more reasons and abilities to stay in Trenton.

I was surprised to learn Lewis and Clark's expedition started here. Another claim to fame for Pittsburgh.

We crisscrossed the three rivers using a variety of bridges. The night before I learned one of the bridges was built using Roebling steel, giving it a Trenton connection. until we ended up in The Strip to see Corinne's show: Stories in Pink at City Winery. Last summer we saw Corinne perform at MusikFest. I joined her email list. When she sent a message saying she would be performing in Pittsburgh the night after Springsteen (not the way she phrased it, of course), it seemed like fate. We enjoyed it just as much this time.

Unlike Tuesday night when we walked to the Monongahela Incline for nighttime views of Pittsburgh, this time we simply walked back to our room.

Tuesday night we had the funicular to ourselves. As the last ride was at 12:30 am, we nearly closed it down for the night.

Only one more day to enjoy Pittsburgh before returning to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Pittsburgh: Heinz History Center

I asked friends for suggestions of things to do in Pittsburgh and the Heinz History Center kept being listed as a must do. Their website boldly states they are America's #1 History Museum--a claim I did not research for its veracity. Though there is a $20 per adult admission  fee, it is part of the Smithsonian collection of museums. Throughout our brief time in Western Pennsylvania people asked if we went to the Heinz, or told us they were there recently. With its neon signs it is hardly a hidden attraction, though everyone talks about it in hushed tones as if letting us in a secret.

The museum is located in the former Chautauqua Lake Ice Building, a magnificently restored industrial building in the part of town locals refer to as The Strip. The building was gutted and replaced with a vibrant six store museum featuring the best of Pittsburgh from Heinz-related history to Mr. Rogers to Franco Harris Sports Museum to a new section on preservation (my favorite part) to the history of Pittsburgh Glass (Don's favorite section) and slavery.

The third floor is dedicated to children's activities, and the sixth is the library and archives, which made them easy areas to skip. I was overwhelmed by how much the museum held. The laugh I held back when we were told we could use our ticket again tomorrow was coming back to me as, oh we might just have to do that. The other note, that we could also use the ticket at the Fort Pitt Museum came in handy later that day.

The first floor is deceptively sparse. The Great Hall has a Heinz truck and a few large vehicles. The back room on Pittsburgh's Hidden History was undergoing a transformation, hence it was closed to the public.

One down, only four more to go! We'll knock this out and head out to the Cathedral for Learning and the Frick Museum so I can cross everything I want to do in Pittsburgh off my list in one day.

You know what they say about best laid plans....I woke up not feeling well. We got a late start looking for breakfast and not starting our trip to the museum until 11:30 am, rather than opening the museum at 10 am. The first floor was quick, but the rest of the museum mesmerized us.

We took the stairs, which used a hidden space to share some Pittsburgh History. Paraphrasing: step 3: How many rivers are there in Pittsburgh? Step 21: What number did Roberto Clementi wear? etc.

I thought I would breeze through the second floor Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum which continued to the third floor, but I was wrong. I really liked the bright way the museum covered the highlights of the sports history. I did not feel you had to be a sports fan to appreciate it. There was a section on Olympic events not typically thought of as sports, but were at one point, including bridge and marbles. Of course it also touted the successes of the Pittsburgh teams, and mentioned the Penguins hockey team's rivalry with the Philadelphia Flyers as both were expansion teams the same year.

With the sports museum taking two half floors, we were thrown off on how to visit the rest of the museum. The rest of the third floor is the Discovery Place for children. With school groups sharing the space with us, we gave them their privacy. We went up to the fourth floor, a floor we could have spent a couple of hours devouring. Our first stop was an exhibit on the history of Heinz 57. With that large display I thought the museum was named for the company, instead it was after Senator John Heinz a philanthropist and politician. 

We learned the number 57 was added when the
founder started to list all of the products they made and stopped at 57 because he liked the number. Don thought it was because there were 57 ingredients in their trademark ketchup recipe. 

From the center I turned right towards Mister Rogers Neighborhood while Don went left to Glass Shattering Notions. When we do things like that I wonder if it is the difference between me being right-handed and him being left-handed?

I got distracted by the Visible Storage exhibit straight ahead. It called to me. Inside were the secrets to how they maintain their vast collection, including the declaration that only 15% of their collection is on display at any given time. By comparison, I recently heard London's Victoria and Albert Museum has less than one percent on display at any given time. There is a room where they photograph new acquisitions before they are put into storage. This helps them keep a log of what they own, and can use the pictures in publicity.

Outside this exhibit was a collection of 90 paintings by local artist Ron Donoughe. In 2013, Ron set out to paint all 90 of the city's neighborhoods in alphabetical order within one year. The pictures reflect the changes in seasons and other details. Had it been a display of Trenton neighborhoods, Don and I could have spent hours devouring the scenes. As someone new to Pittsburgh, it was a bit overwhelming. I envision a local artist doing something similar in Trenton someday. Someone with far more talent than I possess. 

Pittsburgh is very proud of Mr. Fred Rogers. From everything I have heard, he was just like his television personality: calm, patient, and loving. He was a Presbyterian minister by training who felt his television show was his ministry. For the times he did preach at the local church he wore this stole that was created by his aunt. Hearing the theme song to his television show no matter how cheerful did become grating.

Meanwhile Don was engrossed in the history of Pittsburgh glass, an exhibit I barely glanced at. I know he got a lot out of it because the next day when we were at the Frick Museum and Gardens, he pointed to the tiles in the butler's pantry and said they were made from Pittsburgh glass, something our well-versed docent had not realized.

In the back was an exhibit called from slavery to freedom we both passed through. I suspect there was a Pittsburgh connection, but after visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, we were not expecting to learn anything new, and there was more to learn about the history of Pittsburgh. Reading the brochure at home, I missed its role in the Underground Railroad, a topic I am familiar with given Lawrenceville was also a stop.

Up to the fifth floor. We were reunited as we have a rule of not leaving a place without the other. The Class of Empires exhibit in the center talked about the French and Indian War, something I am not very knowledgeable about, but in which Pittsburgh played a role. 

The rest of the floor had an exhibit called My America: an Illustrated Experience. By this point my cold was kicking in and wearing me out.

Rather than spending an hour and moving the car to our next stop, we spent nearly three hours here, had lunch at Primanti Bros, and returned to the hotel for a brief nap. It was that kind of day.

Back to the second floor and the exhibit Pittsburgh: a Tradition of innovation. Who knew Pittsburgh could claim so many inventions! I know I was supposed to be learning about Pittsburgh, but all I could imagine was what would a similar exhibit in Trenton be like. Trenton's motto (as seen on one of our bridges) is Trenton Makes, the World Takes. Pittsburgh's motto is: Made Here Used Everywhere.

The exhibit was subdivided by century, which further emphasized the historical aspect. Going in there was a sign saying from A to Zombie. I was on a quest to find out how zombies factored in the history of Pittsburgh. Don was in on this, and found the answer in a poster near the exit. 

Overall, the Heinz History Center is an engaging way to spend the day. For parents, it is also an economical activity since children are always free.

For groups with a variety of desired length of time to spend in a museum, it is worth noting each floor has ample seating areas, some overlooking Pittsburgh, others comfortable couches I suspect have supported nappers. I was nearly one of them, even though I love history and normally have a longer museum tolerance than anyone else in my group. The day of seeing Springsteen was not that day for me. 

Pittsburgh: Springsteen's Land of Hopes and Dreams Tour 2026

The atmosphere in Pittsburgh even before we arrived at the PPG Center for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Land of Hopes and Dreams tour was electric. We ate dinner at The Yard in Market Square, a gastropub. As we were both in the mood for a burger within walking distance, this fit the bill. While meandering to the ladies' room I noticed most of the patrons were wearing vintage Bruce Springsteen shirts. Many were also sporting I VOTED stickers (Tuesday, May 19 was their primary, the only day they can vote in person). This were my first clues we were in for a special night.

As we paid our bill, our server made a comment about how busy they were compared with a week earlier. Maya (likely not her name, but work with me here) said last Tuesday night she only earned $25 in tips. She was happy this week was much better. Service was quick and smooth. The burger was tasty. 

We walked fifteen minutes to the arena seeing more people wearing a wider variety of Springsteen shirts. We were swept into the sea of happy concert-goers. At I was scanning the crowd, I asked Don if we would bump into anyone we know there. I had already talked to people who traveled from New Jersey and Bucks County, PA for this show, so it wasn't completely out of the question. As we wandered around the top level of the arena in search of our section, we bumped into the man from the table next to ours at dinner. The man I thanked for voting that day. He was the only one we recognized that night. My cousin, a huge Springsteen fan, was not at the show.

Much has been written about the show. Here is the link to Billboard Magazine's deep dive, and one to Entertainment Central's write up specifically for the Pittsburgh show. The day after the show my Facebook newsfeed was joyfully filled with images and stories from the concert. It felt like a communal event. It was spiritual.

Unlike most Springsteen tours, this one has mostly maintained the same set list, starting with War and Born in the USA, and with Streets of Minneapolis landing in the seventh slot, about a half an hour into the set. During the drive to Pittsburgh Don and I listened to the songs he had performed in the earlier shows. Unlike my first Springsteen concert, we were prepared! Songs were chosen to send a consistent message. Bruce made three separate speeches directly to the audience. He preached love, love for each other and love for our nation. 

"The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock'n'roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I've written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treacherous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, to raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!"

He used a teleprompter, I suspect to make sure he kept the message consistent. Changing the name of the city, but not the message. The arena felt like a church. Everyone came together as one to pray for our nation. For our future. As people sat next to us they acknowledged us. The brown-skinned man who sat next to Don told him this was his first Springsteen concert. He was looking forward to it. After the show when I dashed out to the ladies' room, Don asked him if he enjoyed it. He said this was the first time he felt at peace in ages. 

That sums up the collective feeling. As Springsteen called out our government's actions, we felt safe shouting our agreement. We could breathe. We could dream about a future where that will be the norm instead of the exception. The other 20,000 people in the nearly sold out arena were of like mind, or at least smart enough to not disagree. During Streets of Minneapolis we all screamed ICE OUT NOW three times as the lights were raised and we could look at each other. We knew we were not alone in this fight. When Renee Good and Alex Pretti's faces shone on the screen at the end of the song there was a collective moment of silence.

The concert ran like a well-oiled machine. Between each song, Springsteen either handed his roadie his guitar as he swapped it for the next one, or he tossed it to him in what seemed like the ultimate in trust. 

The only glitch I saw was when the teleprompter stopped working. Springsteen stepped upstage to talk to the roadie in charge. At first he seemed confused, but soon he came out with a replacement, which he handled while the attention was on a different part of the stage. It was so smooth Don, who usually notices all things technical at events like this, didn't see it happen.

I felt Springsteen seemed to be more generous with sharing the spotlight his band and guest star,  Tom Morello. Of note, Tom spotted a Roberto Clemente t-shirt in honor of Pittsburgh's hometown hero, and wrote "Arm the Homeless" on his guitar. Most band members had solos, especially Jake Clemons and Little Stevie. Speaking of Jake, during 41 Shots, when not playing a saxophone solo, Jake was seen in the background with his hands up in the pose Black children are taught to use whenever they encounter the police. 

The concert was the inspiration many of us need at this time. After Pittsburgh, they were heading to Cleveland, Boston, Washington (DC), and Philadelphia. The tour was supposed to end in DC, but when the Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs (beating the Pittsburgh Penguins), the show was moved a few weeks. We are selfishly glad the Penguins did not advance and our show went as planned. Speculation is the speeches we heard might become even more pointed closer to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

 

At the end of the night, as the band members filed past Springsteen on their way off the stage, he fist pumped each of them. Then there was Jake. I sensed something more was coming. A couple of songs before this, during the playing of Tenth Avenue Freezeout the screens were filled with a baby-faced Bruce and Clarence Clemons. Their hug had all those feels. Decades of interracial love. Of admiration for both the uncle and the nephew.

We stayed as people left the arena. Rather than facing having to inch out of the parking lot, we knew we had a short walk back to our hotel. So short, we made it longer and did some nighttime sightseeing. I wasn't ready for the night to end. I wanted the good feelings from the show to last.

This was my third Springsteen concert, and my favorite so far. (Link to second)

The following pictures are not mine. I saw them posted on Facebook and am sharing here. Apologies for not noting the photographer. If you are reading this (and the odds of that are miniscule) and you recognize your picture, I will gladly give you photo credit.