Another Facet of Pittsburgh

This is really great. The river is just very wide. Just by looking at this picture nobody may have the notion that this is a river. People may think that this is a seaside. Water skiing is a favourite sport. The background at The Point is just perfect. The mood is always there. Under normal weather the confluence of the two rivers is very conducive to enjoy the water. The current could be too strong for swimming. Nevertheless there is no harm to enjoy it with all the necessary precautions.

The water front is huge. The great Ohio River is simply enormous. River cruise is an attraction to local as well to foreign tourists. It may take hours. Watching the city's skyline. Its very vantage point.

The Point is an attraction by itself. The fountain keeps its life selffulfilling.

Bird's eye view of Pittsburgh. Bridges spanning on the right and left of the city. I could not remember how many of those bridges that I have crossed.

It is summer. The grass is lush green. Full of life. Vibrant with activities.

The citizens are enjoying the sunlight. Only one season. Never the year round. How lucky! Yet we never enjoy the sun. To us, no suntan please. As much as possible we try our best to avoid the sun.

Green everywhere. Flowers blooming. Fountains with cooling water. In summer people become lazy. They go for holidays. Enjoy their lives. This is the moment.

Downtown Pittsburgh. Very lively.

The Cathedral of Learning. A landmark of Pittsburgh. Standing tall, serene, tranquil. Basking in its own serendepity. The place of discovery.

The only theme park in Pittsburgh. Kennhy Park. An hour drive out of town. Throngs of people as early as May. End of Spring. Families spend their moments together. Catching up with each other.

Swing and swing. Around and around. A test of courage. Nerves. Overcoming fear. 

A typical rollercoaster. It may have double or triple loops. The world becomes void.. Upside down. Take control of your life. Such moments drive people crazy. The moment they landed on dear earth everything is back to normal. Fear is just a passing moment. Overcoming it is a never ending process. Of course learning never ends.

The skyline back in 1986. 26 years could have changed the original skyline. New skyscrapers may have replaced some of the older  buildings. Additions may have been made.

Bridges and bridges. Countless of them.

At The Point. Near the fountain. In summer it is full and congested with people seeking outdoor pleasure. Some have gone fishing. Others could be camping. Some gone hiking. A few mountain climbing. Or they may hop from town to town. From county to county. From state to state.

The heart of Pittsburgh seems compact and concentrated. The city itself is fun to traverse. A lot to see and hear. Bargain hunting can be fun also.

The University of Pittsburgh main campus. Notice that The Cathedral of Learning looks tall and commanding. 

The Pitts's stadium. The most popular is American Football. Running from one end  of the field to the other end. Gaining as much touchdowns as possible.

Country life of yesteryears. A replica of a traditional village. 19th century and early 20th century. It is funny. Our tourism industry try to attrack foreign tourists with what we can offer as a modern living. On the other hand tourists are seeking the true lives of the people. Reality that prevail. Not something that they are already bored with. They want to run away from situations that never fulfill their would be happiness.

Back to the future.

We can find solace here.

The Point in perspective.

Summer with blazing sun. Lush green trees abound.

The bridges are unique. Each of them is huge. An engineering marvel. An architectural achievement. Massive and yet attractive.

Each bridge is unique. No two bridges are the same. Customised. Aesthetic values abound.

Pittsburgh caught in sunset.

Alleghany Centre. Shopping arcades. Shopping and relaxing.

Another shopping centre. The Station Square.

In summer there are endless atractions. Daytime is full of excitements. Open concert such as this dominated even the smallest space. Belching out their songs. Entertaining the crowd. An inviting noise indeed. Notice that they are adults with years of experience. The young may have stage frights.

The Pittsburgh Plate Glass building in the background. An architectural marvel by itself. There are many shops around. It is yours for your pleasure.

An easy life. Marinas along the river. Water sports around. Fresh water. Time to relax.

Steel and steel. Bridges after bridges. Reminder of the past. The move forward. To the future.

Different design. Different crossing. Blended with nature. Strong. Sustanaible.

I used to cross this bridge. It leads to Pittsburgh International Airport. Some 40km away. So huge. Enormous amount of steel. The city of bridges. Pittsburgh is renown for that. None match its existence. The only city full of bridges.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is so dear to me. Something special to remember. The space. The songs. The vibrant city. The colours. The flowers. The winds. The snow. The sun. The people. Always flooding my memories. It was an experience of a life time. 18 months that shaped my life. That synergised my peresonal developement. The personification.  It has been 26 years. Quite a long time ago. Yet it is still fresh in my mind. It is refreshing to turn to its pages. Revisiting it is reliving the past. The years gone by.  I wish I were there. Breathing the air. Meeting the people. Frequenting the places that I have gone before. It seems time stood still. Those places are still there. Begging to be revisited.

Cathedral of Learning  is so imposing. Dubbed the tallest university building in the world. Symbol of excellence. Achievement. It is so proud. Standing alone. None competing its elegance.

The old Pittsburgh was so gloomy. Misty. Smoke anda sog. Very misterious in nature. Iron and coal was its living. Its life. Thus Pittsburgh is known. Full of pitt. The University of Pittsburgh was dearly nicknamed The Pitts. Months after I landed in Pittsburgh that I realised its significance. The passanger next to me asked, "You schooling at Pitts?" I did not understand why the university was called The Pitts then.

After years of planning. After much effort. Pittsburgh was rejuvenated. Gone were the mist. Gone were the gloom. Gone were the floods. Gone were the miseries. It was transformed into a vibrant city. Boasting as the Number One City in US in 1985-86. For me and my family it was fun all the way. Life was blissful. Allah bestowed upon me and my family a happy stay. Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah.

This is the focal point of Pittsburgh. The confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers that formed the great Ohio River. The fountain is its true landmark. The particulafr point is called The Point. In summer the place is jammed with people enjoying the sunshine. Basking to get tan. One of the nesrest building is The Point Park College. Many Malaysians undergone their study here.

The many colours of Pittsburgh. Changes due to changing seasons. The sun and its oblique position made this changing colours. 

The city is located between two great rivers. Commuters cross numerous bridges. The greater Pittsburgh expanding a much wider area across and around The Point.

A very famous observatory. Those studying astronomy frequented this building.

This is Forbes Avenue. Runs through the heart of the University of Pittsburgh. Sort of university town. The town grew in and out of the university. Thus the university is blended with its surrounding. You name whatever you need, it is there. The university business centre in fall. Notice that the leaves are turning yellow, amber and red. Not brown as is common in Malaysia. A real university town. It looks so huge. The enrolment was more than 20,000.

This is Hillman Library. Days and night I was here. Devulging its treasure. Picking up whatever that comes by. Always a pleasure to be here. I never missed my beloved country because the national newspapers were always there for my picking. Internet was not there yet.



The School of Education. My class was up there. The fourth floor. Up and down by lift.

An old image. The sight was just not inviting. Smoke and smog engulfed the city. Seemed to be forever.

The final building so dear to me. My graduation was held here. The Civic Arena. It can seat more than 30,000 people. It is a dome. Covered to avoid snow and rain. Right in the heart of Pittsburgh.

Whenever I look at this image, my memories just flooding back. It is not an ordinary image. I was there before. I had the experince of scaling the steps. Moving up and down the building. Attending classes. Or simply went to the observatory tower. Scanning the distant city of Pittsburgh. Very picturesque during the day. My, those yellow, amber and red colours blended in the evening sun. A sight to be remembered. Maybe my heart is still there. The passing of an episode. The passing of time. There was this place. Somewhere. Planted vividly in my mind.  Keeps on rolling from time to time.

The entrance to the University od Pitsburgh. Very inviting. There was so much happening behind this wall. One of the oldest university in the US. Founded in 1787.

The olden days gone by. It was not only smoke and smog. The floods were numerous. The location was prone to floods. Two great rivers converging here. When the city was revamped the result was simply awesome. Amazing. The flood never come back.



Sometimes Pittsburgh is called the City of Bridges. So numerous. Connecting various points. Going in and out of the city was never a problem.

The city is spanned by bridges. Brige after bridge. It is symbolic. Reminding its citizens that they grew due to iron. Said to be half that was mined in the US. A stark reminder. Their root.