Up Close and Personal with the Penguins….at the National Aviary

I’ve found the absolute best way to get up close and personal with a penguin, go to the National Aviary. I know the Pittsburgh Zoo also has a great penguin exhibit, but the Aviary’s use of pop-up plastic portholes brings you just inches from the little creatures, and they’re pretty darn cute.

The National Aviary is just minutes from the Children’s Museum on the North Side and has it’s own parking area. There are over 600 different species of birds at the Aviary and multiple exhibits. They do a great job of providing activities at regular times throughout the day that really allow you learn and interact with the birds, and enhances the overall experience. I would definitely recommend the Aviary for animal and bird lovers of all ages, and kids as well.

Penguin Point I found to be lots of fun for all ages, and it was unusual to see the birds so close up. There are two daily talks at the exhibit where you learn about the penguins and how the Aviary takes care of them. Any time of the day, however, you can stop in and see them up close, walking around or swimming.

The Tropical Forest is one of two “free-flight” areas at the Aviary, this means you can enjoy seeing the birds fly around the large conservatory and occasionally dive bombing visitors, in an entirely safe wayJ. There are two daily feeding times in the forest where you have a chance to watch the trainers feed the birds and maybe even interact with them yourself. I was lucky enough to be able to feed one of the birds from my hand. To have that little guy fly down and land on me just made my day. The Rainforest is home to a huge variety of tropical birds and you’ll be looking at every nook and cranny trying to see them all.

The Aviary also presents FliteZone shows throughout the summer and early fall, weather permitting. This is a free-flight show including kites and eagles. NOTE: For Halloween there will be some special owl performers as part of theme shows October 24, 25, and 31.

When you wander through the Aviary, you have the chance to walk past some of the largest birds I’ve ever seen in my life, the Steller’s sea-eagles, and next to them a pair of bald eagles. Outside the Aviary don’t miss the enclosures of the, also enormous, Andean condors.

The Penguin Point exhibit is clearly the newest and most well funded portion of the zoo; there are uneven aspects to the remainder of the exhibits. In April of 2009, the Aviary broke ground on a $23 million expansion and renovation project and I look forward to what it has in store for the future, if Penguin Point is any indication. The National Aviary is open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 12pm-5pm; admission is $10 for adults and $8.50 for children.

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Mural Hunt…your G20-week, non-protesting, free activity

Some of you may recall that Shepard Fairey was in Pittsburgh back in August during the Netroots Nation shindig and put up 10 murals around town. The murals are both a statement to the G20 leaders to support efforts addressing climate change, and a precursor to his exhibit “Supply and Demand” which will be opening at the Andy Warhol Museum on October 18.

Well, I finally had a day-off and some time to ride around and try to find them all. I was, happily, successful and thought that others might like to play a similar game of hide and seek the Shepard Fairey murals. These murals are all located outside the G20 security zone and very bikable. I would say it takes about 1.5 hours by bike to see them all.

Here is a description of the murals and locations that I am also offering on an RSS Feed. If you have a phone that connects to the web, use this feed to guide you on your journey.

You can also follow this link to Pop City’s article on the murals and fabulous Google map showing locations.

Murals #1 and 2 at Warhol Museum, Rosa Villa, 106 E. General Robinson Street, North Side.
The largest murals are located across from the Warhol on the North Side. This mural includes his poster for MoveOn.org’s Power Up America campaign and an image of human rights leader and Nobel Prize recipient Aung San Suu Ki of Myanmar.(GPS 40.448662/-80.002594)

Mural #3 8th St (Tito Way) between Penn Ave and Liberty Ave, Downtown
This set of murals is located in a large alleyway across from culinary institute downtown.(GPS 40.442928/-79.999184)

Mural #4 272 1st Avenue, Downtown
Behind the Art Institute, on building facing the parking lot.(GPS 40.438061/-80.002792)

Mural #5 at Fast>>fwd Gallery, 3700 Penn Avenue at 37th St, Lawrenceville
Mural has been pulled down, see this link for the original picture.(GPS 40.464401/-79.962578)

Mural #6 4035 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
At Crazy Mocha, look up at the side of the building.(GPS 40.469402/-79.961441)

Mural #7 4140 Penn Avenue, Lawrenceville
At Brillobox look up and see the giant.(GPS 40.465706/-79.954788)

Mural #8 5423 Penn Avenue, Garfield/Friendship
On the side of the Sprout Fund Building.(GPS 40.464831/-79.935440)

Mural #9 5515 Penn Avenue, Garfield/Friendship
On the east side of Penn Ave, there is a small parking lot next to building, near the Pgh Glass Center.(GPS 40.463963/-79.931831)

Mural #10 Bigelow Blvd and N. Craig Street, North Oakland
If driving, park on Bigelow, murals are on building at busy intersection just past North Oakland.(GPS 40.456875/-79.954720)

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Carnegie Science Center

I haven’t been inside the Carnegie Science Center since it first opened, so I figured it was about time I got back there. Biking down to the CSC on one of these gorgeous September days was great fun all in itself. On your trip to the CSC, I highly recommended adding some time to walk or bike along the riverfront and enjoy the beautiful setting.

I’m actually going to start my review with my favorite part of the CSC – the submarine, the USS Requin. I have not been down to visit the CSC since the submarine was brought in and I have definitely been missing out!

As a history-lover it was an amazing experience to actually be able to put myself back in that period of time. The Requin is kept in pristine condition and stepping down the ladder into the sub is like stepping back in time. The incredibly small living quarters, the capsule-like doorways, and the displays present you a real picture of what it was like to work on a sub with 100 or so men back around the end of WWII. The guides on the sub are particularly great assets. All are gentlemen who served in the Navy in that period and they can all tell some great stories and really bring to life the ship you’re standing in. In addition, computer displays provide audio segments from other ex-submariners who either served on the Requin or similar boats, and their stories are equally engaging. If you want to learn a little more about this pivotal time in history, walk onto the Requin and step back in time.

Beyond the sub, most of the CSC seems to be geared toward kids and, depending on your child’s interests, there is a lot to see and do. The most traditional, hands-on areas are SciQuest and Exploration Station where you can really get in and get your hands dirty. Also fun are the demonstrations at the Kitchen Theater and Works Theater which occur throughout the day and are announced on those floors prior to show start times.

The first floor of the Carnegie Science Center includes the tickets area, the Omnimax theater, and an exhibit called “SciQuest”. The theater shows movies throughout the day, all are approximately 45-60 min long and you can enter and purchase tickets just for the show. My favorite here was SciQuest which has been open since the beginning. The purpose of the exhibit is to learn about physical forces like wind, light, sound, and earthquakes. The displays were very interactive and I think it holds up very well to the more digital parts of the Center. It is interesting for all ages with a lot to touch and experience.

The second floor includes the new/old Buhl Digital Dome (I’m just going to call it the Buhl Planetarium for old time’s sake), the Miniature Railroad & Village (that used to be in the Buhl Planetarium), and the new exhibit roboworld. The Buhl Dome has showings throughout the day included in your ticket price, movies are approx. 20 min long, and they’re well-worth seeing. It’s a nice way to take a short break and sit.

If you’re familiar with the Miniature Railroad & Village from it’s early days, there are still some of the classic figures included. A few new elements have also been added to provide scope. I’ve always enjoyed watching the little figures working in the quarry or the clothes snapping on the line in an imaginary wind. I wish they had more of the moveable figures included.

The bulk of the second floor is devoted to roboworld. This exhibit includes multiple stations that allow kids to interact with different types of robots - robots throwing basketballs, robots picking things up, robots with facial recognition. For the robot-lovers and techno lovers out there, I’m sure this is a hit. For me, I felt like I was at a carnival game trying to pick up the stuffed giraffe with a crane; clearly this is not my thing.

But onwards and upwards, the top floor contains Exploration Station and the Works Theater. Exploration Station is actually divided into two areas, the main area for all ages and a closed-off section just for 3-6 year olds. Both areas are full of great hands-on activities working with water, or electrical circuits (not together, thankfully), or animals, or even a weather area. As with SciQuest, I was more drawn to these hands-on activities that really let you get in there and play. Also on this floor, the Works Theater has demonstrations throughout the day that teach kids about forces such as electricity and voltage.

The café and group meet up areas are located below the first floor. The café offers the typical fare – sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, fries. You also have the opportunity to bring your own food. There are also lockers on this floor.

According to the CSC website, the Highmark SportsWorks exhibition which is being rebuilt is set to open in late 2009. I look forward to that and plan on stopping by as soon as it’s open.

The Carnegie Science Center has a variety of ticket options, general admission is $10 for kids 3-12 and $14 for adults; add $5 for an Omnimax movie. To see the Omnimax only is $6 for kids and $8 for adults, similar prices for laser shows. is open Sunday-Friday 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturday 10 am to 7 pm.

NOTE: The CSC does CLOSE on days of Steelers home games.

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Fort Necessity

If you’re traveling around Uniontown some day or simply enjoy visiting historical sites, take a shot at visiting Fort Necessity. It’s only $5 for adult and FREE for kids 15 and under, and a fun way to spend an hour or two. The fort is located 15 min east of Uniontown along Rt. 40, the National Road.

If you were around last year for the 250th anniversary of Pittsburgh, then you know that Fort Necessity was built (out of necessity, hence the name) by a young George Washington who had managed to really tick off a group of nearby French soldiers, thus inciting the French and Indian War. (Okay, technically, the fort was built by George Washington’s troops to protect them from a French raid in the summer of 1754. Earlier that summer, his troops had killed a French officer nearby and the French were out to attack the British troops in retaliation. Who can blame them?)

Today, Fort Necessity has one of the BEST National Park Service Visitor Centers I’ve seen in a long time. It includes some nice replica artifacts and interesting interpretive exhibits. Opened in 2005, the center interprets both the French and Indian War, and the history of the National Road which was actually based on the trail Washington’s troops cleared on their way through the area. See more pictures here.

The first stop in the center should be the excellent “here’s what happened and why it’s a national park now” movie. This 20-minute movie is well produced and looks great on their HD screen. It is actually interesting to watch, which is saying something because I’ve seen a lot of these introductory movies, and most are boring at best. Maybe they worked with the PBS team who did the, also excellent, French and Indian War documentary. Regardless, it’s short and fun to watch (and also educational).

After the movie, wander through the French and Indian War and National Road exhibits. The War exhibits do a fabulous job of presenting multiple perspectives on the events at the Fort, from the British and French side as well as the Native American sides. Also on hand are some very cool artifact replicas of period weapons, clothes, and even replica wampum belts (read through the display to understand what they mean).

A secondary story for this park is the history of the National Road. The exhibits dedicated to that story are also quite engaging. I could picture myself at some dusty tavern circa 1825 talking about tolls and bed bugs.

Walk outside and you’ll find a playground for younger children; all the kids I saw there absolutely loved it. There is an oversized replica Conestoga wagon and a mini Fort Necessity.

Beyond the Visitor Center, you can visit a replica Fort Necessity. The “fort” is really just a small building inside a small surrounding palisade. The highlight here is to participate in one of the park’s interpretive programs. Each day offers at least one program, usually a Soldier’s Life or Fur Trading. Some days offer special programs. The weekend I visited there was a Native American camp interpretation which was lots of fun. At the time of Washington’s visit the area was contested not just by the British and French, but also by a variety of Native groups from the Seneca to the Delaware to the Shawnee to the Cherokee and others. This weekend included reenactors from these multiple groups with multiple perspectives.

NOTE: Keep in mind the wonderful hiking trails in the area when you visit. Take some time to hike the nearby trails on the grounds and get an idea of what it was like for Washington to travel through these early forests.

Fort Necessity is $5 for adults and FREE for children 15 and under. The Visitor Center is open 9 am-5 pm April through October and the grounds, including hiking trails, are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. They also offer FREE FEE weekends, look at their website for program schedules and other information.

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Ghost Town Trail (bwah hah hah), the other rail-trail

I recently ventured onto the Ghost Town Trail outside of Indiana, PA mostly just because of the name. It sounds so very adventurous. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was easily a rival for the Great Allegheny Passage in terms of interest and beauty and bikability. If you’re looking for a fall foliage ride in the coming months, you would not do wrong to visit this trail. For some more pictures of the trail, head over to our Facebook photos page.

Here’s the basics you need to know. The Ghost Town Trail in full is 40 miles one way, from Blacklick to Ebensburg. If you’re unfamiliar with these towns, know that Blacklick is just over an hour east of Pittsburgh; take Rt. 22 to Rt. 119 North and you’ll drive into Blacklick just south of Indiana. The trailhead for the Ghost Town Trail is located in Saylor Park, and there is a sign for both the park and the rail trail on Rt. 119 North directing you where to turn.

This area is coal country and you’ll ride past the remnants of over a hundred years of mining and industry along this trail, those are the “ghost towns”. The Ghost Town Trail is well-maintained crushed limestone dust and easy to ride. You peddle alongside Blacklick Creek for most of the time and you’ll notice that the water is suspiciously rust-colored. This is a result of the mining history of the area. However, the trees and scenery in general are truly gorgeous and will only get better throughout the fall.

East of Dilltown, the trail passes most of the “ghost towns” as well as the Eliza Furnace. We did pass the remains of the Buena Vista Furnace on the Blacklick-Dilltown section. Take your pick of which section to ride if you prefer not to do the entire 40 miles. The Blacklick-Dilltown section is beautiful and the closest trailhead to Pittsburgh. The Dilltown to Ebensburg section includes more of the historic “sites”.

At the time of my ride, the last bridge connecting the trail system was just being finished. So biking from Saylor Park in Blacklick, you could ride about 12 miles east and end just before Dilltown where the bridge needs to be completed. According to the schedule, it is to be opened Sept. 11 and it appeared to be on track for that date. By the end of the month, I’ve no doubt the entire 40 mile trail will be connected.

Less crowds, beautiful scenery, and a well-maintained trail – the Ghost Town Trail is another remarkable rail-trail in the Pennsylvania system and a quality alternative to the GAP for those who like rail-trails and/or want to try something a bit new. Kudos to the Indiana, Cambrian, and Westmoreland County parks and regional trail system for putting the money into building and maintaining this trail.

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Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life

Like the majority of archaeological sites I’ve worked on, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life is located at the end of a long, winding road which appears to be washing out and leading to nowhere. (In case you’ve never heard of Meadowcroft, it is the oldest continuously occupied archaeological site in North America as well as the first identified pre-Clovis site, and it’s a National Historic Landmark.) The Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum joined with the Heinz History Center in 1993 and is located just outside of Avella, PA. I've included some pictures of my visit here.

All I can say is that it is an adventure, drive slowly, and know that there is something worthwhile at the end. Once you reach Meadowcroft (which really is just an hour outside of Pittsburgh and ½ hour outside of Washington, PA), you’ll be glad you found it.

Meadowcroft is more than just the Rockshelter, it also includes a 1600’s-era Indian Village and a mid-19th century Museum of Rural Life. I’ll get back to the rockshelter, but for the non-archaeologists out there the biggest draw is the village and rural life areas. Both are staffed by well-trained and personable guides and I appreciated their approachability; they were by far the most fun and engaging guides I’ve come across and I’ve visited my fair share of historic sites.

The “Indian Village” is fairly new to Meadowcroft and is a nice replica of a typical 1600’s-era village for this area. A small portion of a log palisade encloses the entrance. Inside you are presented information on local clothes, farming, and hunting, among other things. There are two replica wigwam-style homes which are currently covered with grass matting. I understand from the guide that they hope to get a more authentic covering completed in the future when funding is available, so please overlook the mats for now. With that exception, the materials demonstrated are wonderfully authentic and really give you a sense of handling artifacts that would have been used in the 1600’s. Children particularly enjoyed the presentations and chances to hold stone tools, fur clothes, and try a bit of “hunting”. NOTE: Concerning the fur clothes presentation, I thought this was handled very well and for a purpose – to teach visitors about what would really have been used and worn. However, the furs shown and passed around are real animal furs and if you object to this, you would do best to avoid this section of the village.

The Museum of Rural Life is on another part of the grounds and consists of a grouping of four structures including a log cabin, smithy, schoolhouse, and church. You are invited into each structure and then given a demonstration or asked to play a game. In the schoolhouse you are asked to participate in the school lesson which was a complete blast and particularly interesting to see what the kids in the mid-1800s were learning. I’ve visited Plimoth Plantation and Williamsburg and others, and while this museum doesn’t have the same scope, it’s just as engaging if not more. Kids have a small area to roam, so you won’t lose them, the blacksmith does an excellent presentation, and the house and schoolroom are just plain fun.

As a former-archaeologist the real draw for me was, of course, the Rockshelter which is located just down the hill from the main grounds. If you have any interest in archaeological sites, this is a great one to visit. The new structure covering the site is beautifully done and better yet, actually gives you a great better view of the site. The high roof opens up the area to viewing in a way that was never possible before and a well-thought out lighting system really lets the guide highlight areas that illustrate her presentation. I savored the chance to visit this world-famous site and still can’t quite believe it’s in our own backyard.

I do have one note of caution. Visiting the rockshelter itself is done in groups. When you first sign in, the staff lets you know when the next few groups are meeting (typically once every hour) and you come back to the visitor’s center at the appointed time. The group is then asked to watch a 15 min video before seeing the site. I applaud Meadowcroft for wanting to present some context before visiting the rockshelter, so that the average visitor has a better understanding of what they’re looking at (after all, it does look pretty much like a hole in the ground.) However, the video borders on abysmal and does little credit to the great efforts seen around the site and museum. The guide does an excellent job of presenting Meadowcroft in context. All I can say, is sit through the video and know that it gets better from here.

Overall, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life does a wonderful job of drawing you into the experience and letting you play. It’s a small enough area that you can visit it all and not be overwhelmed, at the same time, my husband and I spent 3 hours there and could have spent more. Kids from ages 2-12 that I saw loved the way the guides let you play at being in a 1900’s school or a 1600’s Indian village. (With the kids over age 12 it was difficult to tell, but the sullen expressions on their faces seemed to lighten just a bit).

Is this trip right for you? Well, if you’re the type to enjoy visiting historic sites, archaeological sites, or reenactments, then you will also definitely enjoy Meadowcroft. It’s a hidden gem for our area and well worth the visit. It is there, I promise, just keep driving.

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What I Didn't Know About Our Parks...is surprising

At the start of the twentieth century, Pennsylvania was almost bare of trees. More than a century of building and logging and charcoaling had stripped the hills and created an industrial boom. Yet, as early as the late 1800’s people were speaking up about the need to protect some of the historic and natural areas of PA.

Today, Pittsburghers can enjoy a variety of parks within our own city (Frick, Schenley, Highland, Riverview) and in the suburbs (North and South Parks). To the east is Boyce and Keystone; to the west is Raccoon Creek and Settlers Cabin. Even farther out we have amazing parks within an hour of driving – Ohiopyle, the Laurel Highlands, McConnell’s Mill and Moraine, and more.

This is a fabulous buffet of outdoor goodies whether you want a small park or a large forest, whether you want to climb or bike or paddle easy or paddle whitewater or fish or whatever.

What I didn’t know until recently is that it is no accident that there are so many state parks and forests located within easy distance of Pittsburgh and other cities in the state. Much of our current park land was built through the work of the CCC and the WPA in the 1930’s(thanks in large part to the leadership of Gov. Gifford Pinchot). PA actually had the second highest number of CCC camps in the country, just after California. What I didn’t realize was that the parks they built through were deliberately located near large cities for the purpose of providing recreation for city residents. How very thoughtful of them!

Then in 1955, Maurice Goddard was appointed director of the Department of Parks and Forests. He proposed building a state park within 25 miles of every PA resident. Can you image this? He actually managed to sell the state on this program and raise the money needed over his 24-year term. By the end of his tenure in 1979, 45 new parks had been created and 130,000 acres of land.

Imagine yourself standing in these places a hundred years ago and seeing only fields and buildings and mud. Could you have believed what you see there today? Could you have imagined it would come back? (By the way, if you want to get an idea of what the forests would have looked like prior to logging, there are a few stands of virgin or almost virgin forest left. One example is Tionesta Scenic and Research Areas in NW PA which is a hemlock-beech forest.)

In honor of the upcoming Labor Day holiday and the labor done by state employees, by the thousands of CCC and WPA employees, and by countless volunteers since. I say go visit your local park! After all those years of labor and legislation, we have the easy part. We just have to enjoy it! Just look around, there should be a park nearby.

Pictures: 1st picture shows logging in PA ca. 1918; courtesy PA State Archives

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