We were touring the University of Pittsburgh campus this afternoon at the suggestion of a friend who is a student there, when we turned the corner and it happened again…

…the most beautiful building on campus was peaking out at me, seemingly atop a flower basket hanging from a light post, just waiting to be discovered.

I’ve written before about how college chapels are often the most beautiful – and ignored – buildings on campus.  I have no idea if the Heinz Memorial Chapel is ignored on campus tours, but from my very brief visit and admittedly small sample size (having seen only about 1/10th of the Pitt facilities), there is no more beautiful building on this campus.  This is a wonderfully light and delicate Gothic design that is – as Andrew phrased it  upon seeing it head on – drop dead gorgeous.  I agree.

We were in Pittsburgh for one major reason: to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates game tomorrow at PNC Park and check another MLB ballpark off my bucket list. (Look for that post tomorrow.)  But since the game is tomorrow afternoon and we arrived in town today, we hit the city with friends recommendations in hand.

After checking in at the wonderful William Penn Hotel downtown (where I spent a memorable week several years ago as part of the National Preservation Conference), we headed out to view the mansions of the industrialists on Fifth Avenue, the University of Pittsburgh, the Shadyside neighborhood, and The Strip district, currently undergoing a major transformation. It was a wonderful start to our vacation (this year we’re calling our two weeks a “modified staycation” – given the fact that we have two three-day out-of-town jaunts included in the fourteen days.)  After all the walking around we ended the evening at Meat and Potatoes – a terrific restaurant that goes well past comfort food.  We loved the Cathedral of Learning with the amazing classrooms from more than 20 countries, and The Cork Factory in The Strip is a great example of adaptive reuse.  Just the kind of place I would have loved to live in when I was in my 20s…or after I retire!

But I am getting tired, so I’ll just post a few pictures and let you enjoy the city on your own.  We have another full day in front of us, followed by a stop at Fallingwater on the way home.

More to come…

DJB