TheBanyanTree: "Are You Guys Doing a Walkathon?"

[Rob Springs Eternal]

"No, sir, we're on an urban hike!"

On the chance that we both felt better Saturday, but not well enough to 
tackle an all-day thing like an amusement park, Liz and I signed up to 
participate in what was being called an urban hike, starting at Perry High 
School and meandering through Observatory Hill, Uniondale Cemetery, near 
Ohio River Boulevard, and places inbetween.

It sounded like a good alternative plan, and since we felt better this 
morning, we decided to give it a go. Despite a late start and some bad 
signage in Millvale (as in, NO signage) we managed to make our way to the 
Perry High School parking lot to join up with what ended up being a nice 
mix of CMU architects and people who found out about the event (like us) 
through the Ground Zero e-mail list.

All in all, about 25 or so of us started down Perrysville Ave. and into the 
woods to nearby Riverside Park. This park is basically built around a hill 
near the North Side, that provides a spectacular view of downtown 
Pittsburgh. It's a lot of up and down walking on the trails, but if you do 
any kind of nature walking, that shouldn't be any trouble at all. On top of 
the park is an observatory, which was sadly closed. However, I got some 
nice pictures of downtown, my only regret being that I didn't pack an 
extender lens for the camera I had with me. Still, the perspective shots 
and the USS building framed by trees should look pretty cool.

Next we wandered through some neighborhoods that are just coming alive 
again, ala Lawrenceville, South Side, and the like. The lay of the land was 
used very well when they first designed these neighborhoods, and you get 
some nice cross streets and homes designed to fir their lots. Very cool stuff.

The cemetery marked about the halfway point. It turns out I've ridden past 
it on the bus several times when Drew and Christine lived in their old 
place, so it was neat to get a chance to wander around in there. It's a 
fairly old cemetery, so the headstones range from the simple plaque to 
obelisks. I took a few pictures of stuff that interested me, but I was 
taking them on the fly, so I don't know how many will come out. I also 
really want to know how they buried the people that have headstones on the 
edge of the cliffs!

After we crossed busy Brighton Road, it was time to enter the Land of the 
Dogs, which continued all the way back to Riverside Park. It seemed like a 
requirement for living there was the possession of a dog, ranging from 
beagles to boxers. This section also featured the most contrasts, with old 
houses mixed amongst newer housing. I also saw a fair amount of duplexes 
and row houses where one or two occupied buildings would be attached to an 
abandoned, run-down dwelling. It was like looking at structural Harvey 
Dents, their two sides revealing the dual nature of some of Pittsburgh's 
neighborhoods. The fact that they were within walking distance of places 
that resembled "suburban" areas emphasized Pittsburgh's patchwork (or 
perhaps puzzle-piece) make-up and enhanced the odd vibe I got from this 
stretch of the walk.

Around this time, we walked down a long staircase to go underneath an 
overpass to eat at Don's Diner. We probably gave their Saturday sales an 
extra boost, but the staff definitely had to work for it, with 18 people 
showing up (we'd lost a few people here and there to time constraints) all 
at once and all very hungry.

I, of course sampled their burger, and it was excellent. The meat was done 
perfectly and the bun was nice and soft. Everyone at our table enjoyed what 
they had. Liz and I are going to try and take the Daniels Clan down there 
some time, as we're sure they'll like it.

Re-energized by great diner food, the group emerged into the light of a 
beautiful afternoon and began the long walk back to Perry High School. I 
was a bit afraid that this would involved a steep climb up (we'd gone from 
an area overlooking the North Side to near the Ohio River), but instead we 
took a circular route that eased our climb until we got back to Riverside 
Park, where the only direction to go was up. Along the way, we passed the 
placed that just burned down, and I took some (if I may be so immodest) 
good photos of the blackened and charred rubble. There was housing right 
across the street from the fire--I can only imagine the terror of those 
residents, wondering if their places, too, would burn. Thankfully, they did 
not.

I don't remember much about the walk back up, because I was starting to 
develop a limp by then, since I don't walk up and down hills this much. 
(I've walked further, but it was all straight.) I did manage to do the 
final hill with only one quick rest, which made me really happy.

All in all, it was a great trip, and we all agreed we'd need to do it again 
but in a different neighborhood. My legs are sore, but it was well worth 
it. I learned more about an area of Pittsburgh than I have in quite some 
time, and I look forward to learning more soon. It was also nice to be a 
part of something from its inception--a lot of the activities I participate 
in (or have participated in) I learn about second hand, so I always feel 
like I miss the sense of discovery and invention of something new.

-Rob