A visit from Jason!

The day after we arrived in Hudson, we went back to the airport to pick up our friend Jason!  We were both so excited to see Jason and to explore the area with him.  G and Jason are both city lovers so they spent a lot of time (and I mean a lot) debating about different aspects of the cities we visited and taking waaaaay too many photos of buildings they liked.  Hilarious.

Since we had only just arrived, Jason was with us when we explored Cleveland for the first time and we also took a roadtrip to Pittsburgh!  

Our first stop in Cleveland was at the West Side Market.  

photo from here

We had delicious bratwurst for lunch and picked up lots of yummy food for dinner.

We then ventured into downtown Cleveland.  

There are many beautiful neo-classical buildlings amongst the big highrises.  We went inside the courthouse and loved it.

This is Public Square, the main square in Cleveland.  Very nice.

One of three beautiful arcades in downtown Cleveland.

Interesting pink stone building.

After spending a bit of time in the downtown we drove  east of the city.  It was very interesting to see how abruptly the highrises gave way to a sort of no-mans land of little run down houses and empty lots.  This has been a major feature in all of the cities that we have visited in the rust belt.  So many abandoned houses due to the decline in population when many manufacturing jobs were lost from the 1980s onward.  While we've been here we have had the chance to learn about lots of interesting initiatives going on all over these cities to try to stabilize and rejuvenate neighbourhoods but it is a complex problem that no one solution will solve.  


As we made our way further east we reached the Case Western Reserve University grounds and a lovely green neighbourhood where many of the city's cultural buildings are located.


Our first port of call was a new Frank Gehry building.  The Peter B. Lewis building (Lewis being one of the founders of Progressive Insurance) is a visual delight.  The many perfectly executed curves are quite mind-boggling to view in person.  The three of us loved it.

Then onto here: 

Another lovely building.

A vandalised Rodin out front.

We were very impressed with the collection at the Cleveland Art Museum.  It had many lovely impressionist works including three Renoirs (my current fav) and a good selection of modern pieces as well.  And it was free!!

Interesting exhibit of globe sculptures outside.

BBQing in our little backyard

The next day we rose early(ish) and set off for Pittsburgh.  G had figured out that we would be passing quite close to West Virginia on the way so we couldn't resist a little detour in order to add another state to our summer tally.  

Looking back at West Liverpool, Ohio as we cross the river to West Virginia.

We have been told that West Virginia is very beautiful, and while we did see lots of greenery the towns were pretty dismal.  We stopped for coffee at a really dingy diner where the woman at the next table was talking about it being unsafe to be alone at the gas station after dark.  Yikes.

Once in Pennsylvania things started to look up as we passed through some lovely forrests and countryside.

Then into a tunnel which, when we emerged, presented us with a panoramic view of downtown Pittsburgh!

photo from here

Our first stop was the Frick Art & Historical Center.  

photo from here

The Frick family gained their wealth during the 19th century when the Steel industry was booming.  A millionaire by the time he was 30, Henry Frick made his first art purchase in 1881 and soon became one of the world's most important art collectors.  


The major part of the Frick collection is housed in their  New York City home (I haven't yet been) but I was thrilled to learn that the Frick daughter also has a museum at the family estate in Pittsburgh!  The art museum is quite small and has some interesting pieces.  There is also the original family mansion, a purpose built children's 'play house' (which is bigger than most regular houses), a coach house and beautiful gardens.  Unfortunatley we only had time for the gallery not having realised that there would be so much other stuff there!  


On leaving the Frick we had our first experience of going on the "wrong side of the tracks".  We were quite hungry and decided to try using the GPS to find the nearest restaurant.  The Frick is in a super fancy neighbourhood full of big Victorian mansions, we drove down the street and then crossed the railway tracks to find ourselves immediately in a completely different neighbourhood; very run down and lots of people just kind of standing around.  Not a good feeling!  So we turned around and went back to an area we had passed on the way to the Frick where we found a nice little place to get lunch.


Our next destination was the Carnegie Art & Natural History Museum.  The Carnegie fortune is intimately linked with Pittsburgh as it was the place where Andrew Carnegie (originally of Dunfermline Scotland!) immigrated and built up his enormous wealth as founder of Carnegie Steel (later US Steel).  The philanthropy of Carnegie is evident all over Pittsburgh (and indeed the world).  


My favourite part of the Carnegie museum was the dinausaur exhibit.  There are rooms full of them arranged in groups with trees and greenery all around.  Amazing!!

My favourite, the brontosaurus.

Graham with the first T-Rex ever excavated.  And his favourite type of dinosaur in the background.

SO glad that we did not live at the same time as these guys...

The art gallery was beautiful and had a wonderful collection.  Loved it.

When we came out of the gallery we noticed a crazy looking building nearby and decided to walk up to it.  

It is called the Cathedral of Learning and is part of the University of Pittsburgh.  It was built in 1934 and at 42 stories is the second highest educational building in the world.

We took the elevator to the highest floor that we could get to and enjoyed wonderful views of Pittsburgh.

The lobby is ridiculous, it really looks like a cathedral.

We also drove into the heart of the downtown and walked around.  It was a bit grubby in parts but the buildings were very impressive.  

Steel Town.

A view of a few of the seven bridges that span the Allegheny and Monogahela rivers which cross the city. 

As the sun was setting we drove out of Pittsburgh, stopping in a cute neighbourhood called the "Mexican War Streets".  Built in the late 19th century, each house is colourfully painted.  

Cute community garden.

On the way home we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and good chat.  We are so thankful for some quality time with Jason and the chance to experience two new cities together!