Parties of Pittsburgh

Mary received her 'report card' the other day. It was prefaced with a note from the school, telling us not to worry about the scores the children received. 'All the kids were exactly where they should be.' Whatever that meant. I still read through it nervously, hoping to see more 3's than 1's, proud of her early language and math skills, and a little disappointed that she got a 'just beginning' for the sign of the cross.

The comments that her teacher wrote on the back gave me additional context to her performance at school. Mary is a 'delight' and always comes with a 'lovely story to share.' I laughed. In the week or two leading up to our trip to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, those 'stories' were most likely centered on my hometown. She told her teachers, classmates, and just about everyone we ran into around town, that she was going there for Thanksgiving. She told them who she was going to see, where she was going to stay, all the toys she was going to play with, the sights she was going to see, and the food she was going to eat. In her young mind, Pittsburgh was the ultimate destination.

We arrived last Sunday with a basic itinerary for the nine days we would be in the Steel City. At first, it seemed full but not overly aggressive. But as the week wore on, and Bobby started taking four hour naps, I realized we might have over scheduled just a bit. How could I resist though; with only two visits to my hometown this year, I had to squeeze it all in.

On Friday morning, Mary told me she was going to 'write' a note to her classmate MJ (who I have yet to meet.) She kept telling me that she missed him and that he missed her. She sat on the ground and wrote out all the things that she had done and was going to do in her own code. When she was finished, she told me to mail it to MJ.

We saw Annie. I got my hair cut and so did Bobby and Mommy. I have two braids just like Molly now. And when I wake up in the morning, it will be really curly! 

Mommy went out to dinner with her friend, but Nana and Opa are babysitters so I stayed with them.
Then we went to a party for Nana. I wore my Christmas dress and my curly hair, and then we went to the Rivers Club for dinner. There were big, BIG games there and Bobby and I got to play with them.  
I got new shoes at Littles. Beautiful sparkly party shoes, but my Mom says I can only wear them some times. Not to school. 

We went to the Phipps and saw the trains. They are my favorite. I pushed all the buttons. I loved the trolley button the best. 

We saw Father Greco. He baptized me. Did you know that? I drew him a picture at Church. And then guess what, everyone came over and we had turkey! I had a big piece and then I asked for more. We all ran around Nana and Opa's house, and we danced, and my Mom kept asking me to smile, but I didn't want to. I just wanted another turkey cookie.

Lyla slept over last night! But Will didn't. Opa made us pancakes in the morning and I had two, no THREE pancakes. With syrup! I'm going to eat pancakes for dinner too. 

Then Uncle Adam and Aunt Laura took us to see Moana. It was so good. I was sad that Bobby missed his favorite part at the beginning though. I ate a lot of popcorn. 

We have dinner at the Club tonight, and Nana got me a new party dress to wear. I am going to eat shrimp and play with Lyla and Will in the playroom.

My Mommy has been playing tennis with Opa and Uncle Adam. I had a babysitter though and Bobby took another FOUR hour nap! He's a tired baby.

We are going to meet a tiny little baby named Sebastian, and guess what, guess what ... we are going to see a PUPPET SHOW?! Did you know that? 

And Opa and Nana are having another party tonight. There are so many parties here, but I love parties!

And then we will get to see Patty. That's my Mom's old babysitter. But Bill isn't feeling good so he can't come. Patty made me a blue purse with the letter M on it. I have been wearing it every day. I'm so fancy now.

I miss you MJ. And I'll be back in Chicago soon. And I'll give you and everyone at school a big hug.

Her transcription went on for about twenty minutes; she wrote and wrote and read and read; and it went quite a bit as I have captured above. She just missed a couple other details: The stuffing and gravy, some of the other special people who shared Thanksgiving, an award ceremony for my mom, dinners out, and a block party with us, Tiki drinks, Pitt tailgating, the orchids and the room with silly snow men, the runs and walks through the East End, races in the backyard and one sore loser, all the attempts to get the cousins to smile, and one tired Mom, Dad, Opa and Nana by Monday morning.

             

     

When we got home yesterday evening, Mary seemed particularly relieved. You could tell how much she had missed her room, her bed, and all of her toys. She went through her toy box giving Ariel, Yoda, Bitty Baby and dozens of others big hugs. She curled up into her bed and almost immediately fell asleep. (A rarity.) 

As much fun as she and Bobby had on 'vacation', they love their home, their beds, their Eva, and the familiarity of our community.

On the contrary, Pittsburgh and my parents house always feels like home to me; and I personally slept like a rock every night I was there.

Lo.

Memory Lane

Last week, my team was called into a 'mandatory' meeting. Lunch would be provided. Mandatory and a meal, it was bound to be bad.

Righto. More 'change' was coming. After the amount of shuffling and reshuffling I've experienced recently, it wasn't surprising to hear the foreboding buzzword (orchestrated by overpaid mileage guzzling consultants) once again. Except this time things were looking a little more drastic. The move downtown was imminent. More lay offs were coming. Restructuring, debanding, drama, tears, hallway whispers, all coming to a cube near you. And soon.

There was no time like the present for a week long vacation. And to a place that seemed as far removed from corporate America as possible. My childhood: Memory Lane, Pittsburgh PA.

***

When we arrived in Pittsburgh last Friday night, Mary wanted to bypass dinner at Ditka's and go straight to Nana and Opa's house. She wanted to see Molly (my American Girl doll), set up Molly's tea set, read to Molly, and put Molly to bed; then play with the Fisher Price guys, do puzzles, try on my old tap shoes, dance, and explore old closets with memorabilia eager to shed its dust and relive its youth.

After dinner, after some play time that crept further and further past her normal bed time, I convinced her to close her eyes with the lingering promise that we had a full week to experience everything Nana and Opa's house and Pittsburgh had to offer.

And that's just what we did. At Nana and Opa's house we sifted through my shelves and drawers which hosted ideas for new art projects: peanut people, worry dolls, and boo-boo bunnies. We found the old Viewmaster and clicked through the three dimensional story lines of Snow White and Pinnocchio. We applied a nicely aged Lipsmacker circa 1991. We picked old favorites from my bookshelf for storytime: Tikki Tikki Tembo, Popcorn, and Pups for Sale. We stacked our wrists with Beadery bracelets collected over the years from Aunt Ann. We used old letters and maps as props for perilous treasure hunts around my parents' house. And of course we played with Molly and all her miniature collectibles, and this time Aunt Erin let us play with Samantha as well.

Then I rediscovered some of my favorite parts of growing up in Pittsburgh: Kennywood, the Squirrel Hill Library, the Blue Slide Park, Shadyside, Sacred Heart, the Pittsburgh Golf Club, the Point, PPG Place, Frick Park, Mellon Park, and the family birthday parties that used to dot every week. Even for someone who was born and raised in Pittsburgh; a week isn't enough time to take it all in. But we did as much as we could, showing Peter, Mary and Bobby, just how to do it right.

How to pick your Kennywood outfit. (And not pop out of it by the end of the day.)

How you ride, swing, WHIP! ...

   

And put your hands way up high ... 

How to schedule a break for fries.

And then one for corn dogs, ice cream and Italian Ice.

How you create a monstrous echo inside the belly of the big water logged tunnel near the Point.

And then how you get your face painted on the other side.

  

How you walk through the Three Rivers Arts Festival, listen to Opera on the green, sip $6 lemonades, and relax surrounded by art.

 

How you run along the fort walls and fountain lip without falling in.

      

How you snuggle with Patty and laugh with Bill. And how you save a couple new art project tips for a rainy day.

  

How you organize the Fisher Price village and share. SHARE!

How you get dressed for dinner at the Golf Club.

 

And try to behave.

How you cheer for the home teams until the bring home the Cup!

 

How you celebrate not just one birthday ...

         

But a couple of them.

        

With as many baked goods as possible.

           

But as much as I strolled with my family through Memory Lane, there was a lot of Pittsburgh that was shiny and new; memories that will be unique to the next generation of yinzers and their visitors.

  

New restaurants and chic new housing developments. New shops and new bakeries. New members and new faces. Remodels, renovations, and relocations. New addresses and new zip codes. New recital halls, beautiful new dancers, and their glowing admirers.

Ten days in Pittsburgh flew by and this afternoon we will fly home. Despite how much I will miss this special place once again, I know some people are anxious to be in their own beds, play with their own toys, see their local loved ones, and help me chase the bunnies out of the yard in protection of my plantings.

But we will take with us the memories and photos; connection points of my past with their present.

Lo.