Frick Park
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, covering 644 acres. It is one of Pittsburgh's four historic large parks; the park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed 151 acres south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion. He arranged for a $2 million trust fund for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on June 25, 1927, he did this against his will, but rather acquiesced to his daughter, Helen's debutante wish which he had promised to honor. Henry Clay Frick's son, Childs Frick, developed his lifelong love of animals in the woods and ravines of the park. Childs Frick went on to be a renowned American vertebrate paleontologist, major benefactor and trustee of the American Museum of Natural History. Over the years, the park grew from the original land in Point Breeze and now includes Squirrel Hill to the border of Edgewood. In a city that Frick helped to industrialize, it is one of the few areas of steep ravines and mature woods that remain undisturbed, forming a nature reserve of native plants and abundant wildlife.
Owls, wild turkey and many mammal species are found in the park. The original Frick Environmental Center, completed in 1979 housed the City's Environmental Education Program and for many years hosted ecological and other programs related to the park. A fire in 2002 rendered the building functionally unusable. Demolition at the site was completed and construction began in late-2014; the current, 15,500-square-foot Frick Environmental Center opened to the public in 2016, following a $16 million construction project. The site includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, public restrooms, other facilities, has various energy-efficient and green features, include a photovoltaic array and geothermal bore field; the center was certified as LEED Platinium the next year. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy operates the center in collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh; the eastern park boundary is Nine Mile Run, a heavily polluted stream, restored between 2003 and 2006. The addition of 2.2 miles of Nine Mile Run extended Frick Park nearly to the Monongahela River.
Restoration efforts in 2017-18 involved the removal of about 2.6 acres of bush honeysuckle, an invasive plant that had affected the park for some 20 years, displacing native plants. Following the clearance of the honeysuckle, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy discovered ten healthy butternut trees; this was a significant discovery since every other tree in the park is thought to be affected by butternut canker, a fungal disease lethal to plants. The park includes a playground, known as the Blue Slide playground, a dog park. An annual Shakespeare in the Park performance occurs in the upper portion of the park. Sledding on this hill in Frick Park, along Beechwood Boulevard near Nicholson Street, is a popular winter pastime for some local residents; the hill's long, sloping bowl ends in a grouping of trees. Two different approaches down the hill – one shallow and one steep – intersect at the bottom resulting in collisions between sledders. Crashing into trees is an occasional occurrence; as a result, in 2010 the city posted.
Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller's 2011 album. His song "Frick Park Market" is named for a small store near the Point Breeze park boundary. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Frick Environmental Center website Pittsburgh Dept. of Parks & Recreation website Frick Park Clay Court Tennis Club history
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail known as the Appalachian Trail or the A. T. is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail is about 2,200 miles long, though the exact length changes over time as parts are modified or rerouted; the Appalachian Trail Conservancy describes the Appalachian Trail as the longest hiking-only trail in the world. More than 2 million people are said to take a hike on part of the trail at least once each year; the idea of the Appalachian Trail came about in 1921. The trail itself was completed in 1937 after more than a decade of work, although improvements and changes continue, it is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships, managed by the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Most of the trail is in forest or wild lands, although some portions traverse towns and farms, it passes through 14 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine.
Thru-hikers attempt to hike the trail in its entirety in a single season. The number of thru-hikes per year has increased with 715 northbound and 133 southbound thru-hikes reported for 2017. Many books, documentaries and fan organizations are dedicated to the pursuit; some hike from one end to the other turn around and thru-hike the trail the other way, known as a "yo-yo". An extension known as the International Appalachian Trail continues northeast, crossing Maine and cutting through Canada to Newfoundland, with sections continuing in Greenland, through Europe, into Morocco. Other separate extensions continue the southern end of the Appalachian range in Alabama and continue south into Florida, creating what is known as the Eastern Continental Trail; the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail form what is known as the Triple Crown of Hiking in the United States. The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan—called "An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning"—shortly after the death of his wife in 1921.
MacKaye's idea detailed a grand trail that would connect a series of farms and wilderness work/study camps for city-dwellers. In 1922, at the suggestion of Major William A. Welch, director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, his idea was publicized by Raymond H. Torrey with a story in the New York Evening Post under a full-page banner headline reading "A Great Trail from Maine to Georgia!" The idea was adopted by the new Palisades Interstate Park Trail Conference as their main project. On October 7, 1923, the first section of the trail, from Bear Mountain west through Harriman State Park to Arden, New York, was opened. MacKaye called for a two-day Appalachian Trail conference to be held in March 1925 in Washington, D. C; this meeting inspired the formation of the Appalachian Trail Conference. A retired judge named Arthur Perkins and his younger associate Myron Avery took up the cause. In 1929, a member of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and its Blue Blazed Trails committee, found Ned Anderson, a farmer in Sherman, who took on the task of mapping and blazing the Connecticut leg of the trail.
It ran from Dog Tail Corners in Webatuck, New York, which borders Kent, Connecticut, at Ashley Falls, 50 miles through the northwest corner of the state, up to Bear Mountain at the Massachusetts border. Anderson's efforts helped spark renewed interest in the trail, Avery was able to bring other states on board. Upon taking over the ATC, Avery adopted the more practical goal of building a simple hiking trail, he and MacKaye clashed over the ATC's response to a major commercial development along the trail's path. Avery reigned as Chairman of the ATC from 1932 to 1952. Avery became the first to walk the trail end-to-end, though not as a thru-hike, in 1936. In August 1937, the trail was completed to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, the ATC shifted its focus toward protecting the trail lands and mapping the trail for hikers. Many of the trail's present highlights were not part of the trail in 1937: Roan Mountain, North Carolina and Tennessee. Except for places where the Civilian Conservation Corps was brought in, the original trail climbed straight up and down mountains, creating rough hiking conditions and a treadway prone to severe erosion.
The ATC's trail crews and volunteer trail-maintaining clubs have relocated or rehabilitated miles of trail since that time. In 1936, a 121-day Maine to Georgia veteran's group funded and supported thru-hike was reported to have been completed, with all but three miles of the new trail cleared and blazed, by six Boy Scouts from New York City and their guides; the completed thru-hike was much recorded and accepted by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. In 1938, the trail sustained major damage from a hurricane; this happened right before the start of World War II
Golden Eagle Trail
The Golden Eagle Trail is a 9-mile circuit trail located in Tiadaghton State Forest in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The trail falls within the boundaries of Wolf Run Wild Area, one of 16 designated wild areas in the Pennsylvania state forest system. Constructed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Waterdale Youth Group, the trail is blazed in orange and is known for its many vistas overlooking Pine Creek Gorge. Thwaites, Tom. 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania: Day Hikes and Backpacking Trips, Fourth Edition. Countryman Press. ISBN 9780881504750. Golden Eagle Trail, Keystone Trails Association Golden Eagle Trail, PA Hikes Trail Guide Virtual Hike on the Golden Eagle Trail
Allegheny County Jail
The old Allegheny County Jail in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is part of a complex designed by H. H. Richardson; the buildings are considered among the finest examples of the Romanesque Revival style for which Richardson is well known. The jail was built by the Norcross Brothers between 1884 and 1886, the courthouse was finished in 1888 under the supervision of Shepley and Coolidge; the two structures are linked across Ross Street by a "Bridge of Sighs". Additions were made 1903–1905 by Frederick J. Osterling. In 1892, anarchist Alexander Berkman was held here awaiting trial for the attempted murder of industrialist H. C. Frick. In 1902, condemned brothers Jack and Ed Biddle escaped from the jail with the aid of the warden's wife; the jail and courthouse were added to the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations on December 26, 1972. They were added to the List of National Historic Landmarks on May 11, 1976. A new jail opened in spring 1995, the original jail now houses the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Family Division
Black Forest Trail
The Black Forest Trail is a 42-mile loop trail in Pennsylvania's Tiadaghton State Forest in parts of Lycoming and Clinton Counties. A number of other forest roads and cross country ski trails cross the Black Forest Trail making it possible to do shorter loops for day hikes or shorter backpacking trips; the Black Forest Trail is known for its steep ascents and descents and views of the Pine Creek Gorge and other canyons to the west. As with most long-distance trails in Pennsylvania, the BFT is blazed with orange. Side trails are blazed blue; the official start of the trail is a short distance from the village of Slate Run on Slate Run Road. The trail can be accessed from Pennsylvania Route 44, which it crosses twice, north of Waterville, Pennsylvania. In addition the trail crosses several dirt forest roads; this is a brief description starting counter-clockwise from the main trailhead at Slate Run. From the trailhead walkers take a short route through a pine plantation; the beginning of the trail crosses the Slate Run stream, about 30 feet wide and has a foot bridge dedicated on October 24, 2014.
Walkers climb about 1,000 feet in a mile and a half. Part way up visitors come across an old quarry that has views of the valley carved by Slate Run Creek. Next several miles the trail cross the plateau, the Alcinda wilderness area; this section is level. About mile 6 walkers descend along the Red Run, passing several campsites, recrossing the Slate Run around mile 8. Walkers have another gradual 1,000 feet climb, part of, on an old logging road; the trail once again follows the plateau with level hiking for the next several miles. The Sentiero Di Shay ski trail cross the BFT twice in this section and can be used to make alternative loops. Around the 13-mile mark the trail crosses Pennsylvania Route 44 in a stand of hemlocks; the trail descends and for the next several miles and follows the County Line Branch stream. This section has several water crossings. Around mile 17 the trail makes a steep climb to the plateau again. For the next 6 miles the trail follows the plateau with views to the west.
The hiking in this section is mostly level with a few minor climbs, as well as several campsites around mile 21. This section of trail crosses several cross country ski trails that can be used to access Pennsylvania Route 44. Around mile 24 the BFT recrosses Pennsylvania Route 44. Following the crossing walkers have another couple miles of level hiking before taking on the much more rugged eastern section of the trail. Around mile 26 the trail drops down to one of many runs that flow into Pine Creek. After dropping down walkers climb back up. After climbing up the trail heads to Hemlock Mountain. At the top around mile 29 there is a wonderful, mountaintop campsite with views of Pine Creek. Once again the trail drops down to Naval Run and follow this for a little less than a mile before climbing again up to the plateau. Hazards on the trail include the timber rattlesnake which are found in reasonable numbers in the area. Although the chances of getting bitten are small, as a matter of caution hikers should pay attention to where they place their hands and feet,especially when scrambling over rock.
The trail includes several steep climbs. Hikers should be certain; the trail has many unbridged stream crossings on the County Line Branch stream. In periods of high water some crossings require fording. Alternative footwear for crossing streams and other possible water crossings is advisable. Pennsylvania DCNR website about the Black Forest Trail Description of several hikes on the Black Forest Trail Description of the northern half of the trail Description of the southern half of the trail
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a 981-mile long river in the midwestern United States that flows southwesterly from western Pennsylvania south of Lake Erie to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. It is the second largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States; the river flows through or along the border of six states, its drainage basin includes parts of 15 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River, the basin includes several states of the southeastern U. S, it is the source of drinking water for three million people. The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the water level falls 26ft. in 2 miles and is impassible for navigation. The McAlpine Locks and Dam, a shipping canal bypassing the rapids, now allows commercial navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Ohi: yo', lit. "Good River". Discovery of the Ohio River may be attributed to English explorers from Virginia in the latter half of the 17th century. In his Notes on the State of Virginia published in 1781–82, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth, its current gentle, waters clear, bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted." In the late 18th century, the river was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory. It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U. S; the river is sometimes considered as the western extension of the Mason–Dixon Line that divided Pennsylvania from Maryland, thus part of the border between free and slave territory, between the Northern and Southern United States or Upper South. Where the river was narrow, it was the way to freedom for thousands of slaves escaping to the North, many helped by free blacks and whites of the Underground Railroad resistance movement.
The Ohio River is a climatic transition area, as its water runs along the periphery of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate areas. It is inhabited by flora of both climates. In winter, it freezes over at Pittsburgh but farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville. At Paducah, Kentucky, in the south, near the Ohio's confluence with the Mississippi, it is ice-free year-round; the name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language, Ohi:yo', a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh, therefore translating to "Good River". "Great river" and "large creek" have been given as translations. Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois, considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River as Ohi:yo'. An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi. Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi, spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki, the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi".
Applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee. In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia; the river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans, as numerous civilizations formed along its valley. For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major trading route, its waters connected communities. In the five centuries before European conquest, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley, such as Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana, as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast; the Osage, Omaha and Kaw lived in the Ohio Valley, but under pressure from the Iroquois to the northeast, migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to territory now defined as Missouri and Oklahoma.
The discovery and traversal of the Ohio River by Europeans admits of several possibilities, all in the latter half of the 17th century. Virginian Englishman Abraham Wood's trans-Appalachian expeditions between 1654 and 1664; the first person to traverse the length of the river, from the headwaters of the Allegheny to its mouth on the Mississippi, was a Dutch trader from New York, Arnout Viele, in 1692. In 1749, Great Britain established the Ohio Company to trade in the area. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks brought British colonials from both Pennsylvania and Virginia across the mountains, both colonies claimed the territory; the movement across the Allegheny Mountains of British settlers and the claims of the area near modern day Pittsburgh led to conflict with the French, who had forts in the Ohio River Valley. This conflict was called the Indian War. In 17
The Waterfront
The Waterfront is a super-regional open air shopping mall spanning the three boroughs of Homestead, West Homestead, Munhall near Pittsburgh. The shopping mall sits on land once occupied by U. S. Steel's Homestead Steel Works plant, which closed in 1986, it has a gross leasable area of 700,000 square feet in "The Waterfront" and 400,000 square feet in "The Town Center." The development opened in 1999. More development continued into the early 21st century; the Waterfront is accessible from the Parkway East via the Homestead High-Level Bridge, now known as the Homestead Grays Bridge. Pennsylvania Route 837, which runs through the town of Homestead connects drivers to The Waterfront via Amity Street and Waterfront Drive. From its storied past, only smokestacks remain on the site that once helped to give Pittsburgh the name "Steel City."In 2005, Industrial Workers of the World celebrated their 100th Anniversary, having formed in 1905 out of the palpable labor struggles of that era. The local celebration included events held at the Pump House on the site of The Waterfront.http://www.iww.org/en/taxonomy/term/244/all?page=2 The Pump House is the location of the landing of the Pinkertons who navigated the river in 1892 with the intention to provide security at the plant, subject to a labor strike of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers at the instruction of Henry Clay Frick.
The battle that followed, known as the Homestead Strike / Battle of Homestead, left sixteen people dead and set back the cause of organizing the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh for decades. The Battle of Homestead is one of the most noted strikes in American Labor History; the Waterfront, unlike the SouthSide Works located a few miles up the river, was developed in a more suburban fashion, with retail and office spaces all being separated from each other by vast parking lots. However, unlike the Southside Works, the Waterfront did not benefit from proximity to, unrestricted access to, a thriving urban commercial area. Of note; the Waterfront was predominantly a private investment, although there was a tax increment financing of $25 million approved by three separate municipalities, one county, one school district, a notable accomplishment. Traffic congestion within the development is common due to the large distances between outlets and the lack of sidewalks and pathways; the complex is separated from the original sections of Homestead, West Homestead, Munhall, via railroad tracks and does not physically or visually connect with the older sections of the municipalities, impossible due to the active rail lines.
To facilitate access, Allegheny County constructed a new access ramp to the site from the Homestead High Level Bridge, partnered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1993 on the construction of the East Flyover Ramp in Munhall Borough. The construction of this ramp was well in advance of development plans which were announced in 1997; this resulted in a ramp which proved to be less than optimal. The Town Center area of the development is home to stores one would find in most malls, including Charming Charlie and Victoria's Secret. Macy's, Barnes & Noble, a Loews Cineplex are located in this area as well; the eastern end of the development resembles more of a traditional suburban strip mall, with many big-box retail stores fronting a large parking lot. Stores here include Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Dick's Sporting Goods, Giant Eagle grocery, Lowe's, Target. Around the perimeter of the complex along the Monongahela River, are most of the development's restaurants all of which are typical chain restaurants like Uno Chicago Grill, LongHorn Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Red Robin, T.
G. I. Friday's, Eat'n Park, P. F. Chang's China Bistro, as well as several fast food locations. An apartment complex, a few office buildings, fueling station, multiple hotels are located along the river perimeter. Aspen Dental AT&T Barnes & Noble Bath & Body Works Bed Bath & Beyond Best Buy Carhartt Carter's Charming Charlie The Children's Place Claire's Costco DXL Dick's Sporting Goods DSW Ethan Allen Express Eyepólis Famous Footwear Fine Wine and Good Spirits First Commonwealth Bank Fudge Farm Gap Giant Eagle GNC Gordon Shoes H & R Block Journeys Justice Lane Bryant Loft Lowe's Marshalls Mattress Firm Men's Warehouse Michaels New Balance Pennsylvania Wine Cellar Petco PNC Bank Rally House Rocket Fizz Ross Dress for Less Sprint Sunglass Hut T. J. Maxx Target Ulta Verizon Victoria's Secret Visionworks The Vitamin Shoppe Yankee Candle Bar Louie BRAVO! Burgatory Cakery Square Chick-fil-A Dave & Buster's Eat'n Park Jimmy John's Longhorn Steakhouse McDonald's Mitchell's Fish Market P. F. Changs Panera Bread Primanti Bros.
Red Robin Rock Bottom Starbucks Steak'n Shake T. G. I. Friday's UNO Yokoso! AMC Theatres Dave & Buster's Paint Monkey Pittsburgh Improv Comedy Club Sandcastle Waterpark Sing Sing Waterfront Bike Rental Courtyard by Marriott Hampton Inn & Suites Holiday Inn Express In 2002, Kaufmann's parent company, May Co. announced it would construct a scaled-down version of its department store at The Waterfront. It was the first of its kind in the now-defunct department store company. On September 9, 2006, Kaufmann's became part of the Macy's company; the store has since been replaced with the Macy's nameplate. It remains one of the smaller Macy's department stores in the chain. In 2018, Macy's announced the closi
