Christmastime in Pittsburgh

           The beauty and the sentiment of the season are upon us, despite the fact that it feels like late April out there.  This is the city's Christmas tree at PPG Plaza, which--together with the adjacent Market Square--is roughly Pittsburgh's equivalent to Rockefeller Center.  There's an even larger tree on the fountain at the Point, where the two rivers meet.  People ice skate around the base of this tree.  The Christmassy boutiques, carolers, shops, and displays are at the opposite end of the square, behind me.  I almost never venture into this part of town, but when I rediscover it, I'm always surprised by what it has to offer.  (I'm not a big food person, but there's a noodle restaurant down there to die for.)

           During the days of industry, the Fourth Avenue corridor was a financial center second only to Wall Street.  (Google it; it's true.)  Pittsburgh had its own stock exchange.  Here are two beautiful old bank buildings on that street.  The one on the left still contains a branch of the First National Bank, which is relatively rare in this region.  The elegant building on the right was the headquarters of the old First Union National Bank.  It appears to contain luxury apartments nowadays.  Dollar Bank still has administrative offices on Fourth Avenue in a remarkable building not pictured here.  (Somehow, this picture makes me think of the old Mary Tyler Moore Show.)

           Did I mention that we're season ticket holders now to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra?  Heinz Hall is always lovely, but especially at Christmastime.  And in all honesty, the music is unfailingly beautiful.  I don't always "get it" the way people seated around me seem to get it.  It doesn't usually move me to any kind of emotional high, but I can see that it does for some folks.  The first time I saw a married guy, about my age, getting verklempt during a piece by Tchaikovsky, my initial reaction was to was to snicker at him...which is kind of like going to church and making fun of people who are praying.  

         And yet, I don't think the guy was being a poser.  I think that excellent, live performances just move some people in the same way that trees and brooks move me.  Our seats are so far from the orchestra that I get almost dizzy looking down.  It's called "the gallery."  The music is always beautiful, but I would prefer it if performances were about half their actual length.  There should be Symphony Lite for those of us with short attention spans.  The music ranges from engaging to mildly dull, but I do find that the environment is profoundly life-affirming.  There's something very powerful about spending time in spaces that are dedicated to beauty.