Hello to all in the Steemit world! It has been far too long since I posted, but I wanted to make sure you got to hear about our last day's activities in the Iron City! (If you missed Parts I & II of our adventures in Pittsburgh, you can read them by going to each of these links: Part I - https://steemit.com/pittsburgh/@bethanymhuh/the-amazing-city-of-pittsburgh-part-i ; Part II - https://steemit.com/travel/@bethanymhuh/the-amazing-city-of-pittsburgh-part-ii .)
Our final day had us going to a Pirates game in the evening (the only thing we had planned out from the beginning of our decision to visit), so we wanted to stay in the general vicinity of PNC Park. We decided to go to the Carnegie Science Center in the morning, walk around and have some lunch, and then head over to the game in the late afternoon. The biggest tip we got from my brother and his friends was to park at the Casino (a short walk from the Science Center) and walk back after the game, since it wasn't a long walk. Being as no one under the age of 18 is allowed on premises, Tim dropped us off in front of the Science Center and went over to the Casino to park. The kids and I looked around in the gift shop while we waited for his return.
I hadn't been to the Science Center since I was young. Cee wants to be an engineer and both he and AJ are all about science, so I knew that this would be of great interest to them. We took our time wandering around the floors exploring.
This is the view that you get from the Science Center. It is beautiful from almost any angle!
Unfortunately, I didn't take a ton of photos when we were inside. I was more about watching my kids take it all in. Each of the floors were dedicated to different things, and the first objects we came across had to do with space exploration. We went up to the next floor which was all about robotics (something that creeps me out, to be honest), and also houses a large model of Western Pennsylvania complete with moving trains running around it. There are a lot of interactive displays on every floor, and the kids especially loved playing with the things on this one.
The next floor was all about the human body. They had plasticized organs and body parts in display cases that the deceased had donated in the name of science. It was fascinating and really gross at the same time. The exhibit that showed the human body separated into thousands of layers as if you were taking an MRI scan from top of the head to soles of the feet made me never want to eat meat again. 😳
The top floor housed the Exploration Station. This level was great because it had activities for older kids, and a closed-in section for the younger kids to explore in. It was hard to drag AJ away from the water tables and other toys geared toward her age group.
Before we headed out of the Science Center we went back down to the first floor and looked around their H2Oh! section, which is dedicated to educating people about our waterways and rivers, a very important part of the city of Pittsburgh's ecosystem. After that we decided to head outside and explore more parts of the city on our way to getting some lunch.
Across the street from the Science Center is Heinz Field, which is where the Pittsburgh Steelers (major league football team) play when at home. Cee was so excited to go see it since he is now a die-hard fan. Although the stadium is 16 years old it still looks brand new. I have to say that it is quite impressive.
This is something we passed on the way to the restaurant. I thought it was a very striking sculpture, which I discovered is of Christopher Gist and Guyasuta (go to this link to read more about the movement and establishment of this sculpture: http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/07/10/The-Next-Page-Sculptures-of-explorer-Christopher-Gist-and-Indian-leader-Guyasuta-find-new-home-on-Pittsburghs-North-Shore/stories/201607100019).
We walked down to a place called Burgatory to have some lunch. They have--what else?--burgers of all kinds. It was quite delicious, and the kids were happy, too. Cee got a free milkshake for finishing his lunch, which he only drank a bit of and ended up giving the rest of to his sister. It was a very hot day, so she was grateful for the cold treat (even if it was second-hand 😂)!
We decided to wander a bit to use up some time that we still had before the game. This took us across another bridge which was a lot less terrifying than the one we had walked on Friday, and down to Fort Pitt. We did not stop inside (that will probably happen next time we are in the city), but we did briefly stop to admire the outside.
After a detour through another part of the city which ended up taking much longer than we expected, we headed back to PNC Park to get ready for the baseball game. Even though the day was really hot, it ended up being a perfect night for a game!
This was Monday night, just one day after the Penguins (hockey team) won the national championship. Everyone was riding high off of that win and the excitement of the crowd was contagious. On top of that, it was pitcher Jameson Taillon's first time back on the mound after recovering from surgery to remove testicular cancer, so it was a very emotional night.
One of the iconic parts of a Pirates game is the Mrs. T's Pierogi Run. It is certainly a sight to behold. My husband caught it all on video and posted it on YouTube. Do yourself a favor and take the one minute to watch this glorious display.
We had so much fun at this game. The Pirates have not had a great season and were playing the Colorado Rockies that night (who were at the top of their conference), but the Buccos ended up winning 7-2!! We were pumped. Our first major league game was awesome, and on the ride back to NEPA we all agreed that it was our favorite part of the whole trip.
Overall, our time in Pittsburgh was amazing for all of us, and the kids frequently ask when we can go back. I found myself getting really emotional when we were driving out of the city for the last time because I loved it so much. If you ever have the chance to go there I really encourage you to do so. Hopefully you will get to experience some of the greatness of the 'Burgh that we did!
Leaving the city. Until next time!
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