Travel Guide

This week's discoveries and inspiration.....

Frank Lloyd Wright's residential masterpiece, Fallingwater, has been on the list of places to visit for a long time.  We headed down to the U.S. this past Saturday morning and fit a lot into a four day trip.  If you are looking for an interesting getaway, Fallingwater in Mill Run, PA and the city of Pittsburgh, PA are an easy drive from Hamilton or Toronto.

Fallingwater was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1936 and 1939 as a vacation home for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh.  Wright took full consideration of the landscape, and the house actually appears to float over a 30' waterfall.  It's quite something to experience in person and absorb the architecture harmonizing with the sights and sounds of nature.  We stayed at the historic Summit Inn which is close by in Farmington, PA.  It's an intriguing place, with exceptional views, that is comfortably lost in time.   It has just a hint of the Overlook Hotel from "The Shining" and even closes for a few months in the winter.  They advertise "the best crab cakes in America".  I tried them and they are definitely contenders.

The historic Summit Hotel and the view

After Fallingwater and The Summit, we spent a few days in Pittsburgh, PA.  The "City of Bridges" (one of many nicknames) is a fine model of a post-industrial success story.  The city is very much alive and is celebrating a rich past, a dynamic present and a bright future.  We took an amphibious tour one afternoon and were able to get some terrific views of the city and its magnificent architecture.

The "City of Bridges", we were told, has more bridges, 446, than any other city in the world and the first steel bridge in the world.

The walkway across the Smithfield Street Bridge takes you to the old Pittsburgh and Lake Erie R.R. building and the Grand Concourse restaurant.  It is a good choice for lunch with outstanding skyline views, but make sure you look up as well as out.  The glass is all Tiffany that was painted over during the Cold War Era and rediscovered in the 1970's.

   

The department store that built the Kaufmann's Fallingwater.  It was purchased by Federated Dept. Stores and has since become a Macy's, but the signature clock and facade have remained the same, even keeping the Kaufmann plaques.  

Some Architectural Highlights

We had a very enjoyable stay at the Mansions on Fifth and a great evening with the owners Mary Del and Richard who shared some interesting history of the home, its owners and Pittsburgh.  http://mansionsonfifth.com/

Andy Warhola was a native Pittsburgher and The Andy Warhol Museum is a fun stop on a tour of the city.

The Carnegies, Fricks and Mellons were very influential figures in the history of Pittsburgh, and many of the  residential, commercial and institutional buildings were built by or named for them.  We took in a concert at the Carnegie Music Hall.  The hall has a pretty eclectic schedule of concerts and events.  The weekend we were there it was Erasure and an energetic blast from the Eighties past.  Flashbacks of Limelight N.Y.C. all night!  

Signs of the Times

This week's discoveries and inspiration.......

Having grown up in Pennsylvania, and having most of my family and family of friends involved or tied to the steel industry in one way or another, what is happening in Hamilton today feels very familiar.  Both major steel cities in PA, Bethlehem, where I grew up, and Pittsburgh are experiencing significant urban renewal.  Whether through arts and culture, small business, health care or the tech industry, it is wonderful to see new hope for post-industrial cities and towns.  That being said, it is always a question of how fast, how much, and most importantly, how to make sure people are not left behind with the changes and growth.

This past week, the search for a new space for Michael Thomas, Hamilton took me to many different neighborhoods.  Some are clearly seeing the benefits of change more than others.  In driving through and walking around neighborhoods in the city, it also became clear that there are some very special people here with some very strong roots.  It was great to see the signs of progress, but also very comforting to literally see the signs of the history of this amazing city which is now home.

Eat, Pray, Listen

This week's discoveries and inspiration...

Eat:
This past weekend we took a couple of short road trips and on one of them ended up at Vineland Estates Winery in Niagara for lunch.  The food, wines and views were all really nice.  When you come to Hamilton to visit, it is a quick drive to Niagara and a worthwhile trip for sure.
Today, I spent a little over an hour at the Hamilton Farmers'  Market.  It's a great market  that offers lots of inspiration both visually and gastronomically.

Pray:

Walking for many hours in the city this week, I was inspired and moved by the beautiful places of worship.  While I was able to enter a few, I guess it is a somewhat sad testament to the times that so many were locked.  That being said, enjoying the exterior architecture filled me with awe and admiration for the men and women who designed and built such incredible structures.  

Listen:

We are discovering a vibrant music scene in Hamilton.  A concert series called "Live on Locke" is a benefit for the charity "An Instrument For Every Child".  " AIFEC provides ALL children with a high quality music education and allows them to explore their creative potential.  This program will build self-esteem, develop leadership and teamwork skills and realize a sense of fulfillment.  AIFEC will greatly assist in successfully carrying children forward, as vital citizens of their community."  The Friday night concerts are in a beautiful church with fantastic acoustics on Homewood Ave.  The lineup of  performers includes Hawksley Workman and 54-40.  This weekend is Supercrawl.  It is a huge music and arts festival that attracts about 100,000 visitors.   This year it features Spoon, Arkells, The Daptone Super Soul Revue, art, food and a pyrotechnic aerial circus show.  Come on down....all events are free!