Things we have here in Pittsburgh that I hope you have where you live, too
A few years ago I was watching a late-nite TV interview with Mike Meyers and he was relating a story of a visit he made to Seattle somehow in connection to promoting one of his early movies (could have been Wayne's World, could have been Austin Powers). The movie studio had hired a local woman to be his guide and handler for his stay there. Meyers described her as very sweet and naive, telling him that one of the must-see places in Seattle was, "This really great thing that is really special here. We're pretty proud of it here in Seattle. It's called Starbucks?" He said he didn't have the heart to inform her of the ubiquity of Starbucks in the outside world.
So as I tell you about some Pittsburgh things that I think are kinda cool and special, bear with me if you have something better.
There's this blog called Overheard in Pittsburgh. Basically, you email the blogmaster something really crazy you have overheard and if he likes it, he publishes it. While the quote and the scene are sent in by readers, the amusing headlines are all his creation. The blog seems to be very popular with the university students, because a lot of the scenes are set on one of the local campuses. I was scanning it today, which I do about once a week, to see if something I said or, better yet, Myles said made it. Better yet, something I overheard and submitted a week and a half ago made it. In case you hadn't heard about it, the people sitting next to me were discussing this story, and the guy I quoted in the Overheard post repeated that sentence at least once while they were talking about her. In that link, by the way, her attorney answers some of the public's most pressing questions, like if she were really kidnapped/imprisoned, how'd she get her hair so chemically-treated blonde?
On our local PBS station, Rick Sebak produces nostalgic programs about Pittsburgh. With titles like Pittsburgh A to Z, Holy Pittsburgh!, Things We've Made, Stuff that's Gone, and the newest, What Makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh--I just cannot get enough of these. For the past two years I have pledged to WQED at whatever level guaranteed me three of his DVD's. I will probably end up owning them all. Last year I even exchanged emails with Rick, which was much more thrilling than anyone not from around here would understand. I hope that whatever city in which you live, or whatever city you love, has someone like Rick Sebak, researching, writing, and recording everything that is special, extraordinary, and wonderfully ordinary. (and LC---check out the QED schedule for Easter if you haven't already. On Q looks really good that night) And one of the fun things about Sebak's videos is catching even a glimpse of someone you know. My sister Kate is briefly in Pittsburgh A to Z (as part of the opera chorus in Turandot), and one of our librarians is featured in that same program (discussing her research of the National Negro Opera Company). Another of our librarians is in a segment in What Makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh as part of a local Bulgarian folk dance troupe.
I hope there is something on the radio that gives you that wonderful safe-at-home feeling. Now that spring is here, there really is nothing better for me than listening to Lanny Frattare on AM radio with all the crackles and pops. Growing up I spent many summer nights sitting on our front porch with my mother because that was where we got the best signal on an old tube radio. We would all take turns resting a hand on top of it to act as an antenna when it was necessary. During Steelers season, I like to watch the game on TV and listen to the local radio crew. However, during Pirates season, i am perfectly happy simply to listen, hoping to hear Frattare's signature at the close of a winning game, "And there was nooooooooo doubt about it!" Mom would turn up the radio in anticipation after the last out, in case any of us also sitting on the porch hadn't been listening.
So I hope you are fortuate to live somewhere you love so much that you miss it when you are away, that you are able to maintain a sense a humor about the quirks that would seem odd to an outsider, that you really enjoy sharing it with anyone that will listen (or read).
So as I tell you about some Pittsburgh things that I think are kinda cool and special, bear with me if you have something better.
There's this blog called Overheard in Pittsburgh. Basically, you email the blogmaster something really crazy you have overheard and if he likes it, he publishes it. While the quote and the scene are sent in by readers, the amusing headlines are all his creation. The blog seems to be very popular with the university students, because a lot of the scenes are set on one of the local campuses. I was scanning it today, which I do about once a week, to see if something I said or, better yet, Myles said made it. Better yet, something I overheard and submitted a week and a half ago made it. In case you hadn't heard about it, the people sitting next to me were discussing this story, and the guy I quoted in the Overheard post repeated that sentence at least once while they were talking about her. In that link, by the way, her attorney answers some of the public's most pressing questions, like if she were really kidnapped/imprisoned, how'd she get her hair so chemically-treated blonde?
On our local PBS station, Rick Sebak produces nostalgic programs about Pittsburgh. With titles like Pittsburgh A to Z, Holy Pittsburgh!, Things We've Made, Stuff that's Gone, and the newest, What Makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh--I just cannot get enough of these. For the past two years I have pledged to WQED at whatever level guaranteed me three of his DVD's. I will probably end up owning them all. Last year I even exchanged emails with Rick, which was much more thrilling than anyone not from around here would understand. I hope that whatever city in which you live, or whatever city you love, has someone like Rick Sebak, researching, writing, and recording everything that is special, extraordinary, and wonderfully ordinary. (and LC---check out the QED schedule for Easter if you haven't already. On Q looks really good that night) And one of the fun things about Sebak's videos is catching even a glimpse of someone you know. My sister Kate is briefly in Pittsburgh A to Z (as part of the opera chorus in Turandot), and one of our librarians is featured in that same program (discussing her research of the National Negro Opera Company). Another of our librarians is in a segment in What Makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh as part of a local Bulgarian folk dance troupe.
I hope there is something on the radio that gives you that wonderful safe-at-home feeling. Now that spring is here, there really is nothing better for me than listening to Lanny Frattare on AM radio with all the crackles and pops. Growing up I spent many summer nights sitting on our front porch with my mother because that was where we got the best signal on an old tube radio. We would all take turns resting a hand on top of it to act as an antenna when it was necessary. During Steelers season, I like to watch the game on TV and listen to the local radio crew. However, during Pirates season, i am perfectly happy simply to listen, hoping to hear Frattare's signature at the close of a winning game, "And there was nooooooooo doubt about it!" Mom would turn up the radio in anticipation after the last out, in case any of us also sitting on the porch hadn't been listening.
So I hope you are fortuate to live somewhere you love so much that you miss it when you are away, that you are able to maintain a sense a humor about the quirks that would seem odd to an outsider, that you really enjoy sharing it with anyone that will listen (or read).
Comments
Great submission, too, by the way.
I met Rick Sebak a few months ago, and he was very nice. We talked about his movies (I'm a big fan) and about my ice cream scoop collection sparked by his documentary about ice cream.