Travel Archives - Pittsburgh Quarterly

If you were lucky, at some point in your childhood, you collected a bunch of old boards, raided your dad’s toolbox, teamed up with your pals and built a treehouse. It might have been rickety, or so simple that it was basically a platform in a tree. But seen through the eyes of a child, …

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Travel

Going to Gettysburg

by Barbara Eichenlaub

The battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863, in temperatures nearing 90 degrees. Fighting in wool uniforms and long underwear, with water and food in scarce supply, the 160,000 troops struggled to survive under Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Union Gen. George Meade, appointed to command the Army of the Potomac just …

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Travel

Two Pittsburghers on the Road Less Travelled

by Scott Bergstein

Even though we’ve been married for 15 years, Jessica and I converse. Usually, the exchange of thoughts happens as she drinks her morning tea and I, my coffee. The following comments are typical of what you might hear were you an early-rising fly on the wall of our living room. “There’s a new Asian restaurant …

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Travel

Twin Pine: A Singular Shopping Experience

by Barbara Eichenlaub

Inside a converted barn in Wexford, just beyond Winston, the life-sized horse statue decorated for every season, is Martin Potoczny’s labor of love. The serial creative entrepreneur used the forced slowdown of COVID to create his dream of opening a curated antique and vintage lifestyle store. His keen appreciation for artisans, innovators and inventors has …

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Home & Lifestyle Travel

If You’re Yurting for a Break …

by Barbara Eichenlaub

Whether you’re dealing with stress from work, the pandemic or just need a reset, a trip to the Savage River Lodge (SRL) near Frostburg, Maryland, may provide the perfect respite for your body and soul. Situated on 43 privately owned acres within the 54,000-acre Savage River State Forest, the SRL will force you to slow …

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Travel

Burn Beetle, Burn!

by Kate Benz

I am going to torch a massive, 30-foot-long beetle tonight. I will fork over twenty bucks and the local fire department will hand me a long branch that’s been swathed at the top with fabric. It looks like a giant Q-Tip, ready to be dipped in kerosene or gasoline or something easily combustible. They will …

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Travel

A Trip to Corning and the Southern Finger Lakes

by Barbara Eichenlaub

With fall approaching, who isn’t itching to hit the road? No matter your age or interests, Corning, N.Y. and the Southern Finger Lakes region might provide the perfect escape. Much of the 4 1/2-hour drive goes through beautiful tree-filled valleys that will be exploding with autumn color. Charming, walkable Corning sits along the Chemung River …

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Travel

A Farm for All Seasons

by Barbara Eichenlaub

With so many events being held virtually, who isn’t craving a “real” holiday experience? One can be had only a few hours north of Pittsburgh in Erie County, near Waterford, Pa. Port Farms has been a working farm since 1897. In 2003, fourth-generation owners Kelly and Jerry Port began a transformation of the 200-acre property, …

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Travel

You Can Do Lots at Doolittle

by Barbara Eichenlaub

After months of practicing social distancing, people are itching for fun, and Doolittle Station in DuBois has something for most everyone. Since 2014, local oral maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Rice has incorporated many of his collections into an ever-growing complex filled with history and memorabilia as well as modern amenities. From trains, food, craft beer, …

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Travel

Pretty in Peat

by Marylynn Uricchio

The Machrie Hotel sits on grass-covered peat fields, a low-slung array of modern buildings that sprawl across the landscape like an apparition. Just completed last year, the newest addition to the Campbell Gray luxury hotel chain is on the Isle of Islay, home to some of the best scotches in the world. But Islay is …

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Travel

Skibo Castle: Andrew Carnegie’s Extraordinary Estate

by Marylynn Uricchio

Turning into the long drive that leads to Skibo Castle, one can imagine what it was like for Andrew Carnegie to arrive at his Scottish home back in 1899.That was the year he purchased the estate, hoping his young daughter Margaret would grow to love his homeland. In this, the 100th anniversary of his death, …

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Travel

A Pittsburgher Goes to Florence

by David Aschkenas

Take a quick international trip to Florence, Italy with Pittsburgh photographer David Aschkenas. In this photo collection, Aschkenas explores the Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens, the eclectic La Specola natural history museum as well as a few churches, including Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella and the Duomo. View more of David Aschkenas’s work at www.daschkenasphoto.com.

Travel

Synagogues Around the World

by David Aschkenas

For the past seven years, a Pittsburgh photographer has been working on a personal project: Capturing the beauty of synagogues in Europe. Experience the architecture and history of synagogues from Prague, Budapest, Kracow, Amsterdam, Venice, and Florence in this photo collection by David Aschkenas. View more of David Aschkenas’s work at www.daschkenasphoto.com.

Travel

Escape to Gateway Lodge in Cook Forest

by Barbara Eichenlaub

If you find the heat and noise of “summer in the city” oppressive, escape it all in an under-two-hour drive from Pittsburgh. Take the scenic trip to Cook Forest State Park, and stay at the Gateway Lodge. Built in 1934, the Gateway Lodge is the perfect combination of woodsy charm and contemporary amenities. The family-owned …

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Travel

Bring on the Meat!

by Barbara Eichenlaub

Years ago, the Sunday roast inevitably came from the neighborhood butcher. The relationship between the homemaker and butcher was once so significant, that the television series “The Brady Bunch” included “Sam the Butcher,” who was both meat purveyor and love interest for housekeeper Alice. This was before mega-grocery stores and warehouse clubs with inhouse butchers, …

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Travel

Antarctica, Wonder that Inspires

by James Hilliard

There are times in your life that mark changes in your composition. Our trip to Antarctica was one of those times. It’s a continent without native people, but where wildlife thrives in an unpredictable environment. It’s a world without infrastructure. The scale is otherworldly and the landscape staggeringly, breathlessly beautiful. It is a landscape difficult …

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Travel

Secrets of Oakmont

by Barbara Eichenlaub

With the gaslights along the brick-paved Allegheny River Boulevard, the small, independent shops and the 1889 Carnegie Library, visiting Oakmont can feel like a welcome trip back in time. That’s especially true if you walk into the Kerr Memorial Museum on Delaware Avenue. Dr. Thomas Kerr built the Queen Anne-style home in 1897 for his …

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Travel

Glendorn Aglow

by Marylynn Uricchio

On a pristine morning after the season’s first snowfall, determined anglers cast their flies into streams not yet frozen. Eight inches of snow blanketed the landscape, but inside the Big House a fire crackled as guests enjoyed a hearty breakfast and the view through giant windows. Or they could look the other way at the …

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Travel

Cleaner to the Stars

by Barbara Eichenlaub

It’s time to don your best apparel for holiday parties, dinners and events. And then, of course, you’ll need to have those clothes cleaned. There are countless options, but Jerry Montesano’s Shadyside Valet is a standout. Jerry was born into the business—his father owned a dry cleaning company in Penn Hills and then sold dry …

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Travel

The Kindness Meter in Various Cities

by Tom Flannery

Returning home last Monday from a weekend trip to visit our newly transplanted daughter and her family in Seattle, we had a delightful conversation with our Uber driver, a native Pittsburgher, on the way back from the airport. He had recently retired from his full time job, but enjoys meeting people and figured driving for …

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Travel

Car Trouble

by Elizabeth Wiethorn

At 5:30 a.m. one recent morning, I was driving the Parkway East to Monroeville, and actually ON TIME. I began to hear a loud “ka-thunk” from the front left of my mini-van. Suddenly, my front left wheel popped clean off. Had it been later, I would have been horrified at the idea of my wheel …

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Travel

Now Entering “Happy Valley”

by Barbara Eichenlaub

The Pennsylvania State University has more than 645,000 living alums. Obviously, they know about “Happy Valley,” as do the throngs who attend football games each fall. But if you’ve never visited Penn State, State College or Centre County, it’s well worth exploring, especially on a quieter, non-football weekend. While there are chain hotels available, go …

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