How many times did you pass by a beautiful garden, benefit from the relaxation and good spirits it bring to you, and wonder about the people and efforts behind the creation of such beauty?
Honestly speaking, I never did until I participated in creating the beauty in my neighborhood once with Pittsburgh Conservatory, +GlobalPittsburgh, and other +Americorp VISTA volunteers on May 11, 2013.
We were planting flowers, pulling out the weeds, and watering the garden to make sure they would grow and bloom beautifully for the summer. It’s a fun labor work, because I knew I was part of something beautiful. During those chatters, I met a lady (in blue coat and jeans) who had been volunteering for many years in the neighborhood. She works in Oakland and would come out during lunch time to pull weeds and maintain gardens. She told me she had always loved working in the field being close to the earth since she was a child. Pulling weeds is her way of relaxing and meditating. She said, “It’s very therapeutic to me. I enjoy doing it, so I have been doing it for many years.”
Ever since the volunteer experience, I see more in those gardens I pass by everyday than what I did before. It’s very humbling. I am humbled.
Beer winning trivia @ Parkview Ave & Blvd of the Allies
1. The first part of the Boulevard of the Allies was dedicated on August 8, 1921, and the entire highway opened to traffic on October 2, 1923. One of the first interconnected traffic signal systems was installed a month later (November 13) on the Boulevard downtown as an experiment. Prior to completion, its cost was reported as $1.6 million per mile, the most expensive road in the world at the time. The Boulevard at Grant Street was once home to Pittsburgh's Chinatown until the 1950s. The road is named in honor of the Allies of World War I. The Boulevard of the Allies was rededicated on June 29, 2008 as part of the celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.
The road begins in Downtown Pittsburgh at its intersection with Commonwealth Place and an off ramp from Interstate 279. The road continues east through Downtown passing Point Park University and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh to Grant Street where it becomes elevated to transition from the flat plain of Downtown to the bluff that Oakland sits on. Before reaching Oakland, it passes by Duquesne University and Mercy Hospital along the edge of a cliff several hundred feet above the Mon River with spectacular views of the city's Sou (th) Side neighborhood and includes partial interchanges with Interstate 579 and 376. Upon reaching Oakland, it cuts through the southern portion of the neighborhood and leads into Schenley Park just bypassing the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Upon entering the park across the Anderson Bridge, the road's name changes to Panther Hollow Road and continues through the park to become Hobart Street in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood east of Schenley Park.
2. A now defunct Chinatown was located on Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies, where two Chinese restaurants remain. The Chinese population in Pittsburgh has grown recently and is now ranked 19th among the large city category with about 3,402 Chinese Americans, or about 1.1% of the population. Although newer stores exist in the Strip District with many other ethnic varieties, the Chinese grocery stores are scattered throughout the Pittsburgh metropolitan area with a presence in both the suburbs and inside the city. I wish a more concentrated Chinatown would be restored in the future!
3. The Pittsburgh Park Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh’s parks. In 1998, the Park Conservancy signed an official public-private partnership with the City of Pittsburgh to work together for the restoration of the city’s four regional parks- Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley. Since then, the Parks Conservancy has raised more than $60 million towards park improvements, and has recently expanded into other city parks as time and resources permit. By the numbers, 1700+acres are stewarded by the Parks Conservancy. In 2013, 1300 trees and shrubs have been planted, 1570 volunteers have been mobilized with 5, 498 volunteer hours contributed and in-kind $ 119,000 donated. (Check previous blog post ②First trip to Pittsburgh during 2009 India Day beer winning trivia #2 for all major parks in Pittsburgh)
3. The Pittsburgh Park Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh’s parks. In 1998, the Park Conservancy signed an official public-private partnership with the City of Pittsburgh to work together for the restoration of the city’s four regional parks- Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley. Since then, the Parks Conservancy has raised more than $60 million towards park improvements, and has recently expanded into other city parks as time and resources permit. By the numbers, 1700+acres are stewarded by the Parks Conservancy. In 2013, 1300 trees and shrubs have been planted, 1570 volunteers have been mobilized with 5, 498 volunteer hours contributed and in-kind $ 119,000 donated. (Check previous blog post ②First trip to Pittsburgh during 2009 India Day beer winning trivia #2 for all major parks in Pittsburgh)
Your ID @ Planting flowers in Oakland
How many races or ethnicity can you identify in the above pictures?
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