This past Saturday I went with Mike, his dad, and Little Man to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
I hadn’t been there since a school field trip, probably 15 years ago now. (Hard to believe it’s been that long!)
The exhibits were lovely: majestic big cats, a huge array of primates, and even an aquarium! Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we got to see The Rainforest, so we’re going to have to make a trip back to see that.
They have an exhibit with animatronic dinosaurs displayed right now too. Little Man found them a little intimidating, especially when they roared, but he had so much fun exploring and seeing everything else!
My very favorite exhibit was “Flutter!“, the butterfly greenhouse. The foliage and butterflies are just stunning. I happened to wear a green t-shirt, and I had butterflies hitching rides on my shoulder every time I turned around.
I also noticed that people wandering through the greenhouse seemed universally in awe. I think it’s humanly impossible to be anything but happy and delighted when surrounded by butterflies. Amazing such a tiny, delicate creature can elicit that type of reaction in people.
Wish every weekend could be like this…
This past Sunday, Mike and I took a little roadtrip to Pittsburgh. No offense to anyone who lives there, or to anyone who is a fan of the ‘burgh, but I’ve never liked it. I’ve always found it to be almost oppressive-feeling. (For the record, I don’t think Erie ranks much better on that criterion, but the latter has the redeeming quality of being my hometown just the same.)
Our main mission for the day was to visit Erica (and my cat, Stuart, who is staying with her temporarily) and to retreive my 50mm lens that she borrowed a few weeks ago. Erica worked till 7, so we decided to make a day of wandering around Pittsburgh to kill time.
We went to Guitar Center and IKEA. Mike found lots of instruments he loved, and I found lots of furniture I’d like to bring home. We also stopped at the Mall at Robinson and browsed all the standard mall-stores.
(Photo credit: EPA Smart Growth – Because I was too lazy to take photos this weekend.)
Then Mike took me down to East Carson Street in South Side. Holy jaw-dropping paradigm shift of my Pittsburgh-perception, Batman!
Our “Great American Main Street,” East Carson, is renowned for its 15 blocks of historic Victorian architecture and is an endless source of entertainment. On and off Carson, you’ll find shops, restaurants, art galleries, theatre, and live music venues. (via History of SSLDC)
Sure, it still has a good layer of grunge on it, but instead of being depressing, it’s the good kind of grunge: unique, artistic and eclectic. Coffee shops, at least three different tattoo/piercing places (one of which is named Flying Monkey Tattoos – OMG!), art galleries galore, and unique boutiques with everything from “anti-fashion” clothing to vintage Mork and Mindy posters.
I also found the little side-streets off Carson to be fascinating: narrow roads packed with cars parked along both sides, and old houses stacked against one another. I can’t describe exactly WHY it appealed to me, but it did. I wish I’d taken photos.
Though South Side isn’t a “hidden treasure” by any means, it was entirely new to me and not necessarily what you expect from Pittsburgh. Don’t you love when you get to be plesantly surprised that way? That’s what I love most about travelling — finding those special places with special and interesting people.
Now I’m itching to pack my bags and go exploring. What unique places have you found on your travels?
I hadn’t been there since a school field trip, probably 15 years ago now. (Hard to believe it’s been that long!)
