Working Wives & Bachelorettes: Exploring the city

I recently moved into Pittsburgh. While I have been living in the area for a little over a year and have been traveling to this area to visit family my entire life, I have just begun to get acquainted with the city.

My mom and one of her friends recently came to visit Pittsburgh...and I got to tag along on their adventures, as well as play hostess in my still box-filled apartment. This friend of my mom's had only driven through Pittsburgh and had a list of things she wanted to do and see. One of those things was a trolley tour. It traveled through areas that are somewhat familiar to me, driving close to where I work, as well as on some of the roads I drive to get home. One of the "attractions" of the tour was an old mansion. The guide pointed out the soot covering the stone from the days when Pittsburgh was filled with steel mills. The soot isn't just a little dust covering or even slightly gray, the stone work on this mansion is black. I had never noticed it before even though I drive past this mansion everyday on the way home from work. Here is a house stained with Pittsburgh history. I like history, so I find these little tidbits interesting.

We often get bogged down with the everyday--working, family, commitments--that we forget to enjoy and learn about the places we live. I know I am guilty of that. So if you are able, become a tourist in your own city. Get a glimpse of your neighborhood through the eyes of someone who has never seen it. Or visit state parks that are close by. (I recently did that for the first time, too!) I actually learned a lot and was able to appreciate where I live.