For the second event of the summer season Open Streets organizers unveiled a new route stretching from the North Side, through Downtown, and up into the historic Hill District. This was my second time volunteering for the event so I was out early in the light Saturday morning traffic beneath some ominous storm clouds.
After checking in at the Market Square hub I cycled to the North Side terminus of the route to start my shift of removing temporary No Parking signs. The sky finally opened up and there was a brief downpour; after a single flash of lightning and accompanying roll of thunder the rain stopped and the weather stayed pleasantly cool for most of the afternoon. The Modern Cafe and other area restaurants were packed with patrons; the yogis who had braved the rain continued their poses in the park. I noticed a sticker reading “Keep Pittsburgh uncool” on the back of a street sign and thought it made a nice contrast with the rain slicked road, early morning revelers, and cyclists passing neon signage.
I had heard about the famous North Side cats who can be spotted sitting in their sidewalk-level window perches but had never made the trip to see them in person. While taking down No Parking placards along Western Avenue I realized I had stumbled across their lounging spots; sadly, no cats were present.
The crowds were sparse on this end of the route at the start of the event and I wondered if the morning’s weather was going to keep people away.
Things were picking up over by the stadiums, however. The streets around PNC Park were decently populated with strollers, dog walkers, and unicyclists.
As if to make up for the missing cats in the North Side windows I spotted a sedate feline being towed in comfort behind their human’s bike.
A booth outside the Left Field gate had a bubble-blowing machine and I liked the way it made it seem like the Willie Stargell statue was about to take a swing at the soapy spheres. While crossing the Clemente bridge I passed the Pirates Parrot mascot going the other way on an e-scooter and shouted out “Parrot, yeah!”
This OpenStreets outing was also my first time visiting Frankie Pace Park, previously known as the I-579 Cap. This infrastructural initiative for reconnecting the lower Hill with downtown has been a long time in the works.
The new cap park is nice, though much of the area is still a work in progress. The FNB tower looks nearly finished.
The park offers ample seating with great views of downtown and some water fountains. With time the young trees should grow into a proper shade-offering canopy.
The park also features historical displays with photos and text.
One display focuses on Frankie Mae Pace, the activist and educator who is also the park’s namesake.
Another display features Martin Delany, the abolitionist journalist, physician, and military officer. While I was a taking photos of the historical displays I noticed a woman sitting at a nearby booth beckoning me over. She was a local historian providing information on the Historic Hill Institute and was involved in writing the historical markers. She spoke highly of how the park had turned out and was especially pleased with how the local community and Hill District stakeholders had been included as collaborators in the process.
Before leaving Frankie Pace Park I had to try out the trikes on the small course. Those kids didn’t stand a chance against my handling skills.
The route continued along Centre Ave up across Crawford and in to the Hill District. At Freedom Corner the giant purple hands that have appeared at past OpenStreets events welcomed visitors to the Hill District, their splayed fingers offering a visual corollary to the outstretched arms of St. Benedict the Moor high above.
The Hill District terminus of the route was packed with vendors, booths, and attendees. There was food, music, and dancing. The Mayor’s Office also had a booth at this hub and I had my first face time with mayor Ed Gainey who seemed genuinely grateful for all the folks who had come out.
The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure also had a booth at the Hill District hub. They had an array of DOMI stickers (at least some apparently designed by the same people who design city street signs). I’m an infrastructure nerd and a sticker fiend so I went in hoping to get the whole set but the folks manning the table were weirdly stingy about their sticker allotment, only meting out a couple of appliables after I had jumped through hoops including completing a brief survey and spinning a prize wheel. I guess I felt a bit miffed due to my self-avowed sticker avarice but also because I’ve studied DOMI and Pittsburgh’s infrastructure for many years and am currently writing a book on the subject; you’d think that’d be worth a few stickers.
I made another half-circuit of the route before heading home, getting to spend time with my No Parking signs partner from the Give Up cycling group and running in to other Give Uppers.
After getting back to Market Square I took the bus lane along Smithfield Street and across the bridge toward South Side Flats, getting home before the rain returned that afternoon.
Here’s a short montage of some video I shot during the day: