PPG Place & Tower

Happy Saturday blog readers! It was a perfect day to take the bus downtown and enjoy the comfortable temperatures, so that is exactly what my best friend Britnee and I did. We hadn't been down to PPG Place and Market Square since the holidays so it was the perfect place to visit. I also have to complete an essay for my art class and I'm going to use the building as my subject.

For those of you who don't know about PPG Place, it was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. The entire complex is made of six buildings, building number one being the tallest at 40 stories (that's 635 feet tall!). It takes up a total of about five and a half acres of the downtown Pittsburgh area. Construction started in January of 1981 and the buildings were finished between 1983 and 1984.

During the summer months, the plaza houses a fountain surrounding the sculpture in the center. This is great place to bring children because they can freely run through it and cool off in the hot temps. When the temperatures change and we have to break out our winter clothes, an ice rink is built around the sculpture which is turned into a giant Christmas tree. What says holiday spirit more than ice skating in circles around a giant Christmas tree all while being surrounded by a beautiful city?

Britnee happens to also be a blogger (she was actually my inspiration for starting this one). While I took photos for my blog today, I also took photos of her which she will be posting today. Once you're done reading my post, be sure you head over to The Model Cachet to check out her post and fashion blog.

 Pictured above is Britnee...this is one of her photos for her next blog post!

Check out the PPG Place website for more information!

I hope you enjoyed my post and be sure to check out Britnee's blog which is also featured in my sidebar.

Have a wonderful evening!





A Birds Eye View

Good morning everyone! I hope you all enjoyed my post about the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium which I went to before my spring break started. Now I'm on to the National Aviary on the North Shore which I went to with my family over spring break.

Prior to this, I had never been to the aviary (my mom happens to have an unusual fear of birds). I was never really interested in going when I was younger, so she never had to torture herself. My little brother, however, is a much different story. Joel loves any and every living (..and dead) creature imaginable. Typical boy I guess. Needless to say, he was more than excited to go.

The aviary is set up with seven different areas with unique kinds of birds and one area which had Wookie the sloth. When you arrive, you receive a schedule which gives you times for different feedings and other events of the day. One of the first things we did was go straight to the tropical rainforest area where Joel was able to "feed" the birds (pictured below). I say "feed" because he really didn't have the patience for it.

I really enjoyed seeing all of the animals and hearing the bird experts talk about them. All of the birds at the aviary have their own names (the penguins literally have their names attached to them!). One of the really fun things that I was able to do was feed the Lorikeets. I walked into the room of a birds with a cup of nectar and they immediately swarmed me, standing all over my arms and head. I actually was pooped on during this moment (EWWW), which happens to be something which the bird people think is very special. I was told I was very lucky!!!

I really learned a lot in those hours that I was there and my mom, brother and I really enjoyed our visit. If anyone is in the area of the National Aviary (which is located on the North Shore near downtown Pittsburgh), I highly recommend a visit, especially if the trip includes children!!

Check out the National Aviary's website for more information!

I hope you all enjoyed this bird filled post! Have a wonderful day and be sure to bundle up if you're reading this from the Pittsburgh area!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears....OH MY!

Happy first day of Spring everyone! So I have to apologize, I've been a terrible blogger the last few weeks. Last week was spring break for me and getting back to school this week has been hectic. The Friday before break, my boyfriend, Tyler, came to visit and it was such a beautiful day that we couldn't just spend it in my dorm room. After much deliberation, we decided that the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium would be perfect.

As children, both Tyler and I loved coming here with our families...honestly, what child wouldn't? It's amazing really how they have managed to make you feel like you're in a whole other world when downtown Pittsburgh is just minutes away. 

Upon entering, visitors encounter all of the typical zoo animals: leopards, tigers, rhinos, elephants, lions and giraffes. Because it was still a bit chilly outside, the elephants and giraffes were inside rather than in their African Savana-like habitat. After these exhibits, visitors reach a building which houses all of the monkeys (my favorite!!). Although it's hot and sticky inside (mimicking a tropical rain forest), I really enjoy watching all of the different kinds of monkeys swinging around on their branches and vines. 

Tyler is absolutely obsessed with the western lowland gorillas (thanks to Tarzan of course!). We spent a good 30 minutes at the exhibit where mother, Moka, was showing off her nearly one year old baby. He is just so adorable and loves every bit of the attention that he gets.

Finally, we visited the aquarium where many different kinds of fish and other water creatures are housed. One of my favorite parts of the aquarium is seeing the penguins. They're always swimming around and doing funny things. After you exit the aquarium, the polar bears and sea otters are dancing around and having a good time. It's a particular treat if you get to see one of the polar bears in the water playing with their toys. After seeing them outside, you can go back into the aquarium to see the water from below. This is also where the sharks are. Fun fact, I happen to be absolutely terrified of sharks.

Although Friday was beautiful and one of the only days where I was able to really enjoy the outdoors in a while, it still wasn't warm enough for many of the animals. Those who were outside, spent most of their time basking in the rays rather than walking around. From experience I've learned that one of the best days to visit the zoo is when it's a little warmer or when there is a slight sprinkle of rain coming down.

** The logo posted at the beginning of the page is not mine.

Check out the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's website to learn more!

Hope you all enjoy the photos! Stay tuned for a post about the National Aviary in a couple days. Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!

Good evening everyone!! Who else is not ready for tomorrow? Blaaah...dreaded Mondays. I know I'm especially not ready to go back to class as my spring break has officially ended as of a couple hours ago. While I spent most of my break relaxing with my family and friends and enjoying the break from college, I still did some blog worthy things like go to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and the National Aviary. I took tons of photos and I'm currently in the process of getting the posts together so stay tuned!

With the weather finally changing into spring, I'm hoping to have some wonderful moments to take photos and share here with you all. Stay tuned for some fun and exciting things!