City and Outdoor Spaces/Parks/Nature

Pittsburgh has a tremendous amount of green space for the size city that it is. We have several parks just in the city limits alone, from old and historic to newer and modern, that's not even including the parks outside the city limits that also range from historic to modern. There's the big city parks, which are Schenley, Frick, Mellon, as well as Highland, Emerald View and Riverview Parks, and also Point State Park and various other public and private smaller parks. Each park has different things to do and enjoy from the trails, to playing fields, to swimming pools, and more. Schenley and Frick are the two biggest and sometimes you really feel like you’re not in the city anymore when you’re in them. There are all kinds of trees and vegetation plus all sorts of wildlife from birds to squirrels to deer, etc.

In Frick, Schenley, and Mellon Parks, there is a good bit of historic structures, ranging from millionaire industrialist estates to essential city infrastructure, including a large reservoir you can walk around.

The land of Schenley Park was donated by Mary Schenley and the city purchased that plus more acreage. Schenley Park has all sorts of facilities the public can use, some year round and others seasonal. There are plenty of biking and hiking trails, a playground, a public pool, skating rink and sports areas, an 18-hole golf course, and more. My favorite place at Schenley however, is Phipps Conservatory. It is a beautiful and fairly big Victorian-era conservatory and botanical gardens with all sorts of plants and flowers from many different countries, as well as water features. They also try to theme the gardens by season and year. One unique and not as well-known historical fact about Schenley Park is that there are numerous bridges, one pictured below and ranging from small to slightly larger in size, built in 1938-39 by workers apart of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA), a funding program started by the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration as an attempt to get people back to work and get the economy running again as a result of the Great Depression.

The land of Frick Park was originally owned by industrialist Henry Clay Frick. He and his family had an estate with various buildings historically significant, as well as many acres of woodland behind. The estate is now apart of the Frick Art & Historical Center which is a non-profit with museums, walking ground, etc., and the woodland is now apart of the Citiparks system.

Mellon Park, while much smaller, is another unique park that's equally historically significant. Mellon was based on Richard B. Mellon's old estate. A lot of it was destroyed during World War II, but some buildings, and most importantly, the historic gardens, remain. The Garden Center, which is apart of Phipps Conservatory whose main building is in Schenley Park, and the Pittsburgh Center for the arts, a non-profit art organization, also are at the park, housed in some of the historic buildings.

One thing that Erie is most known for is Presque Isle, the 13 mile stretch of land that goes into Lake Erie. We as a city have always been proud of the peninsula and have always found it as one of our best parts in the city. During the summer months, beaches are open along the lake for swimming or laying in the sun for some relaxation. It is one of the most visited state parks in Pennsylvania with about 4 million visitors each year. It is a great destination for people to enjoy swimming, fishing, and even to take a nice stroll along the walking paths. There are bikes available to rent that allow you to ride by yourself, on a tandem bicycle, or, if you have a larger group, you can rent out a surrey that can transport up to four total people in a side-by-side style cart. Because there’s a smaller body of water within the peninsula, the bike rental stand also offers the ability to rent out a water trike so you can paddle on top of the water. Even though the peninsula caters more towards warmer months, there is always the possibility of doing ice fishing once the lake freezes over or also just seeing what it feels like to walk on such a large body of water while it is frozen. Overall, Presque Isle is loads of fun for everyone during all times of the year, not just during the summer months.

In addition to the water and peninsula, Erie has plenty of green spaces around the county. Right in the center of downtown Erie there is Perry Square. It was declared Perry Square in memoriam to Captain Oliver Hazard Perry 100 years after his battle in the Battle of Lake Erie. More towards the Millcreek area of town, there is a beautiful area called Asbury Woods where there are typically cross country meets held as well as being open to the public. They have venues for events like weddings, graduation parties, as well as a low ropes course that is available if you have a smaller group of people. Places that are well known to take pictures at for senior portraits, engagement pictures, wedding pictures, and so much more include Asbury Woods and Frontier Park. Frontier Park is located right next to the Bayfront and is even right next to the previously mentioned Romolo’s Chocolates. They have an area for tennis courts, a playground, and newly added metal slides in addition to the 33 acres of park space! No matter where you go in Erie, there will always be a beautiful area of natural scenery near you. Another perk of living in Erie is the sunsets. This may sound biased, but, Erie has some of the best sunsets that I have ever seen in my life. Very few places have compared to the quality of sunsets that Erie has to offer. If you are in Erie during the summertime, you absolutely cannot resist looking up at the sky and seeing how the sun reflects a pink hue onto the clouds most nights.