An Embarrassment of Riches

So, I was contemplating my little cottage last week because I had spent Memorial Day weekend griping about it to myself. I spent the entire weekend (except for a few hours spent at a Pirates game) trying to maintain it.  It's a constant battle with a house this old, a yard this big and weather this wet.  Paint peels, yards grow almost before your eyes and weeds do sprout that fast.  I kept shaking my head thinking if only I liked Shelties and Toy Poodles instead of Collies and Huskys then I could live in one of those chic apartments along Fifth Avenue carved out of grand old houses and pay someone to take care of the place so I could spend more time just enjoying the city.  That conundrum is front and center this weekend, so I'm trying to reason out what I'm going to do.  In addition to the big summer movie opening this weekend that I'm desperate to see (not because of the leading actor, mind you, but because lots of things blow up and I admittedly have a girl crush on Emily Blunt), there is the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Pens are doing their Fan Appreciation sale on Saturday when it's the only time you get a shot at buying street banners and there is a big assortment of used hockey sticks that I covet, there is the Panera Pup Walk with one of my favorite Pittsburghers, Charlie Batch, bumping up against the Pirates series against the Brewers.  A neighbor is having an estate sale and there is the little issue of the Stanley Cup Finals (hey, it's hockey...).  How in the world am I supposed to stay at home spreading mulch with all this stuff going on?

I've decided that I simply can't.  I've just got to participate in all this wonderfulness happening around this city I pulled up stakes to move to.  And that's the thing that sometimes I think native Pittsburghers lose sight of.  This is a vibrant city and there is always a lot going on.  Anybody can likely say that about just about any city, I suppose, but there is a reputation that I think Pittsburgh still fights:  the dour steel city.  It's not that at all.  It's full of art, museums, sports (of course), festivals, farmer's markets, parks, rivers, and a lovely zoo.  If you can't find something to do here on a weekend, then you're really not looking.  For me, it's not always such a crowded agenda, but it's always a little bit of a moral fight:  do I stay put and tend to my little cottage or do I abandon my responsibilities and revel in the wonders of the city?  Sometimes I do the right thing, sometimes I do the fun thing.  What I hardly ever do is work and eventually that will end up being an issue too, but I am at that point in my life and have had enough challenges that I want to spend some time outside these office walls.

And as to that, I've written before about living life like a tourist, and it's something I do advocate strongly for many reasons.  I realize it may ring hollow for some because being a tourist means spending money.  And for some of my favorite things, that's true.  The zoo isn't free, for instance.  But lots of the wonders of the city are, or they are modest in price.  But I get it.  I'm not rich and I understand it's all a trade off.  But if you spend your life just working, going home, then getting up to go to work again you will lose sight of what it truly is you're working for.  You have to feed the mind, not just the body.  There is your heart and soul to think of as well.  And there is a wealth of brain nutrients right outside your doorstep, I promise you.  So, to unlock some of the wonders of the city without emptying the wallet, try this website, which a friend sent to me when I first got here.

Seriously, it's less about unleashing the wonders of the city than it is unchaining yourself.  So, Dear House, please forgive me, but I won't be home this weekend.  To the rest of you:  I'll see you out there, but stand back, I get first dibs on that Sidney Crosby used hockey stick!