CMU School of Drama


Friday, October 01, 2021

6 Pittsburgh parks to shine during Parks Conservancy celebration

nextpittsburgh.com: The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has been in the spotlight since the pandemic sparked people’s renewed interest in outdoor recreation. Now the parks are literally going to shine on Friday, Oct. 1 and Saturday, Oct 2 as part of the Conservancy’s silver anniversary celebration.

4 comments:

Philip Winter said...

I really wish I read this article earlier! I’ve been meaning to see more of Pittsburgh since I moved here, but I sadly haven’t had the time, as I’ve been so busy. So far I’ve only seen part of Schenley park as its right next to campus, but from what I’ve seen the parks service dose an amazing job of maintaining the park. I will most definitely make an effort tonight to go see the light show, as it’s the last day possible to. I love that in the midst of the pandemic people have thought of new and interesting ways to have social events. For a long period of time during quarantine, life became so depressing as people didn’t have a way of socializing and interacting with one another. Yet, events like this allow people to gather in a safe and socially distanced manner, which is perfect. Events like this one are very important, because I truly believe that communities are built and strengthened through the connections and interactions made at these events. I hope to see more public events hosted in the park in the future as this is one of the best ways to have social gatherings right now with the pandemic.

Magnolia Luu said...

I knew Pittsburgh has a lot of very nice parks and wooded areas but to think one city has 165 parks is absolutely staggering! Especially last year during quarantine I started to visit more of the parks but generally not the ones near where I live. (In my quest to avoid people and enjoy some unmasked outdoor time) I found myself miles and miles away on more trail heavy and secluded nature walks. I'd love the opportunity to get more acquainted with the urban parks since they're much more easily accessible. Since today is the last day this event is open I'm a little sad I didn't get to working on newscomments earlier in the week. Maybe I could have gone and if not taken a good reprieve from work, at least gotten to do some of it outside. I'm glad that they have been making such an effort to expand this program in future years to include more parks and hopefully get people more fully back into their communities in the post-covid world.

Sidney R. said...

It absolutely makes sense that parks got much more use during the pandemic. And Pittsburgh has so many beautiful ones! I live a block away from Frick Park and really didn't spend much time there until places started to shut down. I'm sad I didn't know about this celebration because it sounds so fun and being in a park makes me so much happier. Every time I see a photo online of Mellon or Schenley (especially during sunset), I usually wish I was there. The new CEO of the Parks Conservatory mentions in this article about the broad accessibility of the city's 165 parks, but I wonder how they're distributed. Definitely around the areas CMU students live in and spend time in (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland), they're well maintained and clearly prioritized. I hope the same is true all across the city. I'm also really into the idea of outdoors and environmental education for children in these parks--we have to enjoy them before it gets cold and rainy!!

Madison Gold said...

I love going to the park. The love of parks really grew in me when I was in undergraduate school, moved to an apartment, and no longer had access to a back yard, or a front yard for that matter. Even still now I am in graduate school and living in an apartment in the city. I don’t know what I should do if I didn’t have access to a park. Upon moving to Pittsburgh I was so excited when I saw how many parks there are and how vast they are. I didn’t realize, until reading this article, that there are 165 parks in Pittsburgh. I am pretty sure I have only been to about five so it looks I need to do some more investigating. Like the CEO said, they are so important for mental and physical health. There is something so important about having access to nature in the midst of a big city. Aside from the nature aspect, I love the sense of community that going to a park can bring to all of the individuals there.