Realizations Upon Hitting Age 45

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. I was sort of downplaying this year’s birthday. It’s pretty much impossible to look at age 45 as anything other than middle age, and I have to admit that it’s been bugging me just a little the past few weeks. Several times, I’ve found myself whining tonight and thinking “I don’t want to be 45.”

But let’s take another look. Between the little cancer episode of 2006 and that scary heart/thyroid thing in 2001, there were a few times in the past ten years when I wasn’t 100% certain I was going to make it to this point. On the more positive side, in the past few years I have also gotten within shouting distance of a master’s degree and at least the prospect of a career I can actually be proud of, become the co-owner of a house I love in a city I like, as well as a house I like in a city I love, and (best of all) spent nearly eight years with a boy who’s made me happier than I’ve ever been before.

From this perspective, middle age looks pretty damned good, huh? I’ve decided that I’m happy as a clam being 45, thank you.

Down at the A&P

This lovely little storefront was my neighborhood’s A&P store from at least the 1920s through the 1950s. What this means is that I’ve started my Pittsburgh research for Groceteria now. My database is already up to almost 900 chain grocery addresses, and I’ve only finished the data entry through 1940. For San Francisco, I only had 600 addresses total. Since both cities used to be about the same size, I suppose that means that SF was violently anti-chain even eighty years ago.

Life in Da ‘Burgh

Downtown Pittsburgh from Troy Hill.

I thought San Francisco had left me too bitter to ever truly love another urban area again. But maybe not.

Pittsburgh really is sort of an amazing place, as I’ve mentioned before: urban without being pretentious, distinctly affordable, and possessed of a surprisingly stable population of working families. As I become more familiar with the city, I find that there are very few neighborhoods that make me nervous as I drive through them (yes, there are still a few). And there really is some new little bit of wonderfulness around every corner. Of course, your definition of wonderfulness may vary.

And after a (very) few initial moments of skepticism, I’ve come to love my neighborhood, Lawrenceville, as well. It’s nice to be able to walk to the supermarket and pick up something I’m out of while cooking dinner, or to a really good diner for breakfast. And Lawrenceville has urban texture like almost no other place I’ve ever seen. It ranges from the beautiful to the butt-ugly, just like a real urban neighborhood should. And I think I would actually be a little surprised to find my car window broken here, unlike South of Market, where I sort of expected it.

In fact, it has been suggested that part of my problem with San Francisco stemmed from the neighborhood I lived in, and there may be some slight validity to that. That said, in San Francisco, mere mortals can’t just pick and choose their neighborhoods, either. Nor can they afford whole houses in them.

Anyway, I don’t live here full-time now, and it’s not really likely that I’ll be doing so anytime soon. I hope my fascination doesn’t wear off. I don’t think it will.

I have lots of thoughts and little attention span. Thus, here are some more pictures. Pictures are easy.

South Side.

Carson Street, South Side.

Strip District from Troy Hill.

Downtown Pittsburgh from South Side Slopes.

Purty Pitchers

What could be more fun than a brand new camera and a brand new city to use it in? These shots are of downtown Pittsburgh and Lawrenceville from the Washington Crossing (a/k/a 40th Street) Bridge.

In Da ‘Burgh

After a long departure delay (thanks to rain and the yard…long story…) I am in Pittsburgh. I will be here all week. The hubby will be joining me for the weekend, and then I’ll be making a sidetrip to someplace Canadian, Illinoian, or who knows whatan next week.

Did I mention it was vacation season?