The Summer of My Contentment

I've spent the majority of my summer this year in my hometown of Pittsburgh. Since the transition of my father in March, 2008, I've been seriously considering moving from my home of 26 years in San Antonio back to my real home – Pittsburgh. Though there are numerous reasons for my desire to move back home, paramount among them is this simple fact: I've never stop missing Pittsburgh. I often tell friends, "I cry when I come home and cry when I leave." The reactions to my decision to move home have been mixed. It seems that a lot of the people who never left Pittsburgh feel that "there's nothing here in Pittsburgh, why would you ever want to come back?" Others ask, "why would you want to come back to the cold winters?" Others who moved away decades ago would never consider returning because "the city isn't what it used to be."

I've been gone from Pittsburgh for 26 years. During that 26 years, I've changed. I've remarried, had another son and divorced. I've had jobs where I had a prestigious title and made very good money. I've gained experience, education and training and have progressed through my career. I've gained much insight on my character and integrity and thankfully, have made progress on this journey called life. Many things have changed in the 26 years I've been gone. I say that to say that many things have changed in 26 years, Pittsburgh among them. When I left Pittsburgh in 1984, bus fare was $1.00. Gas was about that price. Gangs were practically non-existent. Violent crime was not as prevalent. The crack epidemic was just beginning. Housing prices were lower, as were wages. Groceries, of course, were cheaper. Many of the old neighborhoods were dramatically different from what they are today.

Change occurs to us all, both organic and non-organic. It is the way of the world, of humanity. Those who realize they have changed but are disappointed, even disgusted that the city has changed puzzle me. Do they really readily accept the change in themselves but somehow expect Pittsburgh to be stuck in some time warp? Pittsburgh has consistently been rated as one of the top cities in the U.S. in which to live. Pittsburgh has one of the lowest crime rates for cities of comparable size. And, Pittsburgh is one of the few cities which has been able to successfully reinvent itself following the collapse of the U.S. steel industry.

Each year when I come home, I go on a "nostalgia" trip through the neighborhoods of my youth, East Liberty and the far East End. It saddens me that the old neighborhoods have changed. It saddens me that I can't drive through the neighborhood where my grandmother spent the majority of her adult life. It saddens me that Isaly's, Alexander's, Sun Drug Store, Poli's and many other businesses that existed during my youth no longer exist. However, there are new businesses that offer both the same goods and new goods.

Yet, the new Pittsburgh invites and embraces me as did the Pittsburgh of my youth and young adulthood. The people are still some of the friendliest people I've encountered. There still exists a strong sense of community in Pittsburgh. Housing is still affordable. There's no price that can be attached to being in the grocery store and encountering a childhood friend not seen in years, or a friend of my parents, or a classmate from high school. I can still buy a hot sausage at Frankie's Hot Sausage, though it's now on Butler Street. I can still go to Kennywood and ride the Racers and get food from the Potato Patch. I can ask for chipped ham and Jumbo in Giant Eagle and not be given a questioning look. I can go to the Carnegie Library and spend hours, just browsing. I can visit the Aviary and marvel at the beauty of the birds. I can go to the Strip District to buy fresh vegetables, spices and of course, seafood at Robert Wholey's. And, though Three River's Stadium no longer exists, I can still attend a Steeler, a Pirate or a Penguin game. And, what can one say about the new Soutside, a neighborhood where I worked for nearly 10 years!

This summer, I've also been acquainting myself with the new elements and revitalized neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. East Liberty is in the midst of another revitalization and I'm confident this one will succeed. I'm a city girl and have no wish to live in the suburbs. I want to catch a bus downtown. I want to walk to a park. I want to stroll along the streets. I want to ride a bike through a neighborhood. I miss the smell of the old NBC bakery that permeates my childhood memories, but I'm looking forward to the condos being built there and hope to be one of the first residents.

Though I've done most of these things this summer, the most important thing I've been able to do is spend time with family and close friends. There is no substitute for family and close friends. I have friends in Pittsburgh who, though we've not seen each other in years, can pick up right where we left off years ago. I've also spent time just sitting and absorbing the beautiful greenery and nature that is Pittsburgh. I sit in the mornings and listen to the conversations of the birds. In the evenings, I listen to the conversations of the crickets and cicadas. I watch deer cross backyards in the early mornings.

No matter what occurs in the months ahead as I return to San Antonio, I've had this summer of contentment, this summer of peace. For those who've left Pittsburgh and deride it because the neighborhoods as they knew them in their youth no longer exist, I say yes, that is true, but the Pittsburgh of today is a different yet same Pittsburgh. The city has changed but so have you. For those who never left Pittsburgh and feel that there's nothing in Pittsburgh, I remind them of what Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no ………"

Blessings,

T