The Cathedral of Learning. The tallest building associated with higher education in the Western Hemisphere. A glorious forty-two stories, looming over the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Dedicated in 1937.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh
The Cathedral of Learning. The tallest building associated with higher education in the Western Hemisphere. A glorious forty-two stories, looming over the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Dedicated in 1937.
Temple of Apollo at Stourhead Garden
The Temple of Apollo at Stourhead Garden in England. This is where Flip and Mr. Darcy share their brief fling. I've never been, but I needed a folly for Flip and Darcy's impetuous act, and this one seemed perfect.
Apollo Temple
A view of the Apollo Temple from the estate road. Rather a squatter version of the Cathedral of Learning. Are we noticing a theme here?
First edition Pride and Prejudice
A first edition Pride and Prejudice at the Newberry Library in Chicago. I'm not sure taking pictures was technically allowed. I certainly didn't want to ask in case the answer was no. A fantastic place where anyone is allowed to get up close and personal with all sorts of wonderful editions. My husband and I must have looked suspicious, though, for the person staffing the desk in the special edition room never took his eyes off us. My husband had to stand between him and me in order for me to get the picture you see here. The librarians deliver the book to you on a special padded holder so you don't have to break the spine in order to look through the volume. Awe-inspiring place.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
The last photograph of an ivory bill, Singer Tract Forest, Louisiana 1935. For a great read about an exciting and worthy adventure, read The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by Tim Gallagher. A page turner.
Flip's house
A house on Mt. Washington which overlooks downtown Pittsburgh from atop a mountain ridge. Flip lives on the top floor.
The glorious Victoria crowned pigeon
The Victoria Crowned Pigeon. My absolute favorite bird of all time. This is the bird that serves as a matchmaker for Magnus and Flip. Regal, astounding, gorgeous blue and maroon. And the feathered crown! To die for! This one lives in the National Aviary, one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. And, by the way, there really was a tufted titmouse that lived there named Ninja, who was a wonderful little bird and very people friendly. One of my favorite illegal things to do at the Aviary used to be to put my finger between the stretched strands of nylon that keep the birds from the leaving the exhibits and let Ninja land on it. He liked to peck at my knuckle. My husband had to stand between me and the nice folks at the Aviary who were on the lookout for rule breakers like me. It's a good thing my husband is both accommodating and large. I think I was a bird in a former life. Sadly, Ninja went to bird heaven recently. He will be missed.
Scrabble board
No "KNEELING" here, but this is a photo from one of my games. Scrabble is big in my family. My sisters-in-law are cut-throat competitors.
Ted Baker socks
This is one of those amazing things that happen when you're writing. I knew Magnus was going to be wearing bright green socks and I knew they'd be from Ted Baker since Magnus is British and my former British boss wore a lot of stylish Ted Baker clothes. What I didn't know is whether Ted Baker actually sold bright green socks. On a trip to San Francisco in 2007 I ran across a Ted Baker store totally by accident (there are only a few in the U.S.) When I walked it, what did I immediately spot in a basket next to the register? You got it; a pair of bright green Ted Baker socks. And the kicker? The Ted Baker shopping bag these were loaded into was black with an extraordinarily bright green interior.
The first floor of the Cathedral of Learning
The ground floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Flip goes through here to get to Magnus's office on the 30th floor. She also spots him here toward the end of the book. This soaring space is the reason the Cathedral of Learning got its name.
Cathedral windows
The gorgeous stylized windows in Magnus's office. Why does it strike me as funny the offices that enjoy these windows here really belong to the Finance folks at the university?
Tiny balcony
The tiny balcony off Magnus's office. This really is a working balcony, though it's only big enough for about two people. The doors to all the balconies in the Cathedral, large and small, are locked for safety reasons. We, however, were on a special guided tour given to us by Phil Heiber, Director of Facilities at the University of Pittsburgh, and so got to enjoy them all, from top to bottom.
Cathedral View
This is the view from one of the Cathedral's balconies. The large building to the right is the University of Pittsburgh Library, where much of the early action of Seducing Mr. Darcy is set. The two round black objects with white spots on top in the foreground are refreshment-ordering booths at the outdoor café. You can see the tables and chairs to their right. The large rectangular building behind the library is Posvar Hall. This used to be the site of Forbes Field, where the Pittsburgh Pirates played until 1970. A portion of the center and right field walls still stand outside Posvar Hall and home plate is in the building, preserved under plexiglass. A very famous photo of Pirate fans watching the 1960 World Series in Forbes Field from a larger balcony off the Cathedral of Learning appeared in Life Magazine. Here's the story and here's the photo.
Peregrine Falcon Nest
The peregrine falcon nest off the 41st floor of the Cathedral of Learning. The falcon pair only nests there in the spring. We visited in September, so the nest had been long empty. During the spring, no one is allowed to go outside. The falcons are quite protective and will attack. Heiber told a funny story about contractors hired to sandblast the exterior of the Cathedral poo-pooing any worries about the falcons--that is, until the first time they were dive-bombed. After that, caution ruled.
Monongahela Incline
This is the Monongahela Incline, one of Pittsburgh's two remaining inclines (known elsewhere as funiculars.) It's actually not the nicer of the two. The nicer one is the Duquesne Incline. Nicer is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but the Duquesne Incline car seats passengers on a single level, which means each of them has an incredible view (the view from Mt. Washington, where both the inclines reach their upper terminus, was voted the second best view in the USA by USA Weekend magazine and the incline itself was voted the third romantic place by Microsoft Network.) However, the Monogahela Incline is only a hundred feet or so from the house where I imagine Flip lives, so that's the one she takes on that last fateful trip to the top of Mt. Washington in Seducing Mr. Darcy.
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