10/30/2007 - Pittsburgh rocked! Wow, what a fun two days I had up in the Iron City and parts thereabouts. I flew up early on Saturday morning and Andy picked me up at the airport.

We checked in to the hotel and made a beeline for the Duquesne Incline on the top of Mount Washington. We rode the cable cars and took in the breathtaking view of the city from the top. It was chilly, but sunny and wonderful. We grabbed some lunch at the Georgetown Inn and then headed down into the city.

We went to the Carson Street South Side neighborhood and checked out the great shops, cool record stores, and Pittsburgh Guitars. What a great neighborhood, cool architecture, and hip vibe the area exuded.

From there we headed north over the river, through downtown (some cool old buildings) and over the river again to the Andy Warhol Museum. This was an unexpected treat, there were so many great pieces from Warhol and others on display. I wish we had more time to study every piece.

After a quick break we headed off for the main course of the trip, The Weakerthans at Mr. Smalls in Millvale. We arrived a little early and grabbed some pizza around the corner from the club and talked hockey with the guys that were working the counter. Great pizza and conversation.

With a slight drizzle in the air we made our way back to Mr. Smalls just in time to see the opening act, Jim Bryson. Jim was great, he was affable and warm on stage, and the songs we're heartfelt and sweet. He stopped to grab his harmonic for a solo (I can relate), he played piano with the headstock of his guitar, and he invited people up to play percussion. I loved it.

Next up was Last Town Chorus. Megan, the singer/guitar player played a mean lap steal guitar "with an aquatic feel," and she really made an impression on the crowd! I'd love to check them out again if they come down to Atlanta. She's blogging the tour too, check it out HERE.

OK, it was time, the opening bands had rocked and I was ready for the Weakerthans to play. They were nothing short of fantastic. They played every song that I hoped they would and more. They we're humble and fun, and they pulled off the rock moves (synchronized guitars in the air!) with delight. I don't think I've seen a band have that much fun in ages.

The crowd sang along with every word, a difficult task, and requests were shouted as soon as each song ended. I cannot thank Stacey enough for turning me on to this band, but I did attempt it by getting her a t-shirt. Shhh... don't tell her, I haven't surprised with it yet.

Too soon the show was over. I talked briefly with Jim Bryson after the show, and we decided that food was in order. We headed back down to Carson Street, where the Halloween costumes were out in full force and ordered up some big french fry sandwiches from Primanti Brothers. Wow, what a great day.

Sunday we got up and out pretty early. I was going to catch an early flight home since Andy was heading back to Cleveland, but I saw the Hertz rental counter on my way into the airport and I couldn't resist. One of the things that I wanted to do when I was up in this part of the country was to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. It was about 60 miles south of town, and it was such an amazing fall day, I had to go.

90 minutes later I'm pulling up to the ticket gate, "Sorry sir, tickets are sold out today, but you can still buy a grounds pass." Done. I registered at the information center in case anyone didn't show up for a tour, and I was told that I'd probably get to go, "People always cancel." She handed me one of those buzzie-light things you get at restaurants when you're on the waiting list. Sweet.

For the next hour I walked around the house, explored the area and took pictures. BUZZZZZZZ! Hurray!

I scampered back to the info booth and joined a tour just as they we're leaving. For the next hour we explored every nook and cranny of the residence, and words cannot describe what an amazing building it is. If you are ever in the area, you have to go.

With the time before my flight dwindling I jumped back in the rental and high-tailed it back to the airport. I made it with 5 minutes to spare before the flight started boarding. Damn, I could have spent 5 more minutes at Fallingwater.

The flight home was quick and uneventful and I nearly finished David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by the time we touched down.

Good times indeed.

TONS MORE PHOTOS!

Video disponible desde este enlace

Anecdota: en los viejos tiempos del (cruelmente) desaparecido LTAD, cuando nadie hablaba aun de multimedia e hipermedios, el difunto Gustavo Llavaneras y el Maestro Gonzalo Vélez Jahn hicieron un excelente trabajo en blanco y negro (precisamente en la primera, o una de las primeras Macintosh que llegaron a Venezuela!) aprovechando el potencial del nunca bien ponderado Hypercard.

en fin, ya es historia... pero la admiracion por la obra del genial FLW sigue siendo la misma ;-)

Página de la Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

DAILY MUSE | Today's Muse is "Fallingwater", Frank Lloyd wright's most famous house-- and arguably one of the most famous houses in the world. Built in 1939, it marks Wright's entry into the second act of his career. Since then, it has served as inspiration to countless architects and homeowners throughout the years. Can you imagine living in a home that is so rooted in and intertwined with the nature from where is springs? If I lived there, I'm sure I'd end up having tons of creative ideas hearing that waterfall running all the time.

Watch this detailed tour through the house...

TV News footage...

I've never toured it. I think it's going to be on the top of my list of weekend trips this Spring/Summer/Fall in my new convertible.

Here's a video tour with soundtrack by Art Garfunkel...

Learn about TODAY’S MUSE here.
See all TODAY’S MUSE here.

Thanks to Frank Lloyd Wright for the inspiration.

On the first day of our summer vacation in Pennsylvania, we took advantage of our flight into Pittsburgh by visiting Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. Before we got to Fallingwater though, we had to drive through Pittsburgh, and driving through Pittsburgh means driving through tunnels...and driving through tunnels means holding your breath! I, as the official trip photographer was exempt from this requirement (ok, really I was just laughing so hard at everyone else making eye-bulging faces that I only lasted about 10 seconds). Chuck, DJ, and Adam were all successful though - apparently nose-holding is the key:

(I don't even remember WHY it's a tradition to hold our breath through the tunnels, only that it is, and we try it every time)

So onto Fallingwater, where they have a very complicated tour group system (make a reservation, check in, receive buzzer; when summoned, receive group number; when group is called, hike a quarter mile through the woods to meet tour guide at the house), but somehow the whole thing works and our tour group of about 12 managed to meet up at the right time.

My favorite thing to do when visiting famous buildings is to try to image that I'm the one living there, and I would be fairly happy to take up residence at Fallingwater (the caveat being the low ceilings, and the cramped bedrooms! I guess I'm 21st Century urban-loft spoiled, but I like my ceilings high!). The house has an incredible number of details to revel in, like stairs that descend from the living room into the stream below, a wading pool on the lower level to complement the larger swimming pool near the guest house, boulders left in place to serve as walls, and spots where the house is built around trees.

On our way home from Fallingwater, we made a quick stop at another Pennsylvania icon, a covered bridge:

especially with my brand of slip-shod, point-and-click photography.

but i thought i'd give it a try.

ps. ever use an xlerator hand dryer before?

talk about inspiring.

Recreación en 3D por Cristóbal Vila del trabajo más famoso de Wright

Homes are shelter, homes are places we eat, sleep, work, celebrate, and ???  Some homes are more. They are  architecturally inspiring.  Marlow Harris often writes of unique homes on her blog, 360digest. Few homes achieve icon status, but those that do, are they art or architecture or art and architecture?  Are these homes works of art?

There's Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House, Greene and Greene's The Gamble House, and Philip Johnson's Glass House, which opened to the public last year, just to name a few.  These homes are all incredible, unique, and wonderful examples of superb design.

Two of these homes were owned by the same family, The Kaufmanns.  Not only did they own their namesake home, The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, but they owned Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.  A Pittsburgh department store family, they chose two titans of architecture to design and build two phenomenal homes.  The Kaufmann house,  built in 1946, was one of the first mid-century modern homes to dot the Palm Springs landscape. 

Mid-century modern architecture has become to Palm Springs what art deco style has been to Miami Beach.   Mid-century modern means clean, simple lines, big windows, and light, open and airy spaces. Glass, steel, wood, and stone are the materials of choice. Preservationists have been working hard to save these mid-century masterpieces which contribute to the  uniqueness and very soul of Palm Springs.    Over the last couple of decades, some famous properties and homes have been demolished in the area.  Lloyd Wright, Frank's son, had designed a hotel in the 1920's which has since been torn down. (Interestingly, Lloyd Wright was the inventor of the all-important Lincoln Logs)

The current owners of the Kaufmann house purchased it is a run down fixer upper in the early 90's.  They hired the Los Angeles architectural firm of Marmol Radziner to help bring the home back to its original splendor.  To help save the house from some future owner tearing it down, as has happened too often with iconic architecture, the owners hired Christie's to auction their home off as an art piece.  Their goal, as stated in  Edward Wyatt's The New York Times article was "promoting architecture as a collectible art worthy of the same consideration as painting and sculpture."  The New York Times article has some great photos of this masterpiece of modern design.

 The expected selling price was to be between 15-25 million dollars.  Last week the home sold at auction for $15,000,000 and some change.

So, is architecture art?  Should it be up for auction?

Twenty years of maturity and home ownership and design savvy later, I found it absolutely enchanting. As our guide said, "It's a house you want to live in, but please refrain from living in it during the tour." He was right. I had to restrain myself from plopping on the bed or the sofa to absorb the beauty of it. The drippy rain, the rushing water, the gorgeous hillside of blue forget-me-nots, the flowering trees. Those magnificent open corner windows, the built-ins everywhere, the charming bathrooms with their cork floors and walls, the boulder hearth -- about as far from a McMansion as you could get, and thousands of times more desirable.

I remember very little about my last visit. This time, I wanted to hear everything the guide had to say, and asked a lot of questions myself. As a chatchke person, I loved the objets and art, noting a signed Picasso in the guest house. Genuine? I also admired the beauty of the new Visitor Center and the efficiency of the tours, with strategically placed umbrellas and really knowledgeable guides. Of course, being there with two architects, you get other insights as well. (For once, though, they found very little to be critical of.) ;-)

The outing was for The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy annual members meeting, and included a lovely outdoor lunch, the Fallingwater tour, and hikes of the grounds if you wished. At the actual meeting, various Conservancy staff talked about their areas and showed slides of their work -- very interesting, particularly the value of the 800 miles of creek fencing installed to keep cattle (and their bodily outputs) out of the water, the lands the Conservancy has acquired, and the urban beautification projects.

The "Barn" where the meeting was held (at Bear Run Nature Reserve) was really wonderful -- a mix of natural and contemporary materials, including straw bale walls. Just walking from the Visitor Center to the house was a treat -- nothing better than a walk along a wooded path, smelling the pines and seeing all the ferns and trillium and moss and quiet natural beauty.

Oh the joy of a relaxing and wonderful day -- so very needed in the midst of my lately very complicated life and so inspirational. Maybe we can make that little cabin in the Smokies a reality someday (even though we'll never be able to retire or afford long-term health care).

Oh well, reality is calling, but fantasy makes it so much easier to bear.

I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. 
                      ~ Frank Lloyd Wright, quoted, 14 August 1966

De Push Pull Bar!

Om helemaal precies te zijn:

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Architecture en design forum

Het is een forum waar Sketchup gebruikers ideeën en ervaringen uitwisselen. Wie zich aanmeldt, kan er erg interessante modellen vinden en downloaden om ze verder te bestuderen. Als je daar wat rondneust, vind je echt de gekste dingen. Het is onvoorstelbaar waar mensen zich mee bezig houden. Heel wat gebruikers zijn architecten die hun ontwerp voorstellen en hopen op zinvolle suggesties. Anderen delen hun passie voor het werk van grote architecten.

Zelf ben ik natuurlijk gaan rondneuzen naar werk van Frank Lloyd Wright. Al snel heb ik een fantastisch model gevonden van Fallingwater. Ongelooflijk dat je zoiets gewoon gratis en voor niks kan downloaden en in Sketchup bestuderen. Fantastisch!

UN TOUR NELLA FALLINGWATER DI F.L.WRIGHT: la perla dell'architetto americano.

ARCHITETTURA DI F.L.WRIGHT: parte 1

ARCHITETTURA DI F.L.WRIGHT: parte 2

ARCHITETTURA DI F.L.WRIGHT: parte 3

Pennsylvania is truly a great place to live. From its very beginning, Pennsylvania was a colony that guaranteed religious, political and personal freedom. New starts entering the Union modeled their constitutions after the U.S. constitution that was created in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The state motto for Pennsylvania is Virtue, Liberty and Independence. The Declaration of Independence was also written in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania was also a key battlefield for wars that shaped our nation – the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Pennsylvania’s largest cities include Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie. There are many historic places to visit in Pennsylvania. The Liberty Bell, which is in Independence National Historic Park, Philadelphia, was first rang on July 8, 1776 to celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Other attractions include Daniel Boone Homestead, Hershey (world’s largest chocolate factory) and Fallingwater (built by Frank Lloyd Wright). Pennsylvania also has many art museums and libraries.

Pennsylvania professional teams have always has a reputation as tough, gritty, winners. The Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in five years in the 1970’s. Pennsylvania also has professional teams in baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania so I am more partial to Pittsburgh than any other city in Pennsylvania. There are many places that I would like to travel to, but will always consider Pennsylvania my home.

-Jen

The January issue of the Smithonian Mag contained the "Smithsonian Life List" -- a list of 28 places around the world that they think readers should try to visit before we die. On this list is Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's ingenious architectural designs. And guess where Fallingwater is located? That's right, IN PENNSYLVANIA. Pennsylvania takes its place in this list among other destinations and sights such as Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef, Aurora Borealis, and the Louvre.

Just another reason PA is the GSE.

-- Niki

-Mist at Bear Run, Fallingwater (1935), Frank Lloyd Wright, Mill Run, Pennsylvania, July 2005, photo by Skywire, all rights reserved

-from Topic post, WRITING TOPIC - GREENING