The 2nd Annual Open Doors Pittsburgh did not provide an opportunity to meet Mr. Monopoly but you get to see where top 1% gathers and gathered to plan how to stay in top 1% of USA wealth.
It was so appropriate not to start from the historic Allegheny courthouse but at BNY Mellon Center - from its 48th floor the executive suites of BNY Mellon. The executive suites were posh - how do you call when a painting of J. M. W. Turner hangs in the corridor or when during the tour the employees of BNY must stand in front of a vase due to its value. You could expect a revolution if somebody from the street would wonder there or you could get inspired to work harder to make it there. I could just imagine a smell of lobster tails in their dining facilities and I enjoyed uninterrupted view of the city from those heights. I was impressed but not humbled.
Right across BNY Mellon is a historic Union Trust Building. Very impressive Tiffany stained-glass dome is standing there well over the century, but their orchids are being flown from Hawaii and changed every 6 weeks! The sweet dilemma is that when you stand on a gorgeous New Zealand wool carpet - you are not sure if you should look down, up or straight.
The Dollar Bank looked like a great place to leave your money in 19th century. The lions, symbols of wealth were there, the oversize thick entrance wood doors were there along with a silver dollar replicas all over the bank ceiling. The most interesting part was seeing a huge bank safe, a ten thousand pound door that can easily be open by one person as long as she or he knows the various lock combinations. That was something I could see only in the movies before seeing it in Dollar Bank.
The Frick building was also impressive, with its original historic phone booth, mail drops, chandeliers, stained glass and cigar cutter/lighter (so other people do not mingle around to serve). More about it you can find here:
http://www.dlaplus.com/pages/pittsburgh-architectural-tour-frick-building
In summary, the event is a good investment in your education and it puts in a different perspective the city of Pittsburgh. Plan to spend only one morning doing it because the saturation level comes fast - so much to see and learn. You can see how many buildings are being renovated and why Pittsburgh is moving up in its ranks as a cool city to visit or live in. read more