A fun public art display in Louisville, Ohio. Was fun to visit and grab some pics while in town…read moreand spent some time walking around enjoying downtown. I would recommend and say a must see!

I had seen pics of this online and thought it looked interesting but its 3 1/2 hours away. My…read morehusband had to come north for work and I tagged along to stop by on the way home. It's an art installation. A alley with umbrellas hung above. Very pretty and great for photos. There are some murals also. Chalk artist draw murals each year on the walls of the alley. There is a mural outside the alley that was vivid so I'd bet it wasn't in chalk. We went on a lovely Friday and no problem getting pics without people. Of course it doesnt take long to see it all.

Andrea Polli's masterpiece in the heart of the Cultural District is an absolute gem of immersive…read moreart! A place I would often take visitors to our great city and a spot I still swing by whenever I'm home. The canal aka Garrison Place was originally a dank and dark alley (Garrison Alley) that transformed with the Cultural District coming into fruition. The LED art installation wasn't unveiled until 2018 but is still considered a vital and iconic piece of Pittsburgh art & history. The idea of the artwork is to mimic swimming under water. The lights change colors depending on weather. The animated waves also shift & change around the weather. If you're visiting Pittsburgh, be sure to check it out (after the sun goes down) in the 900 block of Liberty.

"Garrison Canal" is a piece of artwork that was designed by artist Andrea Polli and installed in…read morethe Garrison Place alley between Liberty Avenue and Exchange Way. The artwork consists of thousands of lights that were recycled from the "Energy Flow" art on the Rachel Carson Bridge. According to the website for the artwork, Polli describes the artwork as waves of big-data lights under which visitors "swim." The lights change color in response to the weather. Recently late in the evening, my husband and I walked under this artwork. The shimmering lights looked very beautiful. Unfortunately, a man stopped and really stared at us, and even my husband felt worried that we would be robbed. We were not harmed at all (phew!), but I recommend that people walk with a buddy and keep a safe distance from others.

Why have I never reviewed this amazing piece of work? We visited it several times and often while…read moreGustavo Zermeno (ID Labs) was in town painting it (July 2022). We got to briefly chat with him and he was so down-to-earth. He and his friend came in from Cali to do the job and it was done in just a couple of weeks. His talent is immense and the homage he paid to his friend, Mac is felt in every inch of the mural. I took a bunch of pics but I'm sharing only one as it was the best shot I got. When you see this mural, you don't feel like this kid is gone. Maybe just off on an adventure never to be seen again. Or maybe he's hiding behind the counter at Frick Park Market. Gone too soon but cherished by his hometown, always. If you're in Pittsburgh, head over to neighboring Etna to soak in this piece of history.

A nice tribute to local rap star, Mac Miller. It's fitting that it is painted on the side of…read moreID Labs where he originally recorded. The mural is beautifully executed, and it's fun to find it.

The City of Pittsburgh has several dinosaur sculptures in downtown, Oakland, and other…read moreneighborhoods. Alphabetosaurus sits proudly on Forbes Ave, right across the street from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Carl Goldman (art teacher at Phillips) along with K-5 students and teachers painted and designed the letters of the alphabet proudly displayed on this eye-catching dino. Alphabetosaurus is a part of the Oakland landscape and you'd be hard-pressed to say anything negative about it. Just another piece of beautiful art the city can be proud of.

4.5 stars. The Alphabetosaurus dinosaur is a sculpture that is located across the street from the…read moreCarnegie Museum of Natural History. Years ago, the Grable Foundation donated a DinoMite Days dinosaur for the teachers and students at Phillips Elementary School to decorate. The teachers and students created colorful alphabet letters and applied them to the dinosaur. This decorating was intended to support children's learning of language. This dinosaur is free for everyone to see, touch, and photograph. If you happen to be in the Oakland neighborhood for other activities, then I recommend that you quickly stop by to see Alphabetosaurus. Tip: Another dinosaur sculpture, Dippy, a Diplodocus, is located a short walk across the street, and his decorations change throughout the seasons.

Awesome display of color and emotion in this mural we saw while we were in Pittsburgh. We love…read moremural and public art. And something we love doing is traveling and seeing murals in other cities. This is a great looking mural that displays a good message. Definitely one to check out and visit,

One of the best things about living in Bloomfield was being able to take a quick walk to The…read moreOctopus Garden in Friendship. Professor Hughes from CMU started the garden back in 2009. The idea was (and is) bringing community together through art and gardening. Octavia (the octopus) is loved by kids and adults alike. There's a little free library onsite too. This is a fantastic community urban garden growing veg to share with neighbors. It's also off the beaten path and mainly known to neighborhood folks. If you're visiting my hometown of Pittsburgh and wanna see quirky things, check out this garden.

I moved nearby recently and had no idea this was here. What a lovely surprise!…read more It's not the biggest park but you can tell that a lot of love created it and sustains it. Activities looked fun for any age--a little free library, chalk and chalkboard, glittery octopus statue. I have not looked into the plant stuff yet but can already say I enjoy the park.

Like all art, especially public art, I just let it wash over me and feel what I feel about it…read more Then, I do some research about what it's supposed to mean later. With Trusting the Mystery, my initial thought about this mural was, "Wow! This looks like a giant Lisa Frank sticker!" Not exactly the most intelligent reaction, but I'm actually not that smart. I have a lot of people fooled into thinking I'm wise because I wear glasses, but deep down, I am but a simple lady. Anyway, Trusting the Mystery was created by an artist named Ali Williams, and it depicts an owl, a rainbow, some flowers and what looks like weather systems. Apparently, all of this together is supposed to show "the interconnectedness of life and nature, and the spirit inside ourselves that calls us to follow the path of our own colors." I love that! That's much better than "Lisa Frank sticker." I truly believe that we are all interconnected, even if we don't know it. And, most importantly, I love that the mural is an encouragement to follow our own path. Sometimes, we need to trust the mystery that is life, and take a step into the unknown, even if we don't yet know where it will lead us. I am here for all of the things this mural is representing. Trusting the Mystery is located on Fayette Street, right next to another mural called Golden Wind. So you can visit both!

This single lane road through the tunnel, I think, is a remnant of the coal mining days. It is…read morequaint when you're not in a hurry. The horn blasting gets old though :). Why it is called Green Man's tunnel I have no idea but all the locals know it.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't make it all the way across the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. I made it…read moreabout a quarter of the way, and then noped the eff out. I turned around and went back to solid ground. You see, this pedestrian bridge has an open steel grating walking surface, so you can see 150 feet below you to the Ohio River. It's a long way down. Every time I looked down, my stomach flipped. Finally, I said, "Heck naw," flipped the peace sign to my family (who are normal people and had no problem walking across a bridge), and got off. I guess I mention this for one main reason. If you don't like looking down at the dark, dank waters of a river from a height of 150 feet, this pedestrian bridge might not be for you. I've walked across many bridges in my life with no problem, so I'm not bridge averse. But this one, like I mentioned previously, has an open grating, so it's like walking along a fence that's turned on its side. Oh, heck no! I give the Wheeling Suspension Bridge five stars, though, because it's a historic part of Wheeling, and it really is a neat bridge. The views from the bridge are amazing, and if you make it to the other side, you end up on Wheeling Island. At the entrance of the bridge, there are some signs that have information about the history of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. When we visited, there was construction going on at the entrance of the bridge, so it looked blocked off, but it wasn't. The bridge is open to pedestrians, and I think bicycles, too, because I saw a dude bike across it.

This is a historic gem that is well-worth a brief stop if you are staying in Wheeling, WV or…read morepassing through downtown. The suspension bridge (competed in 1849) crosses the Ohio River and represents a key engineering milestone in U.S. history. First, it is a pedestrian-only bridge (bikes and mopeds allowed), which makes a quiet and peaceful walk. Street parking is available just a short walk away. Second, it's scenic to walk along the bridge at sunset or at dawn (if you can). Third, be careful to avoid looking down too much if you are scared of heights as you can see the river 90+ feet below through the mini-slots on the steel road portion of the bridge (for vehicles and horses). I would recommend walking on the sidewalk portion instead. I hope Wheeling, WV might consider building a city or state museum in downtown near the bridge to provide an overview of its fascinating history and perhaps share insights about the history of Wheeling itself from its role as a frontier town (competing with Pittsburgh to get the National Road), to an industrial center, to its role in Civil War History (the independence of West Virginia from Virginia occurred here). While the downtown feels quite empty on weekends, a museum could bring more tourists and attract restaurants, cafes, and condos.