# 3 - Phipps Conservatory

Yesterday I visited Phipps Conservatory. This was an extra special bucket list accomplishment because I got to check this one off with my brother, Marc, after he made a surprise appearance in Pittsburgh over the weekend. My roommates, Alex and Jules, also came along. Now I understand what all the hype over Phipps is about. The flora was so beautiful, and with the presence of waterfalls and ponds in most of the rooms walking through the conservatory was almost a therapeutic experience. Next time I visit I want to get fresh juice from Cafe Phipps (which is on the lower level to your right when you enter), take a good book, and just sit in one of the bright rooms and relax. Also, as with the Mattress Factory, admission to Phipps is free with your Pitt ID. So what are you waiting for, check it out!

* Photo credit to Alex and her talented eye for a beautiful picture.

What it's all about...

Hey yinz (I'm not a Pittsburgh native, but I figured I would embrace the local vernacular in this case),

I am a second semester senior at the University of Pittsburgh. Graduation is just three and half short months away, and the cap and gown, diploma, the real world are all haunting me. Where I will be in five months is unclear - where I will be living, what I will be doing for work, all of it. So, instead of dwelling on the uncertainties of the future I have made a decision to embrace the wonderful city I have been living in since 2009 and check things off my Pittsburgh bucket list. These are things that, since freshman year, I have been telling myself I would definitely do (someday). Well, it finally hit me that my time in the Steel City is expiring and that someday is now.

Here it is, the bucket list of a college senior:

1. Andy Warhol Museum
2. Mattress Factory 
3. Phipps Conservatory
4. Falling Water
5. Ohiopyle & Laurel Highlands
6. See Rocky Horror at Hollywood Theater
7. See a show at Heinz Hall
8. Frozen cosmos at Harris Grill
9. Sushi Sake Sunday at Shadow Lounge
10. Gateway Clipper
11. Pittsburgh Ballet
12. Movie night at Schenley Park
13. Ritter’s Diner past midnight
14. Breakfast and a movie at Hollywood Theater
15. Kayak or canoe on the rivers
16. Take a picture by the fountain at Point State Park
17. Three Rivers Art Festival
18. Run another 5k in the city
19. Kennywood
20. Sandcastle
21. Win money at Rivers Casino
22. Go to a Penguins game
23. Ride the ‘T”
24. Go geocaching
25. Frick Park Market
26. Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn
27. Go to East End Food Co-op
28. Walk across Hot Metal Bridge and see a movie at South Side Works
29. Art All Night in Lawrenceville
30. See a comedy show at the Waterfront
31. Take a picture at the Mt. Washington overlook in my graduation cap and gown

Yesterday, with the help of my friend, Jenny, I checked one of those items off my list - The Mattress Factory. I'm sure I'll have this feeling with each new experience, but I was screaming at myself inside for not checking it out earlier. The Mattress Factory is the most unique museum I've ever visited. The exhibits are all room-size and most are very intense, provocative pieces. We started by going up to the 4th floor and working our way down the building, floor-by-floor, room-by-room, though the museum. Some of the exhibit are permanent and others are temporary as part of the feminist installation (lasting until May 2013), but each exhibit was thought provoking and memorable, non disappointed. Plus, free admission with my Pitt ID was nice. Even though I checked this item off, I know I'll be back to visit before my time in Pittsburgh ends. Here are a few pictures to help entice you to visit this wonderful place as well:

 

Peace, love, and Pittsburgh,
Zeez