Monday, September 15, 2008
Pittsburgh Submarine and Incline
Well, here we are in my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There’s downtown, there’s the football stadium, the beautiful three rivers, there’s even the Incline over there—which are these little cars that, uh, go up the side of the mountain. Actually, Pittsburgh has two of them—we’re gonna take a look at that a little bit later on. It’s one of their unique ways of traveling.
But Pittsburgh, like any great city, uh, they’ve got all these great things, and plenty of birds, and that—but what else would a city be without a submarine! The U.S.S. Requin, a retired submarine, is here on display, and we’re gonna go inside and take a look.
This is kind of interesting—we’re in the torpedo room. Those are the tubes where they shoot the torpedoes out. And, get this—here is a torpedo right here. There’s the tail fin of the torpedo, and there is the, uh, warhead up front. Now, how would you like this?—this is a bunk! Guys used to sleep on top of the torpedo. How would you like to sleep on top of this torpedo? Hmmm.
Well, here is the, uh, dining area. It’s a little cramped. And you can see they would, uh, sit here in this tiny dining area, and cook, and here are also some quarters for guys to sleep in. There’s three bunks in there, and they would sleep for four hours at a time. Uh, they would be working for four hours and, uh, they would be off for eight hours.
Alright, we’re gonna come here into the control room, and check everything out. And we saw the engines in the back here, so as far as their speed and their depth in the water.
This is the forward engine room, and, um, the engines—that’s my dad standing right there—and these engines were so loud, these guys worked in here all the time. One of the problems is they did not use ear plugs, and so, uh, because of the constant droning of the engines, most of the guys in here ended up with serious hearing loss and actually going deaf.
And as you can see, it’s not a very big space, and they had 81 guys on this.
Okay, so that’s our trip here, our visit to the U.S.S. Requin. The submarine was brought here to Pittsburgh in 1990, and you can come here or go on board and take a tour. It’s part of the Carnegie Science Center. So, very interesting to walk on a submarine. It was brought up the Mississippi River, all the way up here, then the Ohio River here in Pittsburgh.
So, now we’re gonna go over there and take a look at the Incline.
Okay, we’re here at the top of Mt. Washington, at the Duquesne Incline. Let’s go inside and take a look at this very unique attraction.
This is one of the, uh, cars, the cute red cars that are used on the Incline, to go up and down the hill. And that’s the track right there that goes down the hill. There’s the river, and then there’s the downtown area.
Well, the bell rang, so it should be coming out very soon on its journey down to the, uh, river down there—Ohio River.
I used to ride this, uh, to work. I would go down to the bottom, and catch a bus—and then ride it over to downtown Pittsburgh—go across that bridge. I use to take the Incline in the mornings. That was a long time ago, when I was much younger, and life was much simpler.
Now, this is pretty cool! This is the gear that’s pulling and releasing the cable on the Incline. And this is at the top of the hill, so, uh, the one moving clockwise is pulling the car up the hill.
And here it is, pulling into place—and we’ve got a handful of passengers on board.
But Pittsburgh, like any great city, uh, they’ve got all these great things, and plenty of birds, and that—but what else would a city be without a submarine! The U.S.S. Requin, a retired submarine, is here on display, and we’re gonna go inside and take a look.
This is kind of interesting—we’re in the torpedo room. Those are the tubes where they shoot the torpedoes out. And, get this—here is a torpedo right here. There’s the tail fin of the torpedo, and there is the, uh, warhead up front. Now, how would you like this?—this is a bunk! Guys used to sleep on top of the torpedo. How would you like to sleep on top of this torpedo? Hmmm.
Well, here is the, uh, dining area. It’s a little cramped. And you can see they would, uh, sit here in this tiny dining area, and cook, and here are also some quarters for guys to sleep in. There’s three bunks in there, and they would sleep for four hours at a time. Uh, they would be working for four hours and, uh, they would be off for eight hours.
Alright, we’re gonna come here into the control room, and check everything out. And we saw the engines in the back here, so as far as their speed and their depth in the water.
This is the forward engine room, and, um, the engines—that’s my dad standing right there—and these engines were so loud, these guys worked in here all the time. One of the problems is they did not use ear plugs, and so, uh, because of the constant droning of the engines, most of the guys in here ended up with serious hearing loss and actually going deaf.
And as you can see, it’s not a very big space, and they had 81 guys on this.
Okay, so that’s our trip here, our visit to the U.S.S. Requin. The submarine was brought here to Pittsburgh in 1990, and you can come here or go on board and take a tour. It’s part of the Carnegie Science Center. So, very interesting to walk on a submarine. It was brought up the Mississippi River, all the way up here, then the Ohio River here in Pittsburgh.
So, now we’re gonna go over there and take a look at the Incline.
Okay, we’re here at the top of Mt. Washington, at the Duquesne Incline. Let’s go inside and take a look at this very unique attraction.
This is one of the, uh, cars, the cute red cars that are used on the Incline, to go up and down the hill. And that’s the track right there that goes down the hill. There’s the river, and then there’s the downtown area.
Well, the bell rang, so it should be coming out very soon on its journey down to the, uh, river down there—Ohio River.
I used to ride this, uh, to work. I would go down to the bottom, and catch a bus—and then ride it over to downtown Pittsburgh—go across that bridge. I use to take the Incline in the mornings. That was a long time ago, when I was much younger, and life was much simpler.
Now, this is pretty cool! This is the gear that’s pulling and releasing the cable on the Incline. And this is at the top of the hill, so, uh, the one moving clockwise is pulling the car up the hill.
And here it is, pulling into place—and we’ve got a handful of passengers on board.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Fallingwater
Okay, we are here at Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home that he completed in 1937 for Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann. And, uh, we’re gonna go on a little tour today. So, we’ll take a look inside—the house is actually built over a waterfall—so wouldn’t you like that? To have your house built over a waterfall?
Not your ordinary home: it’s a cantilevered structure—that’s what we call these horizontal lines here, and it was, uh, something that Frank Lloyd Wright designed, therefore, a striking scene. He had his own very modern way of designing homes. Our tour guide just explained that Frank Lloyd Wright never lived here—this was the home of Edgar and Liliane J. Kaufmann—only on the weekends. I’ll pick that up in just a moment.
As I was just mentioning, Frank Lloyd Wright never lived here in this home. It was the weekend getaway for Edgar and Liliane J. Kaufmann and their family—of the Kaufman Department Store heirs. Actually, they founded the Kaufmann Department Store in Pittsburgh.
So, they contracted out Frank Lloyd Wright to design it on this lovely rural piece of property here in the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania, approximately one hour east of Pittsburgh.
And I don’t know if the Kaufmann’s came down those steps in the morning to take their morning bath, but it certainly would wake them up, the cold water.
Well, Fallingwater was finished in 1937, and, uh, the guesthouse up behind it was finished in 1939. One interesting thing about this is Frank Lloyd Wright built the house into the hillside, the mountainside, and actually used the stone—right there—as, um, foundation for this. So, uh, he did not destroy the land and he didn’t clear things away like they do today, with all of this.
It was, uh, built at a cost of $155,000, and Wright made a commission of $8,000 back then. So, but of course, today it’s priceless—you could not build it again.
This is the Visitors Center at the Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater complex—just beautiful facility nestled into the forest here in the Laurel Mountains outside of Pittsburgh. Just a lovely place—very cool and relaxing.
Okay, so Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were here two years ago for Brad Pitt’s birthday party, and, um, nobody else was here, it was a private tour—and I bet you they let Brad Pitt take photographs. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any photographs up there today, so, but I’m not Brad Pitt—I might look like him, but I’m not Brad Pitt.
So, one more look at Fallingwater outside of Pittsburgh. When you have a chance, come to Pittsburgh and see Fallingwater—Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece. See you next time!
Key Words
Cantilevered (adj) – A projecting structure, such as a beam, that is supported at one end and carries a load at the other end or along its length.
Horizontal (adj) – at right angles to a vertical line.
Striking (adj) – bold, very dramatic, gets your attention.
Contracted (verb) – to hire someone to perform a specific task for a fee.
Rural (adj) – out in the country.
Foundation (noun) – the solid base on which a home or building is built. Usually stone or concrete.
Commission (noun) – the fee paid to someone for completing a task or job.
Nestled (verb) – to lie in a sheltered, protected area.
Brad Pitt (person) – a very famous and handsome American actor often compared to Bill Quinn.
Masterpiece (noun) – a fine work of art, beautiful, perfectly done.
Not your ordinary home: it’s a cantilevered structure—that’s what we call these horizontal lines here, and it was, uh, something that Frank Lloyd Wright designed, therefore, a striking scene. He had his own very modern way of designing homes. Our tour guide just explained that Frank Lloyd Wright never lived here—this was the home of Edgar and Liliane J. Kaufmann—only on the weekends. I’ll pick that up in just a moment.
As I was just mentioning, Frank Lloyd Wright never lived here in this home. It was the weekend getaway for Edgar and Liliane J. Kaufmann and their family—of the Kaufman Department Store heirs. Actually, they founded the Kaufmann Department Store in Pittsburgh.
So, they contracted out Frank Lloyd Wright to design it on this lovely rural piece of property here in the Laurel Mountains of Pennsylvania, approximately one hour east of Pittsburgh.
And I don’t know if the Kaufmann’s came down those steps in the morning to take their morning bath, but it certainly would wake them up, the cold water.
Well, Fallingwater was finished in 1937, and, uh, the guesthouse up behind it was finished in 1939. One interesting thing about this is Frank Lloyd Wright built the house into the hillside, the mountainside, and actually used the stone—right there—as, um, foundation for this. So, uh, he did not destroy the land and he didn’t clear things away like they do today, with all of this.
It was, uh, built at a cost of $155,000, and Wright made a commission of $8,000 back then. So, but of course, today it’s priceless—you could not build it again.
This is the Visitors Center at the Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater complex—just beautiful facility nestled into the forest here in the Laurel Mountains outside of Pittsburgh. Just a lovely place—very cool and relaxing.
Okay, so Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were here two years ago for Brad Pitt’s birthday party, and, um, nobody else was here, it was a private tour—and I bet you they let Brad Pitt take photographs. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take any photographs up there today, so, but I’m not Brad Pitt—I might look like him, but I’m not Brad Pitt.
So, one more look at Fallingwater outside of Pittsburgh. When you have a chance, come to Pittsburgh and see Fallingwater—Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece. See you next time!
Key Words
Cantilevered (adj) – A projecting structure, such as a beam, that is supported at one end and carries a load at the other end or along its length.
Horizontal (adj) – at right angles to a vertical line.
Striking (adj) – bold, very dramatic, gets your attention.
Contracted (verb) – to hire someone to perform a specific task for a fee.
Rural (adj) – out in the country.
Foundation (noun) – the solid base on which a home or building is built. Usually stone or concrete.
Commission (noun) – the fee paid to someone for completing a task or job.
Nestled (verb) – to lie in a sheltered, protected area.
Brad Pitt (person) – a very famous and handsome American actor often compared to Bill Quinn.
Masterpiece (noun) – a fine work of art, beautiful, perfectly done.
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