Vista 1

I have never had a view quite like this one.  From where I am sitting, perched on the edge of a grassy slope, legs dangling over the steep side, I can see a city.  Yet here I am, in what certainly feels like the woods.  At the same time, I hear both joyous buzzing of cicadas and frantic sirens of fire engines.  The wind is blowing, and far away is the whoosh of highway traffic.  This is Pittsburgh.

For the two weeks that I have lived here, this city has done nothing but impress me.  Coming from Connecticut, I knew nothing next to nothing of Pittsburgh’s makeover.  No, I didn’t think it was still the same smoggy steel mill, but I was definitely surprised when I saw the huge tree population, beautiful rivers, and the incredible new buildings like PPG Place and the unparalleled David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the largest “green” convention center in the world.   Pittsburgh combines the old and the new.  It remembers its past and embraces the promising opportunities of its future. 

This spot I have chosen on the hill seems to agree with these themes of the city it belongs to.  Surrounding me on three sides is Chatham, my new nest, where I will be learning, growing as a writer.  In front of me is a city, a brand new world. 

The buildings of Chatham are made of brick.  They are sturdy, official - what I think of as smart buildings.  Below me is a pathway where students occasionally pass by on their way to or from class.  Now that I’ve been sitting here for a few minutes, I’m very glad I picked this spot because it’s not in absolute solitude.  Between my floating thoughts, I get the periodic joy of people watching.

I feel that besides the beautiful vista that this site offers, I may have identified with this spot because of the odd staircase below me that descends over the cliff and down the hill.  It can only be described as a twisty tree-house.  Of course it reminds me of Arbofilia, the station in Costa Rica where I spent two months.  It was there, in the rainforest, where I felt most connected to the natural world, and as a result, found the pieces of my life fitting together, suddenly so clearly.

Beside the tree-house stairway is a tree that reminds me so much of home.  When I have a chance, I’ll look up its name.  It’s killing me that I don’t know it.  I associate it with the water or growing near sand.  

Other trees are starting to turn, I now notice for the first time this year.  It upsets me that I have a hard time appreciating how stunning the fall leaves are – I’m too busy dreading the winter that’s inevitably to follow.  Maybe by sitting in this spot every week and really connecting with these exact trees, I will be able to better appreciate the cycle of the seasons the plants go through.

I feel very at peace with this spot and am confident with the choice I have made.  I just have to be careful not to drop my laptop over the cliff.