Writings, Wanderings

What do you think of when you hear the name Leonardo da Vinci? The enduring mysterious smile of his Mona Lisa? His far-before-their-time flying designs? His use of mirror writing to code his notes? His designation as a Renaissance man--one with skills across many subject areas--lays the cornerstone of a traveling exhibit currently on display at the Carnegie Science Museum in Pittsburgh. Thanks to the preservation of his codices (housed throughout Europe), over 60 of his inventions have been built either full-size or in model form for visitors to peruse and for some, touch with their own hands. The exhibit takes guests through his works by themes and so after a very brief introduction to his life, starts with a look at his inventions related to weather and flying. Here, I learned that while da Vinci was most definitely an inventor, he was a man who looked at what was already in existence and worked to improve upon it especially in a way that would decrease the amount of effort n...

Originally posted on the now-defunct TravBuddy site December 30, 2008.           Growing up, Pittsburgh was the closest big city, and we would take advantage of the theater and museums from time to time.  Once in awhile, we drove past the Cathedral of Learning, the visual centerpoint of the University of Pittsburgh .  When I learned that the stone skyscraper housed unique classrooms designed in a variety of international styles, I decided I had to visit.  On Tuesday morning my dad and I set off.  We swung through a drive-through for lunch, drove alongside the Ohio River , passed the airport, and  headed through the Fort Pitt tunnel.  Coming across the bridge, I had a quick glimpse of a stadium and science museum before turning to follow 376 until our exit at Forbes St .  The Cathedral waited directly in front of us as we curved off the exit although it was still quite a few blocks away.  We found parking in a lot ac...