A day at the Heinz Museum (and my first senior outing)

Well, it’s official.  This past Wednesday I returned to the local senior center, used my newly activated card to sign in and had a nice lunch of meatloaf, buttered yams, cauliflower and diced peaches.  Then I boarded an ACCESS bus with 5-6 others for the trip to the Heinz History Center.

I don’t know why, I suppose I’m still in denial, but I thought for sure the Access driver would take one look at me and tell me I wasn’t old enough to ride with the others.  But nope—he said “Doug Morris?”  I said yes.  He said “If you’re having trouble, I’ll help buckle you in.”

When we got to the center, the sign above the entrance read Adults $18.00, Senior Citizens (62 and up) $15.00.  The young man at the front said “Fifteen dollars, sir.”   But—but—fine!

Anyway, it was one of the coolest museums I’ve ever seen—6 floors of everything from the history of Heinz Foods (which began in Pittsburgh) to the sets from Mr.Rogers Neighborhood to the Lewis & Clark Expedition (which traveled thru Pittsburgh) to lifesize reproductions of city neighborhoods from the 1930s to Pittsburgh’s contributions to science in the 20th century.  And a lot of historical doodads everywhere you turned. 

Enough with my boring ramble, I’ll just share some of the photos I took.

Remember when Heinz Ketchup came in glass bottles?  This ‘sculpture’ stands around 20 feet tall and is made up of hundreds of them

A 1950s living room (notice those old roller skates in the upper left); it looked a lot cozier in person, without my camera’s glare.  The TV was airing Pittsburgh local news from the era, complete with 50s local commercials

A 1936 Ford Deluxe built with stainless steel in nearby Brackenridge and one of a kind, until those DeLoreans came along!

I almost flipped my lid when I saw this—Westinghouse’s ELEKTRO robot and his dog Sparky; built in the 1930s, it achieved worldwide fame.  It could smoke, play records on the turntable in it’s stomach and even vacuum your carpets!

Speaking of Sparky… here’s Westinghouse’s first electric chair with Tesla’s alternating current.

Your guess is as good as mine; with no plaque, I’m guessing a local heiress from the 1920s and the dress she was painted in. 

A reproduction of a 1930s Northside neighborhood; this was more amazing in person, with various sounds of kids, dogs & music, and clotheslines with wash hanging in the rear.  My older friend Pearl almost hopped that gate to get in.

  

A lifesize reproduction of Neil Armstrong in his astronaut suit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing

   

 

There’s me again, standing in front of a pair of Mohawk Indians and their lonnng canoe they’re carrying over their heads

And lastly, a fully restored trolley from a bygone era (with the brick road and metal rail it glided on, many of these embedded rails still exist in our city today). 

 

We were encouraged to climb on, and I was surprised at the roominess within; these electric cars were massive.  My friend Pearl opted for the driver’s seat.