A Trip to Pittsburgh

It’s been a long time since I last wrote a blog post. This semester has been busy with lab work, but unfortunately, I haven’t made any progress. My academic workload is relatively light, so my daily life has been simplified to just going back and forth between home and school. As time passed, I’ve become lazier. This trip to Pittsburgh was because I had to attend the IASTED (International Association of Science and Technology for Development) conference held there. If I didn’t attend the conference and give a presentation, the paper I had submitted earlier wouldn’t be published, so I had to make the trip.

Fortunately, the weather was great during my stay in Pittsburgh. The warm autumn sun and clear blue sky made my heart feel more open. Now that it’s deep autumn, the leaves on the trees along the streets and in the parks have turned a golden yellow. When the wind blows, the leaves fall to the ground, making a crisp “rustling” sound. When I stopped to take a look around, the beautiful scenery made me feel like time had stood still.

Actually, my first impression of Pittsburgh wasn’t very good. When I first arrived, I got off the Megabus and looked around at the unfamiliar city, feeling a bit lost. I had been to many cities in the US over the past year, but this was my first time traveling alone. Before I left, I checked the route on Google Maps and found that it would take over 50 minutes to get from the downtown bus station to my hotel. At the time, I thought 50 minutes wasn’t a big deal, but after walking for 20 minutes with my heavy backpack, my shoulders were aching. The road from the city center to my hotel became increasingly desolate, with high-rise buildings giving way to run-down apartment complexes. As I walked further, I even saw a wild raccoon scurrying into a abandoned pipe. I was glad that I hadn’t taken the 11 pm bus, or I might have encountered some trouble on the road. As the sun set, I finally arrived at my hotel, surrounded by run-down buildings and alleys, which was my first impression of Pittsburgh.

The next day, I got up early to register for the conference. When I arrived at the venue, I found that many people had already lined up, all dressed in formal attire, while I was wearing casual clothes and stood out like a sore thumb. After registering and picking up my materials, I planned to listen to the reports, but after waiting for over 10 minutes, I was told that the conference would be delayed by half an hour, so I left. Since I had some time to spare, I decided to explore the surrounding area.

At first, my destination was the Carnegie Museum, which is located next to the University of Pittsburgh. Although the University of Pittsburgh is not as famous as Carnegie Mellon University, its campus buildings are very beautiful, especially with the autumn leaves and warm sunshine. Notably, the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning is the second-tallest educational building in the world. This 42-story building, constructed in 1921, is still in use today and has become a landmark in Pittsburgh.

When I arrived at the museum, I found that it was closed on Mondays, so I changed my plans and headed to Carnegie Mellon University instead. Carnegie Mellon University’s computer science program is highly ranked, and many of its research achievements are world-class. However, the campus is not very large, and the color scheme is relatively monotonous, so it didn’t seem as beautiful as I had imagined. Interestingly, I saw two wireless sensor nodes at the entrance of the robotics lab, which seemed to be collecting water data, and there was a large QR code on the box, but unfortunately, it was only accessible on the university’s internal network, so I couldn’t access the website using my phone.

After briefly exploring Carnegie Mellon University, I left the campus and suddenly thought of buying a souvenir T-shirt from the university gift shop. I was about to turn back, but then I saw a beautiful building in the distance that looked like an Islamic palace. As I walked closer, I found that it was a botanical garden called Phipps Conservatory. After checking Wikipedia, I learned that this building has a history of over 100 years, dating back to 1893. When I entered the garden, I saw a glass-like structure above me, and the sunlight streaming down from the dome made my mood instantly better. I decided to buy a ticket and start an impromptu tour of the botanical garden.

This botanical garden has not only ordinary plant greenhouses but also many themed gardens, each with a specific theme, carefully selecting flowers, accompaniments, and decorations. For example, the orchid garden, which was newly built last year, features a variety of tropical orchids, and the arrangement of the flowers is very exquisite, blending in with the surroundings. There is also a Japanese garden, which is different from the usual greenhouses, as it is built outdoors. The maple leaves in the garden had already turned red in the deep autumn, and as the last warm sunlight of the season shone down on me, I felt like I was in a beautiful scene that I couldn’t believe was really in front of me, especially since my impression of Pittsburgh was still that of a run-down small town from the day before.

After spending a few hours in the botanical garden, it was already noon. I left and started looking for a place to eat. On the way, I passed by Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park, where a woman was practicing yoga on the hillside, and the trees were covered in golden yellow leaves. The wind blew, and the leaves fell to the ground, making a crisp “rustling” sound. When I stopped to take a look around, the beautiful scenery made me feel like time had stood still.

After that, I returned to Carnegie Mellon University and explored the other half of the campus. I had lunch at Lulu’s Noodle, bought a book at Caliban Book Shop, and then returned to my hotel. I started preparing for my presentation the next day and my exam on Friday.

My main task on the third day was to give a presentation in the afternoon. In the morning, I stayed in the hotel to prepare my PPT, as this was my first time giving a presentation at an academic conference, and I had to use English, so I needed to spend more time and effort to prepare thoroughly. At 3 pm, I went to the conference venue, and the presentation officially started at 3:30 pm. Although I had given presentations in English several times before, I still felt a bit nervous. However, thanks to my thorough preparation, my presentation went smoothly. After receiving the certificate from the conference organizers, I felt like my trip had been a success.

Fourth Day

On the fourth day, I checked out of the hotel early and headed to the Carnegie Mellon Museum with my large backpack. The museum is divided into two parts: natural history and art. Due to time constraints, I only visited my favorite natural history section. The entire museum has three floors. The first floor primarily showcases prehistoric creatures and geological minerals, which I had already seen at the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C., so I glanced over them quickly. The second floor features specimens of American animals, including everything from brown bears to muskrats and sea lions. Each display case is also set up with a corresponding natural environment, making it very visually appealing. The third floor has a room for personal collections, with a shelf displaying amphibian and reptile specimens, including frogs, salamanders, snakes, and turtles, all preserved in jars, which was a bit frightening at first glance.

In addition to me, there was a large group of American elementary and high school students visiting the museum, apparently on a field trip to learn. These students were divided into groups of about twenty, each led by a teacher, and museum staff provided explanations of the exhibits. Besides these students, there were also 4- or 5-year-old children in the museum’s children’s area, being taken care of and explained to by museum staff. This reminded me of my previous visit to the Natural History Museum in D.C., where many students were also doing assignments while visiting the museum. I couldn’t help but admire the quality of basic education in American private schools.

Heading Home

After visiting the museum, I found a bus that took me directly from the museum to the downtown long-distance bus station. Along the way, I met a kind-hearted driver who helped me and others find change when I only had large bills and no small balance. There was also a beautiful woman named Debra who, fearing I might get lost after getting off the bus, personally escorted me to the long-distance bus station.

The rest of the story is simple. After taking a long-distance bus, subway, and school bus through various transportation changes, I finally drove back home from the school parking lot. This concluded my pleasant trip to Pittsburgh.