That's So Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh International Airport

There once was a farm...that became an airport. In 2017, Pittsburgh International Airport was named Airport of the Year, the first US airport to win the distinction, behind Hong Kong, London Heathrow, and Singapore's airports -- for its design and usability, I guess. The little airport that could. Mostly I associate it with running to catch (and sometimes miss) early morning flights. On a recent Saturday afternoon, however, getting through security with quick, even with my usual "full body massage." So I had some time to poke around.

There's this large black and gold medal statue, called Arc, by Glenn Kaino. It was originally installed in downtown Pittsburgh in 2008 for the city's 250th anniversary and was so popular it's stuck around for 3 years instead of 6 months. It was restored and  moved to the check-in counter area at the airport in 2013@. It's supposed to be part transformer, part bridge - I think it looks like a hockey goalie, which would be totally appropriate for a town that loves its Penguins team. That's so Pittsburgh.

Then I had a chance to actually read the signs in the room-sized Western Pennsylvania Tuskegee Airmen Memorial. Apparently 932 men finished the training program, and 355 actually served. A large contingent were from Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, including the only three who died, two on active duty and one in a training accident.


Editor's Note: If you enjoyed this blog post, just search "TSPGH" on this blog to find other entries!