Upon gallivanting, and by that I mean driving, through Pittsburgh for the first time recently, one of the first things I noticed was that art was everywhere. I can’t even tell you how many murals I passed, one was even a full blown mosaic! I feel like I barely got to see the city since I was barely there for 48 hours total. I see a multiple day trip to hunt down these pieces in my future…
This particular set up I found quite late at night, right before I got in the dreaded late night drive thru line. After that interesting endeavor, I was finally able to put it in park and walk my way over to what originally to me, looked like some kind of instillation. It was, to an extent, but a permanent one.
Sally’s Path is a bike riding and walking path, situated between two buildings. It was named after Gregg Perelman’s mother, Sally, who is said to be a very supportive and loving mother. This was built on her behalf, and in honor of her. It created a safe place for people to travel at night. There is even a small post with tools inside to fix bikes should you come to have a problem. Bakery Square in general is a very lovely place, but I found Sally’s path to be my favorite part of it. Read more about Gregg and the family.
Walking through Sally’s Path was an incredible feeling, the lights were so beautifully colored and weren’t too bright as to hurt your eyes. I wish I could have just sat in the middle of it for an hour to soak in the quiet of the neighborhood and the ethereal lights around me. I don’t know if this is art, but to me this is definitely a permanent “I love you mom” art piece that will hopefully be around for a long time. Someone had to design it, right? So of course it’s art. I cannot be convinced otherwise. If you find yourself in Shadyside in Pittsburgh, take a night to stroll through Bakery Square. This path is worth the extra time, and the loss of sleep.
