| rev:text
| - The Frick is one of those Pittsburgh gems that's off the radar for many tourists and for that matter many natives. Not to take away anything from the other wonderful museums in town, but the Frick is my favorite.
Easy to get to right off of Penn Avenue, and there's free, secure parking. The Frick is comprised of the Frick mansion along with several outbuildings that are also open to the public. Situated on nearly a city block, the grounds are beautifully maintained, with sidewalks meandering through, with many trees, shrubs, and flower beds. Ideal for strolling.
The on-site museum is a newer building not original to the estate (built in the 1960's I believe) free and has a permanent collection as well as special exhibits. The Faberge exhibit is just finishing up there, and if you have time between now and the 15th, it is wonderful. This special exhibit is the exception to the rule, in that there is an admission of $7.50--every other time I've been over the last 15 years or so, there's never been an admission fee.
This museum is small and easy to stroll through in about an hour. It has a nice mix of paintings, sculptures, fine furniture, pottery, silver, ceramics, etc. There is also a small theater in the museum and occasionally films and events (such as lectures) are held.
There is a car & carriage museum that is small but has perhaps a dozen or so cars & carriages, including a Rolls Royce. Even if you aren't a car or carriage lover, it's interesting to see how "the other half" got around.
The children's playhouse (which used to have a bowling alley!) now houses the gift shop. The selection of merchandise has been thoughtfully put together, with stationery, knick knacks, soap & toiletry items, postcards, jewelry, and books with prices that I found were reasonable given the quality.
The play house is also where you can get your tickets for the crown jewel of the Frick, the Frick estate. Admission is $10, but they are always in the Entertainment or Enjoy book.
Knowledgeable docents lead the tour which is about an hour. Conspicuous consumption comes to mind when you enter the mansion, still filled with treasures owned and used by the Frick family. It's almost as if the entire family left in the early 1900's, shut the door, and never came back. Everything in the mansion--from the pots & pans in the kitchen to the poker chips in the drawing room--belonged to the Frick family.
The house itself is exquisite. My dad is a cabinetmaker and drools over the woodwork, my mom loves antiques and raves about the artwork, furniture, and china on display. Me, I enjoy this and the story of the Frick family, Pittsburgh's version of the Kennedys, also fraught with tragedy and controversy.
The Cafe has elevated high tea to an art form. The food there is universally good, although a bit pricey and not for those with hardy appetites. However, everything is made from scratch and most prepared on site. Great for a snack or light lunch.
Go stop in for an afternoon--you won't be sorry! :)
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)