A little thing we like to call "historical reenactment," and the historical pre-enactment that is Pittsburgh

I'm big on historical reenactment.  It's like a factually-correct Renn Faire, with slightly less-fun costumes and absolutely less-fun mead.  

The Chestertown Tea Party happens every year on Memorial Day weekend.  (Whether it actually happened in the 1700s is a matter of some contention among historians.)  Chestertown is thought to have taken their Boston comrades seriously, resolving to forbid the import, sale, or consumption of tea in May of 1774, and then gathering to march down to the brigantine Geddes and tossing her cargo of tea overboard.  What a splash.  While it seems to be a matter of historical record that such a Resolution was passed, it's only local legend that they tossed the tea overboard.  I'm skeptical.  Doesn't matter.  Every year, like clockwork, the town dresses itself up and heads down to the river.  "Tea" goes in, and so does one lucky town celebrity, voted upon by the town itself.  This year, both my boss' boss (the Dean of the College) and Owen's mom (Mayor Margo Bailey) are on the ballot.  I can't wait to hear how it all goes down.  Check out the website to see what vendors will be in town and to look at the schedule of events.

There's not much historical reenactment here in Pittsburgh, unless you count reenacting the hey-day of the steel mills (poorly) or pre-enacting the industrial/fallout/zombie apocalypse (very well).  I was surprised to see that Pittsburgh was included as an entire downloadable (DLC) level in Fallout 3 - the second of five.  It takes you through the charred remains of the industrial raider town now known as "The Pitt."  

Just a matter of time, if you ask me.  

I nearly bought the game just to play through the wreckage of my hometown.  I was pleased to see that the storyline involves retrieving a cure that was developed for the mutations plaguing the town.  Apparently the "water from the nearby Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers ... became irradiated, and altered the area's inhabitants in mysterious ways over the following decades."  Ain't that the truth!  The settlement is also divided into two districts:  Downtown (home of the slaves) and Haven/Uptown (home of the slavers).  Somebody did their homework.  (I do wonder: what local talent/researchers do they hire when recreating a real city in a videogame?  Do they employ mappers to map out Project Gotham Racing's streets so precisely?)  

Of note: the fourth dlc pack takes place in Point Lookout State Park in Maryland.  According to Wikipedia, "Unlike other areas in Fallout, no bombs were dropped on Point Lookout.  Humanity has left it behind and it is now described as a large swamp wasteland."  Sounds like the Eastern Shore in July if you ask me.  

Some parting shots:

It seems to me that this is the Liberty Bridge, though there's speculation online that it could be the South Tenth Street Bridge.  Southside behind you to the right, Dormont straight behind you, and Mt. Washington behind you to the left.  Heading straight into downtown.  Fort Pitt Bridge to your left.  If it's the South Tenth Street Bridge, either the Fort Pitt Bridge or the Liberty Bridge have sunk into the river. 

Oakland, this is your future if you don't get your act together.

Unless things have really changed, this map is slightly off.  Yes, there's the Point to the left, but Downtown should be to the immediate right of it.  There are no Steelyards in the Golden Triangle.  And how Oakland came to be a Haven is beyond me.  This map also confirms that the bridge on the left is the Fort Pitt Bridge.  

The bigger question here is: Why is the Fort Pitt Bridge out of commission, and why has Mt. Washington and the South Hills turned into a Train Yard/no man's land?  Those who know me know that George A. Romero's Land of the Dead was a highlight of my 2006.  Romero's no dummy.  He, too, postulated that post-apocalyptic/zombie survival would be concentrated in the Golden Triangle, with the bridges and rivers being used to block incomers.  His city plans didn't extend into the Oakland area, but he also indicated that the South Hills would become deserted.  This really stinks for those of us that live in the South Hills (and North Hills, and beyond Oakland), but it mimics what I think will happen once gas runs out but before people realize they need to head out to land that they can cultivate.

It's good to be home.

KAB

Comments

[Nick]

Well, it does make sense that the student population in Oakland would be a) young enough to fight off the zombie hoardes and b) steeped enough in the mythology to be inclined to do so. However, how they would tell the difference between bands of roaming undead and the normal gaggles of slurring drunks is beyond me.

[Allison]

I had my one true zombie encounter in Pittsburgh, funny enough. There's too much truth to this idea. I hope you have a plan, everyone needs to have a good plan.