It’s called The First Presbyterian Church Of The Covenant and it’s located on a peaceful tree-lined street in Erie, Pennsylvania. This impressive Gothic Revival church with a soaring bell tower is impressive both inside and out.
It was dedicated in 1930 which surprised me a little because it seems much older. The doors are impressive as is all the stained glass. Theres an enormous pipe organ and columns that give the sanctuary weight and substance. The tile floors are incredible and the ceiling is gorgeous.
I read somewhere that the stained glass came from three different studios including Tiffany in New York City.
We slipped into the back before Sunday services and eavesdropped on a sound check as an incredibly talented tenor prepared for his part. We spoke with someone who said they have begun planning their centennial celebration and it was gratifying to know they have an active congregation that is looking toward the future while honoring their past.
“Welcome to the Philadelphia 30th Street Station,” said the recorded voice. Seated on wooden benches in one of the most beautiful waiting rooms I’ve ever seen, people all around scurry past as though there’s no time to stop for a breath. They certainly are not admiring the stained glass and soaring ceilings above them as they hustle to the train or bus that awaits.
The bench is smooth but hard and provides a terrific perch for people watching.
It is noisy. A cacophony of announcements and voices compete for my attention. It smells oddly of fried chicken.
The air is electric with energy. Reunions and departures are both joyous and bittersweet. There’s nothing sadder than watching someone wave excitedly as their loved one slips out of sight and then turn with tears in their eyes as they walk alone toward the exit.
Arrivals and departures. Life is full of them and the 30th Street station is a spectacular microcosm of what that looks like.
On the train, we meet Mike and Tom. Mike is a former high school journalism student of Tom’s. We learn lots about them and I’m impressed that, though retired, Tom still writes for a paper in Pittsburgh. We’ll never see them again but making that connection with a couple of strangers who will come and go in the span of a seven hour train ride is pretty gratifying.
The train rocks forcefully down the track as the landscape flies by. First, city neighborhoods followed by suburban homes that stretch further and further apart, giving way to a patchwork of small towns, thick forests and the lush green pastures of Amish country.
A train ride is one of the most insightful ways to see the nation, cutting through areas where there are no roads and where suburban sprawl has blessedly feared to tread. You will occasionally catch glimpses of signs identifying a place but mostly aren’t sure where you are. Formerly grand homes, now decrepit, line the track looking like once fancy porcelain dolls that are now dressed in rags. Clothing hangs neatly on the line outside tidy Amish homes. Piles of industrial junk sit outside abandoned foundaries. People wait at stations in towns like Latrobe and Johnstown that taunt me to jump off the train and explore on foot – even for just a little while.
A church spire or the glimpse of a brick street is enough for me to note the town to perhaps explore on a future road trip. But for now, I’ll sit tight in my nice business class seat and enjoy the perspective that I’ll never find via car.
A fresh perspective is one of the greatest gifts you’ll receive from traveling. I’m back to work after a long holiday weekend of adventure but already considering what’s next.
Have a great day, friends. If you aren’t planning any kind of fun adventures for this fall, get on it now. There’s no need to go far or spend lots but it is important to explore something new any chance you get.
While you’re at it, do something that will cause you to question what you think you know and embrace a fresh perspective, arriving at a new idea as you depart from old ones.
High on a hill overlooking Cleveland’s famed Lake View Cemetery is a memorial to President James A. Garfield.
Ohio is sometimes called the Mother of Presidents because seven US Presidents were born here including Garfield who was our twentieth. Born in poverty and in a log cabin in northeastern Ohio, Garfield was a lawyer, preacher, Civil War general, US Senator and member of the US House of Representatives.
His was a life of service and he used his power to advocate for civil rights for African Americans, to support an educated electorate and to fight corruption in the postal service. He was a pretty progressive guy for the day in 1881 and even for modern times.
In case you don’t remember your history, an assassin fired and struck Garfield twice – one bullet caused a minor wound to his arm and another went through his back, shattering a rib and embedding in his abdomen. He died months later after unsanitary methods employed by his doctors caused infection to develop and grow.
He was interred in another location in this cemetery until his memorial was completed about nine years later and his body was moved. Our tour guide said that Garfield’s wife Lucretia was instrumental in choosing the location for the memorial and in planning its design. She chose the highest point in the cemetery, giving her husband, the President, the highest resting place in the cemetery as he had once held the highest office in the land.
You ascend twenty steps to enter the heavy front doors. A larger than life statue of the twentieth president stands beneath an impressive light fixture with twenty bulbs. Awe inspiring stained glass windows represent each of the original thirteen colonies and his home state of Ohio. Each of these windows features a woman who is holding something that represents that state in her outstretched hands.
Spiral stairs give access to the crypt where Garfield’s flag draped casket sits next to that of his wife. Go up stairs to an interior balcony that looks down on the rotunda and also get a better view of the dome above. One more flight of stairs up will give you access to an exterior balcony with a sweeping view of the cemetery and downtown off in the distance.
This memorial is extraordinary both in appearance and in atmosphere. It feels sacred. At first glance, you might mistake this space for a church and the women of those windows as angels.
You can tell that Lucretia Garfield and whoever designed this memorial wanted to honor the man and his place in history while emphasizing the weight and importance of the US Government. Reverence and respect were paid here.
I hated to leave this place and have thought often about our time there. Garfield was both preacher and politician. He fought for what was right and died because of some things that were wrong with his world. I can’t help but wonder how our country might have improved and grown had he served his entire term rather than a few short months. Would the civil rights movement have advanced more? Would we be less tolerant of the lies of corrupt politicians?
If you’re in Cleveland, Lake View Cemetery is home to this memorial and to the graves of many other famous people. We didn’t get to explore here long but it was one of my favorite things in Cleveland. Learn more here!
Everyone should have friends who are willing to derail their plans to slam on the brakes whenever you gasp the words “look at that!”
My Pittsburgh pal is a champ in this category. When we spotted this Catholic church atop a hill in a tiny western Pennsylvania village, she didn’t hesitate to look for the entrance.
The door was open so we were able to let ourselves in. My friend prayed while I admired the quiet and the light of this beautiful sanctuary.
It really is gorgeous.
It was built in 1893 and, while it feels historic, it also feels fresh and well cared for.
The stained glass is magnificent.
The cemetery contains numerous old graves with interesting, finely crafted headstones.
Lovely, eh?
Just before we left, we met a woman who is a longtime congregant. We had a quick chat with her and she confirmed that the church has an active congregation and she seemed positively thrilled that we showed an interest.
It made my heart happy to think there are still people out there so devoted to their church and faith and that they would make strangers feel so welcome.
As you enter the museum at the Ohio Statehouse, there is one breathtaking item that will draw your eye right in. It’s this gorgeous piece of stained glass that’s backlit and positively glowing.
This Seal of Ohio hung in the Rotunda dome from the 1920s until it was taken down in sixties. When it was decided to renovate the Ohio Statehouse in 1989, it was found stored in a closet inside a men’s room in the Senate Building.
Thankfully, someone saw value in it and had it restored. It became part of the Statehouse Museum in 1996.
This piece is huge and the colors are vibrant. I’m so grateful someone prioritized it’s restoration for a new generation to enjoy. I’m also glad they decided to use it in the museum rather than back in the dome, where it would be too high to appreciate. To give you some perspective, the center of the dome is where this once hung. It’s 120 feet high. I zoomed in a good bit for this picture.
When choosing a restaurant for myself I tend to go for great atmosphere. If the food is decent, that’s just a bonus.
I retrieved a friend from the airport Friday and she was famished from her journey so I wanted to go somewhere fun with a good, filling meal. We went to the Spaghetti Warehouse in Columbus. This is a chain but the Columbus location is so unique and so established that people up there seem to think it’s local.
It’s in an old icehouse that was built in 1891 and has been there since 1975. When you approach from Broad Street you’re looking at the back of an imposing brick building complete with a loading dock. It appears to be abandoned. When I turned in, my friend’s reaction was priceless. “This is…. a restaurant…?”
From this angle, it does look like a great place to be killed by the mafia. However, if you drive around to the front of the building, you’ll find a full parking lot and charming entrance.
The centerpiece in the dining room is a trolley car where patrons can dine.
They have a couple of old confessionals from churches in New England that house tables as well. I overheard a server inform an elderly man he had to behave himself while sitting in the confessional.
Glorious woodwork, Tiffany lights and stunning stained glass are just a few of the elements found throughout the dining room.
I always look for mirror selfies.
Oh, and the food was divine too. We both had manicotti which came with salad and bread. Their desserts come from the Cheesecake Factory so we had little trouble talking each other into splitting something. She suggested the Godiva Double Chocolate Cheesecake was a little too much chocolate. I suggested she was nuts because there’s no such thing has too much chocolate.
If you get a chance, you should check it out. My food was divine, the service great and the atmosphere wonderful. It is rare that I get to say that!
