A Winter Wonderland

It's beginning to look a lot like...well, you know what time of year. Especially now that the holiday season is officially here. And while we hope that all Downtown merchants enjoyed a very, very Black Friday last week, we want you to know that every day and night in and around Market Square is going to be a very, very bright throughout the holiday season. Now that a few snowflakes are falling, it's the perfect time to visit the Square to get into the Spirit of the Season.

If you just happened to be one of the couple of hundred thousand or so people who passed through the Square during the two-day 50th Anniversary Celebration of Light Up Night, then you were probably dazzled by the towering, sprawling luminary display of the magnificent Market Square Season of Lights, the brilliant LED light creation from Blachere Illuminations. Through early January, the Market Square Season of Lights — sponsored by the Colcom Foundation — will delight holiday revelers with musically synchronized eight-minute shows every half hour. In it's first few days of brightening the City, the Market Square Season of Lights is already a brilliant crowd favorite.

Now, we know that Downtown offers the finest shopping experience around, with first-class retailers such as Larrimor's, Macy's, the shops at Fifth Avenue Place, Oxford Centre and Saks — just to name a few. But did you know that the Square hosts high-end fare at the Nettleton Shoe Shop, Heinz Healy's clothing for gentlemen and the oh so chic Serendipity Accessories? And just in case, you venture outside the Square on your shopping expedition around town, you can rest your feet as your travel in style — for FREE — on the Holly Trolley shuttle service, with a stop conveniently located by Heinz Healy's, at the entrance to Market Square. This is one sweet ride thanks to Fifth Avenue Place, located adjacent to Market Square.

If you prefer a more leisurely mode of sight-seeing, then hop on the free horse-drawn carriage rides that are sponsored by the Shoppes at Oxford Centre.  From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can sign up for a ride time at One Oxford Center and spend the interval roaming the shops in your quest to find that special something for everyone your holiday gift list. Saturday evenings, Market Square hosts free carriage rides from 4 - 8 p.m. There will also be free rides on Friday Dec. 31 and Saturday Jan. 1 from 4 - 8 p.m. for First Night and the Winter Classic. With a driver at your service, a carriage ride around the city is a return to a bygone era of elegance.

Maybe you're looking for a way to work off a few calories from that big Turkey Day dinner. Then glide on over to the Rink at PPG Place for a leisurely skate around the ice. Not only is the rink a the perfect spot for a brisk bit of exercise, it's also the ideal location for a romantic moment during this most wonderful time of the year. And in case you didn't already know this, the PPG ice is actually bigger than the renowned rink at New York City's Rockefeller Plaza. So take that Big Apple.

If you're looking for a nearby watering hole to catch a bite to eat or quench your thirst, the Square offers many fine eating and drinking establishments around the Square, like The Original Oyster House (a hometown favorite for 140 years), the cozy Bella Sera, Primanti Brothers, Moe's Southwest Grill and the new Chipotle location, which opens next week.

Okay, we're only stopping here because we're on our way to the Square to get our holiday season off to a holly, jolly good start.  See you there!

Keep On Glowing In the Square

Okay. We'll admit it. We're still basking in the afterglow of this past weekend's amazing, two-day and night 50th Anniversary Light Up Night Celebration. After all, this year's bash was the biggest, brightest and most brilliant Light Up Night ever. If you were there, then you were plugged into all the fun, food and festivities that stretched from One Oxford Center all the way to the Clemente Bridge. And at the center of it all for this special extravangana was the most electrifying place of all — the new Market Square. 

From start to finish, this will be one party to remember for the ages. Actually it was a blowout for all ages, with activities for everyone from the young to the young at heart.  Whether you rocked to the performances of No Bad Ju Ju and Jeff Jimerson on the Main Stage or jumped to your own beat in the Tiger Bounce House, the Square was one high-volt place that blinked, twinkled and glittered even before Mayor Luke Ravenstahl — with the help of Colcom Foundation VP John Barsotti and his sons — flipped the on switch for the first-ever Season of Lights holiday display. 

So, just in case you weren't one of the hundreds of thousands of people who streamed through the Square over the weekend, we're posting a few photos to show you what you missed — like Santa, the world's biggest marching band, the horse-drawn carriage parade, fireworks and Lynn Smith and Fred Bell getting hitched in front of thousands of friends and family. And we're going to go easy on the words here, because we really do believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. But we do want to thank Duquesne Light, PNC, Colcom Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Hotel, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and all the generous sponsors who supplied the inspiration and illumination to power up a Light Up Night that glowed like 24-karat gold in the most livable  — and brightest — city around. 

Bright Lights, Big City

It's almost time for Downtown's biggest and brightest party of the year — the one-time only, two-day and two-night megawatt-palooza 50th anniversary celebration of Light Up Night, powered by the good people of Duquesne Light. Starting tomorrow at 4 p.m.,  the fun, food and festivities start in Market Square and on the Roberto Clemente Bridge with musical performances by Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, Etta Cox and Al Dowe, No Bad Ju Ju, The Stickers, Johnny Angel and the Halos, the young talents of CAPA and other Pittsburgh favorites. By time the old clock in the Square strikes 6, every avenue in the city will be an Electric Avenue. 

And since everyone knows that Downtown is the Center of the Season, the Square will be the heartbeat for so many holiday happenings during Light Up Night. An almost-instant tradition since its glowing inaugural run in 1960, Light Up Night will shine even brighter in 2010 with so many exciting new attractions that promise to perennial crowd pleasers from the start.

Now we're not playing favorites, but we don't have to check our list twice to predict that the most dazzling attractions for years to come will be the absolutely awesome Market Square Season of Lights display. Designed by Blachere Illuminations — they're the bright ones who lit up the Eiffel Tower and DisneyWorld's Cinderella Castle — the Market Square Season of Lights combines decorations on buildings and lamp posts in the Square with a towering 33-foot tall "sphere tree" lit by over 27,000 LED bulbs. From Light Up Night and into next January, the Market Square Season of Lights will delight visitors to the Square with synchronized eight-minute shows every half hour set to everyone's favorite holiday tunes. Be sure to be there when Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Jolly Old St. Nick — with help from our generous friends at the Colcom Foundation — flip the on switch to illuminate this electrifying Light Up Night rookie of the year.

While they might not be little toy soldiers, student musicians from five area high schools will keep in step during the Highmark Light Up Night March as they parade through the city to the Square, just in time for the Seasons of Light debut. Of course, the Unity Tree will blaze at the corner of Fifth and Stanwix, and weary walkers can catch a free ride on the horse-drawn carriage trips that start at Oxford Center. And the first half of Light Up Night will end with a sky-high display of pyrotechnics of fireworks from the world-renowned Zambelli Internationale.

Okay, that's just part one of the 50th Anniversary Light Up Night fun. On day two, the activities start early in the day when everyone's favorite beagle glides across the ice as Snoopy laces up his skates to celebrate his 60th birthday — that's 420 in dog years — at the PPG rink. The Square will continue to rock all day long with the tuneful stylings of Jim Jimerson and Airborne, Joe Negri and Vanessa Campagna and other talented performers.

The weekend of fun keeps on rolling along with the city's first-ever Duquesne Light Horse-Drawn Candlelight Carriage Parade with over 20 carriages and more than 150 majestic steeds hoofing their way through Downtown's wonderfully bedecked streets. From Cinderella's pumpkin carriage to antique fire trucks, this will be one parade to remember. You'll even see the famous Wells Fargo Stagecoach, a fixture in parades across America since 1958 — that's two years before Light Up Night was a twinkle in the eyes of Jacques Kahn, the legendary Pittsburgh ad man and civic booster who masterminded the city's favorite holiday tradition.

Finally, Santa and Mrs. Claus will celebrate the season with a super stage show in the Square that will fill even the biggest Grinch with the Spirit of Christmas. After the 25-minute song and dance revue, the Big Guy and his Missus will do the honors as Lynn Smith and James Bell tie the holiday knot in a special Light Up Nuptials ceremony, sponsored by 96.9 BOB FM. To make sure you don't miss a minute of the fun this weekend, check out the Light Up Night schedules for Friday and Saturday. And get ready to get your glow on!

Full Circle In The Square

 What a difference a year makes. Anyone who's witnessed the amazing transformation of Market Square over the last 365 days knows exactly what we're talking about. Which is what sent us on a trip down memory lane to November 2009, when the remaking of Downtown's favorite meeting spot was starting all over from, well, Square one.

Okay, can you believe that just 12 months ago, on Light Up Night last year, the Square looked the scene in the photo over here? After enjoying the Farmers Market, the Thursday free concerts, the Carnegie Library Reading Room and other happenings this summer and fall in the "new"  Square, it's almost impossible for us to remember the "old" Square and what it looked like during construction. But we dug through the archives to unearth a few photos from last year to show you just how much everything's changed — for the better.

Before the work crews could install the beautiful terrazzo surface in the main part of the Square or carefully place by hand each Belgian block in the streets around the Square, they had to remove every last bit of the old roads and sidewalks and start from scratch, including replacing old water lines and laying new pipes for various utilities (remember all those deep holes all over?). We spent a lot of time watching the guys tool around in the Square in their grown-up Tonka toys. Now, of course, with so much heavy equipment in the Square, we all had to deal with some detours on our way to the Nicholas Coffee Co., Oyster House and other fave spots in the Square. Somehow we all managed to find our way around the yellow "caution" tape and orange traffic cones.


But look at the Square now. In just a few days, tens of thousands of happy holiday well-wishers will gather there for our extra special 50th anniversary Light Up Night spectacular. Along with all the treasured Light Up Night festivities and traditions, this year's celebration will get off to an electrifying start when Mayor Luke Ravenstahl flips a giant switch to turn on the amazing Market Square Season of Lights display in the Square. We want to thank the good folks at the Colcom Foundation for plugging in their support of this colossal collection of brilliant blinking and twinkling decorations — including a 33-foot tall "sphere tree" that will brighten up the Square through the holidays and into the new year.

It's been a year of change in the Square. And we want to thank everyone — the work crews and the craftsmen, the merchants and especially everyone who visits the Square every day — for being patient and supportive during the long haul. We think the new Square was well worth the wait. And, remember, we'll see you in the Square — and everywhere else Downtown — this Friday and Saturday for the biggest, brightest and best Light Up Night ever.

It's Dee-Lightful!

Seriously, this is late fall? With temps in the mid 60s? Well, maybe the calendar puts us deep in the middle of autumn. But about the only hints of winter heading our way we've spotted in the Square the past few days are the workers who are assembling the first stages of Pittsburgh's first Market Square Seasons of Lights display created by Blachere Illuminations.

Now, not that we're counting, but crews were busy the past few days decking out the square with the first few hundred or so of the 143,268 lights that will brighten up the Square through the early part of January, thanks to the generosity of the Colcom Foundation. Along with decking the lamp posts around the Square with boughs of twinkling lights, the installers were busy raising the signature piece of the Season of Lights — the 33-foot tall "sphere tree" and its more than 27,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs.  Every night through its run, the Seasons of Light display will dazzle visitors to the Square with extremely awesome choreographed and synchronized shows set to everyone's favorite holiday tunes.

So, there we were, in the Square during the Thursday Farmers Market — which is extended into December — enjoying a few pierogies and buying some fresh veggies and a couple of fresh-baked pies for dinner. Everywhere we looked,  everyone in the Square was catching some amazingly warm rays during what seemed like a citywide long lunch break. Still, we couldn't help but imagine the electric winter wonderland that's in store for Downtown when we flip the "on" switch for the Market Square Season of Lights.

Farmers Market In The Square Extended

Let's just say that the Farmers Market in Market Square has a way of growing on you. Which is why we're really happy to tell you that the bounty of fresh foods — plus bushels of pastries, Greek treats, pierogies and other goodies — will continue to take root in Market Square through the end of the year.

After talking with the vendors we added another six weeks or so to the selling season. Some of you may remember that the year before construction we went through December too, with one of the longest outdoor market seasons in the City.  Last year we cut it short due to construction in the Square, but this year we're back!  And that means you'll be able to stock up on supplies for Turkey Day and other special occasions throughout this holiday season.

Speaking of the holidays, friends of the Farmers Market might just notice that a few special festive touches in the Square as work crews begin installing the 143,268 lights that will twinkle, blink and dazzle everyone who visits the Square during our very first Market Square Season of Lights extravaganza, funded by Colcom Foundation. The amazing LED display will flash and sparkle and add an extra-special glow to the Square — with synchronized shows every evening — through the holiday season and into the new year.

Now, we're certainly basking in  this week's hot spell and even spotted more than a few folks dining al fresco in the Square during lunch. But keep in mind that after this Wednesday, our Clean Team will be moving most of the tables and chairs from the center of the Square to the storage room to make way for Light Up Night festivities on November 19 and 20. After that, a few of the tables and chairs will return for the winter, so you still have a brief escape from the office and good people watching!

So whether you're looking for some local veggies for the holiday dinner table or an afternoon treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, the Farmers Market in the Square is where you ought to be.

Season of Lights Brightens Market Square

One hundred forty-three thousand two hundred sixty eight twinkles...that's how we measure the dazzling Seasons of Light that will brighten Market Square during the upcoming holidays. And we're telling you now so that you won't want to miss this amazing choreographed, mega-watt, synchronized show of dancing, multi-colored lights that will be ready to plug in just in time for our favorite Downtown celebration of the year — the special, two-day 50th Anniversary of Light Up Night on November 19 and 20.

You'll have to excuse us for sounding a little hyper-amped, but the Market Square Seasons of Light really puts a jolt in our jumper. After all, this luminary-palooza is designed by Blachere Illuminations, the very bright people who created legendary light shows at the Eiffel Tower and Disney World's Cinderella's Castle in Orlando. Over the next couple weeks you'll notice workers installing the displays, which will include thousands of lights around the Square blinking and flashing in time to everyone's favorite holiday tunes. And along with pole banners and swags draped over streets and sidewalks around the Square, the centerpiece of this electric extravaganza is a 33-foot tall red and white "sphere tree" made up of different size balls that will blink and twinkle each night through early January. And just in case you're keeping count, there will be almost 26,000 lights on the sphere tree.

Ronnie Brown and Luke Ravenstahl 

Now, don't worry about being blinded by the light during this special Season in the Square. You see, we're keeping the Season of Lights very, very green thanks to Blachere's innovative LED technology, which is light years ahead of the competition. In fact, according to Blachere president Ronnie Brown, the amount of energy needed to power the nearly 150,000 LEDs in the Seasons of Light show is equal to the electricity required to fire up 80 everyday household 100 watt light bulbs. Which means Santa will have a lot of extra lumps of coal to go around for those little boys and girls who were more naughty than nice this past year.

Colcom Foundation President Timothy Inglis

Of course, if you happened to be in the crowd during the Grand Reopening of Market Square a couple of days ago, you got a sneak peek of Seasons of Light when Mayor Ravenstahl and Ronnie Brown unveiled a poster of the project. But, if you weren't there, be sure to visit Seasons of Light for the synchronized shows every evening during the holidays beginning with the inaugural lighting on November 19. And after hours, it won't be lights as the tree will flash and fade and blink and brighten the Square all night long.

Just so you know, Colcom Foundation generously presented Pittbsurghers with an early holiday gift by providing the funding that will flip the on-switch for Market Square Seasons of Light. And we certainly want to second the emotions of Foundation President, Timothy Inglis, in hoping that the display becomes another Pittsburgh tradition that lights up the Downtown holiday season for years to come.