There goes the Neighborhood…

Last weekend, we took our kids to Pittsburgh to visit some friends. The other couple also have two boys who are the same ages as our own two, so we did a lot of kid stuff.

One of the stops on our agenda was the Pittsburgh Childrens Museum. Surprise One was the the museum has reciprocity with the Franklin Institute, so my membership card got my family in free. Suprise Two was the exhibit dedicated to Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.

Fred Rogers taped his show in Pittsburgh, so it’s no small wonder for the city to honor a Favorite Son, but this place was remarkable. It included many artifacts from the original set, including a pair of those sneakers and one of his actual sweaters, as well as hands-on replicas of many of the stage props, such as the castle and tree from the Land of make Believe and the bench with the Trolley!

My kids were interested, but mostly, this was enjoyable on a deep level for the parents. Honest to goodness… I got a little choked up in there.

Luckily, this was one of the rare trips I actually remembered to bring my camera, so I have some photos to share. In the words of my wife, “All the other moms are taking pictures of their kids and I’m taking pictures of you!”

I smiled all the wider.

It was the Neighborly thing to do.