From Mr. Emerson:

"It is for want of self-culture that the superstition of Travelling, whose idols are Italy, England, Egypt, retains its fascination for all educated Americans. They who made England, Italy, or Greece venerable in the imagination did so by sticking fast where they were, like an axis of the earth. In manly hours, we feel that duty is our place. The soul is no traveller; the wise man stays at home, and when his necessities, his duties, on any occasion call him from his house, or into foreign lands, he is at home still, and shall make men sensible by the expression of his countenance, that he goes the missionary of wisdom and virtue, and visits cities and men like a sovereign, and not like an interloper or a valet.

I have no churlish objection to the circumnavigation of the globe, for the purposes of art, of study, and benevolence, so that the man is first domesticated, or does not go abroad with the hope of finding somewhat greater than he knows. He who travels to be amused, or to get somewhat which he does not carry, travels away from himself, and grows old even in youth among old things. In Thebes, in Palmyra, his will and mind have become old and dilapidated as they. He carries ruins to ruins.

Travelling is a fool's paradise. Our first journeys discover to us the indifference of places. At home I dream that at Naples, at Rome, I can be intoxicated with beauty, and lose my sadness. I pack my trunk, embrace my friends, embark on the sea, and at last wake up in Naples, and there beside me is the stern fact, the sad self, unrelenting, identical, that I fled from. I seek the Vatican, and the palaces. I affect to be intoxicated with sights and suggestions, but I am not intoxicated. My giant goes with me wherever I go."

Hell yeah. First of all, I hope that I can fill my life with good works on behalf of my home, Philadelphia, and make it another England, Italy, or Greece. I have been and will continue to strive to be the axis that Emerson talks about.
Next, I had a great experience today with regard to one of his latter points. I was in the suburbs at my grandmother's house, and I felt tranquil in her yard amid gardens, trees, and sun. It seemed idyllic, and I was happy. I figured my trip back home would be grim in comparison, as I'd need to ride on the El Shuttle through the more rundown sections of West Philly, breaking the bucolic setting of the garden.
However, to my delight, once I got to 69th street and boarded my bus, I felt at home again for the second time, and more than that, I felt tranquil again. I loved the citizens on the bus, the shops in the streets, and the murals as much as I did the flowers, trees, and birds earlier. Then I realized, the tranquility was not a function of external factors--it was from within. Assuming that that's an accurate reflection, I don't know whether I can take credit for that or not. I guess Emerson would say that I can and should take credit for it, and it's not as if I haven't been striving for years--almost a decade at this point--to cultivate an excellent character and tranquility of mind. Maybe I'm starting to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Pittsburgh Trip:

On Thursday Dan and I walked around downtown Pittsburgh for most of the afternoon. We checked out the CSX building, the PPG building, the Mellon Center, some of the church's (though we were barred from entering the one I wanted to see the most, the First Presbyterian Church), the Gulf Center, several of the parks, Point Park, and several other buildings. We randomly got a chance to tour the office of Urban Design Associates in the Gulf Center and hear about some of the projects they're working on.
The downtown somehow reminded me of Minneapolis's downtown architecturally. It looked old and industrial, which is beautiful in a way. The modernist buildings from the 30s were cool, but much of the newer stuff looked ugly to me.
Culturally/socially, it was pretty cool--much more vibrant than, say, Baltimore, but more desolate than Philadelphia or New York. Renewal projects are plentiful and conspicuous. It seems like the city is trying hard to improve their downtown.
Later that day we got pizza and coffee in Squirrel Hill. For dinner we went to this Thai restaurant with Kumiko. After that I was completely beat so I went to bed early. The night before I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep.
On Friday we met up with Kumiko again and got breakfast in Shadyside. Afterwards, Dan and I walked to CMU, toured the university area, headed over to Southside, and walked down Carson Street to the tram up Mount Washington. We went up to the top, checked out the views, and then came back down and hung out at Crazy Mocha. Then Kumiko met us and we went to Double Wide for dinner. I got their pulled seitan BBQ sandwich, which was great. It was one of the better fake meat dishes I've had.
That night we went downtown to watch the fireworks, which was cool. Much of the park was closed off, which was annoying, but it was still a good time. After that we watched Cinema Paradiso at Kumiko's and then went to sleep.
On Saturday we ate breakfast at Square Cafe with Derek and Kumiko. Dan got this killer nutella and strawberry crêpe, and though mine was good, I probably should have gotten that. Afterwards Dan and I walked through Frick Park en route to Schenley Park where the four of us met up again. We messed around in the park, playing frisbee and stuff like that, and then we went and watched Wall-E. I thought the movie was great and that it deserves all the hype it's been getting.
For dinner we went to a vegetarian chinese restaurant, which was incredible. It was among the best I've ever had. Derek's Hunan "Beef" was the best thing I tried during the entire trip.
After dinner we went to a coffee shop and then a bar later. I played darts for the first time at the bar, which was a blast. Kumiko had a crazy dart style reminiscent of Mitch Williams from the Phillies. If the darts were real, she would have taken out the game screen numerous times.
On Sunday we ate breakfast at Pamela's, which was good, and then we headed over to the train station. The station itself was beautiful and had a sweet vaulted entrance. The train ride home was ok--I was working on Kaplan, so it was basically "work", and there was this girl talking on her phone right behind me the entire trip (about 8hrs), which was distracting. The countryside was beautiful though. Also, at one point I went to get something at the snack car, ordered up my food, and then when I was trying to pay they told me the credit card machine was broken. I only had $1, so I told the guy to forget it. Just then this guy standing next to me asked me how much I needed, which was $2.50, and then he just handed me the difference. I was blown away at his generosity. I will strive to return it to the world in whatever way I can. That was the highlight of the train ride home, and one of the highlights of the trip really.
Overall I had a great time. Dan provided excellent hospitality, and it was great to see everyone over there. The city itself was cool. I had plenty of excellent food, and in many ways, it's a gorgeous city. The landscape is one of its best features. It's surrounded by forested mountains and rivers on all sides. It's like the rainforest version of San Francisco landscape-wise (well, except for the ocean and bay part). Ed Rendell was right--I did enjoy Pittsburgh.