Tag Archives: Public Art

Williamsport Public Art

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I enjoy my layovers in Williamsport, PA, even though I introduced the town on my blog with my least favorite experience there so far – walking its bridges. I am always on the tail end of a trip when I’m visit, which may explain why I have a tendency to not take as many photographs as I otherwise would. For example, the Little League Museum is in Williamsport and at one intersection the public art reflects this with a statue at each corner of little leagues players one each at home plate and the three bases. When I stumbled across that intersection I was too tired to hit all four corners and so I didn’t even take photographs of the statues at the two corners I did pass. However, the crochet-filled penny-farthing bike rack and a couple murals filling in the normally blank walls along parking lots were inspiring enough for me to stop for a minute to take photos, despite being so tired.

Go Fish 7

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. This may be my favorite of the 8 fish installations we found on our trip in 2023 as I’m a big fan of strawberries and of chocolate. “Chocolate-covered Bassberry” by Bill Hanna was underdevelopment when the offishial GoFish! book was published. It is listed in the index, but there was no photo in the book. This makes me wonder if more fish (and frogs and dinosaurs) that I cannot find matches for in the books were created as part of the official fundraisers, but after the official books were published.

Once again, Amy H.’s FourSquare map was instrumental in helping us find this fish.

Washington, DC, Mural

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On Day 2 of my April 2025 Washington, DC, trip, I needed to take it easy. However, I couldn’t sit inside all day. On a short excursion near Union Station, I got uncomfortable as I approached the underbelly of the railroad bridge over K Street. My experience of similar structures in Pittsburgh is that they are dark, dirty, untended, and creepy. Bird droppings or bridge droppings are likely to land on you at any point.

The underbelly of this bridge over K Street defied my expectations. A light mural created a welcoming and engaging experience that felt more like Buffalo’s Seneca One murals than the underbelly of Pittsburgh’s railroad bridges. Because light was used instead of paint, it lit up a dark place and incorporated engaging animation:

Go Fish 6

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. When we found “Red Wing” by Annoel & Peggy Krider on our 2023 trip, the pattern painted on it had changed slightly from the original. The current version pops more than the photo in the “offishial” GoFish! book. It was easy to spot as soon as we got to the site identified on Amy H.’s map as the current home for this fish.

As FourSquare isn’t available anymore, I have created my own maps for where I encountered Erie’s fish and frogs, plus statues in other cities: https://urbantraipsing.com/public-art-maps/

Go Fish 5

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. By the time we found “The Cosmic Fish, Inspired by Frederick Franck” by William J. Doan on our 2023 trip, we had gotten into the habit of asking for help once we got inside the building identified on Amy H.’s FourSquare map. This time we got a surprisingly quick response from the first person we saw: “Oh, yeah, it’s right there.”

As FourSquare isn’t available anymore, I have created my own maps for where I encountered Erie’s fish and frogs, plus statues in other cities: https://urbantraipsing.com/public-art-maps/

Frederick Douglass Bridge, DC

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For years, even before I started urbantraipsing, I thought nothing of walking from transit stop to transit stop, bridge to bridge, as I explore and encounter the expected and unexpected nooks and crannies of a city. That way of life came crashing to a devastating halt in the fall of 2023 when I developed Long COVID.

Six months passed.

And then a year.

The return to “normal” my doctors promised seemed increasingly unlikely. But a return to functional seemed within reach. The question remained: did urbantraipsing fall within this new functionality?

After a few local test excursions, I felt physically and mentally strong enough to test travel. In April 2025, I took a long-overdue trip to visit my brother in Washington, DC. On this trip, I encountered some great bridges and learned that, much like other activities, with modification and accommodation urbantraipsing is a way of life I can continue.

The open, through-arch Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge was one of our expected encounters. I probably would have been ecstatic about the unexpected benches in the lookouts between the arches under previous circumstances. After all, it isn’t every day that you find a bench on a bridge. However, in the past, I probably would have just said “that’s cool,” photographed them, and moved on. Instead, I took full advantage of these seats for one of my rest and rehydration breaks. This slow down is the reason I spotted the Yard Park Bridge, a bridge I definitely needed to add to my collection.

Perhaps slowing down and being more intentional to accommodate my Long COVID needs will continue to add depth to my urbantraipsing experiences.

Go Fish 4

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. Amy H.’s FourSquare map helped us identify the building where “‘The Teaching Fish’ Minds to Learn, Fins to Serve” by MC Gensheimer now lives (2023), but we had to ask for help multiple times once we were inside before one of the staff showed us where this fish was in the cafeteria.

As FourSquare isn’t available anymore, I have created my own maps for where I encountered Erie’s fish and frogs, plus statues in other cities: https://urbantraipsing.com/public-art-maps/

Go Fish 3

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. “Fish Tales” by Jodi Staniunas Hopper & Toni Kelly must have had lasik surgery sometime between 2001 and 2023 as it no longer wears the glasses it had in 2001. Amy H.’s FourSquare map helped us find this one in the lobby of the Erie Maritime Museum, one of the original patrons of the fish. As FourSquare isn’t available anymore, I have created my own maps for where I encounter the fish and other statues: https://urbantraipsing.com/public-art-maps/

Go Fish 2

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GoFish! was a fundraiser in Erie, PA, in 2001. I can’t find a match for this one in the “offishial” GoFish! book and the plaque underneath is too faded to read after 22 years in the sun and rain. Amy H.’s FourSquare map identified this one as “Goldfish.” Unfortunately, since FourSquare folded, I can no longer access her map. However, I have created my own which you can view on my new Public Art Maps page.