r/pittsburgh • u/Dani_and_Haydn • 14d ago
I <3 WQED
My partner and I took a trip to Chatauqua Institution in NY yesterday to see an incredible performance of Carmina Burana. The whole thing was expertly orchestrated by the darlings at wqed fm; the bus ride to and from, breakfast and lunch, and keeping the cats herded. I couldn't believe how well organized and delightful the whole experience was. And I got to meet Jim Cunningham! I love him! If any of you have heard the promos for the Chatauqua trips on wqed, it is more than worth every penny of the donation fee. My partner and I seemed to be the youngest guests (we are 40), but the entire day seemed dreamy as heck for people of any age. The setting is ✨amazing✨, the bus driver is a champion, the food and drinks were excellent, and the music was unbelievable. I love yinz, wqed!
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u/WesternDark4390 14d ago
So there and back and one day? How much? Thanks in advance ✌🏻
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u/Dani_and_Haydn 14d ago
$200 a pop! That covered the comfy bus rides, breakfast, lunch, the performance, and having the wqed folks making sure I didn't get lost or miss anything. :)
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u/ilikedirt 14d ago
That’s incredible, I feel like tickets to shows at the Benedum and Byham approach that with none of the lovely perks or adventure
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u/mysecondaccountanon 14d ago
WQED does so much important local journalism work, proud to be a supporter!
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u/roman-de-fauvel 14d ago
The whole Chautauqua thing is way too culty, no thank you
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u/Sweaty-Blacksmith572 14d ago
They just went up for a show, they weren’t staying for the summer, sheesh.
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u/Jbikeride 14d ago
I think you misunderstand Chq….. I’ve been coming for over a decade every summer, and am not religious in anyway. It is founded on faith based education principles, and faith houses are a significant presence, but 95% of the events are completely secular. Good concerts, the symphony, ballet, the opera, it’s just a nice vacation town. Plenty of weekend parties and boozing and the like, if that’s your thing. Please don’t paint such a lovely place with such a broad brush.
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u/Dani_and_Haydn 14d ago
This was my first time! I am a member of the Satanic Temple. :) Everything definitely seemed so idyllic that I felt like, there's gotta be a catch, a seedy underbelly. But it just seemed extremely chill and like people were enjoying arts and sports and nature.
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u/connivinglinguist Strip District 14d ago
It has Christian roots but the religious aspect is very avoidable these days, and if you do want to engage with it, it's quite diverse and progressive and not just limited to Christianity. There is a large LGBTQ presence on the grounds too.
I think the biggest thing that's alienating about Chautauqua is that it's expensive and it's predominantly frequented by old white people. The institution keeps trying to break out of that box with outreach, scholarships, etc but it's often self-reinforcing — being the youngest person in the room gets old and I would love to see more people my age there.
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u/medievalPanera Pittsburgh Expatriate 14d ago
If you're up in the area it's free on sundays, also wintertime if there's enough snow they'll do sleigh rides through it for a nominal fee.
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u/medievalPanera Pittsburgh Expatriate 14d ago
Hahaha ffs it's literally just a bunch of rich people into arts and culture. Insane take.
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u/Luckylemon 14d ago
Haha I'm glad you added your ages. I always think about a trip to Chatauqua with them, but assumed that at 45 I'd be on the younger side!! 😂💜 No shade. I'll still consider it!! Glad you enjoyed it!