Pittsburgh rings in holiday season with Light Up Night
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Mother Nature may be on the naughty list for these frigid temperatures, but this evening, people were shopping in Market Square, ice skating at PPG Place, and enjoying the start of the holiday season.
The city of Pittsburgh was all aglow.
"The whole city is alive. it's awesome," said onlooker Kenneth Francis.
The dazzling display at the City-County Building and the twinkling tree on the corner of Penn and Stanwix brought out folks dressed up like Eskimos.
"I have an undershirt, a sweatshirt, my coat, my hat, and my gloves," Ohio native Samatha Pickel said.
The cold certainly didn't stop the fun.
"I love the cold!" Amanda Mejia said with a laugh.
Instead, it created a festive feel, while the smell of cinnamon-coated treats and rock n' roll style Christmas carols put a bow on the city's season greetings.
"We love coming here every year, it's wonderful," Debra Vanholst said.
But to make the night merry and bright, sharing the stage with Mayor Ed Gainey, the big man himself, Santa Claus, giving his seal of approval to the City of Pittsburgh.
There was a police presence here tonight-including the mounted division. When I spoke to one of the officers earlier this evening, he said it was a great night with a great crowd.
As the crowd was starting to head out, traffic backups were surely starting to creep into drivers' minds.
It's important to have patience because Santa is watching.
