This Duck Quacks Me Up!

Why, yes, that is a giant rubber duck
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

In September, I returned to the US for a wedding. A week after the wedding, the giant rubber duck came to Pittsburgh! A city on the east coast—finally I would be able to see it! The giant duck is an art installation by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman; it has been all over the world, with each city building its own duck. I talked my parents into visiting the duck with me, and since my Grandma lives near Pittsburgh, we brought her along too.

Grandma and the Duck

My grandma is 91, and I was pretty sure she’d never seen anything like the duck in her whole life, so I didn’t tell her the whole truth about our plans. I told her that my parents and I would come down for lunch, and then we’d all visit this art exhibit in Pittsburgh. Honestly, I think she was more excited about the lunch than the art. I promised her she’d like the art, and she agreed to go.

My dad was not feeling it. He’d just come back from a weeklong conference and was not looking forward to driving 3 hours “just to see a duck”. He came along anyway, but I don’t think he expected to enjoy himself. When we reached Pittsburgh (please note it took only 2 hours, not 3), the duck was visible from the highway, and we were stuck in traffic. Luckily, we were able to divert my Grandma’s attention with the Steelers’ and Pirates’ stadiums. We got a little turned around trying to the find the entrance to the park, so our first view of the duck was from across the river. It was humorous, but it wasn’t the full effect, so I convinced my reluctant Dad we needed to get closer.



So ridiculous!
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Back on the proper side of the river, we parked the car and walked to Point State Park. The duck was anchored in such a place that you couldn’t see it until you were nearly right up next to it. Here was the true amazement; my dad took one look at it and gave his genuine belly laugh. Grandma was also amused. She laughed at the duck, and the babies, and duck, and the babies. I think the duck and the babies were tied for her attention.

Useful Links!
Duck Pictures!
Fllorentijn Hofman's Duck Page
Rubber Duck Wikipedia Page