(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) Summer has arrived and the best way to celebrate is by spending some time outside. Sunshine and warm temperatures are a welcome change following the unusually cold winter that gripped much of the continental U.S. for the better part of six months. Now, it’s time to enjoy all of the things that make summer in Pittsburgh so great. So grab your SPF 30, a beach blanket and mindset on soaking up some Vitamin D rays. Here are the best spots in Pittsburgh for sunbathing. Take in an afternoon Pirates game at PNC Park to combine two of summer’s most cherished pastimes: baseball and sunbathing. Excitement for “Bucco baseball” reached a frenzied level as the team made their first trip to the playoffs in two decades. Add to that the fact that PNC Park is continually hailed as the pinnacle of major league ball parks around the country and pretty soon soaking up rays in the cheap seats sounds like an ideal way to spend an afternoon. Located near Pittsburgh’s Waterfront district, Sandcastle easily provides the widest variety of ways to sunbathe within city limits.
You can opt for the traditional means of sunbathing in a lounge chair poolside. One popular option for “catching rays” is along the quarter-mile lazy river in an inner tube with a cold drink in your hand. Or, for the most extreme alternative, give the lightning express a try. At 25 miles per hour, this speed slide drops nearly 90 feet and will surely add some spice to your day in the sun. Related: Best Public Pools In Pittsburgh 225 Pleasant Valley Road , more than a million people visit Moraine State Park annually. At the center of the park is Lake Arthur, the star attraction for outdoor summer fun of every type imaginable. The Crescent Bay Boat Rental provides rental options that range from kayaks and paddle boats to small horsepower boats. There are bike trails and walking paths along the banks of the lake as well as Moraine trails for hour-long horseback rides. Situated just off of Banksville Road, the sun’s rays reflecting off the shimmering blue water of the Dormont Pool is a sure-fire indication that summer has arrived in the Pittsburgh area.
The sheer size of 1.85 acres can accommodate crowds much larger than the average public pool. Visitors typical to the Dormont landmark include sunbathers, swimmers and just about anyone looking for a good way to cool off when the summer heat and humidity begins to get oppressive. For the first time in its nearly 85-year history, the Dormont Borough has subcontracted maintenance and management of the massive public pool to private organization, Jeff Ellis Management. This is the same group that handles everything from lifeguard training and water quality management at Idlewild Park and Sandcastle Water Park. Settlers Cabin Park takes its name from the community of a mid-18th century log cabin settlement that was discovered there by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The park is comprised of nearly 1,600 acres that have been meticulously re-forested after years of shallow coal mining and oil and gas drilling rendered the land barren and unsightly. For many, a trip to the beautifully restored natural surroundings of Settlers Cabin is incomplete without a trip to its wildly popular wave pool.
In fact, of the three public wave pools located in Allegheny County (the other two being Boyce and South Park), Settlers Cabin is the easily the most popular and attracts the largest numbers of swimmers and sunbathers annually. Related: Staying Safe In The Summer Sun Marcel Tourdot is a freelance writer from Pittsburgh. A chaise lounge chair is an ideal place to relax on a lazy summer day. The adjustable back lets the user customize the chair and find a comfortable position for reading, sunbathing, or napping. These chairs make a great addition to patios, backyards, and pool decks, and fit in with any decor. Making a chaise lounge chair from wood is a simple, affordable home improvement project that requires lumber and a few basic carpentry tools. To make a chaise lounge chair, gather necessary tools, including a measuring tape, carpenter's square, drill and drill bits, circular saw, brad nailer, sander, and wood paint. Builders also need a substantial amount of wood to make this chaise lounge.
Gather 1-by-3 and 2-by-4 lumber, 1/4-inch bolts with nuts and washers, and wood screws. Cut the wood into the following sections: In addition to these pieces of wood, cut three pieces of 17 1/2-inch 2-by-4 and seven pieces of 3 1/2-inch 1-by-3 lumber. These boards are necessary to build the adjustable back of the chaise. It is best to build a chaise lounge in two parts, making the base and the back separately. Start by assembling the chair's base. This part is a basic frame with the seat's surface and notches holding the blocks in place to support the back at various angles. Sand all the surfaces of the wood to create a smooth finish. This helps the wood absorb the paint better and makes the surface feel more comfortable to the touch. After sanding the wood, use a vacuum to remove all traces of dust. Then add a few coats of wood paint to each piece, letting each coat dry completely before moving on to the next step. Place the two pieces of 85-inch lumber and two pieces of 21-inch long lumber on the ground or a workbench, and form a rectangle shape.
Screw the wood together at the cross sections. Spread the 24-inch long 1-by-3 boards horizontally along the length of the frame, and secure them to the frame with nails. Make sure the nails go beneath the surface of the wood so they do not stick out and injure anyone or damage clothing. Use the 14-inch long 2-by-4 pieces to create the legs. Place two pieces of wood back to back at the end of the chair with slats. Apply wood glue and screw them to the frame. Repeat this on the other end of the chair using single pieces of lumber on each side. Then add the 7-inch wood pieces to the legs, lining them up with the bottom. This leaves space to accommodate the support blocks when the chair lays flat. The adjustable back is the defining characteristic of the chaise lounge. This part of the chair requires a separate frame that moves up and down with the help of a pivot bolt. Form a rectangle with two 17 1/2-inch 2-by-4 and two 32-inch 2-by-4 boards. Divide the frame in half by inserting an additional 17 1/2-inch 2-by-4 in the middle.