Although I am able walk to my job at the University of Pittsburgh, I feel for my colleagues and other commuters who daily search for a parking spot in crowded Oakland. That's why I shook my head with incredulity when the city, guided by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, decided to transform the always-jammed cement lot on Forbes Avenue between the Carnegie and Hillman libraries into a green lawn with benches, flowers, carousel and food kiosks.

I still commiserate with those drivers. But I now embrace Schenley Plaza -- which officially opened two years ago -- as my urban Eden.

The plaza gives me a space where I can step off the fast-moving treadmill of daily life. It gives me a setting in which to do a crossword puzzle, read a book, admire the scenery, talk with my dad -- or just do nothing.

My dad and I always sit at the same round green table near the Bagel Factory kiosk, our favorite lunch spot. We challenge each other, competing to see who can first complete the PG's "Quick Crossword" and the more difficult New York Times one. Thanks to a bagel provided by our friends at the kiosk, we often feed the birds, marveling at how the smaller ones push the larger pigeons out of the way for a soft crumb or piece of crust.

Under our watchful gaze, the Cathedral was transformed from a black tower into a creamy edifice that sparkles like gold in the sunshine. It looms over a border of lush trees whose colors become an artist's palette once fall begins. I don't know the names of the different flowers in the plaza, but I do like seeing the red ones with large green leaves sway in the breeze like exotic dancers.

I smile as children, their eyes aglow with excitement, pull their parents to the carousel. They remind me of my younger self rushing into Kennywood to celebrate my school picnic.

When Pitt is not in session, being in Schenley Plaza makes me feel as if I am vacationing on a tropical island. Gradually, however, the voices of Pitt tour guides leading freshmen orientations remind me that this plaza serves as the gateway to my alma mater. The plaza is only steps away from the truck that sells Pitt clothing, from Nationality Rooms that celebrate diversity and from classrooms that inspire thinking.

The best plaza times are when my 92-year-old father shares memories with me. He tells me how he and my mother, although separated by age and neighborhood, united in childhood by each giving a dime to help build the Cathedral. Dad looks at the students going to and from classes, and he remembers his own college days first in Philadelphia and then at the Illinois School of Optometry. Even if he had a Schenley Plaza to go to, he was too busy studying or earning money by working in a cafeteria or donating blood to enjoy it.

When it rains at Schenley Plaza, Dad and I take cover under the tent. He thinks it looks like a cone, but I perceive it as a spaceship from some friendly planet. Waiting out a shower within this structure is like participating in a play starring the Pittsburgh community. Students chat and study, professionals enjoy time away from the office, children dance and make up games, and sometimes musicians perform.

Once winter covers Schenley Plaza with a white coating and sends the flowers into hibernation from the cold, my dad and I say goodbye to our plaza lunches. As I race from teaching to ushering to grocery shopping to exercising, I yearn for those spring, summer and fall days when sunshine and warmth will again allow us to make Schenley Plaza part of our routine.

Commuters, I do hope you find a place to park your cars. Then you and everyone else can stroll down to Schenley Plaza. You can join us at our table or find your own special spot to reflect, relax, and recharge. The urban Eden welcomes everyone!