One of Yelp's competitor's is showing that Lotus Garden is closed, and if it is, I am saddened. I've had a sinking feeling that the business had gone defunct whenever I've passed it in recent months, noticing an absence of cars in the lot during peak hours, that dreaded orange sign in the window, and unlit interiors.I've a sentimental attachment to this restaurant I hadn't visited in years simply because it was the one that introduced me to Chinese food at the age of 5. My parents brought us here warily, thinking that my sister and I, picky eaters that we were, would turn our noses up at such exotic fare.All it took was a bite of a water chestnut, and a boiled wonton, and this strange new food became a staple of my life.I recall the pretty Asian women who worked here doting on us, pleasantly surprised that we enjoyed everything we had, from the crispy cylinders full of seafood to the brown rice with bits of steak hiding in it. While other Chinese restaurants, many in fact, popped up all over the area in the ensuing years, they were merely takeout go-tos -- Lotus Garden was THE place to DINE when it came to Chinese food. Never thinking about getting carry-away from LG, we always had to go there, sit down, and eat. Alas, we slowly forgot about LG with all the more convenient options out there. And for that, shame on us.It's probably a longshot, but I do hope that someone else buys the place up and keeps it as it once was. Lotus Garden certainly blazed a trail for Asian fare in this part of the city, and therefore deserves a revival as much as Real McCoy Sandwich Shop, Vincent's Pizza Park, and Greb's Bakery do. Does anyone remember tradition or are we too mesmerized by the fleeting allure of the future to notice?Damn, 60 years. It's easy to get excited about all the new happenings when you're a transplant, but when you've lived in this quadrant of Pittsburgh all your life like I have, and a place like Lotus Garden goes under, you can't help but be wistful over its demise.