Communities in the airport corridor were miles away from the conferences of world leaders and the confrontations of demonstrators at the G-20 summit last week in Pittsburgh.

But the western suburbs played a pivotal role in the big summit in ways that were highly visible in some cases and behind the scenes in others.

Air Force One delivered President Obama and his wife to the U.S. Air Force 911th Airlift Wing in Moon.

The sprawling base also was bustling last Thursday and Friday with aircraft bearing foreign country markings landing and taking off with foreign dignataries and delegations, including China and Russia.

Other dignitaries arrived and departed at Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay.

Motels and hotels along the Parkway West from Moon to Green Tree were booked to capacity throughout the summit. Many of those guests ate in local restaurants, including Primanti Brothers on University Boulevard in Moon, where the uniquely Pittsburgh sandwiches include french fries and cole slaw between the slices of fresh-baked bread.

And flowers from a Moon florist adorned the airplanes of G-20 delegations from 10 countries, including the United States.

Karen Farrell of Chris Puhlman Flowers, 846 Beaver Grade Road, said her flower shop assembled arrangements for Air Force One and for delegations from India, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, France and South Africa.

Her shop also provided arrangements for Asiana Airways "and for two other countries, but they didn't tell us which ones," Ms. Farrell said.

She handled the orders through airline caterers, including LSG Skychefs in Moon.

"The first order didn't come in until Wednesday," one day before the summit started, she said. "We didn't know how many orders we would get, but I ordered more flowers from our suppliers."

Orders kept coming in last Thursday and Friday, meaning that she and her designers, Sue Scheel, Kim Lenggel and Jean Ott, worked from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. throughout the G-20.

"It was really interesting" and there were some special details, she said.

"The Japanese said we could use no chrysanthemums because those are funeral flowers in their country," she said. "The Indonesians wanted everything to be pink and white. India had 12 bathrooms on their plane and they wanted flowers in each bathroom and arrangements in other rooms as well."

The Moon florist did not get any orders from the United States delegation, "but we thought that since we had supplied flowers to foreign delegations, we would like to donate flowers for our president.

"We called the 911th and they said it was doubtful" that the offer would be accepted. But Friday at 1:50 p.m., Ms. Farrell received a phone call from White House staff saying the flowers would be accepted if she could get them to the Air Force Reserve base by 2:30 p.m.

She and her staff made the deadline, sending two floral arrangements "and a note from the flower shop thanking the president and first lady for bringing the world to Pittsburgh."

One arrangement was red, white and blue with flowers that included red roses, white calla lilies and blue orchids.

The other arrangement was -- of course -- black and gold with sunflowers and two Steelers teddy bears for the president's daughters, Sasha and Malia.

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