Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of those down-to-earth cities where the people work hard, play hard, and always have a kind word to say. They take pride in their sports teams and their city, even during times when the economy wasn’t as strong. Fortunately, things are on the rise at the moment and jobs are plentiful and the city is experiencing a revival. As one of our cab drivers told us, depending upon what you do, you can come to Pittsburgh now and probably find not one job, but three. As friendly and welcoming as the people were that we met, we are definitely happy to see things improving for them.
One thing that you notice immediately when you visit Pittsburgh is that it is an unpretentious city. Most buildings are unassuming and have the feel of the turn of the century, with the exception of one glass skyscraper which is shaped like a castle and looks very out of place compared to the rest of the city. The streets are very walkable and there are a variety of wonderful restaurants, especially in the Strip, which is on Penn Street in downtown Pittsburgh.
With the three rivers converging in Pittsburgh, the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny Rivers, yellow bridges can be found at almost every turn. It is certainly worth walking to Point State Park and taking a stroll along the river for a relaxing afternoon and enjoying the views of the iconic baseball stadium that sits across from it. With rolling hills all around the city, going up to Mount Washington will provide you with wonderful views of the downtown area as well as the park. Another sight not to be missed is the famous Heinz building with its ketchup bottle proudly pouring the condiment for all of the city to see.
We only had a short time to spend in Pittsburgh, but we expect to be back again to enjoy even more of the city’s hospitality. It was definitely warm and welcoming with a very casual and relaxed feeling. The city is a melting pot of a variety of central European cultures from Polish, German, Italian, and more, which makes it a very unique cultural city as well as culinary city to visit.
The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial is a great place to visit AND was a location for “Silence of the Lambs.”
We did not know that. We will have to check it out the next time we visit.
The weird glass castle/tower was most likely the Cathedral of Learning on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is open to the public for self-guided tours, and another great location for seeing the city. Other great places to visit include the Carnegie Science Center (esp. for kids), and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
🙂
Actually, it’s the PPG headquarters building, designed by Phillip Johnson and John Burgee. The Cathedral of Learning is in Oakland on the Univ of Pittsburgh campus; the PPG building is downtown (with plenty of other more modern skyscrapers!).
Thanks for the corrections! I’ve only been a handful of times, but I can tell you Pittsburgh is a beautiful and unique city, well worth the visit. 🙂