The Steel City Rises Again
Even though the industry has faded, it’s still referred to as The Steel City. The reality is, Pittsburgh rose from industrial collapse to rockin’ city years ago. The good thing for travellers is that not many people know that yet.

European Cool
Starting with the two waterways that give the city a European air, the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers converge to form the Ohio River and set up a bird’s eye view of the bridges that connect the city. There are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh, more than any other in the world.

Quirky Pop Culture
Pittsburghers celebrate their eccentric side with the Andy Warhol Museum. The most comprehensive single-artist museum in the world, seven floors of pure Warhol nostalgia plaster the walls with roughly 500 works displayed at a time. The pop culture icon himself was raised in the Oakland neighbourhood of the city before heading off to New York to develop and spread his gospel.

Holy Brewery!
Speaking of gospel, the city doesn’t take its faith too seriously. Just outside the downtown core in the old Lawrenceville neighbourhood is The Church Brew Works. Instead of leaving the unused St. John the Baptist Church to gather dust, Sean Casey saw the light. A microbrewery and restaurant with concoctions like Pious Monk Dunkel and Celestial Gold now fills the space once used for prayer. The beer gods have been happy here since 1996.

Lord Stanley
No visitor to Pittsburgh can leave without feeling yet another kind of worship, that of the black and gold. With respect to the Pirates, whose best ball days seem to be in the past, the Penguins are coming off a Stanley Cup win last season led by Sidney Crosby, the youngest captain to hoist the cup (and the object of desire of most young girls in the city). The Steelers, on the other hand, just captured their sixth Super Bowl championship, the first team to do so in NFL history. On that score, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is worth a visit..

Around the World in 90 Neighbourhoods
For a final hurrah in Pitt, a drive through the 90 different neighbourhoods takes you to just about every culture in the world. Why not choose your next destination based on the neighbourhood you like the best?

Lori Henry is a travel writer based in Vancouver, BC. www.lorihenry.ca

Photo Credits: Lori Henri

Reference Websites:

www.visitpittsburgh.com
www.warhol.org
www.churchbrew.com
www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Previous

Next

Join the Discussion Comment Name (required) Email (*will not be published) (required) (Numbers only) By posting your comment you agree to the TakeOffeh! terms of service and privacy policy.