When you are a Dallas Cowboys fan you have no pressing need to visit Pittsburgh. After all, the Steelers have more super bowl rings than Dallas and Steeler’s fans are a rabid bunch. Consequently, Don & I have never ventured into Steeler’s Country. This weekend our nephew, Adam Benson, married his long-time girlfriend, Allie in (of all places) Pittsburgh. OK, it was actually Butler Pennsylvania at the Succop Conservatory but it’s basically Pittsburgh.
The wedding was lovely. The ceremony was touching as Adam & Allie read their heartfelt vows that they wrote together. The bride walked down the isle to a Van Morrison song, which was way cool in my book. The setting was peaceful and evoked a woodland fairytale.
The reception started with a cocktail hour in the patio behind the main house and the dining & dancing was in an open pavilion. When Don’s family has an event you can be assured of good food, lots of drinks, non-stop dancing & a strange but traditional rendition of Paradise by the Dashboard Lights sung by all in attendance.
It was a blessing to be able to reconnect with family & friends as we celebrated adding another branch to the family tree.
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The next morning we headed into downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is known as both “the Steel City” for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and “the City of Bridges” for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, 2 inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification, and the source of the Ohio at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. This vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest cuts through the mineral-rich Alleghenies which made the area coveted by the French and British Empires, Virginia, Whiskey Rebels, Civil War raiders and media networks.[straight out of Wikipedia folks]
Our day started in the Strip District. This area is reminiscent of the Italian Market section in Philadelphia. A dense open air market place, it’s filled with purveyors of all types. It was crowded early this Saturday morning as we ambled along sampling some wares.
Don can’t resist ‘street oysters’.
You won’t find this in Virginia.
Gives new meaning to the term, ‘sausage fest’.
Blue grass street musicians.
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Of course, no trip to Pittsburgh would be complete without a stop at Primanti Bros. This local legend began by serving food to the many delivery truck drivers that would come into the strip district in the wee hours of the night. They created a sandwich known as The Pittsburgh Sandwich. The sandwich was created in 1933 (same year the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich was created). Joe Primanti served a sandwich featuring grilled meat, coleslaw, tomato and French fries all between 2 slices of Italian bread. The sandwich to this day is served wrapped in wax paper and you get no utensils. All sandwiches on the extensive menu are served with tomato, coleslaw and French fries.
Attempting to tackle a Primanti Pittsburgh Sandwich.
When we were finished trying to commit suicide by sandwich, we needed to walk off the load. We decided to head to Point park. Our trail took us through the walking tour of the Cultural District. Who knew Pittsburgh had culture? Well they do, in spades! Architecture, gardens, parks, theaters, performing arts venues, symphony, street art, bridges, bridges & more bridges!
The fire escapes reminded me of my Bronx upbringing.
It was a beautiful day and Point Park was a spectacular place to enjoy. I was surprised that the city was so empty. Especially on such a glorious day down by the rivers. I would bet that Central Park was mobbed today.
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While at the park we visited the Fort Pitt Museum and Block House. Historically important around the time of the French & Indian War, Don’s history buffism would not allow him to pass by without checking it out.
After the Park, we headed over to the Duquesne Incline.
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These incline planes were built in the late 1800s to transport workers who lived up on Mt. Washington down to the plants along Pittsburgh’s rivers. They shut down briefly in the early 1960s but were saved by an organization that formed to restore them and keep them operational. Also called “funiculars”, they give you a fantastic view of the city and there’s a museum there with some really cool old photos of Pittsburgh during floods, snow storms and just other old historical shots. [pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FmM20r_ZOAE/U4pf-sBUIYI/AAAAAAAABLg/pAUAepjO9KE/s144-c-o/IMG_20140531_151739_711.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/118152253666588425720/ProfilePhotos#6019729382507291010″ caption=”” type=”image” alt=”IMG_20140531_151739_711.jpg” ]
After riding the incline we took a short drive to check out Station Square. Located where the old railroad depot was, it is now a shopping and dining mecca. We left Pittsburgh and headed home with a new respect for The Steel City and it’s inhabitants. Everyone we spoke with was super friendly, helpful and brought up either the Steelers or the Pirates (no mention of the Penguins). Did you know that Pittsburgh is the only city where the 3 major sports teams wear the same colors? I didn’t. Tomorrow we check out Bedford County because we are exhausted and decided not to drive all the way home tonight.
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